Since moving to the Hudson Valley I have found that I love Rhinebeck...LOVE. As soon as when drove through the quaint downtown area Dan looked at me and said "you want to live here don't you!"...gotta love that man. Well, we don't live in Rhinebeck...yet...but we are close enough that I go there often!
In Rhinebeck there is this great bakery cafe called Bread Alone; they not only make delicious products but they are doing it the right way. They also use Counter Culture coffee, which is what Peregrine in DC uses (well, in addition to Aida's farm and maybe some other fair trade folks) and we all know how much I love Peregrine!
Counter Culture from what I have read/heard is a great company (never met the folks) but their beans yield a far superior cup of Joe than anything else I've found to date and they seem to be the supplier of the beans for all of the coffee shops that I have loved.
Bread Alone has this great pastry display that draws you to the counter and straight to the glass to see what they are offering; doesn't the meringue above look fabulous?
Thus far I have had several loaves of bread (challah is tasty...get it if they have it), bagels, their soups, salads, a sandwich and far far far too many iced vanilla lattes. I have yet to be disappointed; other than the CIA Apple Pie Bakery, I think this might be my local spot.
Oh, I couldn't resist a piece of the pecan pie (above), it must be the southern gal in me. Well, technically I am making a version of this southern classic next week and I wanted to have a little comparison
I liked the filling but I wasn't too thrilled about their crust; it was a bit more crisp than I like. I'll try a butter/lard combo for my crust to hopefully yield a more fork tender crust. However, I ate this whole piece...by myself...so it wasn't too shabby!
I liked the filling but I wasn't too thrilled about their crust; it was a bit more crisp than I like. I'll try a butter/lard combo for my crust to hopefully yield a more fork tender crust. However, I ate this whole piece...by myself...so it wasn't too shabby!
In all the atmosphere is good; friendly staff and welcoming environment with tables that can be for two or you could easily pull several together for a crowd. The only thing I would add are a few comfy chairs in a corner somewhere for bums like me who want to come in for coffee and stay to read a good book.
Below is my turkey sandwich; naturally, what you might expect from a good bakery, the bread makes this sandwich. The only thing I would add is a side of Monument Cafe honey Dijon mustard (my TX folks know what I mean when I say Monument Cafe honey mustard...I'll post my version of it soon...it is super easy and oh so yummy with a club sandwich.)
Patricia --
ReplyDeleteLiv Leader, the baker's daughter, here from Bread Alone. Thanks so much for your lovely review. It always feels good to know that our little cafe in Rhinebeck has become someone's favorite spot. I forwarded your post to the Rhinebeck managers and I know they were thrilled. We'll keep working on that pie crust -- although I don't think the rabbi who supervises the bakery's Kosher certification would let us switch to butter and lard :)
The trainers from Counter Culture come up to the Hudson Valley every few months to work with our baristas, and I'm sure they would love to talk coffee with you if you're interested. Also, if you happen to be in the city on a Friday morning, the CCC training center holds coffee cuppings that are open to the public. They are always a lot of fun.
Many thanks!
Liv, hahaha, I can imagine the rabbi would definitely not like the lard idea! The pie crust has a great flavor and the bottom was perfect to stand up to the filling--the edge just got a smidge dark for my taste but to be fair I am biased--I grew up on my great great grandma's all lard version so that is just my preference.
ReplyDeleteI do love the bakery--in fact--I plan on stopping in tomorrow for bagels, coffee and bread (something I feel will become a Sunday tradition for us...though I may have to break down and get the french toast instead of a bagel--yum)!
A coffee chat with the Counter Culture guys would be fabulous; it is always fun learning from folks who have a passion for what they do. I had not heard of the training center; I'll definitely plan on being in the city on fridays to visit!
most sincerely,
~P