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| Blood Orange Glazed Doughnut & Monkey Bread |
I finally made it back to Bread Furst (a whopping nine months after my first visit back in May '14.) Since then, they've spruced up the exterior... an attractive awning, clear signage and outdoor tables. Inside, it (thankfully) remains the same: Bread literally comes first, showcased front & center before providing a warm welcome (and a series of sweet, then savory temptations.) Today's visit had a purpose: Baguette, doughnut and Monkey Bread, in no particular order of deliciousness.
Mark Furstenberg clearly knows a thing or two about making bread; so it stands to reason, this is the place to buy it. Last year, I fell in love with their Corn Rye variety; but any bakery is only as good as its baguette. The ones here resemble submarines (one young woman stopped me on the street, asked if it was bread, then told me it looked scary.) It's pricey ($3.50) but sufficiently tasty, and well-done. They also require a heavy hand when slicing. All-in-all, pretty good but not necessarily worth a daily investment (I'll stick to nearby Firehook, where you get more bread for less ($1.95.)) I do recommend spending a few more dollars and opting for their richer, fuller loaves ($7 brioche!)
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| Baguette |
As the saying goes, man shall not live on bread alone; and neither should you, especially with Bread Furst's decadent selection of pastries. Once again, they're not cheap (cookies cost $1.75 per, and even a humble cruller can set you back three bucks.) I went straight for the doughnuts, settling on a scrumptious looking Blood Orange Glazed Doughnut ($3) and BF's famous Monkey Bread ($2.50 for croissant dough, cinnamon sugar and chocolate chips.) Service, like before, was fast, friendly and superb. As always, there was a line of customers; although it moved a lot faster than my first visit.
The doughnut was enormous with lots of glaze (but not much blood orange flavor.) The dough inside was simultaneously airy and dense with nice little air pockets all about. Perhaps airier in appearance, but sorta chewy in texture. If asked to grade, I'd give it a solid B. Unfortunately, the Monkey Bread failed to match the aforementioned doughnut for outright flavor. It's cheaper (2.50) but smaller, and part of the bread stuck to the fancy wrapper it came in. It broke apart easily, but reminded me more of a cinnamon roll. Say monkey bread, and I think gooey and sticky. This one had neither, and ultimately disappointed.
The jury's still out, so far as I'm concerned; but there's no arguing with Bread Furst's obvious popularity. Still to come, a sandwich review... perhaps a salad. Hopefully, it won't take me almost another year to check it out.
