Sarah's Pastries and Candies - Chicago

[molto e]

I was having one of those days where I was late for an appointment, but desperately needed my espresso and muffin fix. I walked into the Starbucks at Oak and Rush and the line was out the door, so I reversed field and started going to my appointment without my necessary fuel. I got incredibly lucky and bumped into SARAH'S PASTRIES AND CANDIES at 11 E. Oak. The shop is tastefully done and the assortment of muffins, scones, croissants, pastries and candy looked inviting, but I did not have time to sample everything-just a double espresso and chocolate croissant. Sarah and her workers were very nice and offered me various samples, but I had to dash. I am a devout Starbucks espresso drinker so when I stray from that I usually run into disappointment, but I loved the espresso (Intelligentsia) and it was time to try the croissant-wow!! I just returned from a week in Paris and this was as good as I had in Paris. I went to my appointment and when I was done, a strange force was pulling me back to Sarah's.

Sarah has her own signature chocolates for sale and she carries some very high-end chocolates for those who have that sweet tooth.

The carrot cake muffins and blueberry muffins are a must have. The banana chocolate chip and creme fraiche coffee cakes are great. Chocolate covered Oreo's and turtles are great and Sarah's signature candies that are also for sale in Whole Foods and various other Chicagoland stores.

The macaroons are the best that I have had in the states and could give Pierre Herme a run for the money. I liked the chocolate tarts and raspberrry financiers also. She told me someone comes in and buys a dozen eclairs everyday and I can see why.

The frosting on the cupcakes is HEAVENLY

The croissants were great and the chocolate raspberry brioche must have been a heaven sent inspiration.

How do I know how good all these pastries are well it was lunchtime so.........

The black and white cupcake was really good and is black and white all the way through. This is the only cupcake that I have seen baked this way.

Who is this pastry maven-Sarah Levy of the Levy Restaurant family. She is a graduate of the French Pastry School in Chicago, which is where Ferran Adria's brother Albert of El Bulli came to give classes last year. You can read about it in Louisa's Moveable Feast http://www.movable-feast.com/el_bulli/index.html

So obviously she is one well schooled-SWEETIE. I told her that I loved my espresso and she explained to me that Craig Sindelar who is one of the sommeliers of Alinea blended the beans for her. This is no run of the mill pastry shop, but I knew that already.

They also make the candies in shop which happens to be a good time to stop by-FREE SAMPLES.

http://www.sarahscandies.com/index.php

Give it a try and become a Sarah's addict

[ronnie_suburban]

Great-looking stuff. Thanks for the well-done report, molto e.

And, if you ate all that in one sitting, my hat's off to you

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[Alex]

And, if you ate all that in one sitting, my hat's off to you

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No kidding. I'm thoroughly impressed.

Do you know the shop's hours? They don't appear to be listed on the web site.

[Lady T]

Woof. Wow. If I didn't have Bennison's Bakery a block from my place (home of an international viennoiserie competition winner, not that I'm bragging on Jory or anything!), I'd be on the next train south to Sweet Home Chicago to see what Sarah's about.

Then again...that may not stop me. To be continued --

[molto e]

The store hours are Fri-Sat 8am-11pm, Sun 10am-6pm, Mon-Thurs 8am-9pm.

Ronnie-that was my lunch

Molto E

[Jean Blanchard]

Thanks for your gorgeous report on Sarah's. I was downtown yesterday and stopped in for a carrot cake muffin. Yummy! From there, I went to Vosges new shop on Armitage. What a fun shop! Unique chocolate combinations, great packaging. Although I love all of their truffles, if you like toffee, it's the best!

Then, on to Pastoral Cheese on Broadway. Best cheese selection I've ever seen. Also, great bread. If you go, try the raisin, fennel. Great flavor combination. I think I'll try my hand at creating a reasonable facsimile this weekend.

jb

[cwyc]

What are some major landmarks around 11E Oak? I am going to be in Chicago this weekend and would like to visit Sarah's. Will be my first time there, so need lots of good directions. Staying downtown.

