Bittersweet: Amai Tea and Bake House's Last Days

When I was recently tipped off by my friend Not Martha about the bittersweet story of Amai Tea and Bake House, I was immediately intrigued. 

On the weblog lovescool.com, you can read the story of the cafe, from the point of view of the owners, including this sweet mission statement:

Both Kelli and Andrew have always had a dream of opening up a bakery (a restaurant in Andrew’s case, but close enough). They are not afraid to say that they are still amateurs in the pastry world. But in a way, Lovescool is a documentation of a journey to discover what sweet things are out there, why people love them so much, and perhaps what it takes to start something new. And the fact of the matter is, the world would be a lot better if it was just a touch sweeter.

Their dream of opening a cafe was realized in October 2007, when the shop opened its doors at 171 3rd Avenue. They garnered accolades from the likes of the New York Times and Time Out New York; the cafe seating was frequently all taken, with lines going out the door. However, it wasn't enough to make it all work, as owner Kelli said in a letter last week on her site, citing that largely because of the failing economy, the shop would be closing its doors on April 19, 2009.

Of course, having read this, my immediate reaction was sadness that I had never tasted their sweets--and so I put my favorite NYC Gumshoes, Phil and Matt, on the case.

Here were their thoughts:

From Cake Gumshoe Phil's Spy notebook:

They were nice, but a bit mournful. People kept remarking about them closing.

Got a green tea cupcake and a peanut butter chocolate. The green tea tasted a bit bitter--definitely an acquired taste for a cupcake, not awful though. The peanut butter had a good balance of sweet and salty--erring on the sweet side.

Also got some "tea cookies" although should have had them with tea- very dry. The green leaf one is green tea. The square is white tea strawberry (definitely the best) and the other is almond chai.
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At this point Amai's future is unclear, but we're all very happy that we got to experience a little piece of their story.

If you're in NYC and would like to visit, then make haste--their last day will be Sunday, April 19. Amai Tea and Bake House is located at 171 3rd Ave., New York, NY; (212) 863-9630; online at amainyc.com.

4.17.09: Baked Good of the Day: Cupcakes from Sweet Cakes, Kirkland

(CakeSpy Note: This post appears concurrently on Monkey Around Seattle)

The other day a friend and I took a trek over to the Eastside to try some of the bakeries over there. One of the ones I was most curious about was Sweet Cakes, a cupcake shop that opened about 4 months ago.

Walking into this bakery, I was really pleased to see that they had more than just cupcakes--as much as I love cupcakes, I do adore other sweets too, and they had a nice variety of baked goods, including yummy-looking bars, cookies, and morning pastries. But of course the cupcakes were front and center--after all, they are the prettiest of all sweets!

We picked up a couple of mini cakes ($1.50 each), including the red velvet, chocolate mint, vanilla cake with strawberry frosting and chocolate-frosted vanilla cake.

We didn't eat all of them (after devouring a couple of them, we gave the rest to our friend Nicole, who owns Immortal Dog), but we did like what we tasted. The red velvet in particular was very nice. They weren't really "fancy" cupcakes, but upscale-homey; these are the type of uncomplicated cupcakes that kids would love, but that sweet-loving adults could enjoy as well. The frosting was buttery-smooth, and the cake was very moist and fresh. Overall, I'd say Kirkland is lucky to have Sweet Cakes. It's definitely worth a stop if you happen to find yourself on the Eastside!

Sweet Cakes, 128 Park Ln., Kirkland WA; online at sweetcakeskirkland.com.

2.5.09: Baked Good of the Day: Birthday Cake from North Hill Bakery

When I tell people how much I love North Hill Bakery, I'm constantly surprised that they don't know about this little gem in Capitol Hill. Even residents of the Hill often don't know about it. I think their birthday cakes are spectacular though, and always recommend them to friends.

