My mom and I have a shared love for scones. Always gravitating towards sweet verses savory on the breakfast menu it’s no surprise we choose scones or muffins over bagels with cream cheese. The first scone I have memory of us sharing was a Starbucks blueberry scone. These used to be round, smaller than the current American-fat-kid triangle ones that are now sold drowning in an unneeded sugar-coating. Don’t even get me started on their La Boulange purchase — a total miss in my mind. The pastries always look so stale and unappetizing. You just cannot mass produce quality.
I will admit, I’ve become such a scone snob as of late. But it’s hard not to be with Arizmendi Bakery located conveniently at the halfway point between my boyfriend’s place and mine. It wasn’t long after our first date that we learned we preferred the same go-to weekend breakfast, yet I had never heard of Arizmendi. As soon as he brought scones that first Saturday a weekly ritual was born. “Scone Saturday” involves the obvious: scones, coffee, sometimes a newspaper and conversation. Sometimes it is not on Saturdays and sometimes we eat a morning bun rather than a scone, but I love that at least once a week we spend an hour relaxing and indulging.
Inspired by 7×7’s Eight Pastries to Add to Your Breakfast Bucket List article, we’ve started eating our way down the list as well as other bakeries around the city.
Arizmendi Bakery
Arizmendi consistently pumps out the best scones I’ve ever had. Walking into the bakery alone could make any faux gluten free-er, sometimes I’m a Vegan who stomachs wheatgrass shots change his or her way. The smell of warm sugar and butter alone is intoxicating. I’m partial to the blackberry, but corn cherry, apricot, peach, strawberry…are all amazing. And unlike other scones I’ve had, these taste just as good day old. So don’t be afraid to stock up for the whole weekend.
Arizmendi Bakery, 1331 9th Avenue, San Francisco, CA, (415) 566-3117, http://www.arizmendibakery.org/, Tuesday – Friday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday 7:30 am – 6:00 pm. Closed Mondays. $10 minimums for credit cards.
Trouble Coffee Company
I could eat this piece of toast from Trouble Coffee every. single. day. The toast itself is almost an inch thick. You’d think it would be dense but this airy pillow slathered with butter, cinnamon and sugar is anything but and one of San Francisco’s most unknown breakfast gems. For those of us who live east of 19th Avenue, the location is a trek. Yet I’ll gladly return over and over again, because with each bite I was transported right back to my grandma’s kitchen during grade school. The flavors of nostalgia are hard to recreate, but Trouble Coffee nail them.
Trouble Coffee Company, 4033 Judah Street, San Francisco, CA, (800) 555-1212, http://www.troublecoffee.com/, Monday – Sunday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm.
Craftsmen and Wolves
The Rebel Within is without a doubt Craftsmen and Wolves most well-known offering, but I can’t say it’s my favorite. Good? Yes. Unique? Definitely. Best served cold? Eh. The Rebel Within is an asiago-cheese, green onion, and sausage-packed muffin with a surprise wet poached egg in the center. It definitely seems to be all the rage. GQ has it listed as #7 on its list of The 50 Best Things to Eat and Drink Right Now. It just didn’t ‘wow’ me. A cold poached egg is just not appetizing. Yeah, yeah, let the stoning begin.
Craftsmen and Wolves, 746 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA, (415) 913-7713, http://craftsman-wolves.com/, Monday – Friday 7:00 am – 9:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday 8:00 am – 9:00pm
So hungry for scones!!! Happy you mentioned the smells in my kitchen!