La Farine

Berkeley is blessed with no shortage of artisan food stores and markets. We have boutique wine shops on every corner of the city (not that we're winos mind you, we just happen to enjoy the stuff) which provide excellent drink to go with cheeses stocked by stores like cheeseboard and of course wine and cheese go excellent with meat from the neighborhood butcher shop, but for a proper meal we would need vegetables which is where our farmers markets, held three times weekly, come in handy. Yet even with all of this we would be forgetting something that would be a sin to forget; bread. No need to fret however, all we have to do is pop over to the bakery and pick up a baguette or two. Although this often proves more difficult than it seems given the plethora of delicious local bakeries: Semifreddi's, the Bread Garden, Cheeseboard, Nabolom, Masse's not to mention Acme which can be found in any grocery store in the area. With all of these quality bakeries how does one choose?

For me, I find that a rotation works well. This is especially true when it comes to baguettes because I generally choose them based on mood and what kind of meal I'm planning, meaning that there is no one clear winner. However, this is not always the case. As diplomatic as I would like to be, when it comes to particular baked goods I often find myself favoring some bakeries over others. In the case of morning buns, La Farine takes the cake.

Two morning buns up at the top by the bag, along with a bunch of other goodies.

If you've never had a morning bun then you are missing out! La Farine's own description of them is "Croissant dough rolled thin, spread with brown sugar and cinnamon, rolled into a log, then cut and baked in muffin pans...nothing short of decadent." Mine would simply be "Mmmmmm." They are truly one of the best ways to start your day. If you don't start your day with breakfast, no worries, they're equally good for lunch, brunch, a snack, before or after dinner or before bed with a warm glass of milk. If you can't sleep after that last one then be sure to buy two on your next visit because a morning bun snuck in the truly early hours of the morning is guaranteed to ensure a good nights rest.

La Farine
Rockridge
6323 College Ave.
Oakland, CA 94618-1331
Telephone: 510-654-0338
Fax: 510-654-1025

Dimond
3411 Fruitvale Ave.
Oakland, CA 94602
Telephone: 510-531-7750

Solano/Thousand Oaks
1820 Solano Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94702
Telephone: 510-528-2208