The French Baker [International Correspondent]

Bakery: The French Baker
Address: 119 Murray St, Ottawa ON 
Website: http://bennysbistro.ca/bakery/
Style: French
Price: $$$

[A couple more (literally) stops from Ottawa means it's big enough for it's own Ottawa label! Great stuff. :P Sure, I would loved a few more, but what else could I expect?]

The French Baker is a French bakery, obviously, with two locations in Ottawa, one in Byward Market and the other is further afield on Bank St. I'm not sure which one is supposed to be the original location or bigger one, but I went to the one at Byward. As the name indicates, they serve classic French pastries (Opera, etc.), "flaky stuff" like croissants and other baked goods, tarts and macarons. I'd say it was expensive, in terms of the price point, but probably at the same level as most French bakeries.

I took three macarons (I forgot how much I paid, only that I was a little mad since I could have bought another pastry for the price, so I should have done that instead) -- I don't remember the flavours I picked out. They were soft on the inside, delicately crunchy outside and perfectly sweet. In a word: excellent.

I also picked out the apple tart. This had a crunchy shell with apples of the perfect consistency: firm, neither too hard nor too chewy/mushy. It had just the right sweetness with a good filling. This I also found excellent. I've tried a couple of French bakeries now in Ottawa and The French Baker has to be the best.

Rating: ***1/2

La Boulangerie Moderne (de Montréal)

Bakery: La Boulangerie Moderne (aka La Boulangerie de Montréal) 
Address: 150 rue Ste. Catherine O., Montréal QC 
Website: http://www.mbco.ca/
Style: French, North American
Price: $$ 

Well, now, this seems to be a place of two names. O.o At first I thought I'd forgotten the name, but there are results for La Boulangerie Moderne in the location I'm thinking about, so perhaps it's a recent re-branding? Nevertheless, given this "bakery's" location in the food court of the Complexe Desjardins, you could hardly attribute to this being first and foremost a bakery. More than that, it's a slightly chicer option for sandwiches and light lunches in the mall. Stepping inside and checking out their counter space is a little unnecessary, since everything in terms of baked goods are pretty much clustered at the corner facing the corridor. They have a few breads and even fewer baked goods, most of which aren't anything elaborate (on my visit, the selection of muffins was probably the most notable offering), although they have a few danish-style treats. I mentioned "pretty much clustered in the corner" above and, thinking back, I'd rephrase that to piled up in the corner. With variety already not that impressive, piling everything in one nondescript bunch isn't the greatest of presentation options, in my opinion. Not only was nothing priced or labelled, but it wasn't that easy to figure out just what they had or what it was. It's a little awkward and inconvenient.

Nonetheless, I took the cinnamon bun (around $2.75), not only because I knew for certain what it was, but it definitely looked like the best thing there. Actually, it was probably as Danish a danish I've ever seen not made by a Danish bakery. O_O And this came as a pleasant surprise. Multi-layered, buttery dough that had a nice crispy flakiness with a softer insider. Nice amount of cinnamon filling, though perhaps a little too much pooled in the middle, and just a little glaze on top. Not bad, not bad at all. I have to say I wasn't expecting that!

Given the selection (or lack thereof) and not very streamlined buying experience, I'm not sure this would be my go-to bakery destination. You don't exactly have that many options in the direct vicinity, however, so it's a good place to stop on the way to somewhere. I just wish there were more "bakery" to it.

Rating: ***

Serbian Food Festival

Bakery: Serbian Food Festival 
Address: 2520 Dixie Rd (@ the Serbian Orthodox Church)
Website: http://www.msff.ca/ 
Style: Serbian
Price: $ 

In the beginning of September, there was a (or rather: the) Serbian food fest one weekend and, having found out about it somehow, the brothers went to check it out, lured in by the promise of meat cooked on a spit, grilled meat -- meat, meat, and more meat, in a word. :P While there, they noticed that the place had a dessert counter as well and came back with Serbian doughnuts! Apparently, the table was likewise advertising the very alluring "box of sweets" for $5 -- I assumed it had to be baklava or a variety of flaky, filo pastries -- but there was none left; the festival, taking place during the weekend (September 6-7, 2014), was already wrapping up on Sunday and very little of what was advertised was actually still there. In fact, there was no meat cooked on a spit either, so the brothers were a little disappointed, but I digress.