And I was very happy to see that a friend followed my advice on a recent birthday, buying their "Grandma's Chocolate Cake" but choosing to frost it with raspberry buttercream instead of the regular fudge frosting. Good call--the raspberry was refreshing and a nice contrast against the rich, decadent chocolate cake, and the color was so pretty.

For chocolate lovers, the off-the-menu version of Grandma's Chocolate cake is a study in chocolate excess: that is to say, extremely delicious. A little goes a long way, but oh how enjoyable that little bit can be.

North Hill Bakery, 518 15th Ave E.; online at northhillbakery.com.

2.4.09: Baked Good of the Day: Linzer Tart Cookie from Pauline's Pastry

Finally, I made it over to Pauline's when they were actually open (their hours are strange--closed Mondays and not open til 12 on some days).

Unfortunately, even when I arrived at 12.30 it looked like the cases hadn't yet been filled--kind of a bummer in such a small place (I like a well-stocked bakery case--part of the fun is looking before you buy, no?). However, the cookies that they did have out looked tempting, so I chose a Linzer tart. It was an adorable fruit-filled cookie sandwich with a sweet heart cutout, and a dusting of powdered sugar on top.

The cookie was buttery and sweet--subtle, but very good. If I had to make one change, I might have put slightly less powdered sugar on top, but this is likely because I'm a messy eater. The jam in the middle was the perfect complement to the rich, buttery cookie. And at $1.25, it was a steal!

I've been told that the cupcakes, scones and tarts are also worth a try--based on what I've tasted, I am definitely interested enough for a return trip!

Pauline's, 2315 NW Market St., Ballard; (206) 588-8098.

1.23.09: Baked Good of the Day: The Josephine from Hot Cakes

Today I made a new discovery: Hot Cakes at the Ballard Farmer's Market. It's a small operation run by Autumn Martin, of Canlis and Theo Chocolate fame; the limited menu consists of just three types of cakes: the "Ari Cole", a ready-to-bake molten chocolate cake which can be baked at home or at the market for you; the "Josephine", an almond-rum financier; and one savory option, the "Dean Martin", a savory consisting of dates, bleu cheese and bacon.

I tried a sample of the "Josephine", which I thought made a very pleasant morsel--buttery, lightly nutty and with a taste of rum which didn't hit me right away, but was rather a pleasant lingering aftertaste. Apparently it's a hot seller at the market, and with good reason--this would be an ideal breakfast or teatime cake, à mon avis.

Hot Cakes are available Sundays at the Ballard Farmer's Market; according to the website, they are now available at the Theo Chocolate retail store as well. For more information, visit autumnmartin.com.

1.22.09: Baked Good of the Day: Pistachio Cream Puff from Gelatiamo

When it comes to cream puffs, I like mine a little bit more dense--that is to say, full of cream filling and generously iced. The delicate ones that have a mere dollop of filling have never been my cup of tea.

I was thrilled to find that Gelatiamo does cream puffs just the way I like them: a delicate pastry filled with luxuriously thick cream, and topped with sweet icing. The pistachio cream puff was subtle and didn't overwhelm; however, I liked the fact that it didn't have the typical chocolate icing ; also, the slight crunch from pistachio bits on top didn't hurt. And in keeping with the "small bite" trend, these cream puffs aren't huge, so are a perfect portion for after lunch or dinner.

Pistachio cream puff, Gelatiamo downtown.

1.21.09 Baked Good of the Day: Vegan Russian Teacakes from PCC

I love these cookies. Whether they're called snowballs, Mexican Wedding Cakes, Armenian sugar cookies or whatever--I love them.

I found this variation--the vegan Russian Teacake--at PCC. I can't be sure, but it *might* be from Flying Apron. It was a crumbly and slightly messy cookie, but the sandy, sugary, nutty taste was pure deliciousness. With a touch of salt (so important to sweets!) it was nicely balanced; in fact, I liked this cookie so much I went back for a second one. As for the vegan aspect, to be honest, if it hadn't been labeled as such, I probably would not have known that it lacked dairy; certainly there was nothing lost flavorwise.

