Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

I was in the mood for a fancy cake and decided on the Brooklyn blackout cake. This recipe from King Arthur Flour gives you the basic idea as well as the history. The cake combines a chocolate cake, chocolate pudding in between the layers, chocolate icing, and cake crumbs embedded in the icing around the sides. I decided to put together the cake based on recipes from several sources. The cake is Rose Levy Berenbaum's devil's food cake. I chose this not only because it tastes great but also because the recipe gave me three layers, giving room for more pudding. I made the pudding based on the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, including a healthy dose of cream along with the milk. The icing came from Rose Levy Berenbaum's chocolate buttercream recipe. I hadn't made this before and it is surprisingly simple: milk chocolate, a little dark chocolate, and butter. No eggs, no corn syrup. The crumbs come from the cake domes---they turned out t...

After skimping in breakfast, I was interested in a quick early lunch. Bijan is located on the square near the San Jose Convention Center and they provided me with an easy, satisfying meal. My Caesar salad was good and filling. My fruit tart was excellent with wonderful pastry, great cream, and outstanding fruit.

A visit to Roswell led me to a very enjoyable stop at Henri's. This family bakery has operated at various locations in Atlanta since the 1920's. The proprietor was clearly very proud and extremely gracious. They offer a full range of lunch sandwiches as well as a full selection of sweets. Both of my cookies were delicious. The almond macaroon gave me an intense hit of almond flavor and that trademark soft texture. I think of the cheese cookie as very southern; mine had a soft, crumbly, and comforting texture matched with the bite of cheese.

Good Karma is tucked away in always charming Avondale Estates. I stopped in for coffee but I was very impressed by their bakery operation. They have a very strong vegan menu. They also serve full breakfast and lunch items, such as scrambles. This case of baked goods is all vegan and they all look great. Doing vegan baking well requires skill. True vegan food is hard to find at restaurants and a resource like Good Karma is a treat for people who eat vegan.

I was headed for a morning meeting at the Starbucks in Ballston Commons Mall when I saw that a wrecking crew was tearing down the entire mall. Hmmm, I don't think that Starbucks is open today... I reconnoitered and found Buzz as an alternative location. It offers a wide range of baked goods ranging from traditional morning fare like muffins to the more radical cupcakes. No donuts, however. The décor is kitchy 70's. I went with a croissant and coffee. The croissant was pretty good, the coffee very tasty. And it has plenty of table space for meetings.

I paid another visit to Café Mozart. If you aren't familiar with the format, they have several tables of individually-wrapped baked goods; they also have a refrigerator case with some beautiful cakes and tarts. This fruit tart is one example of their visual style as well as taste. These chocolate cookies were delicious.

Proof Bakeshop is at the heart of Inman Park, nestled in next to the MARTA station. They serve a variety of breakfast and lunch items, both savory and sweet. The space is very open and light; the service was very helpful. I was able to try several different treats during my visit. My grilled cheese sandwich was excellent. The gruyere and carmelized onions made it very savory and filling. The bread seemed to have a few raisins in it; its richness was what it took to go with the cheese and onions. The granola is a small bowl of very high quality ingredients: Greek yogurt on the bottom, then granola made fresh, topped with thinly sliced apples. The croissant was rich, buttery, very large, and bien cuit (well done). I didn't get a shot at the donut but it sure looked good.

Karen Donatelli stands out in a town full of bakeries and chocolate shops. Their baked goods are outstanding, served in a gracious and welcomingly low-key atmosphere. This is my berry tart with chocolate ganache. As you can see, it was beautifully prepared. The fruit was perfect as was the light glaze on top. It was also delicious. If I'm not mistaken, the chocolate had just a hint of heat. The pastry holding it all together was perfect.

An 8 AM final gave me an opportunity to try the tofu scramble at Highland Bakery on campus. It was decent but not as satisfying as the tofu scramble at West Egg. Highland's bakery has only a modest amount of tofu and doesn't emphasize umami flavor notes. I think that a good tofu scramble should double-down on umami. The grits were perfect and the toast was outstanding. The coffee was a deep dark roast but without a hint of bitterness.

Special Kneads is in downtown Lawrenceville, a very cute and well-maintained neighborhood. It serves a wonderful collection of tempting baked goods: cupcakes, cakes, cookies. It also has a higher mission. The bakery employs people with special needs, giving them a way to earn a decent living and build their self-esteem through useful work. It also uses proceeds to support a number of other important causes for people who are in need of help. Here are my two cupcakes: chocolate decadence and red velvet. I could smell the sweetness of the icing as I walked in the door and these cupcakes lived up to that promise. They were moist, tender, and full of flavor. The icing was sweet and creamy without being overpowering. You really should visit this special place.

I discovered H&F Bread's location while driving back from Cantina Nuevo Laredo. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they have not just their commercial bakery but a walk-in store. As the very helpful staffer explained, H&F bread is a spin-out of Holeman & Finch. I have enjoyed H&F breads at least once in my coffeehouse visits and probably more. The shop allows me to buy their bread by the loaf, not the slice. I ended up with a half loaf of pain levain, a rustic bread with mostly white but a little whole wheat flour. I broke it open as soon as we got back to the car. Jacques, Umer and I agreed that it was superb. Our staffer gave us samples of the bacon popcorn (!) to try. I haven't had a chance yet but I definitely look forward to it.

Le Boulanger has been in Sunnyvale for years, right in the middle of the office park section of town. The interior is very spacious. It also affords a view of their large bakery operation. The menu has a wide range of breakfast items and lunch sandwiches. I stopped by for a snack, so I ordered a piece of blueberry coffee cake and an iced coffee. My slice of coffee cake was very generous. It was tasty, too---rich and moist. The blueberries came through nicely. Iced coffee was a great complement.

La Baguette is an institution in the Stanford Shopping Center. I've enjoyed their baking since my student days. The shop always has a line of folks waiting for a treat. Despite the humble name, their signature item is, in fact, the croissant. It is very buttery with a pillowy interior. I suspect their recipe has been slightly Americanized to have a softer, less flaky interior. But it is very rich and enjoyable nonetheless.

Lunch was my opportunity to try the new Highland Bakery on the Georgia Tech campus. It's located on the back side of Tech Tower. It seems to have already taken its place as a favorite stop for prospective students and their families. The decor is modern, relaxed, and spacious. Although the soup was tempting, I had to try something with bread, so I ordered the caprese sandwich. The bread was perfect all the way down to its light toasting. The cheese and tomato were excellent; a few leaves of basil added a nice contrast. It was filling without being heavy, just what I had hoped for. I also had a sweet potato biscuit for my afternoon snack. It was superb: great sweet potato and nutmeg taste without losing the biscuity texture.

Catherine and I got a chance to try the Bakery at Cakes and Ale. I had stopped by before for just long enough to try an exquisite cookie. I've been looking forward to this breakfast for a chance to catch up with Catherine and to make our acquaintance with some great breakfasts. That's my cheese and green onion scone plus a biscotti. The scone was very intriguing---you don't see savory scones every day in this country---and it turned out to be even better than I imagined. It has just enough cheese to give the flavor but not be gooey. It's surprisingly salty, which adds a lot to the overall experience. The biscotti was perfect. Too much sweetness would just be lost when you dunk it. The pistachios and bits of chocolate make great little nuggets to discover.