Outwardly, the doughnut ($1, I believe) is quite humble and unassuming. Lacking the fruit filling of its Eastern European counterparts, this was pretty much a ball of fried dough. The thing that set it apart from the others featured on this website: unlike many, it came fresh and we all know that nothing beats fresh, deep-fried doughnuts. ;) Crispy, not-too crispy light brown outside and soft inside with a denser, moister dough than I was expecting. Top it off with a little powdered sugar and it was... amazing. *-* Now that was a doughnut! You know what, it might just be Mississauga's best doughnut.

Come next year, I'll be there. Let's just remind ourselves to get there on the Saturday. ;D

Rating: ***1/2

Belgian Patisserie [International Correspondent]

Bakery: Belgian Patisserie & Bread Shop
Address: 1333 1 St SE, Calgary AB
Website: http://manuellatruwe.com/
Style: Belgian, French
Price: $$$-$$$$ 

Belgian Patisserie (care of pastry chef Manuel Latruwe, which  from the packaging seems more the name for this elaborate pastry shop than the official one listed online) is one of a very few high-end patisseries in Calgary -- there was a French one in the neighbourhood, but I was already a little caked out at this point -- it was probably the blueberry pie I had to eat for three days from another bakery -- and didn't have the time to see how that one was. This one is pretty fancy and has what I would call all the pastry classics (Opera, etc.). As with most French patisseries, the pastries were individually served and elegantly decorated. It was also probably the most expensive bakery I've ever been to or seen -- cake slices are all around $8.

I took the Sacher torte (small, individual slice: $7.60). This was very good and was certainly a lot better than the only other Belgian patisserie I've tried; that was in Montreal [editor's note: that would be La Patisserie Belge ;)] and it doesn't seem so great anymore compared to this place. However, I'd also say that for the price and the overall look of the place, I was expecting "amazing" and I'm not sure that this would be considered amazing (must come back, knock your socks off good, etc.) Still: this was really good and Belgian Patisserie/Manuel Latruwe is one of the, if not the, best bakery I tried on my trip.

Rating: ***1/2

Leinala's Bakery

Bakery: Leinala's Bakery
Address: 272 Caswell Dr, Sudbury ON
Website: n/a 
Style: Finnish
Price: $$ 

The presence (or lack thereof) of Finnish baked goods in the GTA has been a more common topic of interest on this site. Unfortunately, the discussion has always ended with the need to go to Newmarket (Milbree-Viking); now, if you don't want to make the drive to Newmarket, you can always go to... Sudbury. ;D Okay, okay, that's a nasty joke, especially for the Finnish baked good-deprived out there -- myself included.

The brothers did, however, end up for a day in Sudbury. Knowing that this is one of the hubs for Finnish-Canadians, I sensed that there was a bakery here. My preliminary research for Sudbury found nothing, but the second time around, I found it: Leinala's is the Finnish bakery in town (and well, in a very large area). They're also a Scandinavian deli, but as the brother puts it, it's all Finnish stuff. ;D Nevertheless, what else is Finnish? Their baked goods! Authentic Finnish baked goods from breads, what he calls 'doughy cakes', to pulla (sold out/not baked that day), karjalanpiirakoita, and what seemed to be their signature item: "jelly pigs" (mustikkapiirakat suomeksi ^^) in addition to the more universal treats such as danishes, pies, etc.

Seeing as the jelly pigs had to be eaten on site -- or so they claim -- I'll start with that. Personally, I'm not seeing the pigs, but these are pretty much shaped jelly doughnuts, complete with strawberry jelly inside and coated in sugar. The brothers thought them good, "typical good jelly doughnut" were the words. One complained it was a little too chewy, though I'm not sure what that means...

