rare days off in July lead TGABH to new frontiers!

That's right folks, on one recent day off, I made a plan to conquer unseen territories in the Hunt! After carpooling down to Santa Monica, I was left with only my wallet, my folding bike, and the strong desire to go on a quest for my next bakery discovery. With helmet on head and a plan to bungie cord my leftovers on the way home, I rode my Dahon, determined, down San Vicente Blvd. to none other than SusieCakes in Brentwood. This gem of a cupcake shop also sells cake by the slice, a true measure, in my opinion, of its "all American home-style bake shop" claims. Its cupcakes feature an ooey gooey extra shot of frosting in their cores, making for cupcakes as sweet, if not sweeter, than Yummy Cupcakes on Wilshire. The cake's moist factor was also solid. Among their other selections, they offer whoopie pies-- two chocolate cookies with a thick layer of frosting in the middle. Hard for anyone to resist-- and it seems that SusieCakes is being received well among fellow West side food bloggers.

For the sake of more material (and for the good of my readers!) the next day after my SusieCakes adventure I took a morning run along the beach, then cut up to Montana Ave. to reward myself with a pastry find. I found myself at Cafe Luxxe, and although not primarily a bakery discovery, it is a find I have to mention. If Cheers were a coffee shop (with a modern feel and a selection of pastries), Cafe Luxxe would be the place to grab an espresso where everyone knows your name. Perhaps my perception of this place just comes from my natural tendency to make friends randomly as I wander about the city-- but even still, it was such a friendly place to get a caffeine jolt. Very focused on quality, the fine folks at Cafe Luxxe gave me an encouraging nod when I inquired about the chocolate almond croissants (delicious and from LA's Breadbar). And when my excitement over great coffee led me to consider a 2nd drink, they knew just what I needed-- as if I had been a regular for years.

The best part of all was that it was a place I could sip my coffee, read travel journals for hours, and enjoy the decadence of a lazy day off. The funny thing about having weekdays off is that it's easy to feel that you're stealing moments of time from the world around you. It's an evil but satisfying feeling when you see people walking past in business attire, coming up for air during the lunch hour, and you have nothing else to do but to drink cappuccino and thumb through a newspaper. After several hours of a travel memoir, a pastry and two coffees later, I said goodbye to the fine coffee connoisseurs of Cafe Luxxe and took four Peruvian cookies to go (made, mysteriously, by a local Peruvian woman whose name I cannot confidently pronounce/write), and ran home. Some people run with Ipod's, or pets-- I prefer to run with baked goods in hand.

Later on that day, enjoying some Peruvian goodness on the way back to work...

Hello, old friend...

It's that time of the year when my studio apartment turns into a toaster oven, when the beaches overflow with umbrellas, sandcastles, and well-fed pigeons, and when you may think it not possible, Southern California goes even more casual. It's also the time when kids go away to summer camp, which means I go away to summer camp too-- in preparation for providing campers with the best week of their lives. Since while you're at camp, there is nothing more important than nurturing the success of these campers, this also leads to the annual hiatus of Great American Bakery Hunt.

Never fear bakery hunters, I may never write nor call during the summer, but I was able to hunt around a bit during a rare Sunday off. After many hours of sleep, I was able to catch the last ten minutes of the Main Street Farmer's market-- and just before the air horn signaled the end, I beelined it to the Cafe Laurent stand. Their sweet and savory croissants never let me down-- they taste even better, more decadent during a camp food furlough.

A stroll down Montana and a stop into the charming Hoot and Heart Flower shop gave me a new bakery lead: Christine Moore's Little Flower Candy Company. Hoot and Heart's ode to the decadent includes not only beautiful and unique arrangements, but gives flower lovers something sweet to consider by carrying Moore's mallows. After researching more about Moore, I learned she is also a pastry chef, so I'm definitely looking forward to visiting her storefront in Pasadena.

Farewell for now, old friend. My posts are sure to be few and far between in the next couple months, but I promise to return and continue my dedication to spreading the word of the best baked goods around!