Transylvania Traditions Bakery

On the recommendation of our friends Jason and Veronica, we headed to this bakery to try something called kürtos kalács.

We got there in the morning and had to wait about 15 minutes before the place opened. We headed to Shoppers to kill some time and to see if they carried a ginger bread house kit ($10) for Emma. Luckily they did! We had tried Costco and they were sold out.

We came back to the bakery and headed in. The woman was very nice and had to set everything up before she could help us. The place is pretty small but there were a couple of tables if you wanted to sit to eat your dessert.

The display case wasn’t full but what was there looked good.

However, there was no kürtos kalács in sight! Once the woman was ready, I asked her about it and she said it takes about 20 minutes to make. Since I had to meet some friends for lunch I decided to come back in the afternoon. I asked, should I pay for them now? and she’s like, I know you will be back because they are delicious so no need!

I came back a few hours later and there they were, the kürtos kalács!

I watched another woman make a few kürtos kalács. They “BBQ” them (those where her words) in here.

And then coat the kürtos kalács.

I asked them for recommendations on what else to order besides the kürtos kalács. They said everything was good. All freshly made and no additives but said popular choices included the savarina and the cremes. I ordered one each and a kürtos kalács. $14.

My favorite was the kürtos kalács followed by the savarina and then the cremes. The kürtos kalács is basically a sweet bread that had this subtle orange flavor. It had a nice chew to it, crispy crust (is that the right word?) on the outside, and was oh so soft on the inside. Even though the outside of the pastry is coated in a mixture of sweet spices (including cinnamon and sugar) it wasn’t too sweet.

The savarina was basically a cake dipped (soaked) in some syrup that had this rum flavor and filled with fresh whipped cream and topped with a strawberry sauce. The cremes had a layer of filo pastry, a layer of custard (not creamy custard but semi-solid consistency) and topped with this layer of whipped cream and crushed walnut mixture. I thought I tasted a hint of rum but it could have been the after taste from the savarina.

Overall, this place was good. Although I liked the cremes and the savarina I’d probably be inclined to try some of the other desserts next time. However, I’d definitely order a kürtos kalács. According to the woman, the bakery has been opened almost three years and hopefully it’ll be around for many more!

Transylvania Traditions Bakery

1111 Davie St

Vancouver, BC

Pinkie’s Bakery SF

I wanted a coffee and decided to grab a Macau Iced Coffee at Vega. I remembered it was on Folsom around 8th so parked just west of 8th. As I walked towards Vega I passed by Pinkie’s Bakery which I had read about so decided to grab some baked goods!

The bakery itself is really small. All the baked goods were lined up in the display case or on top of it.

I asked the girl serving me what they were known for. She mentioned the Bear Claws and said customers also liked the ginger and peanut butter cookies which had this cream cheese fillings (can’t remember names),  banana walnut bread and the carrot cake. I decided to order six items – bear claw, ginger cookie with cream cheese filling, peanut butter cookie with cream cheese filling, carrot cake, chocolate cherry (?) oatmeal cookie, and an apple turnover.

Overall, I thought the pastries were only ok. The best was the carrot cake. The ginger cookie was too sweet for me. The peanut butter cookie was a bit better. But I found that there was too much filling in both. Anna liked the chocolate cookie. I only took a small bite and thought it was ok. I love apple turnovers but this one didn’t have enough apple filling for my liking.

I started reading some articles about them and it seems they specialize in cakes so I think I’d go back but only order cake.

As I was talking to the girl, I asked her about the adjoining restaurant which is called Citizen’s Band. She said same owner but it’s a separate business.

Pinkie’s Bakery

1196 Folsom St.
San Francisco, CA

Mission Minis

Stopped by Mission Minis to pick up some mini cupcakes for the first time. The small storefront is on 22nd Street between Mission and Capp. When I got inside there was no one but me.

At $1 a pop, it seemed a bit steep given the cupcake size but in the end I ordered eight minis: Ruby Red Velvet (2), Aztec Chocolate, Banana Maple Glaze, Classic Vanilla, Ginger Carrot, Double Chocolate and…and now that I look at the photo, I think she accidentally gave me a Peanut Butter Kiss (lower right hand one). I’ll guess we’ll see when I taste it.

I split the Ruby Red Velvet and the Aztec Chocolate with Anna. She didn’t like the red velvet. She found it a bit dry but I reminded her we put it in the fridge since it was so hot out. I thought it was ok. We both liked the other one.

If I compare Kara’s Cupcakes and Sprinkles down in Palo Alto with this place I probably prefer those two to this one.

I think I saw the first signs of the cupcake craze in Vancouver way back in the early 2000s when I happened upon Cupcakes while walking on Denman. I remember at the time I didn’t think it was that great but will have to try it again later this year when I’m up there and compare.

Updates

(9/7/10): My friend Jessica read this post and mentioned another cupcake place to try: Sibby’s Cupcake in San Mateo. They don’t have a retail storefront but deliver or you can pick up at the bakery if you make an appointment. Will have to try as well.

(9/8/10): We had the rest tonight and it was better this time than when we tried the initial two. And the girl did give me the wrong cupcake but the Peanut Butter Kiss was tasty.

