Central California Adventures (Pt. 2) - International Bright Flung Things

Statue of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, famed pianist, former Prime Minister of
Poland, and one of the most famed residents of Paso Robles

As it turned out, our dalliance with an Paso Robles' Pappy McGregor's (an Irish Pub detailed in my last blogpost) was just a sign of the unexpected international tour we would end up getting with our Paso Robles travels.

Obviously, California has more than held their own in the wine making world the past few decades, and much of that has come with grape varietals such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Blanc that originated on French soil (on a side note, Zinfandel, one of California's big players in the wine-making world, actually traces its origins to Croatia.)

However, less familiar stateside are wine styles from France's Rhône Valley. Grenache and Syrah will probably ring bells for even the casual wine drinker, but seeing other grape varietals such as Marsanne, Mourvèdre, Picpoul Blanc and Counoise are still somewhat uncommon.  As it turns out, many of the wineries around Paso Robles feature the perfect climate and soil to grow these grapes, and we heard word that the wines coming from the grapes grown at Tablas Creek Vineyard, a pioneer in the state for these Rhône varietals, are among the best.

Petal-er of Tasty Treats: Flowers and Bread

An insurance commercial I remember from a couple years ago (all my attempts to verify the actual company behind it have gone for nought) focused on some rather dubious-sounding business combinations ("Kevin's Plumbing and Hot Dogs, may I help you?"), with the ultimate lesson being that you should trust the focused specialist.

Clintonville's Flowers & Bread, created by Sarah Lagrotteria and Tricia Wheeler roughly one year ago, seems to go against that train of thought, offering up the charms of both flours and, well, flowers underneath the same roof.  It sounded like an intriguing combo (not that I would be interested in the floral aspect all that much) but I did wonder on another level whether this would come off as gimmicky in any way.

Thankfully, my spouse and I have found this not to be the case at all.

Wine Country in Recovery: Through The Valley of the Moon

We admit, it was hard to keep our eyes on the roadway ahead of us as we made our way out of Santa Rosa down California's Highway 12, the scenic "Valley of the Moon" highway that cuts through some of the prettiest parts of Sonoma and Napa counties. The charred hillsides in the distance proved to be a consistent backdrop to be chaotic, erratic nature of the wildfires on either side of the road.

Relatively lengthy stretches of normal were interrupted by seared foliage and grasslands, or worse, a vineyard or a business blackened almost beyond recognition. Perhaps the most jarring to me of the sights I saw this day was the rubble that had been historic, century-old Stornetta Dairy complex where Napa Road and Highway 12 intersect.

The Chocolate Cherry Connection: Pattycake Bakery

It's easy to go over old ground with places that predate my existence here in Columbus such as Pattycake Bakery.  Still, a brief history for those who aren't familiar or have forgotten how this quaint Clintonville bakery came into being might be helpful.

Established in 2003, this vegan bakery undertook the unique transformation to worker-owned co-op a decade later, adopting conscientious credos such as utilizing recyclable and biodegradable packaging, sourcing locally whenever possible, and using human power to deliver many of their goods via their bicycle-powered cart. While not an exact match, the bakery does remind me of one of my favorite places back in California in The Cheese Board Collective, another workers co-op which has spent more than 40 years selling cheese and, later, coffee, baked goods, and the pizza of the day (all veggie, with just enough made to sell out before the day's over) to hungry patrons in Berkeley.

I could say Pattycake has great pastries (and they do; more on that later), but it holds a little special place in my heart in that it helped ease the transition here to the Buckeye State. Ironically enough, it was another California transplant in Peet's Coffee (which had a brief and somewhat strange run here in Ohio, as I detailed in this blogpost) that set this up long before I had a notion that I would ever move to Ohio, much less heard of Pattycake itself.  

