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Balthazar Bakery Retail Outlet

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By Double 0
in New Jersey: Dining

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I was cruising down So Dean St in Englewood today(on my way to Jerry's). When I passed a factory building that said Balthazar on the door, it also had some vans out front that said Balthazar catering on them. Anybody know if they have a retail store at the "factory"?

I'm a NYC expat. Since coming to the darkside, as many of my freinds have said, I've found that most good things in NYC are made in NJ.

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ngatti

ngatti

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nick, is this where the "balthazar bread" that i eat at my favorite spot in ho-ho-kus comes from he asked with a run-on sentence?

If it's from the Balthazar Bakery it is. Nice group of extremely service oriented people. I was surprised at that. The artisan loaves are serious bread and many producers are willing to sac service in favor of craft. Not so Balthazar. they seem to make both work.

They started by supplying the Balthazar Restaurant. The business then grew (we have a bakery, let's sell the stuff). They tell me that they're continuing to work on the retail aspect. VG french bkfst bakeries. In fact, excellent!

Nick

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Called Balthzar today before I read Nick's post. They told me that the only one that carried the bread (besides restaurants) was Jerry's, which is down the block. They also told me that they hope to have a retail store by October or sooner. This is a great thing as most of the bread i've had in northern NJ is magrinal at best

Steve T

I'm a NYC expat. Since coming to the darkside, as many of my freinds have said, I've found that most good things in NYC are made in NJ.

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Fat Guy

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Strange that the Balthazar Bakery Web site doesn't acknowledge the existence of the New Jersey bakery. Has anybody performed a direct comparison?

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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When I called the factory they told me that they supply Balthazar and many other restuarants in NYC. They also said that they have very few customers in NJ and only one retail customer(Jerry's).

I'm a NYC expat. Since coming to the darkside, as many of my freinds have said, I've found that most good things in NYC are made in NJ.

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ngatti

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Strange that the Balthazar Bakery Web site doesn't acknowledge the existence of the New Jersey bakery. Has anybody performed a direct comparison?

It's right there on top, FG.

This is the commercial space in NJ where they bake the bread for the restaurant. There is no retail Balthazar Bakery in NJ. Unless you order the bread for your restaurant, you can't get it.

Nick

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I called today and was told that Englewood was dragging their feet a little bit and the retail shop would open up close to Thanksgiving (I hope ).

I'm a NYC expat. Since coming to the darkside, as many of my freinds have said, I've found that most good things in NYC are made in NJ.

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Did they say if it was going to be located out of/near the factory on Dean? I finally saw the trucks just the other day.

I got the impression that it was going to be right at the factory, sort of like Rockland bakery. I don't think it will be quite as "hands on" as RB is.

I'm a NYC expat. Since coming to the darkside, as many of my freinds have said, I've found that most good things in NYC are made in NJ.

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Rachel Perlow

Rachel Perlow

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Driving down Dean St. last week, I noticed a small chalkboard sign in front of the factory saying, "Bakery Outlet Now Open." I just went back to check it out and the Balthazar Bakery Retail Outlet has indeed been open for about a week. You enter a nondescript door, simply labeled 214. The outlet has windows looking on the factory area, with trays and racks of delicious smelling and looking breads and pastries. I sampled (and bought) some chocolate bread and baguettes. The manager, Glen Levy, was also kind enough to pop some other treats into my bag for us to try tonight.

"Having a retail outlet was not part of the original plan," he said. "But people kept knocking on the door asking to buy directly from us." The main issue they had with being able to open the outlet was that the area in which they chose to open the factory was zoned for light industrial use and not retail. After some parking lot renovations they were able to obtain the necessary variance.

In addition to tarts, pies, galettes, cookies and cakes, various breads and savory pastries, like quiche, they have a special Christmas Menu. Available December 6-31, the following items need to be ordered 2 days in advance (telephone orders secured with a credit card): Buche de Noel au Chocolat-Mocha, Chocolate-Chestnut Kugelhopf, English Fruitcake, Mince Pie, Red & White Pear Galette with Huckleberries, Stollen and Galette des Rois. These holiday items range in price from $8.50, for a 6" fruitcake, to $54 for the Buche de Noel.

Individually portioned tarts and slices of cake are around $4, large chocolate-walnut cookies are 90 cents each, larger cakes and pies range from $17-108 depending on ingredients and size.

