Bakery Nouveau, West Seattle

I don’t think of myself as a snob or a connoisseur. I suppose all that time devoted to eating cake in Austria as though it were thesis research does lend give me a bit of cred when faced with a bakery case. That’s why B. was reluctant to take me to Bakery Nouveau, the newish French bakery on California Ave in West Seattle. I realized as I walked in the door that yes, yes, I am a snob about pastry, and why not?

Bakery Nouveau, however, has little to fear from this critic of the kuchen. It looks like they have the chops to take on tougher taste buds than mine, even if mine were trained in the shadow of the Austrian Empire. See, the chef has a big-ass trophy right out front from the World Cup of Baking. Draped nonchalantly over the neck of the trophy are two medals, another for baking and one for chocolates. Bring it, I thought to myself. Bring it.

I had a lovely sandwich on a croissant – turkey and havarti – and it was just short of perfect. Because the sandwiches aren’t made to order, the croissants are sitting in the refrigerated case and they’re cold. The chill takes the crisp out of the croissants and buries the butter flavor. This is nitpicking, though (which I’m not afraid to do under a big ass trophy), the sandwich was delicious – and they didn’t skimp on the fillings. On the side, a praline confection, a fluffy hazelnut mousse with a thin layer of chocolate cake and something mysteriously crispy in there. Delicious and really, flawless. My cappuccino had a very stiff froth of foam on top, one that did not cave when I sprinkled a little sugar on it.

I wasn’t crazy about the atmosphere. The tables seem haphazard in their layout and there are not enough of them. There are big walls and high ceilings, but the stuff on display just looks like poster shop art. The window, which ought to be a showcase for the baroque desserts inside, isn’t a jewel case, it’s an afterthought. The place has a just opened feel to it – but I’m willing to overlook that because they are clearly, importantly, focused on their baking. Hooray for that.

While my companion ate his quiche, we discussed my frivolous fantasy of opening a real Viennese style coffee house in Seattle. I want understated waiters in bow ties, a monumental espresso machine, a chef poached from the Demel or the Gerstner (two of Vienna’s grandest bakeries), and real table service. You’ll get your coffee in a cup that has the Wien West logo on it – for that will be the name of my coffee house. None of this paper cup nonsense, no clearing your own table. It will be a little bit more expensive, but there you will sit, reading your newspaper in the Wien West Salon, drinking your coffee and your mineral, and no one will rush you out the door.

There will be no wifi. That’s right, no wifi. You want wifi, go next door to Starbuck’s or Tully’s. You want Viennese style, excellent coffee and mindblowing desserts? You want my place, Wien West. Now with 100% less pesky smoking and pervasive central European xenophobia! How can you resist!

Bakery Nouveau has clearly grabbed my imagination, passing the first test of any good coffee house. We’ll be back to try the bread. It’s harder, still, to get the bread past our exacting requirements. I’m not convinced that Bakery Nouveau will pass on this one, but it’s okay because we are distinctly German in our bread preferences whereas our cake preferences lean towards the French. Snobby? Me? What are you talking about?

Still, another notch in the belt of West Seattle and another reason to be confident about the move. Swank Euro-style bakery for decadent sweets? Check.

Vaguely related, here is an odd little cartoon about sweets gone mad. Thanks, K.
[tags]Bakery Nouveau, cake, West Seattle[/tags]