Sweet Stroll: European Bakery and Cafe Review

Part of the World: 3602 W. Bell Road, Suite 3, Glendale, AZ (NW corner 35th Ave and Bell)

Sight: Traditional Jelly-filled sugar cookies and some other cookies in one case, while a wide assortment of beautiful pastries and mousses were in another case. Towards the back were bakery-fresh white and wheat breads.

Aroma: Fresh-baked bread filled the air

Taste: The Chocolate Mousse (in an edible cup – see photo above) was light, chocolate-y, creamy, and refreshing. The Tiramisu (the owner/baker got the recipe from his Italian friend in Venice, Italy) was very light and also refreshing. I didn’t at first notice any of the espresso flavor while I was sampling this tall pastry (see photo above), but a few seconds later I sure did and it was the perfect little pick-me up, subtle and light. Delightful.

Kid-Friendly: Eh. Order to-go and take your stuff home for your kids. You can bring the kids with you to peruse the pastry case, of course.

Bakery Bonus: All items are hand made on premises, and they are really beautiful.

 Costs: Starting at about $2-$3 for gorgeous, truly European pastries. Talk about a gem. 

Sweet Stroll: Beyond Bread Review Part 2

1.    Name of Bakery: Beyond Bread (this is part 2 of my review)

2.    Part of the World: Three Locations in Tucson, Arizona

3.    Sight: Over 30 varieties of breads displayed on rustic-looking wood shelves ready for purchase.  Countless pastries lit up like a holiday in the chilled glass cases.

4.    Aroma: Busy place as is part restaurant and part bakery, and yet not one area is less than the other. This place is more an atmosphere than an aroma.  Beyond Bread has a perfect balance of eat-in meals (sandwiches and the like) and breads/pastries for eat-in or to go.

5.    Taste of Pastries:
        First, the Flourless Espresso Brownie was to die for! Dense, decadent, rich, chocolate-y, walnut-y and big enough to pace yourself over for a few days or share with others. Pretty flawless. My photo here was taken on the quick so doesn't do it much justice.

 

Second, the Chocolate Mousse Torte was reminiscent of European style bakeries. It had five-six layers/tiers (we ate it up so quickly we lost count!). The chocolate cake part was moist and the mousse was creamy, just right consistency. Here's my photo of this (will be reviewing a Tiramisu from another bakery soon):

        Third, the Lemon Bar.  Eh. Sometimes a lemon bar is just a lemon bar, y’know?

This concludes the two-part review of Beyond Bread from Tucson. My family and I would definitely return to any of the three locations again, and envy those who have such a place close to their home. 

www.beyondbread.com