Starter Bakery in Oakland is known for their kouign amann pastries but unfortunately, they do not have a storefront, just a warehouse which does not sell individual orders to people. Instead, the bakery only does local farmer's markets which we didn't have time for. When looking online, I saw that Starter Bakery offered their pastries at several local (to Thane) places, such as Bartavelle...
which used to be Cafe Fanny's (an offshoot cafe started by Bourdain nemesis, Alice Waters) and next to Acme Bread. We went there for their beignets during our 2011 trip. Bartavelle is a Coffee and Wine Bar located on San Pablo Ave (which has so many great eateries) and just "conveniently" a few miles down the road from Thane's, who was kind enough to grab a few kouign amanns that very morning while we were making our way up the 5...
Thane is such a good friend for doing this for me. We've both known him for 30+ years and he knows my quirks and like Bert, is cool and flexible with my requests. Prior to going to Thane's, I asked Bert if we could do a "drive by" of Bartavelle's so I could get an exterior shot. (Sigh) the things he has to put up with, namely my wierd requests like this one...
There were lots of people in line for this place. We just drove in and out of the parking lot, haha.
I actually called Bartavelle the day before our trip and spoke to an employee who said they normally run out of the kouign amann by the afternoon. He advised us to come by in the morning (which is what Thane did for me). The two flavors they offered were the plain and the hazelnut frangipane; each pastry was $4 each. According to Thane, they only the plain when he went earlier that morning, the plain. I'd asked him to just get two of each flavor (if both flavors were offered) or four plain. He ended up getting a half dozen which was a nice surprise!
And this, folks, is what a perfect kouign amann looks like. Forget that frozen version from Trader Joe's. These kick their @$$ ten times over...
OMG, the last bite was as good as the first one! The shape was so perfect and you could see all of the buttery (and slightly salty), caramelized and flaky layers.
Thane really liked it but found it a bit too "dense" and "buttery" for his liking. TC and I snarfed ours down later that afternoon. Yes, before dinner, ha ha.
Even though the pastries were bought that morning, they still tasted fresh and amazing with that satisfying buttery crunch...
Why can't any bakeries in San Diego do this (pulls out hair in frustration)?!
These were enjoyed the next day with the last few saved for Thane and his cousin (a former student of mine 17 years ago)...
This was one of the best desserts I have EVER had! If Thane ever makes a trip down to SD, he's going to have to bring down some of these!
Articles about Bartavelle:
"Bartavelle owners - What's cooking for ex Cafe Fanny space", Berkeleyside.com (5/25/2012)
"Shop Talk - the ins and outs of Berkeley Businesses", Berkeleyside.com (10/23/2012)
Bartavelle Coffee & Wine Bar (fomerly the site of Cafe Fanny)
1603 San Pablo Ave
Berkeley, CA 94702
(510) 524-2473
bartavellecafe.com
Articles/reviews about Starter Bakery's kouign amann:
"Starter Bakery - Ex SF Baking Institute teacher rolls out perfect pastries" SFWeekly (5/3/2011)
"Buttered Up" tastingtable blog (7/20/11)
"Croissant Dethroned - All hail kouign amann" 7x7 (10/3/11)
and a more recent one here:
"Starter Baker set off the kouign amann trend" Oakland Magazine (3/2014)
Starter Bakery
1552 Beach St.
Oakland, CA 94608
(510) 547-6400
starterbakery.com
It was great finally being able to relax at Thane and his wife's lovely home in El Cerrito. Their son had grown up so quickly; baby Thane is now toddler Thane, a very curious and verbal youngster. Their house was quite lovely and boasted a huge yard (which was actually an empty lot, a rarity in their neighborhood). The former tenant was a retired cop and urban farmer. Their backyard still had remnants of the man's horticultural excesses (fruit trees galore)...but Thane and wife did extensive remodeling to make it livable and less of a jungle.
Dinner would be enjoyed later that evening with Thane's family and a college friend (and his family)...
2 comments:
So glad you had some good kouign amann! I wonder how they compare to bpatisserie's
hi kribie - me too!
yes, i was wondering the same thing. we were not able to squeeze in a visit to b. patisserie but that will definitely be on our list when we return to the bay area this summer.
Post a Comment