Spurred on by Kare’s rec about the kouign-amann, we sampled from Tasso today. You place an online order on Thursdays (earlier in the day, as they tend to sell out) and then pick up on Saturdays 10:30-12:30. The pastry is excellent, moist and light inside and paper-thin, shatter-y layers on the surfaces. We tried four:
Montreal beef (right) - peppery smoked meat inside the pastry.
Smoked ham and aged cheddar croissant (left) - thinly sliced ham, sharp cheese.
Blueberry bichon (right) - tangy lemon curd with a blueberry compote.
Cardamom kouign-amann (left) - a pinwheel of butter, crisp pastry, infused lightly with cardamom, with caramelized sugar underneath.
Coco’s coffee shop on College St has their peach cookies available this month. They sell out fairly early in the day in my experience. I sometimes see these at Forno Cultura this time of year, too.
@Phoenikia I have given up on this barring Kouing Amann Bakery Montreal being the first choice and b patisserie to in SF being a distant second. Maybe it’s just the memory of it that is throwing off my expectations of it most of them just didn’t taste right.
How did you find it? I couldn’t go last trip but someone brought a slice for me from Montreal. It didn’t travel well IMO as didn’t enjoy at all.
Also douce France offers it brought in from Brittany I have ordered it yet
Authentic Kouign-Amann Made in Brittany https://share.google/6keRxfmGJ9Jh8NQBN
I don’t like the Kouign Amman at Montreal’s Kouign Amann bakery. I tried it on 2 occasions, between 2008 and 2013, when I was chasing the Kouign Amann dragon. I have not visited Kouign Amann in Montreal in the past 10 years.
I also don’t like Dominque Ansel’s DKA in NYC too much.
There was a restaurant called La Porte Rouge that had been run by a Breton couple, which closed, which had a lovely Kouign Amann.
Maybe I enjoy the Castle and Coal version more now that I only purchase Kouign Amann once or twice a year, and I’m not comparing various versions to one another.
I go through phases where I seek something out a lot, and then I don’t seek it out too much once I’m through the phase.
I did this with Kouign Amann, fish tacos, Huevos Rancheros. I only eat fish tacos once a year now. I rarely order Huevos Rancheros anymore.
I recently reached the end of my breakfast sandwich phase.
Nicely caramelized exterior, buttery bread like inside. Just the right amount of sweetness and not too much so which i like. Do wish it is more buttery
When Alice Marie opened last fall in the space vacated by Saturday Dinette, we didn’t rush to go as it looked a little non-descript. So we only ended up trying it this past weekend and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of all the things we tried. Then we looked it up and realized that the pastry chef is Rachelle Cornish, formerly of White Lily Diner.
In terms of the coffee, the mocha was nicely not too sweet. The Americano and macchiato were pretty standard. For those who don’t want a jolt of caffeine, the blueberry basil soda was lovely, again not too sweet and very refreshing.
The cheddar chive scone had a crisp edge, cheesy interior, and a great fall-apart texture. The plum crumble was a tart that featured tangy Ontario plums and really let the fruit shine without too much sugar.
At 10:30, they start serving their daily sandwich. My version had heirloom tomatoes (from White Lily farm); fior de latte marinated in olive oil, pepper, thyme, and parsley; basil aioli; proscuitto; arugula; all on fluffy black sesame focaccia.
I haven’t been eating baked sweets for a few weeks.
I purchased Ba Noi’s curry beef bun, hot dog bun (as in bao, with a small hot dog baked into the bun), and a tomato and mozzarella savoury galette with a buckwheat short crust.
I have had their curry beef bun a few times before, but it has been a while. I really don’t care for it. The hot dog bun was okay. I didn’t like the galette at all. After one bite, I threw out the galette and ate the tomatoes.
I do like their breads and butter tarts. The savouries have room for improvement.
For a fried curry beef bun, that I enjoy, I recommend the one at Bricolage. different style, smaller, and greasier. My current favourite curry beef bun in town. It may be Japanese-style or Korean-style. Different dough, different filling.