Their website does not mention the Englewood location, but here is the information from the business card Glen gave me, so you can call for more information and maybe they'll be willing to fax you their price lists. Or just go, I'm sure you'll find it worth the trip.

Balthazar Bakery Wholesale Division Retail Outlet

214 South Dean Street

Englewood, NJ 07631

201-503-9717 phone

201-503-9721 fax

Hours: 7 AM - 7 PM, Mon-Fri, 8 AM - 4 PM Sat, closed Sunday. However, if it slows down earlier, they may close earlier, so best to call ahead.

Edit: Adjusted their hours.

Edited by Rachel Perlow (log)
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Great, now i'm really ready for my food trip to Englewood.

What are the other must-visit-food-related-stores in vicinity

Right Down the biock is Jerrys. They have a nice selection of cheese, cold cuts, wine, Italian products and other food items that you don't see everywhere else.

I'm a NYC expat. Since coming to the darkside, as many of my freinds have said, I've found that most good things in NYC are made in NJ.

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Rachel Perlow

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Schedule your shopping to have lunch at Saigon Republic and dinner at Benny's. Or vice versa. Take-out is easier and more transportable from Benny's if you aren't hungry for dinner by the time you're ready to move on. There's a really good Indian grocery down Palisade Ave (near Saigon Republic). But the 2 main shopping attractions would be Jerry's & Balthazar.

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Liz Johnson

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According to a (David Corcoran) piece in the NJ section of the New York Times last year, the husband of the head baker at Balthazar Bakery in NYC and Englewood runs a shops in Tappan, NY, called The Baker's Wife.

Over the summer, I would buy delicious breads and pastries from him at the Nyack Farmers Market, and have had several good sandwiches from the small shop. The bread comes in that familiar yellow paper. The madeleines are spectacular. They do some take-out dinners, too.

33 Tappan Road, Tappan. 845-359-2228.

Liz Johnson

Professional:

Food Editor, The Journal News and LoHud.com

Westchester, Rockland and Putnam: The Lower Hudson Valley.

Small Bites, a LoHud culinary blog

Personal:

Sour Cherry Farm.

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Hank

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We have now gone there twice since they started selling retail and will be forever grateful that we do not have to go to NY any more for this quality bread. In one word, "fabulous". We bought their walnut bread (amongst 4 others), bought some cheeses at Jerry's and had a lunch fit for a King or Queen for that matter. Why eat cake when you can have such wonderful bread and now fortunately for us, in our back yard.

Hank

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Rachel Perlow

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We have enjoyed the breads from the bakery outlet immensely. Especially the croissants (plain, chocolate and almond. Mmm, almond.) and chocolate bread. And the sourdough bread. Great bread.

However, we have been disappointed with their cakes. So far we have had the chocolate tea cake and the chocolate-chestnut Kugelhopf (out especially for Christmas). For both of these items, the cake itself has been rather dry. I think of tea cake as something very moist, like banana bread. While it was coated in a thick layer of Valrohna chocolate, the tea cake was very dry, not even as moist as pound cake - more like a very average layer cake. The yeast raised kugelhopf was similarly dry. And they weren’t stale in the least, they just weren’t moist - they both cried out for a large glass of milk.

I’m thinking we’ll try one of the fruit tarts or pies before giving up on them for desserts altogether.

Could the others who have visited share their experience?

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Hank

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Rachel, When you go to France you will notice that there are bakeries that sell only bread with just a few fruit tarts and some dry cakes and then there are bakeries that sell only very fine cakes and pastries and cookies and very little bread, if any. I believe that Balthazar is doing just that. They have made a name for themselves with their fabulous breads and as an aside sell a few tarts (which are wonderful but to me very expensive at $4.00 for a few bites) and some dry cakes that need to be eaten with coffee, milk, etc. They have their niche,(bread) have become very successful at it and that is our reason for shopping there.

Hank

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Rail Paul

Rail Paul

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Rachel, When you go to France you will notice that there are bakeries that sell only bread with just a few fruit tarts and some dry cakes and then there are bakeries that sell only very fine cakes and pastries and cookies and very little bread, if any.

Hank -

good observation. In France, patissieries are pastry / cake / sweets places. Mostly sweets, with a few breads.

Bread, roll, and baguette bakeries in France are boulangeries. Often have a few cakes or cookies. That distinction is usually blurred in the US

Apparently it's easier still to dictate the conversation and in effect, kill the conversation.

rancho gordo

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