Last week I happened to be in Emeryville, CA…my good friend Lindsay used to live there, so I called to find out if there were any good bakeries we could swing by quickly while we were in town. She guided me to Arizmendi Bakery. The girls and I grabbed a few goodies and a sourdough baguette and ate almost everything by the time we got home!
Arizmendi Bakery is a worker-owned cooperative that grew out of the Cheeseboard, a famous Berkeley-based cooperative. If you’d like to read more about it, click here. It’s interesting and classic Northern California.
All of the baked goods we purchased were tasty…but the sourdough baguette is where it’s at, my friends. The texture was perfect and the sourdough flavor was subtle and well-balanced. The baguette was good just by itself, but when we got home Cate asked for a piece with butter…good call, Cate. I think I just had bread and butter for dinner that night and was completely satisfied.
Hello! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and then count on you to share your own! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
I love visiting bakeries. It is always fun to scope out what they are serving. This one looks like a winner!
Comment by Maria — April 13, 2010 @ 10:29 am
You had me at sourdough baguette! Loved eating fresh sourdough with butter when I was younger.
Comment by BeccaV — April 13, 2010 @ 10:39 am
Woot woot e-ville! (also famous for Pixar and a very visible-off-the-freeway Ikea)
Comment by Aaron — April 13, 2010 @ 10:52 am
I love pixar so much…it was everything I could do not to walk into the lobby and profess my love.
ikea is actually the reason we were there…they had a door I needed and couldn’t get anywhere else. it ended up being a very fun day trip! tell you what, we need to get up to e-ville/berkeley more often…so much good food.
Comment by Jane Maynard — April 13, 2010 @ 11:06 am
I’d choose bread over any sweet treat. That place looks heavenly.
Comment by Unplanned Cooking — April 13, 2010 @ 12:05 pm
honestly, why is bread so darn good?!?
Comment by Jane Maynard — April 13, 2010 @ 1:31 pm
Haha, I was just at that Ikea last night! And LOVE Arizmendi- the pizza slices are divine and I want to try all their pastries one day…
Comment by Heather I. — April 13, 2010 @ 1:49 pm
I definitely want to get back there to try their pizza sometime!!
Comment by Jane Maynard — April 13, 2010 @ 1:52 pm
All the bakeries have closed around here. No more Mendham Bakery and no more Hoffman’s.
Comment by heww — April 13, 2010 @ 2:15 pm
that’s awful! I guess you just need to move out here…
Comment by Jane Maynard — April 13, 2010 @ 2:26 pm
next time try the cheese rolls and corn cherry scones!
Comment by sierra — April 13, 2010 @ 4:25 pm
wish i could have been with you in my old hood! glad you enjoyed arizmendi.
Comment by Lindsay — April 13, 2010 @ 7:35 pm
Oh, there’s nothing like (good) fresh bread. Yum!
Comment by Gab* — April 14, 2010 @ 12:58 am
I’ve heard about this place, but never been. I understand it was started by folks who used to be at the Cheese Board in Berkeley. It looks like the offerings are quite different, though. Do you know if they are?
Comment by Carolyn Jung — April 14, 2010 @ 9:21 am
I’d like to make it my hobby to discover great bakeries in every city. Not sure if my body would agree with that! But boy would I have a great time.
Comment by anna — April 14, 2010 @ 9:22 am
Sourdough is hands down one of my favorite breads – it looks delicious!
Comment by Biz — April 14, 2010 @ 2:18 pm
jane asked me answer your question, carolyn. yes, the offerings are quite different at the cheeseboard vs. arizmendi. the cheeseboard is an fantastic cheese shop, with so much to choose from and sample as you go. they sell some breads there too. both arizmendi and cheeseboard serve pizza (1 or 2 varieties each day). bsides pizza, arizmendi is mainly a bakery.
Comment by Lindsay — April 14, 2010 @ 2:50 pm
Looks delicious, and those photos are sparking some serious cravings….
Comment by Nikki CB — April 14, 2010 @ 8:38 pm
Fresh bread!!! Yummy:)
Comment by przepisy — April 15, 2010 @ 1:32 am
We like to go to an Arizmendi in SF for their pizza. They serve a different kind every day, with such interesting topping combinations. Half the fun is never knowing what you’re going to get!
Comment by Erica — April 16, 2010 @ 7:27 pm