Anywhere to go besides Standard, the cookie jar and two fat cats?

[Olivepaulive]

I recently was at Micucci's on India street grabbing some cold cuts and over heard the wife of the owner, raving about some cannoli she had. I usually Always buy the Micuccis cannoli because, so far, I think they are the best in town. So, after thinking how good the cannoli at Micuccis is and to hear her say that the cookie jar has the best one, I thought this cannoli must be pretty special if it beats out theirs! So, naturally I took a trip on down grabbed a napoleon, a cannoli, a cream horn, a croissant and a ham and cheese with mustard. Place was cute, the staff super friendly and the food looked good.. BUT the pastry I tried wasn't. I was really sad to taste the flavor of all of the stuff I bought, the ham and cheese was the exception.

The cannoli wasn't bad but it tasted like a Hannaford cannoli with some kind of weird stabilizer added in. The napoleon was basic and didn't taste authentic, not impressive. The croissant I could not even eat after smelling it, (I spent a few years with a Parisian chef and our croissants didn't smell or taste like this one). I finally mustered up the strength to taste it and it tasted like it smelled, like chemicals not like butter, maybe it was the display case it was in? :(
The cream horn had what tasted like a cheap wedding cake frosting in it and just didn't fit the bill.

I'm not sure why anyone from Micucci's is eating the cannoli from this bakery when they pretty much have one of the best and most authentic cannoli in town. To each their own. I was really sad that my pastry was not good but I didn't try everything at the bakery, so, I will give it another try. I am sure some of their other items are delicious.

I am always looking for good bakeries and delicious homemade breads etc... Anyone have any suggestions on where to go besides, Standard, the cookie jar and two fat cats? I am just looking for some place new. Thanks!!! Olive- new Portland resident just moved here from New York

[sciencediet]

There are lots of other bakeries in Portland you can try--tastes differ wildly, so you pick what you like. Big Sky has excellent challah, but I find their other breads too squishy and their cookies will rot your teeth out (my kids love them, of course.) The big cookies at Aurora Provisions are much more delicate (and they have a huge range of pastries). There's also Borealis Breads, but don't have a strong opinion about them. And there are probably many others that don't know well--Katie Made? Rosemont?

[mainemal]

Rosemont is more limited, perhaps, but I love their breads, and their few pastries (try the cardomom sticky bun or the frosted ginger bread) are quite good.

[hicow]

Scratch Bakery in South Portland has cookies, bread and bagels. The bagels are good but they are more like small loaves of tasty bread in the shape of a bagel. They are nothing like a NY bagel or any other bagel that I've had.

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Scratch Bakery
South Portland, ME, South Portland, ME

[sciencediet]

Glad to see someone agrees with me about those "bagels." They may be good, but they are not bagels.

[marciagrace]

they may not be traditional NY bagels but by definition the bagels @ Scratch are bagels... they are actually probably more like Montreal bagels.

from wikipedia:
A bagel is a bread product, traditionally shaped by hand into the form of a ring from yeasted wheat dough, roughly hand-sized, which is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked.

[hicow]

Montreal bagels are smaller, very dense and very chewy.

[the_MU]

I believe Rosemont is still making really nice croissants: chocolate, almond, and plain.

[MidCoastMaineiac]

Make a pilgrimage down to Boston:
http://www.clearflourbread.com/
Some of the best bread/pastries I've had anywhere....including France!

[irwin]

You need to try the "Wild Oats Bakery" 149 Maine St Brunswick.
Great stuff, great food, and lots of business, so you don't have to worry about freshness.