B Is for Breads Bakery

A perfect choice for B and a great bakery. 

 

 

Thanks for the visits and comments on yesterday's first post for the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Today we're staying in my neighborhood, the Upper West Side, and visiting Breads Bakery. There are two other branches of this treasure -- Union Square and in Bryant Park at 42nd Street -- but this branch is half a block from the Y where I go to exercise and I know I will be a frequent visitor when the weather warms up.

 

There had been two small sandwich and coffee places -- not especially good coffee, but very convenient -- that went out of business about a year ago, much to my disappointment. I was thrilled when I discovered the replacement. I had my tried and true, iced coffee light, several weeks ago and it was a good iced coffee, a solid B. It is definitely worth many return visits.  But the stars of this show are the breads and pastries.

 

I haven't tried the bread yet, but the aroma of baked goods wafted into the small park in back of the bakery where I sat to savor my coffee. If heaven had an aroma -- other than the scent of lilacs in bloom -- it might be the aroma from Breads. 

I did try a sample of the pastry and it was delicious. I had a piece of the fabulous chocolate babka, and it may be the best I've ever had, (The best!) with the perfect blend of butter and chocolate.

 



The chocolate masterpiece on the top shelf is the Concord Cake. It was originally created in 1969 to honor the Concorde which began flying then. I think it may be the choice for my birthday cake -- or I just might stick to the perfect babka. The babka isn't a fancy pastry, but it was fabulous.   

 



I've thus far visited at least a dozen places, and it seems a number of them begin with either B or C. I'm going to have to be creative with my titles in order to write about some of my favorites.

 

I'll be back tomorrow to join Pink Saturday and I have another coffee rendezvous in the morning. It's tough, but someone's got to drink all that coffee.

 

As ever, thanks for visiting and let's have another cup of coffee.