Fortunately, you have me for the rest: though they're not sweet, the karjalanpiirakat (with rice, potato or meat stuffing) had to be a must-try for me. Whatever my mom attempts, she just can't them sufficiently Finnish enough. These were alright. Shells were excellent, but the filling -- I had rice -- was too skimpy and there was nothing along the edges but the rye shell and that made everything except the centre quite dry.

The cinnamon bun was another item that had to be immediately freezed and brought back for me. I had to have it and it had to be fresh. ;) I'm not sure if it was simply because I was so Finnish baking-starved, but the buns were delicious: rolled with rock sugar on top and cardamom folded into the dough -- mmm, how I love Finnish cinnamon buns! *-* I wouldn't go so far as to say they're better than my other Finnish-Canadian stop; they all have merits and they all want me to just come in and buy everything! Finnish bakeries.... Just looking at the photos makes me smell cardamom!

Rating: ***1/2

Pâtisserie Saint-Louis de France

Bakery: La Pâtisserie Saint-Louis de France
Address: 3575 Rue Berri, Montreal QC 
Website: n/a 
Style: French 
Price: $$-$$$

On my annual trip to Montreal, I was leaving the Sherbrooke metro station (on the east side of Berri, in front of the bus stops for buses going east and north; do note that you don't have to enter the actual metro station) when I was hit with an amazing sight: a patisserie, right when I was fearing I'd have to put off my Cake Touring for one day, as it was already after five. So, running in with luggage and all, I made a bee line to the pastry counter. It being quite late, bakery-wise, I wasn't surprised to find that they seemed to be in the process of closing up and, accordingly, the selection wasn't the best, especially in terms of the viennoiseries, which I'm always a sucker for. Of course, they also have quite a nice selection (these were still plentiful) of fruit tarts, macarons, elaborate cakes and pastries -- you know, the usual French fare. That and your typical sandwich and bread counters. Prices, at $5+ for any of the pastries, are also your usual French ones. XD

In the mood for some less dessert-y and what could pass for a breakfast the following day, I took the last remaining apple turnover (chausson aux pommes)... actually, with the exception of one other pain au chocolat, the last remaining baked good of the day. I paid $3 on the dot, so I'm not sure if there was an end-of-day special or I didn't pay tax? Either way, I wasn't complaining that much; it wasn't cheap, but what you might expect from a French-style patisserie.

The goods: I've had a few of these throughout the city. It's one of my favourites and this didn't disappoint. I cheated a little bit and warmed it up in the oven so the apple sauce heated up and the dough got deliciously flaky, but man, was that ever a good idea! All those buttery aromas came out and the hot apple sauce in the middle was delicious. The distribution of the dough was a little off, with there not being enough dough in the centre for the generous dollop of apple inside and it being too doughy along the very thick edges. I don't want to say there was too much apple, but it got unmanageable and a plate was definitely required, since once in the middle, the sauce just started oozing out in every direction. Very messy, yes, but tasty. It doesn't beat some of my fave bakeries in Montreal, but it was still yummy.

Rating: ***

European Deli and Bakery [RIP]

Bakery: European Deli and Bakery
Address: 8409 Elbow Dr SW, Calgary AB 
Website: http://eurodeliandbakery.ca/
Style: German
Price: $$ 

Well, I was fortunate enough to be able to try this myself -- the brother stuffed a whole poppy seed roll into his suitcase and that means I can claim this review as my own. Not to mention the fact that I do love my German baked goods. Yay! :)

Anyways, the brother did help out a little bit in mentioning that European Deli is a German deli (complete with your usual cold cuts, sausages, etc) with a fairly varied selection of baked goods and cakes as well, comprised of all your German regulars: poppy seed rolls, classic cakes, Bienenstich, etc.

