spam.invalid (XannaX) wrote :
Yeah, the Chocolate Truffle is the best chocolate cake in Seattle. For those who don't know, this cake despite its name is not one of the Chocolate Decadence or flourless-style chocolate cakes - it's simply a great basic chocolate cake - 2 layers plus frosting. But the layers are superb, moist cake with a powerful chocolate flavour (as opposed to the all-too-often weak flavour of "ordinary" cakes and the frosting is pure chocolate ganache. Why can't all chocolate cakes be this way?
I get the idea that you're big into chocolate. This is important because let's make a distinction between good *chocolate* bakeries and good bakeries in general. In fact, among still broader lines I think it would be nice if more people made a distinction between good *bread* bakeries and good *pastry* bakeries. I'd like to find good bread bakeries, but unfortunately because there is no separate term for that in the US almost invariably all the recommendations, either by word-of-mouth or through guidebooks, are for pastry bakeries. The French have it right - we need the terms "boulangerie" and "patisserie".
My beef about coffee...and tea 107cathy Um... coffee is not mocha flavoured. You are mistaking mocha lattes or something like that for *coffee*. I suppose this a Starbucks...
Anyway, back to chocolate. Essential Baking has really good chocolate desserts, although you need to get there early or they're all gone. Dilettante is probably the all-around king of the chocolate baked goods: the best selection is to be had at the Broadway location on Capitol Hill. However you need to be patient with service which is slow. I recommend the Rigo Jancsi. The best chocolate cookie is the chocolate truffle cookie from Pasta & Co. on Queen Anne Ave at the top of the hill. The best chocolate brownie (by FAR) is from Microbakery - a small baker who sells a lot at local farmers' markets and which you can also get from Madison Market on Capitol Hill.
REC: Baked Pattypan SquashI haven't made this in years as pattypan squash isn't something I see a lot of around here. But I got some on...
They maked baked goods, and many of them are very good indeed, but you are missing the point if you buy them from Gelatiamo, the best ice cream shop in Seattle. You should instead get an ice cream (or "gelato", if you prefer that term). I personally prefer the blueberry above all others, especially now. Their berry flavours are exceptional. So are the hazelnut flavours.
Chinese Food DeliveryThis actually happened to me last month but I've not remembered to post it until now. Some time earlier...
Oddly, since you're in to chocolate, it's worth noting that Gelatiamo doesn't have the best chocolate ice cream in the city - that honour belongs to their main rival a few blocks away in the Pike Place Market: Bottega Italiana. Overall, BI's ice creams aren't as good - they can't quite match the intensity of flavour nor the silken texture of Gelatiamo - although because their shop looks more "trendy", not so slick and polished as Gelatiamo but rather sort of casual and boutiquey (and perhaps also because the hired help features a lot of hunky Italian guys with accents to match), a lot of people like to rate them higher. Nonetheless, image-over-substance issues aside, BI's chocolate ice cream is the best. Avoid other flavours, though.
-- Alex Rast (remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)