Mission Minis

3168 22nd Street (between Mission and Capp.)

San Francisco, CA

Hapa Ramen

We went to Whole Foods in Potrero Hill late Saturday afternoon. On the drive home, we decided to take the long way back and circle by Maggie Mudd in Bernal Heights. We have this buy something get another free coupon so thought we might buy a pint and get a free pint.

While driving south on 3rd Street we passed a Hapa Ramen sign hung up outside Dogpatch Saloon. We decided to check it out so did a U turn and parked in front of Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous. The line wasn’t long at all (probably since it was still early) so we were able to order right away. They had one choice which was Pork Ramen. $11.50. Cash only. After a short wait we got our bowl of ramen!

We noticed a few people eating inside Yield so we headed inside and grabbed a table. The staff there were super nice and helpful.  I ordered a glass of red wine and the second from the bottom menu item (can’t remember the name!).

The ramen was decent I guess but I think the overall experience is what made the meal. The idea of happening upon Hapa Ramen after we’ve been meaning to try it since it debuted a few weeks (month?) back but didn’t when told by our friends they were taking reservations for 9pm  and it was only 6pm! And having to order the ramen outside a saloon on the sidewalk before heading into the next door wine bar to eat it.

The lineup at Hapa Ramen got noticeably busier while we were eating. After finishing our meal we headed over to Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous. On the way over we checked out some other food stalls set up on the block. In addition to the ones shown here, there was Radio Africa and some drink lady.

At the ice cream parlor we got a pint of cookies and cream before heading home!

The Counter, Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous, and Just Won Ton

This weekend has been HOT. We decided we wanted more and headed to the San Rafael farmer’s market (83 F) on Sunday where we picked up some fruit (organic Utah Giant cherries – never heard of them but sweeter than the Bing and Ranier we saw, nectarines, mandarins, and two pints of strawberries), vegetables (broccoli, yellow onions, green onions, and gai lan) and some Marin Sun Farms eggs ($8 per dozen for pastured based eggs).

Afterwards we decided to have lunch in Corte Madera. There were two places I’ve been wanting to try.  I’ve been reading about a recently opened place called Brick & Bottle but didn’t know much about it other than it was started by chef Scott Howard. We decided to stop by.

I went in, asked for a menu, and took a quick peek around. It was pretty empty and felt kind of formal (dark wood everywhere) for my board shorts, ball cap and t-shirt. We headed to the other place on my list which was The Counter in Corte Madera. I built my own 1/3lb chicken burger with tomatoes, organic mixed greens, grilled onions, and coleslaw all squeezed between a multigrain seed bun. It came with one sauce and I chose chipotle aioli. We also ordered “The Fifty Fifty” (sweet potato fries/thinly cut onion rings) which came with 3 sauces (sweet BBQ, horseradish mayo, and ?).

I liked my chicken burger although it wasn’t anything super special. I liked it was a whole piece of chicken breast. The bun was only ok for me. Seemed a bit dry  and the texture was a little dense but maybe that’s how it is when multigrain? I’d probably try a different bun next time. The sweet potato fries and onion rings were tasty. The rings were a little harder to eat since they were super thinly cut but guess I should have used a fork instead of my fingers! The BBQ and horseradish sauces were the most popular if we went by what was left in the sauce containers. Maybe that’s why I can’t remember the third sauce.

We headed back to the city and on the way home I remembered there was this new ice cream parlor I wanted to try called Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous. It is located in the dogpatch near Hard Knox Cafe, Piccino, and Yield Wine Bar – all places I’ve been too. Both of the pastry chefs/owners were there. Ian Flores served me and I asked to taste Black Forest Chocolate Cake (my all-time favorite cake) and Chocolate Malt Ball before deciding on a scoop of the latter on a homemade sugar cone ($3 plus 50 cents for cone). When paying I asked the woman whom I believe is Anabelle Topacio how long they have been open and she said “we’ve survived for a month!”.

After a quick stop home, we headed out to Just Won Ton. While reading a review of Hakka on SF Weekly I had stumbled upon a positive review of Just Won Ton by Patricia Unterman so wanted to try it.  It is located in the Sunset on Vicente between 23rd and 24th Street It’s literally one of two restaurants on the block surrounded by residential houses; the other being Riverside Seafood Restaurant. We ordered won ton and mein soup and “dry stir fry beef ho fun”.

The won ton was good. What I noticed were the small pieces of shrimp mixed in with the meat. Noodles ok. Broth nothing special. Probably the best I’ve had in San Francisco to-date. It doesn’t compare to won ton in places like Vancouver but, for San Francisco, it was decent. I noticed the hot sauce they had was this hot chili black bean radish. First time I’ve seen that offered at any restaurant in the Bay Area. I was worried the radish was going to be mushy from sitting too long but it had a good crunch to it. The dry fried beef ho fun wasn’t so good. It was lacking in flavor and the ho fun was clumped together. I probably wouldn’t order this again. I have read the scrambled egg with beef or shrimp over ho fun is good as well as the braised beef and tendon noodle soup. I think I’m going to go for these next time. How much was our bill? Cheap.