Category Archives: Bakeries

Sponsored Post: Santana Row’s “Taste the Row” Lunch Specials Coming in September

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Crispy skin salmon cooked on the plancha -- part of the special "Taste the Row'' prix-fixe lunch at Augustine in September.
Crispy skin salmon cooked on the plancha — part of the special “Taste the Row” prix-fixe lunch at Augustine in September.

If there ever was a great excuse to take time for a proper lunch, it’s “Taste the Row” at San Jose’s Santana Row.

Monday through Friday through the month of September, 16 participating restaurants will offer special $25 prix-fixe lunches. Best yet, a portion of proceeds will benefit World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit humanitarian organization founded by celebrated Chef Jose Andres that provides nourishing meals across the globe to communities in crisis. So, treat yourself to lunch – and do some good in the process.

Augustine Restaurant at Santana Row.
Augustine Restaurant at Santana Row.
The bar at Augustine.
The bar at Augustine.

I enjoyed a sneak taste of the menu at Augustine Restaurant, where the two-course lunch starts off with a choice between a vibrant Gem lettuce salad with sweet Sungold tomatoes and haricot verts or a creamy cucumber gazpacho poured tableside over husk cherries and levain croutons for that special touch.

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Summertime Peach Almond Scones

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Juicy diced peaches and sweet pieces of almond paste make these scones a real summer treat.
Juicy diced peaches and sweet pieces of almond paste make these scones a real summer treat.

New York City’s Danielle Sepsy has been anointed the Scone Queen. So, when she comes out with a cookbook full of recipes for all manner of scones, muffins, cookies, cakes, and breads, how can one possibly not hone in on a scone one to make first, right?

I think it would be sacrilege to do otherwise.

With summer at its peak, “Peach Almond Scones” was the one that cried out to me first and foremost with its jumble of fresh diced peaches and sweet pieces of almond paste baked into the dough.

Sepsy and scones have been synonymous since she was 13 years old when she started a business out of her family’s house selling scones to neighbors, friends, and local cafes. In 2022, she competed on HBO Max’s “The Big Brunch” cooking competition, where the judges crowned her the Scone Queen.

These days, she runs her own online bakery, The Hungry Gnome, through which she sells all manner of baked goods, including scones, of course.

Her debut cookbook, “The Scone Queen Bakes” (Alfred A. Knopf), of which I received a review copy, is filled with 100 recipes for treats such as “Lavender Lemon Scones,” “Red Bean Scones with A Sesame Crust,” “Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins,” “Biscoff Apple Cheesecake Bars,” and “Snowball Ice Box Cake.”

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Chocolate Stout Rosemary Cake Will Win You Over

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A chocolate cake worth celebrating.
A chocolate cake worth celebrating.

When it comes to Father’s Day, most folks will no doubt fete their dad with prime rib, a massive T-bone or a double-decker cheeseburger.

Not me.

When I think of my late dad, it’s chocolate that comes to mind first and foremost.

I don’t know if my dad thought that life was a box of chocolates a la Forrest Gump. But he surely thought that life was immeasurably better with any kind of chocolate in it.

So, when I spied this recipe for “Chocolate Stout Rosemary Cake,” I thought of him immediately.

No doubt like my husband, he might have turned quizzical over the addition of rosemary in a cake.

But like my husband after one taste, he would have been won over by the addition of this woodsy herb that stars in the thick, cream cheese frosting that lavishly frosts the top of this sour cream- and Guinness-infused chocolate cake.

Trust me, you’ll fall for this cake in a heartbeat, too.

This fabulous recipe is from “Cake From Lucie” (Clarkson Potter).

It was written by Lucie Franc De Ferriere, a French-born, self-taught baker who owns the popular From Lucie in New York City’s East Village. She grew up baking with her mother at the family’s farm and bed-and-breakfast in Southern France.

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Dining In At Petaluma’s Outstanding Della Fattoria

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Honeynut squash toast with herbed goat cheese at Della Fattoria.
Honeynut squash toast with herbed goat cheese at Della Fattoria.

I am no stranger to dashing into Della Fattoria bakery and cafe in downtown Petalua to grab a loaf — or two — of my favorite Rosemary-Meyer Lemon bread. In fact, I am beside myself if I ever find it already sold out, because this crusty, chewy bread strewn with sea salt is absolutely everything.

Yet despite those countless trips, I sheepishly admit that I had never sat down to eat a regular meal in its charming dining room with its tall, beamed ceiling that resembles a big ol’ family barn.

So, last week, my husband and I decided to finally remedy that. In fact, we went to Della Fattoria twice — in three hours.

The dining room set up for brunch and lunch.
The dining room set up for brunch and lunch.

Heed my reasoning here: Since its doors open at 8 a.m. and I was determined to get my bread, we arrived shortly after that hour. I not only got my hands on two loaves to take home, but a box of pastries to enjoy back at our hotel, just a short stroll away.

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Prince Panettone Has The Royal Touch

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Prince Panettone's Triple Chocolate Raspberry flavor.
Prince Panettone’s Triple Chocolate Raspberry flavor.

While working at the fine-dining Honolulu restaurant, Senia, in 2018, C.K. Flannigan had his mind blown.

That was when Mimi Mendoza, the restaurant’s pastry chef, ordered a From Roy panettone from the Bay Area to share with colleagues, and insisted that Flannigan try it.

The exquisite pricey treat ($109) has built a reputation far and wide for its rich, buttery taste and its feathery, cotton candy-like ethereal texture. At a time when most off-the-shelf Italian panettone could be had for $20 to $30, Roy Shvartzapel elevated not only the price, but the standards for the specialty sweet bread. While a staple at Christmas and Easter, he dared to sell it year-round.

Flannigan, who’d spent his time on the savory and bread-making sides of a professional kitchen, was floored from the get-go by the quality of From Roy’s panettone.

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