I never realized they had a location on North Avenue. I only know the location across from the California Blue Line stop. We stop by here to get super-cheap pastries. French loaves. Dallas has been getting the torta bread lately.
Also -
- Logan Square Walk (3/2010)
- Exploring Logan Square (3/2009)
- Panaderia la Central (2/2009)
- Getting Settled (11/2008)
Tags:bakery·central bakery·Chicago·dallas·logan square·panaderia la central
I picked up a Groupon for Red Hen Bread because it’s nearby my gym and a bus stop a spend a lot of time standing at. I thought I’d just swing by one night when I finished the gym and get an awesome discounted sandwich. Problem: Red Hen closes at 6 and I’m never out of the gym by then. So, it took me a while but I finally used the Groupon on a day I did not go to the gym. I got the caprese sandwich and an iced coffee. The sandwich was good, but my bread was kind of hard to chew. I ended up eating the parts separately to compensate.
Tags:bakery·caprese·Chicago·groupon·red hen bread·wicker park
While my car was broken down and stranded and I was waiting for my dad and brother to arrive, I spent a bunch of time in the nearby Whole Foods, wandering around and hunting for free samples. I noticed they have a display of international cookies.
Upon further inspection I also noticed that all of the cookies were made at local bakeries, all over Chicago. I thought this was pretty cool.
Tags:bakery·sauganash·whole foods
The first weekend of the Logan Square Farmers Market was the weekend I was in Wisconsin, so I missed it… but I made up for it this past Saturday. It’s still early in the season and this has been such a cold wet year. There were a lot of strawberries and tomatoes, lettuce and potted plants.. but not a ton of produce yet. I ended up getting more prepared foods than produce.
Also, at the River Valley Kitchens stand, they accept credit cards with one of those Square iPhone add-ons. I’ve seen them online, but not in person. Seconds after he ran my card I got this receipt texted to me:
Here’s everything I got: Rare Bird strawberry rhubarb preserves ($9), River Valley Kitchens 5-Cheese Garlic Spread ($8), River Valley Kitchens cherry vanilla granola ($6), Crumb olive focaccia bun ($3), Crumb asparagus feta ricotta bun ($3), Golden Rise sourdough ($7), Brockway Farms lettuce ($3), Lyons Fruit Farm strawberries ($6).
Tags:bakery·brockway farms·Chicago·crumb·golden rise bakery·granola·iphone·lettuce·logan square·lyons fruit farm·rare bird preserves·river valley kitchen·square·strawberry
On Saturday morning we asked Jeannette and Yvan if they’d be up for dim sum since Dallas and I hadn’t had it since the last time we were in New York a year ago! Dallas’s cousin Jessica from Honolulu is living in Greenpoint, Brooklyn now after having completed school at FIT, so we invited her to come along with us. Jeannette and Yvan have a car so after picking up Jessica, we headed out to Flushing, Queens and went to Jade Asian Restaurant.
Jade Asian is set up like a huge banquet hall. Kind of like Jing Fong, where we sometimes go in Manhattan. The thing about Flushing, though, is that it’s out there. Far. And it’s really Asian. In Manhattan you get a lot of tourists, a lot of non-Asians who live there and go to dim sum. Out in Flushing? I was the only non-Asian in a huge ballroom of people. Not that I really care. Just an observation. The dim sum food at Jade Asian did not disappoint. We tried all of our favorites and then some.
Doing my best impression of Jeannette, I leaned back and moaned about how full I was and then leaned forward and chipperly said “Let’s get dessert!” Kidding, but desert was on the agenda, as right across the street from Jade Asian is Paris Baguette. You know Jeannette can’t pass that up!
I was a little confused about why such a French-sounding place was smack dab in the middle of such an Asian neighborhood, but I just read on the Paris Baguette website that they are the No. 1 franchised bakery in Korea, with 1,700 locations in 3 different countries. It should be noted that the only New York location is this one out in Flushing, Queens. Of course when I went inside, it made a little more sense. Amongst the pilethera of French pastries there were a lot of Asian influences: red bean fillings, grean tea flavoring, etc. I recognized a hotdog roll I used to get in Chinatown.
Jeannette went to town and got a bunch of pasteries. I ended up just getting a coffee drink because I was so full from dim sum. Later on Jeannette admitted to Jessica that this is a well-travelled trip for them with guests. Dim sum at Jade Asian, dessert at Paris Baguette. Works for me! Great food, fun morning, and nice to see Jessica again.
Tags:bakery·dallas·dim sum·FIT·flushing·jade asian·jeannette·jessica·New York·paris baguette·queens·yvan