LA Times Deputy Food Editor Betty Hallock signaled the return of this roving Silver Lake “bakery” on the paper’s Daily Dish blog. Three friends have run Treat Street for two years, infrequently convening at different residential locations to sell baked goods. One of the bakers, Clare Crespo, has even been featured twice in the New York Times. Treat Street hasn’t met since last December, since one of the women took pregnancy leave. Happily, Treat Street has a liberal maternity leave policy, and it was just a hiatus.
We arrived at the mouth of a Carnation Avenue garage at 10:30 AM, the appointed start time, and three tables were already lined with treats.
The women came up with funny names on the spot and wrote them on index cards. There was even a “Kucinich corner” – named for Presidential punchline Dennis Kucinich – featuring vegan treats.
Over a dozen options included olive oil cake, malted chocolate cupcakes and watermelon wedges filled with green Jell-o.
We spent $12 for six treats. A rich chocolate cupcake was flavored with “red red wine.” Given the musical tie-in, the girls called it a “UB40”, a.k.a. a “Neil Diamond.” The moist lemon meringue cupcake featured a tart layer of fresh lemon curd.
The doughnut muffin was probably the day’s highlight, crusted with sugar granules, not dry in the least and infinitely better than the famed version from Downtown Bakery in Healdsburg. A moist pumpkin Whoopie pie contained a rich layer of cream cheese. The gritty fig cornmeal upside down cake was probably the least satisfying dessert. The butterscotch pudding tart was too sweet for my taste, topped with crushed Butterfingers, and the crust was fairly dry.
The idea of a roving bakery, in my neighborhood, is pretty great. The execution was also pretty strong, making Treat Street worth mentioning. Next month, the bakers plan to host another event, so keep checking their website for updates. When that time comes, arrive early, since the treats tend to sell out by noon.
Blog Comments
Chris Moran
October 12, 2008 at 7:23 PM
Nice writing style. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Chris Moran
Joshua Lurie
April 11, 2009 at 12:16 AM
Chris,
Thanks for the kind words. Looking forward to reading more of your comments.