San Francisco Pastries and Desserts

[gfron1]

I'm heading to SF in Jan for the Fancy Food Show (if anyone else is going and wants to meet...). I'm looking for the top few must-try dessert and pastry shops. Any suggestions?

[Parmhero]

Tartine Bakery in the Mission District....Elizabeth Pruitt owner

[gfron1]

Thanks. Any others? What about the place above Virgin downtown? I'm looking for both bakeries and plated.

[CaliPoutine]

What about Citizen Cake?

[Carolyn Tillie]

The place above Virgin was a Citizen Cupcake and has been closed. By-and-large, Citizen Cake does not have a great reputation amongst locals; very dry cakes and cupcakes with too sweet/too much frosting.

Unfortunately, as discussed at length in this thread, San Francisco is sadly wanting in good dessert and sweets. Tartine is probably the best, but Boulette's Larder, Miette, Bay Breads all have some things going for them.

[gfron1]

Someone at another forum recommended I check out THIS SITE which had some interesting recommendations. Does anyone have any feedback on some of the places listed at that site:

Shaharazad Bakery

1586 Noriega near 23rd Avenue

Maria's Bakery

1049 Stockton Street between Washington and Jackson

Schubert's

521 Clement Street between 6th and 7th Avenues

Patisserie Delanghe

1890 Fillmore Street at Bush

and I still would like a killer plated dessert.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Patisserie Delanghe

1890 Fillmore Street at Bush

and I still would like a killer plated dessert.

←

This one is in my 'hood and is essentially ignored by locals; pastry cream that tastes like it is powdered and "French pastries" that seem as though they come from 1970s cookbooks. They are mediocre and soggy at best.

Walk up the Fillmore hill a few blocks to Pine, turn left, and go into Bay Breads instead.

No killer plated desserts in this town that I have found. My favorites remain at Aziza because of their innovative flavors, but it is not what most people think of when they want a "plated dessert."

[tsquare]

No killer plated desserts in this town that I have found. My favorites remain at Aziza because of their innovative flavors, but it is not what most people think of when they want a "plated dessert."

←

Wow, this is so sad. Does this include restaurants that you could slip into for a late dessert? We've taken to visiting a few nice places for this purpose - like Lark and Licorous (restaurant and lounge) and I could see hitting up Poppy, Steelhead Diner, and on and on. I'm not alone in this, here in Seattle.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Wow, this is so sad. Does this include restaurants that you could slip into for a late dessert? We've taken to visiting a few nice places for this purpose - like Lark and Licorous (restaurant and lounge) and I could see hitting up Poppy, Steelhead Diner, and on and on. I'm not alone in this, here in Seattle.

←

I just returned from the East Coast and in Washington D.C., found a fabulous dessert place called Co.Co. It really hit home for me that San Francisco is sorely wanting of anything remotely close and as fabulous.

I'm afraid I don't know of any of the Seattle restaurants of which you speak so making a comparison is lost on me.

But the bottom line is that there is little here in the city for a late-night dessert of note. Nopa is known for having a late-night crowd, but their desserts are as pedestrian as every other place in the city with the standard bread pudding and chocolate pudding which fails to inspire. Bix is also open late and I have to admit to never having tried their desserts as I tend to finish up with cheese and Sauternes there.

Sorry, but San Francisco isn't really a late-night town and most restaurants start closing up around 10:00ish with only a handful staying open later on Fridays or Saturdays. It is pretty pathetic actually.

[Parmhero]

There are a number of Italian pastry and coffee shops in the North Beach section of San Francisco that have good cannolis, etc. It's not exotic fare...although you might see some interesting riccota cakes or other concoctions... I love this part of town and these cafes pastry shops...always go there...

If you've never been to Cafe Sport, it's a cool restaurant in North Beach...big plattters of pasta, eggplant, prawns, with lots of garlic, olive oil, melted cheese, pesto...

[tsquare]

Something from Delfina:

dessert menu

or Masa?

more

Farallon

Emily L!

I guess the question is, are there any good pastry chefs working in fine dining places, and will they allow you to come in just for dessert? We can even go to Canlis for Neil's fabulous desserts only and not really get any 'tude.

I'm not sure what the places are to eat in SF today - but look at those that aren't quite so hot but still doing great food.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I guess the question is, are there any good pastry chefs working in fine dining places, and will they allow you to come in just for dessert? We can even go to Canlis for Neil's fabulous desserts only and not really get any 'tude.

I'm not sure what the places are to eat in SF today - but look at those that aren't quite so hot but still doing great food.

←

Of course you can go into any restaurant for just dessert, I'm just saying that it seems every pastry chef here is doing roughly the same thing; a version of a bread pudding/sticky toffee pudding, an apple crisp or some variation of the rustic galette, a chocolate pot de creme or flourless chocolate cake with garnish, and then there is always something sort of based on fruit, often served with a house-made sorbet.

I'm not saying it is bad, I'm just saying it is not innovative. Seriously, make a list of the top ten restaurants in the city and look their dessert menus. I guarantee you will see reflections of everything I have listed above.

What I *have* enjoyed in the way of desserts have been at Aziza, where a Middle Eastern/Moroccan bent is given to the sweets, Zare at the Fly Trap which does some interesting deconstructions, and Piperade because they have created what is unquestionably the finest beignets I have ever tasted.

None of these places I have listed are doing the "haute" plated desserts that I have experienced in Washington D.C., Miami, or Los Angeles. I have been unable to find that in San Francisco.