Pastry in California

[filipe]

Any suggestions on pastry shops /restaurants with top pastry chefs in California? San Francisco, Monterey, Carmel, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego...

Thanks in advance

[kalypso]

Any suggestions on pastry shops /restaurants with top pastry chefs in California? San Francisco, Monterey, Carmel, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego...

Thanks in advance

←

In Larkspur, CA, just over the Golden Gate is Emporio Rulli the quintessential Italian pastry shop.

In San Diego you'll get recommendations for Extraordinary Desserts . One of the best pastry chef's working in SD is Jack Fisher. He moves around frequently, but I believe he's still at Addison, which is the restaurant for the Gran Del Mar Hotel. Extremely spendy.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Having lived (and eaten) in San Diego, Los Angeles, Napa, and San Francisco, I can say that Kalypso's recommendation of Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego still holds as my personal favorite.

[Preserver]

here in SF it would have to be Bay Bread, Slanted Door, Citizen Cake and Tartine Bakery.

[JFLinLA]

In Los Angeles:

Sona Restaurant and it's counterpart Boule Patisserie on La Cienega.

Jin Patisserie in Venice.

While not "pastry" in a fancy sense -- there are any number of great bakeries of the more tranditional kind that are doing them with a whole new level of quality. Many will debate the finer points of cupcakes at Sprinkles (Beverly Hills) compared to many others. I also really like the newish SusieCakes in Brentwood.

[caseyell]

In Capitola, just south of Santa Cruz, Gayle's bakery is outstanding.

One of my favorite restaurant pastry chefs is Michelle Polzine at Range in San Francisco--she also does lovely ice creams, sherbert, etc--I have a recipe for her lemon verbena granita on my blog http://caseyellis.blogspot.com

also, for macarons: Miette at the Ferry Building in SF

[jgarner53]

Petite Patisserie on Potrero Hill in SF is another great (small) one, featuring organic ingredients.

I will second the rec for Bay Bread, but then again, I am biased...I work there. Our macarons are awesome. I also love the lemon tart, coconut cookies, and small chocolate fondant cookies.

[djyee100]

For an imaginative and individualistic menu, I suggest Crixa Bakery in Berkeley, a local favorite. http://www.crixa.net/ It's a cafe too, so you can sit there with a nice cup of coffee and a pastry.

Across the street from Crixa, you can visit Berkeley Bowl, a supermarket with an extraordinary selection of California produce and other foods. The Bowl is the only supermarket I know of where people bring out-of-towners to LOOK. Have fun!

[caseyell]

IMO, one of the finest pastry chefs in SF is Phil Ogiela. I haven't been to Presidio Social Club, his latest kitchen home, but I've eaten his pastries at various other restaurants and they've always been superb.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I will second the rec for Bay Bread, but then again, I am biased...I work there. Our macarons are awesome. I also love the lemon tart, coconut cookies, and small chocolate fondant cookies.

←

I will third Bay Bread. I am walking distance from the one off Fillmore and the macarons ARE awesome... I'm also really fond of the miniature palmiers!

[alanamoana]

Any suggestions on pastry shops /restaurants with top pastry chefs in California? San Francisco, Monterey, Carmel, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego...

Thanks in advance

←

filipe, knowing the type of pastry that you are interested in from past posts...i would recommend "providence" in los angeles. their pastry chef is a poster (xdrixn) here on eG as well.

many of the places that are being referred to are very good, but not necessarily pushing the envelope. this isn't a bad thing, but i don't think that california has jumped on the "molecular" bandwagon the way that chicago and new york have.

[filipe]

Thank you everyone for all your tips, I'm sure they would be very helpfull.

By the way, if anyone wants to have a coffee (and a macaron at least) I'll be around California for two weeks (28th September to 12th October)

Cheers

P.S. 1 - By the way, can anyone review me the pastry work at CUT ? I'll probably have one dinner there but I don't know nothing about the pastry chef

P.S. 2 - How could I forgot that! Any cook shops that worth a visit?

Edited September 4, 2007 by filipe (log)

[rjwong]

I definitely second Providence restaurant in Los Angeles. Adrian Vasquez is the executive pastry chef there. Currently, he has an eight-course dessert menu for fifty dollars (you read correctly). Or you can do the three-course or five-course version.

Boule on La Cienega Blvd. is pretty good.

Hatfield's on Beverly Blvd. Karen does some very nice desserts. She and her husband Quinn used to own Cortez up on SF.

As for cook shops in the LA area: Surfas in Culver City!!

Cut Restaurant is owned by Wolfgang Puck and the pastry work is overseen by Sherry Yard.

filipe, when will you be in LA? Also, are you interested in ethnic bakeries as well??

[filipe]

filipe, when will you be in LA? Also, are you interested in ethnic bakeries as well??

←

Thanks for your post rjwong

I'll be in L.A from Thursday 4th to Sunday 7th october. I'll return the day before my departure, which will be the 12th, only for one night then.

Ethnic bakeries? What do you have in mind?

[filipe]

I definitely second Providence restaurant in Los Angeles. Adrian Vasquez is the executive pastry chef there. Currently, he has an eight-course dessert menu for fifty dollars (you read correctly). Or you can do the three-course or five-course version.

←

I've been looking at Providence's website and I got curious about that eight-course dessert menu...

Not scared about the #8...but a bit confused on how it works... One go there just for that menu? Or one can choose the eight-course dessert menu but it has to be together with a savory meal before? If it's the first option, do they do it for dinner? Do one have to indicate what we're going for at the reservation time?

[ibjack]

Any suggestions on pastry shops /restaurants with top pastry chefs in California? San Francisco, Monterey, Carmel, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego...

Thanks in advance

←

In Larkspur, CA, just over the Golden Gate is Emporio Rulli the quintessential Italian pastry shop.

In San Diego you'll get recommendations for Extraordinary Desserts . One of the best pastry chef's working in SD is Jack Fisher. He moves around frequently, but I believe he's still at Addison, which is the restaurant for the Gran Del Mar Hotel. Extremely spendy.

←

Thanks Kalypso. I'm now working for myself. My Webpage

[kalypso]

Any suggestions on pastry shops /restaurants with top pastry chefs in California? San Francisco, Monterey, Carmel, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego...

Thanks in advance

←

In Larkspur, CA, just over the Golden Gate is Emporio Rulli the quintessential Italian pastry shop.

In San Diego you'll get recommendations for Extraordinary Desserts . One of the best pastry chef's working in SD is Jack Fisher. He moves around frequently, but I believe he's still at Addison, which is the restaurant for the Gran Del Mar Hotel. Extremely spendy.

←

Thanks Kalypso. I'm now working for myself. My Webpage

←

Oh, my god...I'm in trouble You are the king of panna cotta, if only you could find a way to make that available on-line.

[Kouign Aman]

Did someone say panna cotta?

Jack, those are purty chocolates. I wish you success.

[ibjack]

I'm working out of a kitchen in Hillcrest, PM if you want some chocolates. Jack

[tomraza]

i might be late for the reply but last night i was looking for some good taste pastry found some of them on http://www.bonpastry.com here which were very good i ate all of them and going to order more