Crema

Crema is a celebrated Portland coffee shop, and I've been wanting to try it for a while. On a Friday afternoon, it was very busy. What's with these packed coffee shops in the middle of the afternoon? Is everybody unemployed in Portland? That's an alarming thought; how am I going to get a job if I'm competing with the beautiful hipsters that fill the coffee shops? Maybe they are all freelance graphic designers or in graduate school or something.

I ordered  a 5-oz. cappuccino and an apricot scone, which was the only scone left. Crema has a large bakery selection, much larger than any other shop visited thus far. Maybe this will be my methodology: order a small cappuccino and a scone at each place. That would be something, to have a methodology. Maybe I'll even start taking pictures like a respectable blogger.

I can see why Crema is such hot shit. The cappuccino was amazing. It was smoky and rich and interesting, and had only a little foam. The scone was above reproach, too. It was very rich and light and crisp, and moderately sized. The scone itself was vanilla scented, with a little plop of apricot jam baked into it. If it were any bigger it would be too much. The scone was of the caliber of Ristretto, but I'm going to give a slightly higher score because the cappuccino was so good. I left feeling at first satisfied, thinking, "What a pick me up!" but later, nauseated. I arrived at Crema in the middle of the afternoon having skipped lunch, and maybe cappuccino and scone isn't a great way to fill your stomach.

Rating: 4.5/5

Dovetail

On Thursday, I picked up a brown sugar hazelnut scone and a chocolate chip hazelnut cookie at Dovetail Bakery. Now,I love Dovetail, and everything there is vegan. I ate half of each treat, leaving some for Mike. Both were delicious.

I ate while sitting in the car, though, so felt like I didn't get the full culinary experience. I'll have to return again soon. Dovetail scones aren't "healthy" per se, and I'm sure they are just as rich as non-vegan scones. They are certainly just as good. I wish they would make some selections using whole grain flours. I'm curious what they could do, and I really love the nuttiness of a whole-grain scone.

I can't fault the deliciousness of the brown sugar hazelnut scone, but would love to try a slightly less decadent version. It's a bit too sweet and too rich to be sheer perfection in my book, but still very very good.

Rating: 4.5/5

Sound Grounds

I went to Sound Grounds last Wednesday. My goal had been to visit Stumptown on Belmont, but it was packed, and I really wanted to sit down and read for a little bit while eating a scone and drinking some coffee. So I kept going, and settled at Sound Grounds. There were a number of people parked with their computers, but still ample free seating. It is a comfortably shabby space, with nice high ceilings. It seems like a great place to work.

I ordered a chocolate chip scone, which was huge, and a half-decaf cappuccino. The scone wasn't bad or anything, but was pretty much a gut bomb and lacking in nuance--buttery, heavy, and sweet, and it didn't have the crispy, flaky edges that are so delicious on scones. I liked the chocolate drizzled on top. Points off for the excessive size. Personally, I have no self-control with baked goods, so I like something moderately sized, and enormous baked goods just seem clownish or something. Like the Otis Spunkmeyer muffins that they sell at airports, or Cinnabons. It's depressing to realize that you've consumed 880 calories (which is in fact the calorie count of a Classic Cinnabon). But I digress.

My cappuccino was very, very foamy. It was about nine-tenths foam and difficult to locate the liquid portion of the drink. Now I'm no coffee bar snob, but I don't think that's correct. However, the barista seemed like a nice friendly guy, and if the place served celebrated espresso drinks like Stumptown does, then the place would be packed and I wouldn't get a seat. I'd definitely come back and order an Americano, and maybe one of those shrink-wrapped biscotti.

Rating: 2.5/5

Ristretto

On the day after Thanksgiving, Mike and I went to Ristretto after dropping our cat off at the vet around the corner.* The signage listed a  figgy buckwheat scone, which I badly wanted to try. After having a huge Thanksgiving dinner and then a huge serving of leftovers as a bedtime snack, you wouldn't think I'd be hungry, but I was. The buckwheat figgy scone was sold out, so we split a currant scone. Maybe it was currant oatmeal. Anyway, it was round, buttery, and light, tasty and moderately sized. The coffee was excellent, too. Ristretto on Williams is a pretty space. I'd been there once before, and was disappointed that the seating was all taken. People go there and park.

I give the scone 4 points out of 5. It was a perfectly delicious scone of the "scones are decadent treats" school of thought: that is, it was fairly sweet and very buttery, and certainly made with white flour. My ideal scone is more wholesome, preferably whole grain, not too rich, not too sweet, and extra points for being vegan. But that's just me. I must go back and try the wholesome-sounding figgy buckwheat  scone.

Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks has posted a Figgy Buckwheat Scone recipe.

Rating: 4/5


*The cat, Reggie,was getting his teeth cleaned, a big deal for a cat, and also had a little growth removed from his back. Not cancerous, as it turns out. Hopefully Reggie won't require any more invasive medical care for a while. We'll have to find another excuse to stop by Ristretto.