529027 Sat Jun 14 09:37:26 -0700 2008 57 57 Western Canada 0 3780244 I will be taking a RV trip across BC, AB and SK this summer. Heading East on Hwy 3 and West again on TCH, but am happy to divert onto secondary roads, especially for an incredible loaf of crusty bread. I will start with my home region. Cowichan Bay, True Grains Bakery is the place for wonderful breads made with freshly ground flour. They do not sell cakes or dough nuts, but have a great selection of yeast buns and pastries. Spelt cookies are on my shopping list too. Limited seating, coffee and tea and small bunwiches served at lunch. Open Wednesday through Sunday. Duncan: Westphalia Bakery, A German style bakery with a large assortment of cookies, pasties, cakes, and breads. Their Orange Cream Cheese Cake is a family birthday cake favourite. Open Tuesday to Friday and Saturday mornings. Shawnigan Lake: Elford Farm Bakery and Deli. Renown for his Cakes Gerald also makes great bread, pasties and lunch dishes. Seating limited to out on the deck. I am not sure about the hours. Victoria: Mount Royal Bagel Factory. Small chewy malty bagels, available from the bakery or in several retail locations. We get them fresh from the bakery and several disappear on the drive home. Sat Jun 14 09:37:28 -0700 2008 119332 mlgagnon 1 3780282 600 Degrees, Tofino - for her amazing sourdough baked in a wood-fired fire-brick oven. Starter-leavened and all-organic ingredients. Terra Breads - Vancouvwer - sourdough breads Thomas Haas, North Vancouver - patisserie and chocolates. Thomas was Daniel Boulud's pastry chef at Daniel NYC for a number of years. Butter, Vancouver - cookies, and assorted stuff etc. Sweet Art - North Vancouver - assorted goodies. Notte's Bon Ton - Vancouver - patisseries, Diplomat Cake (their specialty) Sat Jun 14 09:51:26 -0700 2008 3780244 145820 fmed 2 3780409 A similar question came up recently, focusing on Vancouver bakeries. Here are a few of my faves (some repeats from fmed's list), focusing on sweets. For danishes, my favourite is Patisserie LeBeau. I brought them for a work-related function in the spring and the docs are still talking about them. Be sure to pick up a loaf of craquelin too if they have it (sweet bread mmm). I like Liberty Bakery on Main for sweets, and Patisserie Bordeaux do a good job of the fancier French stuff. Fratelli's on Commercial will fill the bill for Italianesque goodies. I had cupcakes at an open house from Butter on Dunbar that were very tasty and full of their namesake. Sweet Es in Kerrisdale has some good offerings. Pastry Club also in Kerrisdale has good sweets made from quality ingredients and they also have great sandwiches if you're there at lunch. Tinker's Hatch on MacKenzie used to have good straight up non-fancy sweets (bear claws, anyone?) but I haven't been by in a while. Notte's Bon Ton on Broadway is worth a look -- just this past weekend had some really superb squashed fly biscuits from there and their version of cannoli is great too. Sat Jun 14 10:55:57 -0700 2008 3780282 169233 grayelf 3 3783244 Great list so far. To add to it... the French bakery outside Granville Island for chocolate almond croissants, Michele Bakery in Kerrisdale for Chinese mango or chestnut cakes, donuts from Valley Bakery on Hastings or Honey's in Deep Cove. I think it's so sad that we have to go so many places to get our baked goods. I wish there was one great place we could visit to get everything. Like Tartine Bakery in SF. But then again, if we had a Tartine, I wouldn't bake as much. Sun Jun 15 20:14:48 -0700 2008 3780409 129809 im_hungry 4 3783407 Oddly enough, I just discovered that we DO have a Tartine, though it's not the same as the one in SF of course. It's on Beach Avenue just west of the Granville Street bridge. I haven't had a chance to try it yet though... PS Honey's Doughnuts, mmm (said in Homer Simpson voice). Sun Jun 15 22:08:51 -0700 2008 3783244 169233 grayelf 5 3788113 i was so excited when i first saw that tartine in vancouver, but quickly found out it was not even close to the SF one.... Tue Jun 17 11:53:48 -0700 2008 3783407 74241 pants 5 5139628 Tartine has the most amazing Crustic White bread! Always a huge hit at dinner parties. They sell