[ronnie_suburban]

What are some major landmarks around 11E Oak?  I am going to be in Chicago this weekend and would like to visit Sarah's.  Will be my first time there, so need lots of good directions.  Staying downtown.

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That is downtown, about 1/2 block east of State Street. Oak Street, IIRC, is around 1000 North (or 10 blocks north of Randolph and 2 blocks north of Chicago Avenue).

Please anyone, correct me if I'm wrong.

Oak Street - Chicago

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[nr706]

What are some major landmarks around 11E Oak?  I am going to be in Chicago this weekend and would like to visit Sarah's.  Will be my first time there, so need lots of good directions.  Staying downtown.

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Ron's right that Oak is 1000 North ... if you haven't been to Chicago before, every address is measured from the intersection of State and Madison.

Not clear if it's your first time to Chicago or your first time to Sarah's ... if it's the former, from Sarah's, go a block or two east to Michigan, then a few blocks south to the John Hancock building. You'll see a number of signs for the observatory. DON'T GO THERE unless you want the chance to walk outside nearly 100 stories up. Instead, go to the elevators on the south side of the building to get to the lounge on the 96th floor, where you can get great views with only slightly overpriced drinks.

A little south of the Hancock, you can't miss the Water Tower, one of the few buildings to survive the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, which was described by Oscar Wilde in 1882 as "a castellated monstrosity [note that it appears tiny now, compared to the surrounding skyscrapers] with pepper boxes stuck all over it." I've also read that it was the inspiration for White Castle hamburger stands.

There's so much else in the area to see, I'll let other e-g's make suggestions.

edited to reflect the actual century of the Great Chicago Fire

Edited October 3, 2005 by nr706 (log)

[Alex]

What are some major landmarks around 11E Oak?  I am going to be in Chicago this weekend and would like to visit Sarah's.  Will be my first time there, so need lots of good directions.  Staying downtown.

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It's walking distance from where you're staying (even after running 26.2 mi). Le Meridian is at Rush and Grand. Just walk north on Rush to Oak (~11 blocks) then turn left.

BTW, I'm a fan of the weekend brunch at Heaven on Seven, just one block north of your hotel.

[cwyc]

Alex Posted Yesterday, 04:39 PM

  QUOTE(cwyc @ Oct 3 2005, 11:57 AM)

What are some major landmarks around 11E Oak?  I am going to be in Chicago this weekend and would like to visit Sarah's.  Will be my first time there, so need lots of good directions.  Staying downtown.

It's walking distance from where you're staying (even after running 26.2 mi). Le Meridian is at Rush and Grand. Just walk north on Rush to Oak (~11 blocks) then turn left.

BTW, I'm a fan of the weekend brunch at Heaven on Seven, just one block north of your hotel.

Thanks, I'm sold on Heaven on Seven. Definitely will be going there.

[liv4fud]

ideal would be to burn a couple of layers of pallete at HeavenOn7 and then soothe them @ Sarah's

[ronnie_suburban]

I stopped into Sarah's last Friday and really enjoyed my visit. The shop is beautiful and the offerings were terrific. We spent some time chatting with Alexa, who was running the shop while Sarah was out. She explained that while they've been doing wholesale business for quite some time, the shop -- and the retail side of the business -- are about a month old.

All in all, we probably ended up trying more things that molto e did -- but there were 3 of us splitting those items over a couple of days

The pecan-caramel bars were probably my favorite item but nothing we tried wasn't delicious. The raspberry bars were wonderful. Their crust was rich and buttery and the filling was aromatic, tart and just sweet enough. The sour cream coffee cake was moist and tasty. We loved the croissant and the brioche as well. Sarah's chocolate chip cookies are definitely for mature auidences; not overly-sweet and containing bittersweet chocolate, if I'm not mistaken. The frosted sugar cookies were great as were the tender, moist and delicious blueberry muffins.

