Mr. Holmes’ Bakehouse
Strawberry Jalapeno Bearclaw
Churro Croissant
Peanutbutter and Jelly Donut
Cornflake Cookie
Espresso Cruffin
Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding
Chocolate Chunk Cookie
Puppychow Monkey Bread
A hip and trendy import from San Francisco whose Croissant-Muffin mash-up “Cruffin” has continued to gather a crowd and plenty of Social Media mention ever since it debuted, Mr. Holmes’ Bakehouse debuted in Los Angeles just after Labor Day 2016, a somewhat out-of-the-way location perhaps curtailing the Bay Area’s queue, though certainly not the creativity of the food.
Owned by Aaron Caddel, his choice of Highland Park a result of not only the affordable square footage prone for renovation but further plans to expand West in time, those arriving at 111 S. Ave 59 prior to 8:30 are prone to driving right past the nondescript cement and white brick bakery, the online countdown to fresh Cruffins slowly gathering a line as it approaches zero at 9:00am.
Far from a one-trick pony, the glass cases also featuring a variety of Viennoiserie, Cookies, Donuts and Quick Breads, it was just twenty minutes before the day’s big reveal that I entered sterile but appealing space, an order of eight items tallying just shy of $50, though with several still-warm from the oven this actually seemed to be not so steep a price.
Basing the order of consumption on freshness, here easily gauged almost entirely on temperature alone, it was with careful bites of a Bearclaw that the adventure got started, expectations of a whole lot of heat immediately proving unfounded as the bright Berries relegated the Jalapeno Jam to a light basenote while the Churro Croissant was an equally complex experience, the Cinnamon-Sugar coated shell shattering to a million pieces around a center of Caramel Custard.
Enjoying the gluttonous spread slowly, a Tang-flavored Bomboloni eschewed in favor of one stuffed with PB&J, the Cornflake Cookie tasted next was sort of a revelation with the Brown Butter and Toffee not-yet-set and still sticky, the Pre-purchased Cruffin now finally ready and perfectly fine with light Espresso Cream on the inside, but certainly not the sort of thing that should justify so much publicity.
At this point starting to feel the effects of three sweet stops over the course of just two hours, I simply could not help delving into Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding speckled with White Chocolate Chunks nor the crispy-rimmed Chocolate Chunk Cookie, though the best bites had unknowingly been saved for last in the form of a Peanut Butter, Caramel and Chocolate Pull-Apart topped in Puppy-chow, only a few bites eaten immediately with the rest even better after lunch when the Southern California sun had rewarmed it in the car, leaving the dark nuggets from Guittard partially-melted and gooey.
www.mrholmesbakehouse.com
