b. patisserie
Ham and Cheese Tartine – French Sliced Ham, Sliced Swiss Cheese, Béchamel, Chopped Parsley, Salt and Pepper
Bostock, Apple Almond Croissant, Strawberry Kouign Amann
Chocolate Chip Cookie, Cherry Oatmeal Toffee Cookie
Rare to revisit Restaurants when traveling, even those that are particularly impressive, there was simply no resisting Belinda Leong after more than three years – and for the fourth time her mastery of everything from Muffins to Viennoiserie at b. patisserie remains among the best stateside.
Now in business for herself since 2012, stints at Manresa and Pierre Herme laying the foundation for what will likely soon be a Beard Award-winning career, it is at the corner of California and Divisadero that patrons will find a collection of items sweet and savory, the counter wrapping an open kitchen offering more than a glimpse of processes streamlined to yield both volume and uncompromising quality.
Carefully bridging French technique and American sensibilities, Leong and partner Michel Suas creating over two-dozen items daily, those in the know will first take time to peruse seasonal options before making choices, though those with a substantial appetite may just be better off starting left and working right at risk of ordering with eyes bigger than their stomachs.
Opting for the latter approach, a total of six items at Bay Area prices, it was finding a comfortable seat in the widow that indulgence was underway, bites of a Tartine offering crunchy Bread with lots of Ham, Cheese and creamy Bechamel.
Never passing on Kouign Amann, the very reason so many make their trip to Lower Pacific Heights, it was discovering a combination of Pineapple Jam and Butter that this iteration continued a tradition of greatness while the Apple Almond Croissant to follow was texturally flawless from edge to inside.
Finishing with Cookies and Bostock, the latter more like Citrus Pound Cake, Leong’s Chocolate Chip Round is fairly basic while Cherries, Oatmeal and Toffee suspended in a buttery matrix is an idea whose time has come.
www.bpatisserie.com