We also tried a few of Sarah's confections. The rocky road clusters (3 versions covered in white, milk and dark chocolate respectively) were wonderful. So too were the coconut "crunch" items which were also available in the 3 different coverings. My favorites, however, were the off-beat chocolate "delights" (I think that's what they were called), which really satisfied. They were bite-sized clusters of nuts and seeds which were covered in the 3 aforementioned chocolates. They contained roasted pumpkin seeds which were an inspired addition. The aftertaste of the chocolate and roasted pumpkins seeds together was sublime and worthy of deep contemplation

I'm really glad I got a chance to try out Sarah's stuff (thanks molto e). I don't get down to the Gold Coast very often but if I did, I'd be hitting Sarah's on a regular basis.

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[Alex]

I just wanted to add my input, which probably will sound like everyone else's -- I really liked this place. (Thanks, molto e.) I stopped by this past Saturday morning about 11 a.m. Business was steady but not overwhelming. Several tables were set up outside, but with the 55-degree-and-cloudy-and-windy weather they were nice enough to move a couple of tables into the shop. (That's pretty much it for indoor seating -- it's a small space.)

I had coffee (Intelligensia) and a chocolate croissant, both excellent. I also took liberal advantage of the sample tray (turtles, brownies, cookies) and several additional proffered samples. I thoroughly agree with Ronnie about the Chocolate Delights. I tried to warn a couple of customers that the Delights were the chocolate version of crack, but alas, too late.... The chocolate-covered candied orange peel was mighty tasty, too.

The gelato and sorbet selections are the only items not made in-house; they're from Palazzolo's, in Saugatuck, MI, which usually produces a credible product.

Not having molto e's stamina, I took away a bag of Delights, a 500g bar of bittersweet chocolate, a chocolate croissant and chocolate-covered graham cracker for a couple of friends, and a thick slice of banana-chocolate bread for my next day's breakfast.

Edited October 12, 2005 by Alex (log)

[ronnie_suburban]

. . . My favorites, however, were the off-beat chocolate "delights" (I think that's what they were called), which really satisfied.  They were bite-sized clusters of nuts and seeds which were covered in the 3 aforementioned chocolates.  They contained roasted pumpkin seeds which were an inspired addition.

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Strike that . . . upon further consideration (damn! I wish I had more of them so I could be absolutely sure ) it was pistachios, not pumpkin seeds.

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[molto e]

I am glad you all enjoyed Sarah's, I always get my coffee and treats from her when I am in the area. Ronnie next time try the turtles-they are really neat flat shaped disks and if you want to meet me there to see who can munch more Sarah's let me know so I don't eat breakfast.

Molto E

[molto e]

More press for Sarah

http://www.centerstagechicago.com/restaura...ahscandies.html

[molto e]

More Sarah

click on Sarah's picture under the photo gallery

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/search/...0,2195089.venue

[ronnie_suburban]

Some more media attention for Sarah's; this time from Nancy Maes in today's Chicago Tribune:

Sarah Levy attended the French Pastry School for her formal training but the confections showcased in her new shop, Sarah's Pastries & Candies, also offer a taste of her childhood. Levy grew up making recipes from her mother and grandmother, and she continues the tradition in her elegant shop (complete with chandeliers). . .

Family favorites in a fancy setting

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[ronnie_suburban]

There's a blurb about Sarah's new line of customized confections in today's Chicago Tribune:

Candy that's custom-made, by you

Sarah's Pastries & Candies (11 E. Oak St., 312-664-6223) lets you create your own high-end confection--like these delicious chocolate clusters with almonds, pistachios and Rice Krispies. Choose from barks, bars or clusters; six kinds of chocolate (including dark, milk and sugar-free); and more than 20 mix-ins (the list includes nuts, coconut, sunflower seeds and mini-marshmallows). The candy is ready in 48 hours with choice of packaging (boxes or bags and, for a fee, custom labels). Minimum orders (2 pounds or 10 bags) start at $60. To order, visit the store or go online to the Web site, sarahscandies.com.

Off The Shelf by Renee Enna

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