Since the opening of the Josey Baker Bread and Four Barrel collaboration, The Mill, “Hipster Toast" has been leavened to a craft, cult status in San Francisco.
 Mountain Rye Toast and Cream Cheese, Other Things at The Mill |  Toast, Peanut Butter, Honey (Art!) at Trouble Coffee |
So when an acquaintance directed me to Sqirl for toast with jam and G&B's pop-up coffee shop, I was hesitant - but hell, I already drank the Kool-Aid, so I might as well dive in headfirst.
From the moment I entered, a calm overtook me. A simple menu on the chalkboard, and friendly faces smiled and welcomed me. The quaint kitchen and cafe in Wilshire Center certainly didn’t have the straight-edged, clean and pristine feel of The Mill, but had all the charm that only comes with the love and dedication to a lifelong passion.
I was pleasantly surprised to find delicious options aside from toast - a few sandwiches, a quiche, some daily specials - and extremely displeased that I wasn’t hungrier. Meadow, who takes charge of the pastries, also tempted me with gigantic espresso-chip and molasses cookies.
As a newbie, I was advised by Sumi (former Intelligentsia turned newly established G&B coffee man) to stick to simplicity: brioche with house-ground almond/hazelnut butter and Sqirl's strawberry/rose/geranium jam to accompany my shot of espresso.
Sitting there in the parklet, I couldn’t help but feel like a refined kindergartner with the classiest PB&J in the school. The almond/hazelnut butter was so grown-up, and the jam was complex but familiar, all sitting patiently on buttery Proof Bakery brioche. A feeling so comforting, so warm, brought me back to a time when I was a bit more carefree, a bit more relaxed. I was a kid again.
When Jessica Koslow tested the kitchen/cafe concept around her confitures, she wasn't quite sure it would work. Now that she has proven it does, the plan is to remodel, expand and grow...as she told me with the ear-to-ear smile of a giddy child.
From the moment I entered, a calm overtook me. A simple menu on the chalkboard, and friendly faces smiled and welcomed me. The quaint kitchen and cafe in Wilshire Center certainly didn’t have the straight-edged, clean and pristine feel of The Mill, but had all the charm that only comes with the love and dedication to a lifelong passion.
I was pleasantly surprised to find delicious options aside from toast - a few sandwiches, a quiche, some daily specials - and extremely displeased that I wasn’t hungrier. Meadow, who takes charge of the pastries, also tempted me with gigantic espresso-chip and molasses cookies.
As a newbie, I was advised by Sumi (former Intelligentsia turned newly established G&B coffee man) to stick to simplicity: brioche with house-ground almond/hazelnut butter and Sqirl's strawberry/rose/geranium jam to accompany my shot of espresso.
Sitting there in the parklet, I couldn’t help but feel like a refined kindergartner with the classiest PB&J in the school. The almond/hazelnut butter was so grown-up, and the jam was complex but familiar, all sitting patiently on buttery Proof Bakery brioche. A feeling so comforting, so warm, brought me back to a time when I was a bit more carefree, a bit more relaxed. I was a kid again.
When Jessica Koslow tested the kitchen/cafe concept around her confitures, she wasn't quite sure it would work. Now that she has proven it does, the plan is to remodel, expand and grow...as she told me with the ear-to-ear smile of a giddy child.
Jessica and Meadow
Nosh on,
Josh
Josh
