Bakeries like Tartine [split from SF Bay]

[dudesinmexico]

Hobsons Choice, since you live in LA now, have you found a bakery that stands well in comparision with Tartine down there? I visit LA often...

Thanks!

[Hobsons Choice]

Hey,

This should probably be on the LA board, but since I haven't checked back on this post in a while I thought I would post here in case you checked back. I would suggest Huckleberry in Santa Monica. The baked goods are wonderful and the food menu is even a little more extensive than Tartine.

http://nochoiceatall.blogspot.com/200...

[jjsawrey]

Huckleberry is the perfect call:
"Zoe [the owner], learned to bake at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco"
http://www.huckleberrycafe.com/about....

[a_and_w]

It's different from Tartine, but definitely check out Amandine, a Japanese-French patisserie on Wilshire.

[bulavinaka]

Second both Huckleberry and Amandine.

[zjarrett]

Huckleberry is a good approximation. To be honest, Tartine is Tartine and strong enough IMO to stand on its own pedestal. Huckleberry makes very good pastry, has nice coffee, and a good lunch menu. Is it Blue Bottle Coffee, nope. Are the croissants dark and scarily similar to what is found in France, nope but they are awesome in their own style. The atmosphere at Huckleberry will be a bit more relaxed than the clusterF that Tartine becomes.

[bulavinaka]

I've visited Tartine only one time - last summer. I thought the place was fantastic, and agree that they are the one that the measuring stick is based on. They do overboard, gooey and way too much in such a great way. I can't stop thinking about that croque monsieur or the amazing bread pudding I slurped down while sitting on the sidewalk table. Yes, I'm not ashamed to admit that I had both at one sitting, along with a few other things. :) To be honest, I wasn't blown away by my espresso, but to be fair, I think the person who was at the espresso machine was new.

Huckleberry is no Tartine, but the good thing is I see some similarities and it feels like they aspire to be as good as Tartine. I don't know if the the madness at Huckleberry will ever die down enough for the owners to gain more traction on their road to greatness, but even at their current level, I feel that HB is raising the bar for local bakeries of this category.

It's just my personal preference, but as poster a and w recs, I like Amandine for what it is even more. I know that there is far less in similarity to Tartine, but I feel their execution is still better than Huckleberry. Maybe the only thing I would score them lower on is bawdiness. Things tend to be far more reserved and orderly at Amandine. Everything has it place, and that "overboard, gooey and way too much in such a great way" sense that I get at Tartine just isn't at Amandine. Tartine is like a buxom gal who has no problem letting her cleavage show just one more button down. Amandine feels somewhat prude in comparison. :)

[odub]

Just to reiterate - as a former SF-er (and who had a good friend working at Tartine), I'm a big fan of Tartine and one of my disappointments in moving to L.A. has been the lack of comparable bakery to either that or Cheese Board/ Arizmendi.

I think Huckleberry is in the ballpark; it's just not going to be as good if you're using Tartine as a point of comparison in terms of "the food is similar." I thought Huckleberry was good but overpriced. And I found the service to be a problem.

One thing Tartine and Huckleberry do have in common? Lack of parking! :)

[a_and_w]

I had a reality check at Tartine this holiday. (Only the gougere was memorable.) I now think the pastries at Huckleberry are superior, particularly the fruit-based ones. I also appreciate the variety.

[baloney]

Funny, I had the opposite reaction after visiting Tartine a few months ago. It made me realize how much better everything I got at Tartine was as opposed to what I'd been getting at Huckleberry. And everything at Tartine was so much bigger for the same(or in some cases cheaper) price as Huckleberry's equivalent product. I do appreciate the seasonal variety that Huckleberry provides, but their prices are outrageous for what you get IMHO. I still go there occasionally but I've definitely lost some love after my last visit to Tartine.

[mrsjoujou]

I agree. I love pain au jambon at Tartine. The similar one at Huckleberry is much smaller. Huckleberry prices is too high for the portions you get.