Hooker’s Sweet Treats
Big Easy Bread Pudding with Raisins, Pecans, and Melted Caramel
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie with Melted Caramel
Caramel Bar with Cashew, Dark Chocolate, Smoked Sea Salt, and Buttered Caramel
Sweet Cheddar Scone
Located just a few blocks from my hotel and garnering praise for their dark chocolate caramels since 2010 it was largely for airplane snacks that I visited David “Hooker” Williams’ small store before flying out on Tuesday afternoon and as much as the trio of bagged items would trump anything at SFO or LAS it was what I ordered in house that instantly placed Hooker’s Sweet Treats on my rather short Bay Area “must return” list along with Knead, Humphry Slocombe, b.patisserie, and Saison. Small in size and surprisingly hip in feel despite the Tenderloin locale a visit to Hooker’s will likely entail a short walk amidst some of the area’s most unfortunate yet once inside the cozy confines a more pleasant scene unfolds with wood and hues of blue strewn in NOLA-themed décor while notes of vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar permeate the air. By all definitions an artisan operation with Williams working both counter and kitchen it was with friendly smiles that questions were answered and taking a seat at the windowside bar it would not be long before my order arrived, the caramel still bubbling as it dripped down the side of a golden mini-loaf into a fancy shallow bowl. Generally preferring this style of pudding to more free-form versions served via slice or scoop the beauty of Hooker’s Big Easy begins in the bread – a golden eggy thing with soft custard beneath crunchy top – and spruced up with raisins along with candied pecans for taste plus texture the dish is brought to new heights in the salty buttered caramel, a flavor surprisingly not too sweet but instead ‘just right’ in allowing cinnamon notes to shine for an almost savory finish…a flavor I’d later find equally present in all three takeaways, the smoky complexity of the cashew bar particularly satisfying when paired with coffee as I awaited yet another delayed plane.
RECOMMENDED: Bread Pudding, Cashew Caramel Bar
AVOID: N/A
TIP: Closed on Sundays and Mondays with somewhat limited hours throughout the rest of the week one is advised to check the website or facebook before making the trip – although safe enough during daylight hours I wouldn’t particularly wander the area at night.
http://www.hookerssweettreats.com/
