Tartine Bakery

I had a business trip to SF and thus had to stop by and discover Tartine Bakery.  I bought their cookbook about a year ago and only tried making a few items.  They are all over the best bakery in the US list, TV shows, and the food mags.  I heard their croissant were one of the best. 


So as I got to the bakery, there was already a line out the door on a Monday early evening.  The place was really urban, rustic, and very neighborhood.  Their cases were filled with beautiful cakes, coconut, bavarian, double chocolate, and many more.  Many that I had seen pictures and recipes of in their cookbook.  Their baked goods really had style.  I would say, one of the fashionistas of the bakery world.  Modern but rustic at the same time, without the pretentiousness. 


I was super excited to try and picked up a few items...croissant, lemon cream tart, chocolate eclairs.  I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. 


The Croissants
These weren't all that for me.  It looked rustic, flaky, and amazing but it was more bready and not as buttery as I had hoped.  My favorite is still from Besaulu in Ballard.  Don't get me wrong, they looked amazing but it wasn't great alone. I craved some butter and jam, which I don't with Besalu's.  The crust wasn't crispy flaky and the middle was the freshly, soft, pully middle.

The Lemon Cream Tart
These looked so beautiful.  I've not come across anyone else doing a cream version of the lemon tart.  Again, super excited to try because I wanted to make this recipe but didn't get a chance.  Well...it was too "eggy" for me.  The texture of the lemon cream was silky and the pastry was perfect, but the egginess told me that it wasn't as fresh.  The whipped cream topping was not sweeten..it seams. 

The Chocolate Eclair
This was the only one that lived up to the hype. Wow!  Best eclair I've had.  The pastry cream filling was amazing, with perfect silky texture with true vanilla flavors.  You can see the vanilla beans.  They use Valrhona chocolate for the glaze and you can tell.  It was a nice deep, woodsy chocolate flavors that balanced well with the custard and the pastry.  

They are more expensive than any other bakeries I've been to.  Eclair alone was 4.95.  Maybe it's the prices in this market.  It didn't seem to keep the crowds away.  I do hope to have similar atmosphere and food style when I open my own bakery.  


Maybe next time I come to visit, I'll have to try again, maybe freshly baked item in the morning.