Vegan Russian Teacake from PCC in Fremont.

1.17.09: Baked Good of the Day: Carolina's Cornetto from Tutta Bella Pizza

Our discovery of Carolina's Cornetto was a chance encounter. Waiting at the bar until our table was ready, the barista had accidentally cracked the shell in which this dessert is served, and so gave the damaged one to us for free. Score!

This treat is apparently new on Tutta Bella's roster--it's a rework of the cannoli that used to be on their menu, according to our server. Basically, the shell has changed and the composition has been altered: it's an Italian pizzelle cookie cone filled with a blend of mascarpone, sweet ricotta cream, dried cherries, grated orange peel, pistachios & chocolate.

Once we finished dinner we also got the Tiramisu and the Cantucccci ("little stones")--a
Trio of traditional Italian cookies similar to biscotti--and both of these desserts were certainly respectable, but it was the Cornetto that really stood out to us. Not only was it a sweet (and free) surprise, but it was a perfect size (just a couple of bites) and the contrast of textures and flavors -- crunchy and creamy, slightly sour and sweet--was memorable.

Carolina's Cornetto, Tutta Bella Pizza.

1.16.09: Baked Good of the Day: Cherry Cobbler Bar from Louisa's Cafe Bakery

All I can say is, whoa. How had I never been to this place before?

Well, it's all about the location. Louisa's Cafe Bakery is on Eastlake Avenue East, and to a car-less person who doesn't enjoy any bike ride with even the slightest hint of an incline, this is kind of like no-man's land. But I had seen their cute logo while riding on the bus, and today I finally made it inside.

Louisa's is a cafe / breakfast and lunch spot, but they also have an extremely respectable bakery case, will all sorts of cookies, cinnamon rolls, mazurkas (!) and brownies and bars. Generally cherry isn't my go-to flavor, but the top crust on the cherry cobbler bar looked too good to pass up. At $3.75 it was an investment, but it weighed about the same as a hardbound copy of War & Peace, so I found it fair.

Even as a liker-rather-than-lover of cherry flavored baked goods, I recognized that this was good stuff. The bar held its shape nicely--no unbecoming ooze here. The cherries were not too sweet, but rather slightly sour, which provided a nice complexity to the flavor. But what really got me was the buttery top and bottom crust--slightly crunchy, with a touch of saltiness and a nice coating of coarse sugar on the top, it was simply wonderful. This bodes well for the rest of their baked goods--next time I'm definitely going for the cinnamon roll.

Cherry Cobbler Bar, from Louisa's Cafe Bakery.

1.15.09: Baked Good of the Day: Raspberry-Almond Tart from Svedala Bakery

Last week, I ventured down to the Pike Place Market with the goal of checking out new bakery Svedala Bakery. It's a small stall in the same corridor as Daily Dozen Donut Co., specializing in Swedish pastries none of us had ever even heard of, but wanted to try, such as Mandelfläta (cardamom yeast bread with almond paste), Mazarin (almond tarts) and Dröm Rulle (chocolate sponge cake rolled with vanilla buttercream). You can imagine my horror as I approached at about 9:30 in the morning and they weren't open yet. Seriously, it should be a law that all bakeries open by at least 6 in the morning--or ideally, they'd be open 24 hours.

But reading that their goods were also sold at Whole Foods, today I ventured over to the Westlake location and picked up one of their very pretty Katalan--a Mazarin with a layer of raspberry jam.

Dude, this thing was good. Starting from the bottom, you've got a delicate, buttery crust that wasn't too flaky but was deliciously crumbly and moist; a very thin layer of raspberry then gives way to a thick filling of sweet almond paste, which was all topped off with a sort of raspberry jam icing. It's not a very large pastry--maybe 3 inches in diameter--but it certainly packs a decadent and delicious punch.

Katalan from Svedala Bakery, via Whole Foods Westlake.