So take a break from Berserker Day and help me out here. Obviously you can find great bread in the NYC area as evidenced by 2 pages or so of recs and discussion in that topic. But I live in South OC. Is there anywhere around here to buy serious artisan bread that looks like someone’s grandmother made it in her Italian (or fill in country of choice) kitchen?
best bread I have found–but in N Orange County–is the baguette at Surfas in the OC Mix.
My son lives 10 minutes from there. I’ve been but wasn’t on this bread search at the time. I was kinda thinking more an Italian or German grandmother, rather than French, but I’ll check it out. Thanks.
I just tried the Boulart ciabatta bread at Ralph’s. Great crust and not a dense, heavy inside like so many.
Why is it so hard to find a good baguette in OC? I’ll pick one up here this afternoon.
I like the ones from C’est La Vie in Laguna, but Surfas is closer.
Thanks.
Nothing against a good baguette (I enjoy them) but they are one type that is around. I had something else in mind and should have been more specific.
Try these -
Bread Artisan Bakery - in Santa Ana at 55/Edinger
http://www.yelp.com/biz/oc-baking-company-orange?osq=artisan+bread - Ive seen this at outdoor markets
http://www.thecremacafe.com in seal beach - baking schedule on website
http://blackmarketbakery.com/pages/breads - in the Camp in Costa Mesa
http://www.lepainquotidien.com/store/fashion-island/#.VqqAtemuf-k - fashion island so a little pricey but the people watching is good
Blackmarket is also now in downtown Santa Ana.
Once again SOUTH OC is behind the curve. Up in LA today and headed to Farmers Market, so a reprieve.
will check it out!
love to hear your opinion.
Well LA Farmers Market was a bust. The one bakery there had maybe 3 pieces left of unexciting stuff. In their defense it was 7PM, but the space seemed mostly about pastries. May be going to Anaheim today, so there’s hope I’ll be able to stop by one of the suggestions above.
A good baguette is even hard to come by in NYC. There was a hiatus between the closing of Bouley Bakery and the opening of Maison Kayser when there was nothing (with nothing being defined as the adequate but uninspiring versions produced by Balthazar, etc.). Now we have more options but it is nothing to take for granted.
Wimped out on stopping at Black Market. It was later than planned and traffic stacking up. Their website didn’t seem to have much in the way of rustic bread either.
BTW, OC Baking is Derek Kim. I used to buy from him when we had our shop and he was in Mission Viejo. They don’t sell retail yet but are at Orange Farmers Market on Saturdays.
Looks like Surfas is my most convenient shot at this for now. Gonna check Marbella Market too.
Peter,
The bread in LA is embarrassingly awful. There is no excuse for the second largest city in the country to have such shitty bread.
I think OC is over saturated with price point chains. Recently we were visiting my fiancee’s grandmother in Napa and stopped at the Brown’s Valley Market to pick up a few items for dinner and it took 15 minutes at the bread table. I cannot believe that Orange County cannot support a similar environment.