In accordance with part four of my Cake Tour regulations ("Poppy seed appreciated"), he did indeed choose a great item to sample, a large poppy seed roll ($7.60/each). Had I not known that it was German, I have to say I would have thought it more Eastern European; especially in terms of the denser dough and poppy seed mass, I could have easily taken it for a Polish poppy seed roll, though it was definitely bigger and wider. That being said, the dough was certainly softer and fluffier than I've come to expect from the usually -- though not always -- lacklustre makowiec; I certainly have no complaints. The poppy seed mass was especially quite tasty; nice and generous on those poppy seeds as well!  The brother commented that it had a good amount of poppy seeds and raisins; me, I could have done with less raisins, but that's purely because I don't like raisins. ;) Sadly, I didn't get to try a lot of stuff from this tour *pouts*, including some good and not so good items, but this was certainly leaning more towards the former. A yummy addition to the growing poppy seed tag. ^.^

Rating: ***

Little Tub Bakery

Bakery: Little Tub Bakery
Address: 4 Warner Bay Rd, Tobermory ON 
Website: n/a 
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

Towards the end of August, the two brothers embarked on a somewhat short trip to Sudbury and Ottawa for a football game in the latter city. Having never been to Sudbury (or the surrounding area), you can imagine what they were asked to do: bring back baked goods! And, for once, they delivered and I was treated to a lovely array of treats from a few (I wish it had been more...) bakeries along the way. :) However, the fact that they brought back Finnish baking (future post) means I can overlook the fact that I gave them something like twelve bakeries and they came back with four. :/

Nevertheless, on their way to Manitoulin Island (via the ferry), they passed the town of Tobermory, home to the Little Tub Bakery. This place specializes in what they described it as classic country baking: cinnamon buns, butter tarts and cakes (of the standard dough-and-icing kind). And, what's more, it's really good. Actually, coming back from their trip, they got me intrigued by saying that Little Tub was one of -- if not the -- bakery highlight of their trip. In the words of one brother: this is how Canadian baking should be.

And I think I'll have to agree. They brought back two items: the first was an apple fritter (prices weren't noted). This was very good; an apple fritter exactly as it should be. The dough was soft and had great texture. Nice amount of apples and good icing. Apple fritters are, in fact, wonderful things. ;D One of my favourite "country classics", so I'm glad they -- for once -- knew what to take.

The second item was the cinnamon bun. Again, it was soft and moist; in some ways, it was very similar to the apple fritter (it resembling more a doughnut than your usual cream cheese-icing buns) with a great, delicately spiced dough and good glaze. Mmm.. both were excellent and everyone agreed.

So, while sending me their photos, the brother also included this rhubarb tart. It wasn't brought back like the other items, so yours truly had no taste, but the others raved about this as well, saying both homemade shell was good and flaky and the filling was especially tasty.

Overall, this was a fantastic discovery -- a tasty discovery too. :P Highly recommended.

Rating: ***1/2

JK Bakery [International Correspondent]

Bakery: JK Bakery
Address: 1514 Railway Ave, Canmore AB (+ two locations in Canmore and Banff)
Website: http://jkbakery.ca/ 
Style: European, North American
Price: $ 

JK Bakery, in Canmore (they have two locations and, according to their website, one more in Banff), has a little bit of everything, with cookies, treats, meat pies, and bread; they're also pretty much the only bakery in town, or at least this was my impression (Edit: Why, hello there, me again! ^^;; This was indeed one of the very few bakeries in Canmore, at least following my research; there seems to be one more, some sort of convenience store??, in the neighbourhood and perhaps there was some sort of custom cake place too [at this point I can't remember what's what and Google most certainly doesn't include all businesses, so I could be wrong] -- all I know is that the brother was ordered to go here. He was also ordered to go to the single bakery in Banff,  but he failed there.. -_-)

 I would say they seem to be a mix of Canadian baked goods with some of the more classic European treats like napoleons and danishes. I especially noticed that they had quite a bit of German stuff too, like strudels, etc. I also thought that prices were on the cheaper side, especially comparing it to other bakeries I visited during my trip.

I took the Linzer Torte; it was just of the right consistency and texture and had good proportions in terms of the layers of dough and jam. Overall, it was good; I liked it and would return.

