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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 2016)
14 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Coast Weekend’s local restaurant review Bakery delivers ample sugar and some steep prices Review and photos by MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA MOUTH@COASTWEEKEND.COM A A cornerstone of the Western diet for some 6,000 years, bread has heard a lot of nasty whispers of late. Whether fact or fad, “glu- ten” has developed a stay-away reputation approaching that of trans-fats and MSG. Regardless of purported effects to our health or waist- lines, there’s hardly any deny- ing: A freshly baked bread with a taught, crusty shell cradling pocketed, pillowy insides can be elementally satisfying. A simple baguette with some butter, brie or salami, endures for a reason. At Cannon Beach Bakery, however, there are no baguettes. You can take home a “French Bread,” but the airy, plump, 2XL, spongy, white puffed dough-ball will hardly do the trick. Europe- ans, if not scratching their heads, would disavow. Indeed, Cannon Beach Bak- ery’s tack is much more Amer- ican. Think mid-century — if not captivated by the advent of big, processed food, then the era where donut shops were king. And I don’t mean fancy, spunky, artistic, none-the-less-useless donut shops (we see you Voo- doo). I’m talking pre-Dunkin’. At Cannon Beach Bakery there are glazed donuts, maple bars, fritters and the like, as well as muffins, cookies, croissants and so on. Of course, there are a few fancier offerings that might scoff at the association — indeed they AS WITH MANY OF THE BAKERY’S CONFECTIONS, I LONGED FOR THE INCLUSION OF NATURAL, VARYING FLAVORS — RATHER THAN MORE SUGAR. are baked, not dipped in oil. From all, I sampled a cross-sec- tion. Near the size of a tennis ball, the spongy Almond Poppyseed Muffin ($2.75) was permeated, almost bound, with sugar. The almond essence smacked of flavored syrup. (There were no chunks of almond.) It was so sweet that if you wanted more than a nibble, a component cup of black coffee was requisite. Nothing was sweeter than the Mocha Horn ($3.75), which seemingly sought to outdo the fictional Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs (of Calvin and Hobbes infamy). The Horn was also pricey for its pint size. (Sticker shock, like sugariness, were recur- ring themes at Cannon Beach Bakery.) I made peace with, and even understood, the outer layer of almonds, coated and joined with caramel. But the inner puff of mocha-tinged cream was too much — the proverbial sug- ar bomb. With this reasonable wrapper, the opportunity here to incorporate different flavors — like tart fruits, or bitter, dark chocolate — felt like a missed opportunity. As with many of the bakery’s confections, I longed for the inclusion of natural, varying flavors — rather than more sugar. The Blueberry Muffin tripped in that regard. It was sad and small, almost indistinguishable from the type you get in a bulk pack at Safeway or Costco. Well, OK, it was probably smaller. And more expensive ($1.75). CANNON BEACH BAKERY Above: The display case at the Cannon Beach Bakery. Rating: 240 N. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach PHONE: 503-436-0399 HOURS: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Monday. Closed Tuesday. PRICE: $$ – Spendy little confections VEGETARIAN / VEGAN OP- TIONS: It’s the diabetics who should be wary. SERVICE: Counter service DRINKS: Coff ee, espresso, bottled soda KEY TO STAR RATING SYSTEM Left: The Turkey Delight — with cream cheese, cranberry sauce and lettuce on a croissant — was a balance of sweet and savory. The Chocolate Chip Cookie ($1.75) was bursting with chips, but it was dry, almost dusty. The Apple Turnover ($3.50) wrapped syrupy apple chunks in layered Filo dough and was covered in hailstorm of large, sugar gran- ules. The Lemon Bar ($2.75), about the area of a business card, cried out for more zest. Stepping to the savory side, I enjoyed the gooey, salty Ham and Cheese Croissant ($3.95). It would’ve been even better warm. Along with the pastries, Can- non Beach Bakery uses some of its sliced breads for sandwiches (though strangely not all). The eatery offers but three “signature sandwiches,” one being PB&J. Creativ- ity, if there is any, is outsourced to the cus- tomer. And, indeed, while ordering I asked for suggestions but received next to none. The Turkey Delight — with cream cheese, cranberry sauce and lettuce on a croissant — came together rather well, a balance of sweet and savory. The Veggie Delight too — with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, avocado and cream cheese — was a fine, fresh snack, though I was puzzled why I was charged $11 when all sandwiches are marked at $9.95. Sandwiches come with a pick- le spear. The meats come from Reed and Hertig, and they’re of admirable quality. The turkey was juicy, the pastrami thick, Poor Below average Good Excellent Best in region supple and briny. The breads — Haystack (white), sourdough, 8-grain and Limpa rye — were fine, albeit not especially distinct. (Dave’s Killer Bread casts a long shadow...) And while certainly the “Cannon Beach price” is a factor, $10 for a medium-sized, otherwise indistinct deli sand- wich to-go isn’t an inspiring value. One of the few prices I didn’t scoff at was the Bacon Cheese Quiche ($4.95). The tall, wide slice was fluffy and creamy, with a flaky crust and salty shards of bacon throughout. But it wasn’t enough to overcome the legion of simple sugars and stacked pricing. While the discussion over breads, gluten and carbs is far from finished, there are better ar- guments to be made than Cannon Beach Bakery’s.
