Crust me, I’m on a Roll~

Ribbon Cutting Grand Opening

LOCAL FAVORITES: Cream Puffs & Banh Mi

Cake Rolls. Individual Cake Slices.

Creamy French. Hands down. My Childhood.

Spreadz-- Everything but hold the Onions

Tucked in the center of a business park, surrounded by other businesses (specifically encircled by Nvidia), you need a dash of luck and a bucket of snooping to find this gem of a sandwich shop. Opened a few months ago, this family owned sandwich shop caters to the breakfast and lunch crowds that work in the area.

They serve tasty sandwiches on warm Dutch Crunch and Sourdough bread and a quick check on their yelp page shows that they use Boar Head’s deli meats and cheeses. And if you’ve never tried Dutch Crunch, it’s hands down, my favorite type of bread. I'm sorry potato bread! I still love you! Now, I don’t know what they put on top of the bread for it to provide such a loud crunch, but it’s amazing, while still remaining chewy and fluffy inside.

Anyways, on the few times I've been here, I've gotten their tri tip sandwich (Friday’s Special, must try!) pastrami sandwich and their turkey sandwich, all delicious and props to Spreadz for serving half sandwiches as well. Not only that, they also offer soup and while I’ve only tried the clam chowder (creamy and hearty with lots of clam), they also serve chili. I’m not sure if it changes daily or if those two a permanent staple to the menu. I like how they put a lot of care in assembling the sandwich and the ingredients they use are definitely fresh.

The people who work at Spreadz are warm, helpful and accommodating, even when it gets a crazy during the lunch rush. And seeing how Specialty’s parking lot has been reduced to such a miniscule size, Spreadz look much more pleasing. Not to mention, it’s a walkable distance from work.

My philosophy: I exercise to eat more.

EDIT: Since this entry, Spreadz has updated their menu. I was informed of that when I tried to call and place an order the other day and found out they no longer had one of the menu items. So I headed over and took photos of the new menu for you guys to take a look.

Paris Baguette: French Name, Korean Bakery

I’m sure it’s not just me who wonders this, but why do Korean bakeries have French names? Tous Les Jours. Paris Baguette. Perhaps it just sounds better in French? Or the Koreans have an odd fascination with the French. Well whatever it is, let me reassure you that Paris Baguette, while it sounds French, is actually an Asian Bakery.

They have a number of locations in California and I use to frequent the Paris Baguette in Lawrence Plaza. Just recently, they decided to open a new location in Milpitas, which is the one I’ll be talking about and I think even more recently, they opened another one in Saratoga. It’s located in the same plaza as Mitsuwa, Daiso and Santouka. 

I visited the Milpitas location on the Friday night of its Grand Opening weekend. The new Paris Baguette is located in the same plaza as Jang Su Jang and Tofu House (the two very very popular Korean restaurants). It took over the Kinko’s location so it’s quite spacious. It looks even bigger in the inside thanks to the mirrors lining the right side of the walls along with reflective panels on the roof. 

When my friends and I arrived at about 8:30 that night, there was a substantial line, but I was disappointed with the amount of breads left. Part of me was expecting 85°C Bakery with their constant “fresh breads” even at 9 PM at night. Since the shelves were empty, we decided to try the patbingsoo and their green tea latte instead.

Challenger: The Valiant Trio VS. Defender: Paris Baguette’s Fruit Patbingsoo FIGHT!

First I would like to say: the shaved ice is massive. And this wasn’t even the largest size. They have a large, which is absolutely ridiculous. A family of 6 or 7 ordered it and the plate was the size of a small child. I kid you not, you’ll need a shovel (or well at least a bigger spoon) and a pretty strong brain resistant to brain freeze to finish that platter of ice. 

We ordered the fruit shaved ice and I applaud whichever server who put together our shaved ice because there was so much fruit that we had to dig for the ice. We also added extra sweet rice (aka: mochi on steroids) and those were a nice addition, but I believe there might have been red bean paste in them. Long story short: we did not finish the shaved ice. It was too much for three girls who just finished eating sushi. 

So despite being defeated by the shaved ice… we’ll come back for you—the iced green tea latte was pretty refreshing and I liked the seating arrangements in the bakery. The place was very clean and elegant looking, with the eclectic lights, mirror panels and white furniture. There were long tables in the center with bench seating to accommodate huge groups or single seater and more structured tables and chairs on the side of the café for small groups. 

After the grand opening, I had the chance of visiting Paris Baguette again and while the crowd has died down, they still get a steady flow of customers. And for those who have yet to experience the infamous Cronut, Paris Baguette does sell their version of it. Pretty good, if you’re into artery-clogging, heart-stopping deliciousness. My suggestion: buy one and split it.

My favorite thing to eat at Paris Baguette award goes to their royal pudding (when I can get my hands on it. They don’t always have it). What’s your must-try at Paris Baguette?

Let them eat cake! Marie Antoinette infamous said (or not said, the verdict is still out). And let me say, a lot of people were eating cake that weekend. I went to the Grand Opening weekend of 85°C Bakery Café and they were not kidding about the lines. My friends and I passed by the shop Sunday afternoon, on our way to Music Tunnel KTV for a few hours of karaoking.

At that time, the place was already hopping, with the lines zigzagging and wrapping around several times, extending towards the other shops. The plaza was newly opened with few other stores in business, but the parking lot was packed. Why?

85°C Bakery Café! 

Honestly, I have never seen so many people (95% Asian) go crazy for bread. We headed over to the bakery after dinner at approximately 8:30 PM and even at that time there was a moderately long line outside. Between standing outside and then moving inside (in increments about 5), it took me half an hour to get inside.

Interior & Ambiance

They had a huge corner store and the interior was brightly lit with these interesting orb lights. I wish I took a photo of it because it reminds me of the huge orb lights in Chem 194 (now known as Rock Hall) at UC Davis, but prettier and nowhere near as dirty. 

Clockwise: Coffee Bread (w/ Mochi & Red bean), Green Tea Roll, Almond sponge cake, Sweet Brioche, Two egg tarts

On the right was the cases filled with bread, in your usual U-formation, with an island in the middle with more bread. They were consistently releasing fresh bread every few minutes. I have to say the set up was a little chaotic though. It looked like there was plenty of bread, but in reality just plenty of bread in the same variety here and there. Some trays did not have names stating the name so that wasn’t particularly helpful. I’ll chalk it up to the chaos and the fact it was the opening weekend so all the workers are still getting used to everything.

Desserts. May I have.. one of each?

The drinks menu, a bit blurry.. whoops.

Thoughts

Overhyped? Perhaps. After trying everything I bought with my friends and family, I have to say, it wasn’t extraordinary. It was yummy, but not enough to justify a long wait. It was also pricier than the other Chinese bakeries you find around the Bay (Kee Wah and Sheng Kee), but around the ballpark of the Korean bakeries (Paris Baguette and TOUS le JOURS).

Sea Salt Foam Jasmine Tea