Comments on: Yum! Caramel crust and lotsa bubbles...

Question: Yum! Caramel crust and lotsa bubbles...

dpcoffin — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 15:51:58 -0800

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!

By: xil

xil — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 16:00:52 -0800

The Portland tip sheet has a few bakeries. It's hard to argue with their recommendation for Ken's Artisan Bakery.

By: karmaville

karmaville — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 16:05:32 -0800

Grand Central Bakery is in both cities and has some very good bread.

By: turbodog

turbodog — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 16:11:12 -0800

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.

By: black8

black8 — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 16:12:07 -0800

The Essential Baking Company and Lampreia gots teh goods in Seattle.

By: hyperfascinated

hyperfascinated — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 16:13:36 -0800

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.

By: dbmcd

dbmcd — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 16:41:22 -0800

Grand Central is good, but Macrina is GREAT! They are in the Belltown neighborhood (near downtown).

By: Packy_1962

Packy_1962 — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 16:45:07 -0800

Pearl Bakery in Portland--it's amazing, but Grand Central is good too.

By: dpcoffin

dpcoffin — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 16:45:12 -0800

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!

By: helios

helios — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 16:45:21 -0800

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."

By: rossination

rossination — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 17:20:44 -0800

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.

By: ccoryell

ccoryell — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 17:21:22 -0800

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.

By: dpcoffin

dpcoffin — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 18:55:19 -0800

STOP!!:)

I have to be able to live WITHOUT access to these bakeries, too, when I'm back in bread-blighted Brookings....

By: Joseph Gurl

Joseph Gurl — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 19:59:23 -0800

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.

By: lhauser

lhauser — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 22:10:38 -0800

Try Great Harvest, which has branches all over the Seattle area. Yummy stuff, and always free samples.

By: dpcoffin

dpcoffin — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 00:19:14 -0800

I guess I'll just have to extend my visit; thanks again, everyone, for your great suggestions, links, and enthusiasm. Mouth watering....
dc

By: ccoryell

ccoryell — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 16:03:02 -0800

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

there are just so many out there...