Yum! Caramel crust and lotsa bubbles...

February 28, 2006 3:51 PM

PacificNW/Food Filter: Best walk-in outlets for artisan bread in Seattle or Portland areas; gonna be up there over the weekend and want to bring home some chewy-crusty-soury-airy loaves. In the Poilane/Balthazar mold... Thanks!
posted by dpcoffin to food & drink (16 comments total)

The Portland tip sheet has a few bakeries. It's hard to argue with their recommendation for Ken's Artisan Bakery.
posted by xil at 4:00 PM on February 28, 2006

Grand Central Bakery is in both cities and has some very good bread.
posted by karmaville at 4:05 PM on February 28, 2006

According to a friend, who's a foodie and French, Ken's is the best in Portland. Even, according to her, better than St. Honoré, run by a Meilleur Ouvrier de France winner. St. Honoré's pastries, however, are the best in town.
posted by turbodog at 4:11 PM on February 28, 2006

The Essential Baking Company and Lampreia gots teh goods in Seattle.
posted by black8 at 4:12 PM on February 28, 2006

Ken's is ok, but St Honore (2335 NW Thurman St.) is better. as long as you're there, go next door to the Square Deal Wine Company and get some cheese from Steve's Cheese, which is located inside. best cheese shop in Portland.
posted by hyperfascinated at 4:13 PM on February 28, 2006

Grand Central is good, but Macrina is GREAT! They are in the Belltown neighborhood (near downtown).
posted by dbmcd at 4:41 PM on February 28, 2006

Pearl Bakery in Portland--it's amazing, but Grand Central is good too.
posted by Packy_1962 at 4:45 PM on February 28, 2006

Well, I'm starting with Ken's:

From their website...
"It was designed to be very much like pain Poilane..."

Thanks again, folks; will visit as many as possible!
posted by dpcoffin at 4:45 PM on February 28, 2006

I'm not a bread expert, so I'm not sure if it's what you're looking for, but I love the bread at the Dahlia Bakery. It has a wonderful texture - fresh, chewy crust, soft, soury inside. They usually have 2 or 3 varieties - the only one I can remember by name is the "Pain de Compagne."
posted by helios at 4:45 PM on February 28, 2006

Le Panier in Seattle's Pike Place Market is quite good, IMHO. Stop by Beecher's next door (ish) and pick up some cheese to go with it.
posted by rossination at 5:20 PM on February 28, 2006

three recommendations in seattle
1) Tall Grass Bakery in Ballard. All around best bread. (better than grand central and I slightly prefer it to Macrina)
2) Macrina of course, downtown. Their Monkey Bread is wonderful.
3) The stirato loaf at Grand Central. It's too fragile to ship, but boy is it tasty.
posted by ccoryell at 5:21 PM on February 28, 2006

STOP!!:)

I have to be able to live WITHOUT access to these bakeries, too, when I'm back in bread-blighted Brookings....
posted by dpcoffin at 6:55 PM on February 28, 2006

I strongly second Pearl Bakery in PDX. Superior to Grand Central. I have a good friend who baked for them for some years, they won some big int'l contest (first non-french winner in france I believe), and their bread is consistently perfect.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:59 PM on February 28, 2006

Try Great Harvest, which has branches all over the Seattle area. Yummy stuff, and always free samples.
posted by lhauser at 10:10 PM on February 28, 2006

I guess I'll just have to extend my visit; thanks again, everyone, for your great suggestions, links, and enthusiasm. Mouth watering....
dc
posted by dpcoffin at 12:19 AM on March 1, 2006

whoops, I meant Essential Bakery, not Grand Central. The Essential stuff is much better.

there are just so many out there...
posted by ccoryell at 4:03 PM on March 2, 2006