out of it quite early.... Thu Oct 29 05:39:21 -0700 2009 3783407 1120070 JanetAnd 6 5140073 Thanks for the tips -- it's harder to find good white bread these days. I see you are headed to SF soon, JanetAnd; if you go to the Tartine there, so let us know :-). Thu Oct 29 08:32:48 -0700 2009 5139628 169233 grayelf 1 3783735 Does Manitoba count, even if you won't be driving through? Tall Grass Prairie--great organic stone-ground breads. The store at the Forks has more variety, but I prefer the original branch on Westminster. Awesome carrot cake and muffins. Best known for their whole wheat cinnamon buns (which are best when fresh), but their savoury bread pudding (only at the Forks, I think) is also a treat. Le Croissant--assuming it's still open, great French-style breads in St. Boniface. Good croissants, french pastries, etc. La Grotta/Piazza de Nardi--good Italian-style breads, and a decent selection of cakes and similar goodies. Gunn's--for pizza bagels! (their other bagels are good, too), apple jacks, and florentine cookies (and knishes--do those count in this topic?). Just down the street from Gunn's is the Donut House--I've loved their lemon doughnuts for decades! Good sausage rolls, too. There's a good Portuguese bakery, too, but I can't remember its name. Mon Jun 16 06:15:52 -0700 2008 3780244 55178 prasantrin 2 3784060 Manitoba counts of course. Where are the AB and SK bakeries folks? And what about more BC Bakeries outside of the larger centres? There must be great bread in the Okanogan, Kootenays etc. Mon Jun 16 08:22:39 -0700 2008 3783735 119332 mlgagnon 3 3787106 Vancouver: -Patisserie Lebeau (is this the one outside of Granville Island referenced above?) for Belgian waffles - Meinhardt for the mango sable - Trafalgars for palmiers Calgary -Manuel Latruwe for bread and croissants - Glamorgan Bakery for cheese buns and sugar bread (only made once a month) - Nectar for anything lemon-based - Rustic Sourdough for great rye and quick breads Canmore - The Gourmet Croissant (products also featured at Communitea which ahs a nicer ambience) Banff - Wild Flour homey baked goods and bread Tue Jun 17 07:39:13 -0700 2008 3784060 186887 toutefrite 4 3787320 I'll add Ganache Patisserie in Yaletown. Amazingly delicious and devine ! http://www.ganacheyaletown.com/index.html?home.html Tue Jun 17 08:41:02 -0700 2008 3787106 92180 gourmet wife 5 4966800 In a similar but not quite as top drawer vein I will add: Patisserie Bordeaux 3675 W. 10 Avenue, Vancouver, BC Great croissants, cakes and other French delights on the way to UBC. Fri Aug 21 16:02:42 -0700 2009 3787320 262490 Philx 4 3787503 Calgary: I second Manuel Latruwe(www.manuellatruwe.com), hopefully he's reopened by the time the OP comes through...if not Rustic sourdough Bakery (at the Calgary Farmer's Market and 17th Av SW)definitely has wonderful bread - I'm partial to the cranberry pecan bread myself. L-o-v-e Nectar desserts (www.nectardesserts.com) ...I haven't found a single dish that didn't make me want to lick the plate clean. (although you'll find pasteries and ice cream here not breads... still worth a mention imho) Banff - 2nd Wild Flour Bakery for their breads and their breakfast paninis. Expect lineups. (www.wildflourbakery.ca) Tue Jun 17 09:34:12 -0700 2008 3787106 138472 maplesugar 4 4968698 Saw this post and decided to check out "The Gourmet Croissant" in Canmore at 11:40 this morning. They had no croissants at all, in fact they had virtually nothing. When I asked why they had no product, they seemed very surprised and taken aback that I would ask such a question, then they answered that they had had "a busy morning". They are apparently open until 3:00, not sure what they were planning on doing for the rest of the day, just hanging out and getting paid for nothing maybe? I wasn't impressed, I suppose maybe their baker works in the early morning, then goes home. Maybe this is normal for a french-style bakery, but if a restaurant is open until 3 I don't expect them to be completely sold out of everything by 11:40. I suppose I'll try them again some other day, earlier in the morning. Sat Aug 22 16:07:59 -0700 2009 3787106 194528 JAbraham 3 4983104 Quality Bakery in Invermere BC. Local favourite