It’s a trendy term that may soon fall from favor, but David Nonni’s Pane E Formaggio: Artisan Bread & Cheese Shop (4532 West ioth Avenue, Westside, 604-244-1623) will, I hope, still be around when artisan bread is, well, just bread. Nonni, who makes upscale Casa Bread for the likes of Vancouver’s Urban Fare market, has here a neo-Italian deli-eatery stocked with pancetta and prosciutto; unpas¬teurized cow’s-milk cheese; tapenades and niçoise-style olives; and superior breads in varieties such as olive, and sun-dried apple and pecan.
Ecco Il Pane (238 West 5th Avenue, Central Vancouver, 604-873-6888) makes similarly superior fare: savory breads such as a rustic three-flour Ariccia and patata (potato and chive), as well as naturally leavened varieties. But I’ll go out of my way for Ecco II Pane’s biscotti, particularly its soft, crumbly, lemon-flavored variety — although the praline espresso, burnt sugar, and cranberry pecan are doubtless excellent, too. This popular coffeehouse-bakery — which also serves panini, Italian French toast, and frittata — stands quite alone in a semi-industrial district. But it also operates on The Bay’s lower-level food floor (Downtown, at Granville Street and Georgia Street).
The dictionary defines “spelt” as a hardy, mountain-grown predecessor of today’s cultivated wheats. Hefty spelt breads, cakes, and cookies are made by Arán Foods (1692 Venables Street, East Vancouver, 604-258-2726, open Saturday only).
Sometimes bakeries arrive on the scene and take over — and this is pretty much the case with Terra Breads, which makes chewy, edgy breads with olives, figs, rosemary, cranberries, and the like, and bars and cookies that prove, unfortunately, irresistible. Terra outlets include the Kitsilano Bakery and Café (2380 West 4th Avenue, 604-736-1838) and Granville Island Public Market Bakery (604-685-3102). (This place also belongs on the “Bakery” list). At Boleto Restaurant and Artisan Bakery, a Mediterranean-style room with patio (2563 West Broadway, Kitsilano, 604-739-1314), bakers make gorgeous, unusual buns and breads.
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