The Dovetail Bakery front door
When Julie told me that Portland had 3-- count 'em- 3 vegan bakeries, I nearly fell over! I'm jealous, but it's probably for the best! The most well-known bakery is Sweetpea Baking Co., which we didn't get a chance to visit, due to time constraints and logistics. But you can see their stuff on their website/blog. (There is also a talented vegan baker named Lisa Clark who Fran and I met at the Portland Saturday Farmers Market-- more about that in another post. She runs the Petunia's Pies and Pastries stall. Check out her website for mouth-watering photos!)
But we did visit two of the bakeries on Thursday afternoon, and showed remarkable restraint by only sampling a few things! First, we went to the Dovetail Bakery on NE Alberta St..
It's a very welcoming and kind of peaceful place:
We chatted with the friendly owner and checked out the bake case, loaded with tempting sweet and savory breads, yummy-looking muffins and cupcakes, sweet loaves and buns:
In the end we tried an apple-filled cinnamon roll and a Meyer lemon cupcake:
Very nice texture and flavor-- the cupcake wasn't overly-sweet or gobbed with icing, and the roll wasn't overly-gooey. I'd go back!
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Next we headed over to the Back to Eden Bakery Boutique, also on NE Alberta St.
This shop also had a wonderful atmosphere (as well as good smells!)-- a little more formal than the Dovetail, but homey as well:
They sell other things besides goodies!
But the goodies are what we came for! What to choose??
The Marionberry Coconut Cake?
Scones or muffins?
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies or little tarts?
Cookies or bars?
A savory quiche or empanada?
In the end we chose a piece of the Berry Cheesecake to share:
Oh, my!!
What a place Portland is to be able to support so many vegan bakeries!! I am really impressed with that fact AND the quality. More tomorrow!
Cheers!
You made the best decision, Bryanna! I am addicted to Back to Eden's cheezecake. I just ordered an entire peanut butter and chocolate one to celebrate my bday.
ReplyDelete<3
kittee
What fun reading yesterday's and today's posts!! I have heard that Portland is very vegan friendly, and I was so interested reading about the food carts. And the bakeries!! Oh yum ... I would NOT have had as much restraint as you did!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a blast!! I can't wait to hear more follow up posts!!
Wish you could have been there, Brenda! And there are lots of gluten-free vegan options around for your DH!
ReplyDeleteKittee, there was one piece of that peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake left, and I was sorely tempted, but, after eating lunch at the food carts earlier, I couldn't eat a whole piece! Next time!!
Hi Bryanna,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to take a moment to thank you for stopping into our shop and for the lovely blog! As the co-owner and head baker I must say it is truly an honor to have had you in our store! I only wish myself or my partner had been there to receive you! You have been an inspiration to me throughout the years and I thank you for being such a pioneer for veganism!
Sincerely,
Garrett Jones