for bread, cakes, and whole-wheat cinnamon buns. Take some of the oatmeal chews for a snack on the road. Thu Aug 27 11:23:11 -0700 2009 3784060 1105022 SailorSteve 1 3787435 Also add Brulee in Calgary mostly for cakes and the shortbread lady in the CFM because that's some sweet shortbread. Tue Jun 17 09:15:43 -0700 2008 3780244 15832 sharonanne 1 3788051 Ah yes, bread in Calgary. There's Urban Baker on Edmonton Trail and Prairie Mill Bread Co. on Crowchild north by Northlands. Tue Jun 17 11:38:47 -0700 2008 3780244 15832 sharonanne 2 5161913 It feels strange to reply to myself but I just discovered the chocolate chip banana bread at Prairie Mill Bakery. It's amazing. Filled with chocolate chips, moist and very dense. The size of a normal loaf this thing weighs 2lbs 6 oz. Fri Nov 06 14:10:11 -0800 2009 3788051 15832 sharonanne 1 3788303 In Calgary: Planet Organic and Lakeview Bakery are where I'd recommend for gluten-free/spelt products. Planet O is an easy drive off the Trans-Canada, exit Shaganappi Tr north, and it's maybe 5 minutes away, in a strip mall just off the Trail. Lots of gf cookies.(http://www.planetorganic.ca/ourstores/calgarynorth) Lakeview Bakery is a bit further off the T-Can, exit at Crowchild, and it's basically at the far south end of Crowchild Trail... about 15-20 minutes on a good day. Lots of GF rice and spelt products though so it might be well worth the drive(http://www.organicbaking.com/) HTH :) Tue Jun 17 12:49:08 -0700 2008 3780244 138472 maplesugar 1 4966040 Bliss & Co. Cupcakes in Calgary makes nice cupcakes and pies. They're in Chinatown, but not a Chinese bakery. Address: 108 3rd Ave SW, lower level. Fri Aug 21 11:49:39 -0700 2009 3780244 137321 23skidoo 1 4967456 My faves are La Baguette Et L'echalote for croissants and bread, Notte's Bon Ton for their diplomat cake, pastries, and cookies, and Lee's for doughnuts. I also tried some excellent bread this past Sunday at A Bread Affair at the gastown farmers market. We bought some organic white to go with our dinner and it was amazing. We will be getting something from them again this Sunday for dinner but don't know if they have an actual shop somewhere. Fri Aug 21 21:59:29 -0700 2009 3780244 291954 selena03 2 4968030 A Bread Affair seems to be at most of the intown farmers' markets. The 'rents picked some up last Sunday at the Kits one (I guess they were in two markets on the same day as selena got hers in Gastown) and my friend got a baguette from them at the Wednesday Thornton Park one. I haven't been to Trout Lake since earlier in the summer so can't recall for sure if they were there. I must try them! Sat Aug 22 09:11:56 -0700 2009 4967456 169233 grayelf 3 4968634 Victoria: Fol Epi. Not only do they mill their own organic flour on site (both white and whole wheat), and not only do they have a wood-fired oven producing the best baguette I have ever tasted, they also have an excellent pastry chef. Pure Vanilla: for their excellent cakes. Sat Aug 22 15:32:04 -0700 2009 4968030 99971 anewton 4 5121911 Boo yeah, somebody said Fol Epi. No donuts, sticky buns, or marble rye. They are all authentic, french, naturally levened goodness. Most authenic boulangerie i've found in canada...maybe a couple in montreal... Wed Oct 21 23:36:59 -0700 2009 4968634 1082130 Castalerial 2 4970878 I asked them today (A Bread Affair) and they have a store in Langley-too far for me-I will enjoy while I can through the markets... Sun Aug 23 16:56:07 -0700 2009 4967456 291954 selena03 3 4971059 They have their breads at the Whole Foods on Cambie and Broadway too. I'm currently enjoying a nice ciabatta from them. Quite tasty. Sun Aug 23 18:09:02 -0700 2009 4970878 87054 peter.v 1 4969172 Personally in Calgary I am a fan of the Amandine bakery and also Gunther's. Just about everything at either is good, and i have noticed that other bakers go to Gunther's to buy specific items for their own bakeries. Sat Aug 22 20:49:49 -0700 2009 3780244 1097439 Pintye 1 4970235 Best Croissants in Vancouver: the Angus Bakery on W. Broadway between Alma and Dunbar. This is an excellent little place run by an Asian couple, who named the business after their son. The husband bakes, his wife runs the till. Go early