Five Points Artisan Bakeshop

The self-professed goal of Five Points Artisan Bakeshop is “to make the best European style breads possible, and to produce the highest quality pastries available.” Mission accomplished. Walking in the door provides instant olfactory confirmation. The air swirls with the yeasty perfume of freshly-baked breads and a twist of fruit and sugar from the pastries.

Breads sport rugged crust, dense crumb, deep flavor. They’re the sort of loaves that are unbelievably scrumptious while still warm (which they likely will be, especially early in the day) and joyful for hours thereafter.  The day after I bought my sourdough olive loaf, the last of it still tasted wonderful, although the impeccable freshness that made it so swoonful out of the oven was beginning to fade. This is old-fashioned bread that wants to be eaten right away. Not a problem!

Among pastries, I love the rustic apple tart with its crumbly top and sweet-tart filling and am bowled over by the cocoa-punch of a chocolate rye cookie. You don’t actually taste rye flour in the latter, but somehow when it is combined with chocolate, the rye acts as a turbocharger, making it all the more intense. The morning bun is only barely sweet — an admirable coffee companion for those who don’t need a blast of sugar to kick-start the day. Roadfood.com’s Buffetbuster told me that the cardamom roll is a stealth star of the menu. I didn’t even notice it when I visited, but it’s at the top of my list for next time. And there will be a next time — very soon, I hope.