My Aussie girlfriend (who recently agreed to become Mrs. Yankee!) and I are bailing out for three weeks. A much needed rest.

Any out of the way pastry shops in Europe we should check out? Sorry, but we are skipping Paris. I know, Paris in Spring, two pastry chefs...but we are opting for Berlin and Brussels after Switzerland (night train). Then it's on to London. (We have both been to Paris on several occasions, so I'm taking her to places that she has not been to before.) We are starting off in Milano and then down into Liguria before heading north to Geneva.

I'm not usually into reading about "other people's holidays," let alone their personal lives. So, I am posting this with a bit of hesitation. I just thought I'd take a chance on a good rec for something along our path from those sages out there. Don't say elope, I'm already on it.

Thanks for your patience.

By Raine on Tuesday, June 06, 2000 - 07:11 pm: Edit

Never been to Europe, but congratulations anyway. Have a safe trip.

By Doucefrance (Doucefrance) on Wednesday, June 07, 2000 - 07:46 am: Edit

How about just looking at the bakeries and pastry shops you'll find on your way? You'd be surprised by what you can learn just from looking at their display cases...
Have a nice trip.
Helene

By Panini (Panini) on Wednesday, June 07, 2000 - 06:56 pm: Edit

Doucefrance,
Nice to see you back, you may not have been gone but I just have not seen any of your posts lately.
Yankee,
I don't know if the quality is the same but I always used to visit Sprunglee spelling? Bakery in Zurich. There might be one in Geneva.
Have a nice trip!
Panini
Need a good deal on a wedding cake? ha

By Hans (Hans) on Wednesday, June 07, 2000 - 09:12 pm: Edit

Don't miss Konditorei Fester in Berlin/Spandau, Marktplatz.

Have fun and enjoy the great exchange rate while it lasts.

By Hans (Hans) on Thursday, June 08, 2000 - 01:44 pm: Edit

Here are a few more, centrally in Berlin, maybe a little more convenient than Spandau.

Cafe im Literaturhaus, Fasanenstr. 23 (near Kudamm)

Operncafe im Prinzessinnenpalais, Unter den Linden 5

und a little offbeat, but dynamite:

EinStein, Kurfürstenstr. 58 in Schöneberg.
Housed in the old villa of UFA movie star Henny Porten.

By Yankee on Sunday, June 11, 2000 - 12:36 pm: Edit

Thanks Everyone!

Yes, just walking the streets often leads to great finds. Yes, I remember Spruglee from Zurich. Especially the colored macaroons in the windows around Easter and the truffle cakes.

Hans, Danke! We'll be staying in Kreuzberg near the Martin-Gropius Bau, so it looks like some of those cafe's are quite close. I didn't get as far out as Spandau in '96, but we will probably make it out there this time.

Also, happy to be missing the Techno music "Love Fest" in Berlin. I watched two of the smaller versions of that festival go on in Zurich in August. Swiss techno-kids, even the naked ones, get a bit dull after a while.

Yes, nice exchange rate. I can finally afford to go back and visit Zurich without having to sleep in the park.

Thanks again everyone!

By Yankee on Friday, July 07, 2000 - 01:18 pm: Edit

Well, the jet lag is subsiding...

Thanks for your tips, Hans. Berlin was great. (Except for the construction, rain, and my head cold, that is.) We had a wonderful lunch at the Einstein Cafe on Kurfursten str. The French couple sitting next to us were having an affair. Guess they didn't know we understood their banter.

Opera Cafe was not so great. Wonderful display, but nothing too tasty. We missed going out to Spandau due to the rain and my headcold. But, we fell into Markus Semmler's Mensa restaurant while out for a walk and had a great dinner. We also found a wonderful cafe just to the east of the Brandenburg gate.

Best find? The caramels from Neuhaus in Brussels.

Funniest thing? Almost every plated dessert in London was out of a 3 1/4" ring mold. Including the "Spotted Dick."

Cheers!

By momoreg on Friday, July 07, 2000 - 05:49 pm: Edit

Cool name, though. I wonder if it was named after someone named Dick.

By Yankee on Friday, July 07, 2000 - 11:41 pm: Edit

It was actually quite good, too. Something similar to a bread/steamed pudding, with sultans and cinnimon, packed into said ring mold. Served warm with warm vanilla anglais. It was quiet yummy, indeed. Not to mention making a great conversation booster with everyone. Let's here it for the "money shot."

When the floor manager found out we were both pastry chefs, and that our friends were expats from NYC, he sent out a round of champagne for the table to enjoy with our Spotted Dicks. Very, very cool.

The place is called J. Sheekey, St Martin's Court, London. Lot's of great seafood. Joe Bob says "check it out."

By momoreg on Saturday, July 08, 2000 - 09:42 am: Edit

As I recall, you can buy spotted dick (and other steamed puddings) in the convenience stores over there. They come in single serving packages, and the one I tried wasn't bad at all. But fresh, it must be much better.