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Tag: pastries (page 1 of 1)

Pastries, coffee et al… Oh, Asheville.

Downtown Asheville has stolen my heart. It’s just the kind of place I’d love to visit, again and again. I didn’t click many pictures but the collage above should give an idea about what we were up to that morning. Coffee and pastries, tea and conversation, sunshines and street musicians, olive oil tastings, delicious Thai food… now that’s what Downtown should be like.

Downtown Asheville has a relaxed vibe that is equal parts hip and casual. Would I be raving as much if I were an Asheville resident? I think yes!

Whole Foods… Sigh.

This is not a post about Whole Foods Market. I was at the branch on Roswell Road last week. S and I had stopped there for getting groceries, and I thought she would like taking a look around the store with its fabulous products, assortment of cheeses, chocolates, herbal products, snacks, etc. She loved the place, obviously. She couldn’t stop gaping at the amazing array of products, aisle to aisle.

We decided to lunch at the in-store cafe. There is a hot bar, a cold bar, a fresh salad bar, a pizza station, prepared meals section. And maybe another category that escapes me. For vegetarians, the options are many, oh-so many! The soups are good (do check the ingredient list written up on the card placed before each soup pot), my favorite being the Tomato Zucchini one. Although I am not a big fan of cold foods, the cold bar has a million attractive options ranging from crispy tofu and stir-fry vegetables salad to chocolate mousse. The food is displayed attractively under low-light lamps. The only complaint I could possibly have is about the price. If I remember right, it is $7.99 per lb. of food in your plate. I don’t eat here often but I’d probably pay that price, if I had to get lunch in this neighborhood.

What did I get for lunch? Unusual for me, I picked up two slices of pizza. Or maybe it wasn’t so unusual after all. I had had a meager breakfast, and my tummy was making its usual embarassingly loud rumbling sounds. I picked a slice of Roasted Red Pepper and Portabello Mushroom Pizza, and another of Sun-dried Tomatoes and Basil. The sweet girl behind the counter offered to put the slices back into the oven so they would be piping hot. By the way, the display slices are placed on a heated surface anyway. I am just a little anal about the temperature of my pizza.

Excellent! It was not my favorite traditional flatbread Italian pizza but a deliciously cheesy American one it was. I managed to chomp my way through both the slices, leaving behind the thick ends of the crust. I could have done with lesser cheese but this is such an occasional indulgence for me that I let go. Besides, it was a gorgeously sunny day, the store was quietly bustling, and we had a day of good fun ahead. Who am I to resist?

Here is a picture of the fabulous display of pastries and sweet treats from the store. With such an array of choices, I am plain dumbfounded.


Whole Foods Market
5930 Roswell Road
Atlanta, GA 30328
404-236-0810
www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/sandysprings/

Jerusalem Bakery

A couple of weeks ago, I stepped into Jerusalem Bakery in Marietta. A sleepy space, a single attendant, shelves filled with freshly baked pita bread, packets of sesame-studded bread sticks, date rolls, walnut biscuits and cookies, baked pies… You get the delicious picture. This is a place I have been meaning to visit since some time – never got around to it.


I looked around, peeked into the freezer filled with various kinds of cheeses (almost all of them kosher, with non-animal rennet – YAY!), and walked out with a bag of whole wheat pita bread and a packet of date rolls. The date rolls were very delicious and the sesame seeds provided a nice crunch. The pita breads? Fabulous. I realized that buying pita bread from a bakery (at Jerusalem, they bake it daily) makes the hugest difference. I finished the last pita round (or bread?) a couple of days back. Can you believe that it was still oh-so soft? Btw, cost of a packet of whole wheat pita bread? $1.69 only. And believe me, it is a lot more delicious and less expensive than what you could buy from your big grocery store.


Again visited the bakery yesterday. The light was good, so I got some good pictures. This time I bagged a box of date rolls (the non-sesame kind), my packet of whole wheat pita breads, and a box of Ma’moul (walnut stuffed pastries). P found the Ma’moul very sweet but I thought it was pretty delicious. There is a liberal sprinkling of powdered sugar that I dusted off as much as I could. Haven’t sampled the date rolls yet but I am sure they’re delicious. About Ma’moul, if you want to know how to bake them at home, read this on Desert Candy, one of my favorite food blogs.


Jerusalem Bakery
585 Franklin Rd, Suite 160
Marietta GA 30067
770-419-1666
www.jerusalem-bakery.com