Rating: ***

Blueberry Knoll Berry Farm

Bakery: Blueberry Knoll Berry Farm
Address: 1091 Hutchinson Rd, Lowbanks ON
Website: http://www.blueberryknoll.com/
Style: Canadian, North American 
Price: $$ 

Earlier this summer (yes, I'm still in catching-up mode in terms of bakeries from around here as well as further afield in Ontario, some in Montreal and, of course, the rest from the Great Canadian Cake Tout -- busy, busy! .___.), my youngest brother returned with some blueberries and baked goods from this farm. I don't know what he was doing in the area and I don't particularly care. :D All I know is that I got some baked goods to review!!

Nevertheless, Blueberry Knoll is, as the name suggests, a berry farm first, but in addition to fresh fruit in the summer, they have store on premises selling jams and granola, as well as a bakery! And naturally, the bakery is what interests me, lol! Apparently, or so the brother was told, they somewhat recently expanded their bakery to offer even more variety of pies, cookies, and butter tarts -- typical Canadian fare all baked on-site.

Likewise apparently, one of their more signature creations is their blueberry coffee cake ($6.49, I believe), baked with a generous amount of farm-fresh blueberries. This was good, very good. There was lots of fruit and the dough a nice, spongy texture: firm yet not dry. Um, it's a little hard to say anything more, but ha ha this was definitely one of the more notable finds the brother brought back for me to try!

Rating: ***

Good Earth [International Correspondent]

Bakery: Good Earth Coffeehouse and Bakery
Address: 8623 112 St, Edmonton AB (and other locations in Western Canada)
Website: http://www.goodearthcafes.com/
Style: North American 
Price: $$

Because this cafe was located right next to the place where I stayed, we had this for breakfast on more than one occasion.

Good Earth is an Alberta coffee chain (or I assumed so; however, according to their website they also have locations in BC and Saskatchewan) with multiple locations. I would say that it's similar to a Starbucks or Second Cup, just with a lot more food options like bread, sandwiches, etc. They call themselves a bakery too and so they offer, in addition to breads, baked goods. These are the typical baked goods like cinnamon rolls, lemon pound cake, scones and muffins; things that obviously match a cup of coffee or tea.

I had the cinnamon roll. It was alright; I found it a little dry and not as flavourful as I like it, but at the same time I wasn't expecting too much from a chain. Therefore, I'd say it's a typical cinnamon bun. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to come here just for the baked goods, but it's a good option for coffee and much better than, say, Starbucks or Tim Hortons.

Rating: **

Taylor's Bakery & Ice Cream

Bakery: Taylor's Bakery & Ice Cream
Address: 69 Queen St, Niagara On the Lake ON
Website: n/a 
Style: Scottish, North American 
Price: $-$$ 

If you recall, I mentioned two bakeries on a recent trip to NOTL; here's the second. :) Located, quite literally, across the street from the first offering, Taylor's is, as the name suggests, a bakery and an ice cream shop. You might think that this dual business would detract from the baked goods, but luckily I had no such problem. The bakery features your traditional Canadian favourites such as carrot cake and pies with a generous smattering of Scottish classics in there as well, which are always welcome, especially since I've come to learn that I do like Scottish baked goods. :) Not to mention the fact that for a bakery located on the main street of a very touristy town, the treats are quite reasonably priced. If memory serves me correctly, three items cost around $7, including taxes. Not bad.

Anyways, to the yummy stuff! ^^ The first item was the carrot cake and it was pretty good. Nice spiced dough with the right icing, both in terms of taste and amount. There seems to be a self-proclaimed carrot cake expert in the house (among other things), and he gave this the stamp of approval and I agree.

... Well, that's also because I particularly liked the Fern tart (a sort of almond tart with almond filling, a little berry jam on the bottom, and topped with icing). Nice flaky tart, softer filling and nice bit of jam with icing that wasn't too brittle. I love these things, no matter the origin. *-* I'm always happy to try out almond tarts.

