Thursday, February 3, 2011

Nuvrei Pastries

















Monkey Bread,
Nuvrei Pastries, $2.50

From a subterranean kitchen in Portland's Pearl District, Nurvei Pastries produces a variety of traditional and contemporary French treats. Nurvei mostly sells wholesale to area restaurants and coffee shops, but the bakery itself keeps a small case stocked with fresh treats for passersby. Although a perky pink sandwich board on the street that welcomes you in, the experience itself is a tiny bit intimidating; the bustling bakery is tucked away inside and downstairs, and you'll be waited on by a baker in full kitchen whites who, though gracious, certainly has more urgent things to tend to (I won't even answer the phone if I have a sheet of cookies in the oven--much less 100 hand-folded croissants!). Happily, work is underway on a ground floor cafe, and you'll still be able to watch the bakers toil through basement windows set into the sidewalk outside.

Since I was there on a windy day I opted against one of Nurvei's handsome croissants, imagining it shattering at the first gust and dusting me with golden, buttery shrapnel. Monkey bread was a perfect choice for a wandering snack: a loose jumble of diced apple and cubes of butter-rich croissant dough, spiced with a generous amount of cinnamon.

404 NW 10th Avenue
Portland, OR
503/546-3032
Check out Wanderfood Wednesday for more on-the-go foods...

2 comments:

Sarah V. said...

That looks WONDERFUL! And what a cool place to grab a snack...I would be intimidated by the baker too, but looks like it's worth it.

Wanderluster said...

Oh wow, that monkey bread looks amazing! I'll have to check place out next time I'm in Portland.