strawberry shortcake?

[quyn]

i;m looking for the absolute best strawberry shortcake in the la area...not too light and airy, although not too dense/rich...also, not dry. any suggestions???

[Bruce Kerr]

Looks like the classic Strawberry Shortcake may be at the new Gjellina - Take Away, in Venice.
I am told they have been working on a real, honest, SHORTCAKE biscuit, (like what Russ Parsons wrote about, a year or so ago in the LA Times), and they will be using Harrys Berries - which are wonderful even "off season"

[happybaker]

Hooray!

[JackonCrack]

I will be there with bells on....

[bulavinaka]

Had the biscuit yesterday, but I it was in the afternoon and didn't ask about strawberries being an option. It was a very good biscuit.

[happybaker]

Ah Quyn - not too rich - there's the rub.

I have found the classic biscuit shortcake on menus - and it has always disappointed me. They've made the biscuit far too rich - butter AND cream - and instead of being happy, I am left with an oily taste in my mouth.

John o groats biscuits rock - I wonder if they use them for shortcake in the summer?

http://www.ogroatsrestaurant.com/

[Will Owen]

Okay, this is not Home Cooking, but thanks for the tip about over-rich shortcake, because I tend to overdo things when I'm making this. The cream should go ON the biscuit, not IN it …

This is a good thread for me, because I really hate "shortcake" that uses sponge cake, or even (ugh! shudder!) angel food, but I'd like to know where the real thing might be available.

Note to DU: as dearly as I love whipped cream, the iconic shortcake of my Illinois youth was served in shallow bowls, with unwhipped heavy cream poured over and around the biscuit etcetera. DEEE-vine!

[Das Ubergeek]

I'm very interested in this thread because while I make my own sometimes I just want to be served. Does anyone make a strawberry shortcake that is macerated strawberries, cream and a shortcake (a sweetened biscuit)? Usually when I've ordered it it's some concoction of sponge cake or whatever or it's been sitting for hours and it's all soaked through and mushy.

What I'm looking for is like the (homemade) photo below:

[HaroldandMaude]

Along with Engine Co noted above, Grand Lux Cafe has it on their menu: " Fresh Strawberry Shortcake
A Warm Sugar Topped Shortcake Filled with Fresh Strawberries and
Vanilla Ice Cream. Topped with Whipped Cream"

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Grand Lux Cafe
121 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048

[Das Ubergeek]

Appreciate it, though I'm not a fan of ice cream in my shortcakes. Though every year at this time I have to have just exactly that from the Job's Daughters booth at the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival.

[jackattack]

I always get my strawberry shortcake at the Grand Lux WITHOUT the ice cream. P.S., I make a good shortcake biscuit using bisquick and instead of adding the milk that the recipe calls for I use 1/3 milk, 2/3 vanilla ice cream.

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Grand Lux Cafe
121 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048

[AnnieAmie]

If you're trying to find what's in that picture above, just grab some biscuit mix and make a few. Bisquick would work well as its not sweet. Cut up some really ripe strawberries and toss in a tablespoon of sugar and none at all, stir and let sit for a few minutes to get the juices flowing and make the shortcake just like the dish in the photo.

If you want that cakey kind of shortcake, Ralphs sell them in packs of either four or six in their bakery sections. You can just fill them up with fresh berries and top with whipped cream.

[Das Ubergeek]

I made the picture above and I can assure you no biscuit mix has ever been seen in my house. That was made with White Lily flour, unsalted butter, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and good buttermilk... and then strawberries, sugar, whipping cream, and vanilla.

I can certainly make my own, but sometimes I just want to be served dessert instead of making it myself, you know?

[TonyC]

available at craft, now:

Strawberry Shortcake
Vanilla Crème Frâiche & Strawberry Sorbet

There is strawberry between a split, biscuity shortcake, there are strawberries nearby, and there's a quenelle of strawberry sorbet. it's fantastic, but it's also a whopping $12.

[maudies5]

Strawberry season is over! Harry's Berries, Gloria Tamai no longer has good berries. A few lonely looking Albions left. Buy peaches instead or Heirloom tomatoes.

[TonyC]

of course you're right. the last time I had the strawberry shortcake at Craft was last weekend of March, which obv is beginning of strawberry season.

By mid-July, the berries on the shortcake have been switched out to blackberries. It's simply not reflected on Craft's menu just yet.

[JudiAU]

THis is indeed a wonderful version. And frankly, August berries are still pretty fine in Los Angeles.

[wesleywong]

My favorite would have to be from Perfectly Sweet in Alhambra. Has been my favorite place get strawberry shortcake since high school!