Ahem, yes, and there was the Eccles cake, another Scottish classic and filled with dried currants, raisins and uh, that's about it, isn't it? :P Unlike other bakeries, this one was rather flat and resembled more a hand-held pie than the harder soda dough I've encountered elsewhere. Not too sure if that's a good or bad thing, just different. Nonetheless, it too was very tasty and, just like that, this place became my personal favourite from Niagara On the Lake... sure, that's still limited to two bakeries, but no matter -- Taylor's is now on top. A great, well-priced find!

Rating: ***

Alberta Bakery [International Correspondent]

Bakery: Alberta Bakery
Address: inside Heritage Park (1900 Heritage Dr SW, Calgary AB) 
Website: http://www.heritagepark.ca/plan-your-visit/attractions-and-exhibits/alberta-bakery.html
Style: Old-fashioned ;) 
Price: $ 

Introduction: Feeling like revisiting his childhood, I guess, the brother went to Heritage Park and, of course, everyone knows that there's indeed a bakery in Heritage Park! When you go on a school field trip (I think I must have gone two or three times), the bakery is always a highlight because you get free samples. :P Alas, when you're paying full-blown admission, you have to buy the baked goods yourself. Yeah, sorry about that...

Nonetheless, the idea behind the bakery is that not only are the ladies serving you in historic garb, but the baked goods are fashioned after what would typically be in a bakery at the beginning of the 20th century, so think very simple fare along the lines of bread, cinnamon buns, butter tarts, all made in the good old-fashioned way (though that tin tart form doesn't look very old-fashioned if you ask me...). Don't expect fireworks, but hey! you wouldn't want it any other way -- it is Heritage Park after all.

Now to the brother's verdict: "Alberta Bakery features old-fashioned classics like butter tarts and cinnamon buns. At $1.50 for one butter tart, the bakery is cheap and affordable, and really good -- just like I remembered it when I visited it as a kid. I decided to take the butter tart; it was both soft and flaky, and buttery as well. I would say this is the epitome of what I call a Western butter tart, and those happen to be my favourite. The shell is thinner and the filling is a thicker mass, not runny. This one is probably one of the best butter tarts I've had -- very good! I'd definitely recommend this bakery."

Rating: ***1/2

Blackbird Baking Co.

Bakery: Blackbird Baking Co. 
Address: 172 Baldwin St, Toronto ON 
Website: http://blackbirdbakingco.com/
Style: European, North American 
Price: $-$$ 

To my absolute delight, there's a semi-new (granted I actually tried it about a month and a half ago) bakery in Kensington Market! Taking over the somewhat short-lived Cob's Bread, this little bakery seems more known for their rustic breads and, in fact, upon first glance I assumed that they didn't have any sweets at all, but there they are, a small assortment of buttery baked goods and cakes, both individually-sized and larger versions. The selection is small (although this was one of few places where I would be perfectly happy trying any and everything) and the style can't really be called one in particular; instead, it seems a fusion of rustic Italian, a little French, a little North American, and with a generous pinch of creativity. ;) For what you get, sweets prices are reasonable and everything is labelled and clearly priced. And what else is worth mentioning? The place is hot and smells amazing; these guys are baking throughout the day, with workers running from the back with fresh goods. I had to say that because it's so great to go to bakeries and see that actual baking is taking place! *-*

And so, I was supposed to pop in for one small item.. and came out with two. Actually, I was supposed to technically split that with my mom and just kind of um, ended up eating both. .__.;; The first item was a raspberry danish (around $2.75; I forgot to make a note of it -.-) with a delicious buttery dough, flaky and multi-layered as it should be. No gloopy filling here, just whole raspberries baked into a bed of almond (?) paste. Mmmm... this was a danish as it should be!

The second item was the lemon and almond polenta tart ($3.25?); okay, so maybe the order of words was different, but you get the point. ;) That polenta part really intrigued me and it was definitely a unique cake with a soft, spongey dough, slightly reminiscent of a coffee cake, but with something indescribable about it. Strangely enough, there was nothing corny about it -- ha ha, I mean literally, of course. :P Delicately flavoured with lemons and topped with almonds. I thought it hard to say what it would taste like, judging by the name, but it was a perfect snack. If you love baked goods, but find too often that they're too sweet (here's looking at the mom XD), this is a great option for you. Then again, this place might be a great option for just about anyone. :) Recommended!