for the wonderful cheese croissants, which are sublime and sell out quickly. My favorite bakery in Edmonton: the Bee Bell Health Bakery 80th Ave & 104th St. I'm very surprised this place hasn't been mentioned - it's been in business forever. Great breads, pastries and cookies - and fantastic, creamy quiches. Whenever I go to Edmonton, I stop here on the way in from the airport. Sun Aug 23 11:52:22 -0700 2009 3780244 1103908 searchlight 2 4971275 Will have to try Angus again -- the one time we went, I wasn't bowled over. But I didn't try a cheese croissant, I think it was a scone which they were touted as making quality versions IIRC Sun Aug 23 19:29:31 -0700 2009 4970235 169233 grayelf 1 4970763 In Edmonton I enjoy the pastries from La Favorite. Consistently good cakes and pastry for special occaisions. Good stuff. Sun Aug 23 16:07:25 -0700 2009 3780244 60919 Magnapro 2 4970790 I have to say that I've been pretty disappointed in La Favorite's baked goods of late. Their cakes may be nice but their croissants have been doughy and the scones are strictly average with a sticky glace covering a boring inside (plus only available on the weekends). Sun Aug 23 16:19:24 -0700 2009 4970763 281002 eatrustic 3 4970804 I did say cakes and pastry not any bread at all. Sun Aug 23 16:23:53 -0700 2009 4970790 60919 Magnapro 4 4972463 croissants are pastries. Mon Aug 24 08:47:09 -0700 2009 4970804 164007 Bryn 1 4971408 If you like Montreal-style bagels, you should definitely check out the shop called "Montreal Bagels" here in Calgary. It's on the SE corner of Heritage Drive and Elbow Drive SW intersection. The owner used to work at St. Viateur in Montreal. These bagels are as close to the real thing as you can get. They have pretty much the exact texture and chewiness as the ones from St Viateur in Montreal and they are made in a wood-fire oven as well. Sun Aug 23 20:16:35 -0700 2009 3780244 228839 miss.foodie 1 4979230 In Calgary, Eclair du Lune is awesome! Truly, they make wonderful things and the prices are good, I would highly recommend them. Wed Aug 26 08:53:52 -0700 2009 3780244 99828 AriaDream 1 4979904 since summer is about over (and too quickly for my liking) I was wondering if the OP could report back... having just watched the RV movie I'm curious to hear about the (food related) adventures :) Wed Aug 26 11:50:21 -0700 2009 3780244 138472 maplesugar 1 4981826 Edmonton - Bee Bell Bakery south of Whyte ave is a good choice for bread and pastries. Edmonton - Bon Ton Bakery in the west end is awesome. http://www.bonton.ca/ La Favorite's cakes are excellent, but I agree that everything else they produce is only passable. Thu Aug 27 04:16:05 -0700 2009 3780244 273210 S_B_Russell 2 5139152 I second Bee Bell's! Love their pastries, diabetic cookies, croissants, cakes, and sausage rolls For Vancouver I tend to indulge in the numerous Asian bakeries around town - Keefer's, New Town (for the huge meat stuffed steamed buns). In Calgary Glamorgan has amazing Cheese buns. I also like Cob's in Calgary/Edmonton/Vancouver for their Cape Seed Bread, Jalapeno Cheddar bread, and ham/cheese croissants. Wed Oct 28 19:33:01 -0700 2009 4981826 1117313 foodkarma 3 5142993 If you haven't tried Cob's scones, you need to. Especially the white chocolate and cranberry ones, and the cheese and chive ones. Fri Oct 30 09:41:37 -0700 2009 5139152 14229 anonymoose 4 5143725 On a recent camping trip in BC and Alberta, Cobs in Kamloops was a good find. I agree about the scones. Right next door is a butcher, and next to that a produce market - all the makings for a good picnic lunch. Also on that trip, we stopped at a bakery a few doors away from Crazy Weed in Canmore. We got to Weed after it closed for the afternoon (3pm), so the bakery was a welcome backup. I don't offhand recall its name. On a rainy morning the the bakery/cafe in the mall at Lake Louise was a nice brunch stop. Other stops included one at the Balfour ferry dock on Kootenay Lake, and one in Jasper. Fri Oct 30 13:44:31 -0700 2009 5142993 12139 paulj 4 5147618 oh yes I do love the cinnamon chip scones... but I'm definitely more of a croissant person than a scone person. Just in general. I'll have to get some cheese and chive for