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Perfectly Sweet
126 W Main St, Alhambra, CA

[JackonCrack]

It's not your traditional strawberry shortcake, more of a strawberry cream/cake triffle, but they serve it at CAFE TROPICAL and
It is. awesome. mmmmm.

Cafe Tropical
2900 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

[JackonCrack]

just bumping this thread to see if there have been any new awesome strawberry shortcake discoveries.....?

[JackonCrack]

bumping again, any new places that serve Strawberry Shortcake (or strawberrys on a biscuit?)

[Will Owen]

Second the bump, as well as insisting on the biscuit part; sponge cake is NOT shortcake, no matter what the supermarkets say. This is something that SHOULD be on the menu at Pann's, or somewhere equally honest about their food.

[JackonCrack]

On the biscuit tip, since my initial posting, i tried the Strawberry 'shortcake' at QUALITY on 3rd street. (http://losangeles.menupages.com/restaurants/quality-food-beverage/)

They sue their just undercooked but delciious biscuits, and top it with strawberries and whip cream. Tasty, and VERY filing.

I also tried the strawberry 'shortcake' at GOOD GIRL DINETTE (http://www.goodgirlfoods.com/) which is really more of a scone, but good in it's own way (and really you're going there for the awesome biscuity crust on the pot pie anyway...

)

Still in search of places for my strawberry shortcake jones!

I hear FIG in Santa Monica and ENGINE CO. 28 Downtown have SSC on their menus, anyone try it?

[JackonCrack]

bumping this thread ...to see if there's any new restaurants with awesome strawberry shortcake?

Prefer the biscuit-like strawberry shortcake (like Das Ubergeek's attached pic)

[ipsedixit]

Yes, Engine Co. strawberry shortcake is of the biscuit variety, but I've never seen anyone order it.

If you care, Animal has a version of it made with toasted pound cake (as opposed to biscuit), which is also worth trying.

[jcwla]

Two words: The Grill!

[JudiAU]

Strawberries aren't in season right now so anything you find will be substandard. And although CA does grow berries year round, fruit on year round plants was ruined by the recent freeze. Choose something else for a better result.

If you must have it then you are better off assembling your own based on the best berries you can find. LBB does continue to have the ginger scone mentioned above and it does make a good based.

[bulavinaka]

I'm guessing you haven't been to any of the farmers markets lately... please see the Donut Man posting.... It's a wierd animal, but these varieties of "cool weather" strawberries make a very respectable fruit of surprisingly good quality. Definitely not the Harry's Berries in the summer stuff, but these winter strawbs at the farmers markets will beat most summer berries at the supermarkets. My wife just picked up another 3pak at the Wednesday Santa Monica farmers market and they were quite good. I just hope that we don't find out down the line a few years that scientists crossed these strawberry plants with Barry Bonds' underwear...

[JudiAU]

Actually I have been to the market recently and although their have been strawbereies at some of the non-organic, lesser growers I don't think they are worth eating. They have tomatoes too but it isn't worth it. I am glad you found some decent ones.

[bulavinaka]

Believe me - I am one of those skeptics who doesn't like to break far from tradition where I think it is appropriate, or jump on bandwagons. I've used this analogy before: Winter strawberries? That's like a snowball in hell! The man who knows more about fruit than anyone on earth - David Karp, the Food Detective, is someone I used to chat with quite a bit, until he moved out of Venice. A couple of years back, he told me about these new varieties of plants in the pipeline, that just kept pumping out strawberries all year long, and that even the fruit produced in cooler monthes were still very respectable. He just couldn't settle this in his mind, as it seemed to defy all of the standards of strawberry culture. I was shocked too, especially with the last 3pak my wife brought home last week. Very fragrant and sweet, although not perfect in the cosmetic sense. Harry's was open, but he sold out just as my wife walked up, so she grabbed some from another stand. Considering it is February, I can accept an imperfect strawberry relative to those late spring beauties, but I, like you, will not bite at a tomato unless it is summer.

[bulavinaka]

I don't know if they still make it, but La Brea Bakery used to have this killer lemon ginger scone that was shaped more like a muffin without the crown. Anyway, it went perfect with strawberries and creme fraiche... Of course, you'd have to assemble it yourself... And the amazing thing about strawberries nowadays is they are available almost year 'round now. Some new varieties - one has to wonder if they're mutants of some sort - that can produce fruit that is almost as sweet, red and juicy like the ones we're used to in May-July...

[DanaB]

My favorite cake of this variety is the strawberry cake from Phoenix Bakery in Chinatown. Real whipped cream frosting, generous good-quality strawberries, and a very fresh tasting white cake base (it is on the lighter/spongier side though).

Phoenix Bakery Incorporated
[phone]
969 N Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012