Rating: ***1/2

Bon Ton Bakery [International Correspondent]

Bakery: Bon Ton Bakery
Address: 8720 149 St. NW, Edmonton AB
Website: http://bonton.ca/
Style: European, Jewish
Price: $$ 

Foreword (by me): Ah, this brings back a lot of childhood bakery memories! *-* Bon Ton Bakery was one of the very first European bakeries (nearing 60 years now!) in Edmonton and every weekend my grandfather would come here for the rye bread -- and not only because it was the only place in the neighbourhood to get rye bread -- and we'd get a free cookie. ;) I don't actually remember what was there besides those free cookies and bread, seeing as I don't think we ever bought any sweets, but I think they've stepped things up judging by their website (and the addition of tvs everywhere as the brother had to include) since those simpler days when I was a [freeloading] customer. :D

A few months ago, my mom took a cookbook from the library and there was a recipe for cinnamon bread inspired by the "famous" (!?) cinnamon bread from Bon Ton bakery; seeing this was an American cookbook, this was an impressive surprise and that got me thinking I need to review this place. And then these vague memories of having that cinnamon bread kind of came back to me.... Bon Ton certainly was the first place on the list of bakeries I ordered my brother to visit. Except he chose not to take my advice and did *not* buy that cinnamon bread. :/ And let's see what he has to say (bringing some of this back would have been appreciated, you know...):

Bon Ton serves all the Jewish classics like breads, cheesecakes, and cookies in addition to other treats and cakes that are a little less Eastern European and more French or typical of a usual European bakery (Opera, etc.). Everything  looked pretty good and I would have liked to have had the opportunity to try a cake. We took the poppy seed butterfly. It was softer than the typical Polish offerings [not quite sure what he means there, but I won't interrupt..], which was a good thing, but still had some dryness that kept it from brilliance. There wasn't a lot of poppy seed and instead it was rolled more into the dough. I would liken it to the small poppy seed rolls they sell at What a Bagel or similar places, only larger. I wouldn't say it was the best, but I thought it was good. Out of all the food we tried (baked goods and restaurants), Bon Ton ended up as the best.

Rating: ***

Vince's Deli

Bakery: Vince's Deli
Address: 130 Davis Dr, Newmarket ON
Website: http://www.vincesdeli.com 
Style: German
Price: $$-$$$

Another soccer tournament in Newmarket gave me another chance to revisit Newmarket and to try a new bakery. This is the second one and so, one more is needed for me to have an official Newmarket tag, but it looks like that'll take another tournament for me to get some goodies delivered. :)

Nonetheless, Vince's Deli was chosen as this tournament's choice for its close proximity to the fields/offices and the fact that I can never really resist German baking. ^.^ This place is, as the name suggests, a deli first, with imported products, cold cuts and ready food -- the usual. Of course, they do also advertise a bakery, but their selection is a lot smaller in store than what is described online. For one, most products are baked on a made-to-order basis, specifically the German cakes and specialty baked goods. The treats available for purchase are quite limited and mostly include a few danishes, maybe one or two varieties of strudel -- in short, the bakery area is probably typical of many European delis; that is, very small.

However, one of the very few items available were poppy seed strudels ($10.99 each). And guess who got one? :) I have to say this thing looked and smelled better than it tasted. As it sat on the table until it was time to cut it up and taste it, the aroma drove me crazy! Cutting it into slices, I was a little disappointed with the idea of just wrapped some puff pastry dough around this log of poppy seed mass. The mass was quite hard, unusually so, and totally overpowered the sheets of dough. I'm not sure that the texture of the two together was that great. In the end, you got this impression of eating pure poppy seed mass (yes, even I can say it's not that desirable ._.;;), which gets a little much. I also thought that, for what it was and its size, it was pretty pricey. A little bit of a bummer, if you ask me (especially when you have Finnish baked goods in the somewhat-vicinity ;)).

Rating: **