Christmas breakfast though - warmed up... mmmmm Sun Nov 01 15:48:12 -0800 2009 5142993 1117313 foodkarma 3 5154935 Cob's is a chain. Wed Nov 04 08:32:57 -0800 2009 5139152 12135 John Manzo 4 5157172 hmmm..... sorry maybe I missed a blurb in the original post about not posting bakeries we like even if it's a chain?? Wed Nov 04 21:06:11 -0800 2009 5154935 1117313 foodkarma 4 5160387 They might be a chain but they're still good. I love Cobs and they're a lot more convenient for me than an independant bakery. Although I still try to go to Eclair de lune sometimes. Fri Nov 06 05:50:41 -0800 2009 5154935 99828 AriaDream 5 5161041 I agree, I miss having Cobs nearby (used to live 3 minutes from the one on Country Hills Bv) Couple of notes about Cobs from my experience >>don't bother going right when they open, a lot of their offerings aren't ready til 9-10am. >>The scones are good but I find the glaze they sometimes use a bit too sweet imho(chocolate glaze was good however). >>Their whole wheat block makes a great everyday sandwich bread and iirc its not any more expensive than your average previously frozen dempsters ww from Superstore. Fri Nov 06 09:42:45 -0800 2009 5160387 138472 maplesugar 6 5164003 The Cape Seed Loaf has great texture and is packed full of nuts and grains. Sat Nov 07 16:32:23 -0800 2009 5161041 1117313 foodkarma 1 4983822 Saskatoon: Christie's Bakery on 33rd. Simply the best bakery in the city. Artisan breads at their best...sourdough to die for. Also, amazing paninis at lunch...and oddly enough the only place to get an authentic pizza in the city (only on Thurs afternoons, though!!). Long lineups on Saturdays, but definitely worth the wait. Thu Aug 27 14:51:10 -0700 2009 3780244 237748 snrg 1 4984491 Not a pure bakery per se, but if you're looking for fresh middle eastern breads (lavash, barbari, sangak etc) then Mitra's in West Van has them all. I don't make the trek just to go there, but if I'm in the 'hood, I'll buy a tonne and freeze... Thu Aug 27 19:25:17 -0700 2009 3780244 130233 sf toronto 1 5126897 Gunther's in Calgary, 17th ave and 42nd st SE. The buns, especially the caraway and salt stick or kifli are one of my favorites and their cakes and pastries are very good as well. I have actually seen bakers from other bakeries in Calgary purchasing things from Gunther's and then trying to pass them off as their own. Fri Oct 23 23:09:27 -0700 2009 3780244 1097439 Pintye 1 5126943 I second Fratelli's on the Drive. My fave. La Baguette on Granville Isle is pretty good, and McKinnon's on Granville & 11th isn't bad either. Everything I've seen here are great suggestions. Must try Butter. Sat Oct 24 00:28:58 -0700 2009 3780244 289027 juddc 2 5130554 McKinnon's is closed. Sun Oct 25 19:33:58 -0700 2009 5126943 169233 grayelf 1 5133449 I know this is in MB but, Gunn's Bakery in Wpg makes the best lavash. Mon Oct 26 20:07:05 -0700 2009 3780244 162977 sarah galvin 2 5133814 My mother loves their lavash, too. I love their pizza bagels, pecan pie, and florentines. Their spinach and feta knish are good when fresh, but sometimes even the stuff in the fresh display case tastes like it was once frozen. I like their danishes, too. And spinach and feta croissant, and their cheese croissant, except sometimes their savoury items taste kind of sweet. They also used to have the best apple fritters ever, but they don't make them anymore. :-( Tue Oct 27 04:14:39 -0700 2009 5133449 55178 prasantrin 3 5144507 Quick shout out to the new Thomas Haas on West Broadway in Vancouver (original mentioned above by fmed)... Fri Oct 30 21:18:29 -0700 2009 5133814 169233 grayelf 4 5155629 thanks greyelf for the information. No more crossing bridge!!! Wed Nov 04 11:37:37 -0800 2009 5144507 1116076 urbanchowlover 1 5156274 Victoria: Fol Epi: Cliff Leir's bakery in the Dockside Green development. Wild Yeast, whole-grain breads baked in a wood-fired oven. Great whole grain bread!!! Pure Vanilla Bakery at Cadboro Bay/Estevan. Tasty pastries and cakes in all sizes, good lunch spot. Wed Nov 04 14:43:35 -0800 2009 3780244 1121773 toots11 1 5160393 In Calgary Eclair De Lune is absolutely excellent. 1049 40 Ave NW is the address. Fri Nov 06 05:52:40 -0800 2009 3780244 99828 AriaDream