Pastry Shop: Birdbath Bakery (little sister branch of City Bakery)
Website: http://www.birdbathbakery.com/
Location: 35 3rd Ave @ 9th Street (East Village)
Phone: 212.201.1902
Price Range: $$
Choices: Pretzel Croissant, Blueberry Scone, Summertime Mixed Berry Tart, Raspberry Bran Muffin, Chocolate w/ White Chocolate Cookie; Arnold Palmer (half Iced Tea & half Lemonade)
How often do you walk pass a restaurant or a pastry shop that captures your attention? As I rushing home with a friend after a movie one rainy evening, a lovely place made me stop in my tracks to gaze upon a curious creation. In the windows you see six strands of flower pots connected together with cups and tubes linked to what looked like a hydro pump. This hydro pump waters the plants by pumping water into six tubes which are linking the pots together. You’re probably thinking “that’s an experiment easily composed by a 5th grader Mishii”, but I had never see anything like it. It fascinated me. I shifted my gaze pass the plants and realized there were pastries in there. Searching for a sign, I realized this fascinating experiment resides in Birdbath Bakery: Neighborhood Green Bakery. I thought to myself, “a green bakery?” Upon doing research on this shop I knew, I had to launch my first blog with this bakery. For those who are thinking the same question I was, here are a few key points explained by Andre, a very informative and friendly employee. The shop is wind-powered. Their countertops and shelves are made of recycled products such as recycled paper. One of their display boards is made of recycled items from the navy yard. The cups are made of corn, which I learned, are biodegradable. Also, the ingredients they use are organic from the local area, which makes the majority of their products seasonal.
As my friend and I stepped into the shop, we saw that it was designed for clients who are on-the-go. There were no tables in sight, with only a few short stools lined up against the window. Looking around I can see that they are putting the idea of “green” across well. Plants were hung all around the doorway and their front windows, and recycled shoeboxes are lined up to mask the walls of the counters. As I started to look at the pastries, I was greeted by Andre. Because there were so many options, I did not know which to choose so I decided to go along with his recommendations. He was very attentive and always offered to answer any questions we might have. In the end, we left the bakery excited to taste what this bakery has to offer.
The pretzel croissant was recommended as one of the most popular items, to be honest I’m not exactly sure why. The outer layer of the croissant was by far the saltiest pastry I had ever tasted. It was so salty I felt like my tongue was having a spasm!! It was so overpowering that even the moist, tender inside could not redeem it. If I continued eating the croissant with the flaky crust, I wouldn’t be able to write anything good about it. I peeled off the crust to enjoy its soft butter roll resemblance texture and taste.
I haven’t tried a scone before this one, and my first is the blueberry scone. I’m pretty sure you’re thinking “wow Mishii, you don’t know what you’ve been missing out on”, because that's what was going through my head as I took my first bite. It was delicious. The body was very moist, baked with fresh blueberries and cranberries giving the pastry a hint of sweetness, enough to satisfy your taste buds. It would be a lovely pairing with a cup of joe. Cup of joe? How old am I? 50?
The summertime mixed berry tart is half the size of your palm; actually my palm. Without any hint of corniness, I would like to inform you that taking a bite of the tart gave me a refreshing feeling that reminds me of summer. Hence it's name, duh! The sweetness of the fresh blueberries balances well with the luscious lemon curd. The sugar studded flaky tart tasted of sweet butter; the flavor meshing well with the sweet and tanginess of the fruit flavors. A nice cup of medium roasted coffee would do wonders with this pastry.
Andre’s first recommendation to me was the raspberry bran muffin, their most popular item. It was noticeable that a lot of fat was used to produce it because you can see the oil seeping through their paper bag which is made from recycled paper. With every bite, you get the right amount of sweetness, with a few crunchy bites from the fresh raspberry seeeds to balance with the butter flavor. This muffin is great for breakfast because of its heartiness.
The last goodie we tried was their chocolate with white chocolate cookie. The cookie reminded me of a brownie with very heavy chocolate flavors. It was very soft and moist with a harder crust giving the overall cookie a nice crunch. I would enjoy this cookie with a shot of espresso. Because my half of the cookie didn't have much white chocolate in it, I had to get some feedback from my friend who had the chuck of white chocolate. Apparently, my half of the cookie got ripped off! Feedback is as follows, "The white chocolate was blended in perfectly, almost like the layers of a cake. Every bite that I took, I had the strong chocolate flavor and then a hit of white chocolate to lighten the overall bite."
When I asked Andre to recommend me a drink, he chose to mix the unsweetened Iced Tea and Lemonade in equal portions. I later learned from a close friend that this drink is actually named after a golfer, Arnold Palmer. If you don’t like sour, tangy drinks then this drink is not for you. The first sip you take, you instantly get kicked with a pungent sourness, but once your taste buds get used to it you find it to be quite refreshing.
The pastries from Birdbath Bakery were enjoyable. I recommend the summertime mixed berry tart, blueberry scone, and the raspberry bran muffin. I just wished I had a nice cup of joe to compliment the pastries. The overall experience was delightful with one downfall that we couldn’t enjoy the wonderful pastries within the lovely green shop.
Mishii's Rating: 6/10
