The Essential Baking Company
Savory Crepes
I’ve been familiar with Essential’s breads and pastries for a while now, but have never had the chance to try the rest of their in-house menu. One afternoon, Josh and I decided to try it out – and we were very pleased.
Interior of Essential
Essential’s interior is comfortable, unpretentious, and has that cozy-classy feel of the Wallingford neighborhood. The interior is mostly brick, lots of windows, simple wood furniture, and of course, art on the walls.
Apple Ginger Juice and Shortbread Cookies
We were feeling just a little bit naughty, so we had to start out with a couple of cookies. We chose two tea cookies (50 cents each), one chocolate and the other shortbread. They were both flaky, melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and we worked hard to save most of them for after lunch! We also got some Apple Ginger juice from Fresh Juice Works. It was a bit pricey at $3.50 for the bottle, but boy-howdy, it tasted amazing! Very strong on the ginger (which we love), and full of that fresh-pressed taste. And when you buy a bottle of juice that is separated, it’s a good sign it’s going to taste wonderful.
Savory Crepes
For lunch, we ordered savory crepes – Roasted Tomato & Parmesan for him ($7), Savory Ham & Asparagus for me ($8.50). The vegetarian one was loaded with sauteed mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, fresh garlic, balsamic vinaigrette, and parmesan cheese. The ham crepe was full of black forest ham, roasted asparagus, and chevre. The chevre was a wonderful addition to the ham and asparagus – creamy and smooth, with a slightly tart flavor. As it turned out, Josh wasn’t much of a fan of the roasted tomato crepe. I tried it, and usually I don’t like either mushrooms or tomatoes. But the strong balsamic vinegar flavor that turned him off tasted amazing to me, so it was an easy swap, and we both enjoyed our lunches!
Apple Tart
We decided to top off our lunch with an apple tart to share ($5.50). They’re good, but it doesn’t taste like there’s very much apple in them. There are thin slices of apple on top, but most of the tart is the thick crust and sweet filling. It tastes good, but it’s not my favorite dessert they make. But by that time of the afternoon, we were limited in our choices too. Favorite desserts I was on the lookout for are the Chocolate Mousse Creme Brulee (amazing), the Chocolate Ganache Tart, or the Chocolate Hazelnut Pyramid. All three are to die for.
Outside of Essential
Overall, Essential comes highly recommended and is a place we will visit again in the future.
[where: 1604 N 34th St. Seattle, WA 98103]
Tags: Bakery, Crepes, Pastries, Seattle Restaurants, Wallingford Restaurants