South x Southwest (Pt. 2): Creme Clouds and Gringas

A metal die-cut plaque details the family roots of Columbus' Merion Village

As mentioned in my previous post, my coffee at Das KaffeeHaus was meant to put some caffeine into the system to get me fully awake for the day. It also had a secondary purpose of slowing me down so I could digest the rich Beehive Bite sweet treat that I had acquired from My Old World Bakery, an old-school neighborhood shop located in Southwest Columbus. By the time I departed the space, I was ready for some more exploring the city's south and west sides.

South x Southwest (Pt. 1): Bee Hives and Blitzes

The Big Room at local favorite/independent radio station CD102.5 in the
Brewery District, which provided a nice stopover point in my latest crawl

As it turned out, my cinnamon-quest food crawl turned out to be a wonderful experience for me, both in the treats I found and in the places in finding new places to explore. As I figured out shortly afterward, I enjoyed the experience so much that I wanted to repeat the quest to another part of the metro. On this latest journey, south and west were the watchwords, with a general goal of trying out the best that each of my destinations had to offer.

Life on a Cinnamon Whirl (Pt. 2) - When the 'Ssants Come Rolling In

Yes, nice layers of cinnamon lie underneath the icing in these
beauties from Italian Village's popular Fox in the Snow Cafe

My cinnamon/new places in the metro quest mentioned in my last blog-related post brought me to a coffee cafe I hadn't visited since my early days here (Olde Towne East's Upper Cup Cafe), the granddaddy of bakeries in the metro (Resch's), and the only full-service Kosher bakery in the area (Matt's Bakery.)  But I was only halfway done on this day, as my travels took me into the tony community of Bexley and to another city bakery institution whose original location I had never visited prior to this day.

I Could Be Happy The Rest of my Life on a Cinnamon Whirl (Pt. 1)

The Moravian Sugar Cake from Laughlin's Bakery, topped with
cinnamon, one of my most favorite spices ever

When it comes to sweet treats, those that have cinnamon are hard to beat in my book. In fact, one of the first sweet treats I enjoyed here during one of my first visits to Columbus was the rather substantial (and tasty) rendition put out by the North Market's Omega Artisan Bakery. A recent "Best of Columbus" article by Columbus Monthly provided me some inspiration to try something that I hadn't done in awhile in the form of a food crawl. Add in a desire to seek out parts of the metro I hadn't necessarily wandered much into, and you got yourself one sweet journey indeed.

Feeling Minnesota: I-94 Hot Dish with a Side of Big Ole

Minnesota has its share of towering structures to attract state visitors like
the Jolly Green Giant, which we encountered back in 2013.

A regional specialty, the Minnesota Hot Dish is typically a casserole consisting of a starch, a protein (typically meat), and vegetables (canned or frozen) all brought together with canned cream soup. Our trip up to this point into Minnesota was something of a tourism hot dish as well, with a little protein (Spam from Austin's Spam Museum), a little starch (ice cream from Izzy's), and some "soup" in the brews from Surly Brewing.

Okay, I admit that's a bit of a stretch, to say the least. Most would agree though that for spending one whole day in the state, that is a pretty full platter in and of itself. But my friend, we got in much more on this brief 24 hours or so in the state, because, well, that's how we roll, you betcha'.

An "I" on the Old School: A Platter of Midwest Dining

The center of this country is well known for gut-filling eats, and on our road trip, we decided we'd go with the flow with occasional breaks to at least look for healthier eats. This toothsome threesome covered in the post definitely has an "I" (as in three states we traveled through that start with "I") toward the hearty.

Flap-Jacks: I think every small town in the Midwest has a place like Flap Jacks. Located northwest of Indianapolis in downtown Brownsburg, this diner-styled-food mini-chain (four locations throughout the Indy area)  has all the trappings of small town America, with plenty of good old red, white, and blue, an appreciation to local law enforcement and the military, and support of sports teams both local and regional. This eatery is a definite hangout for the locals.

Dough Yay Me! Clintonville's Dough Mama Cafe and Bakery

Granted, as one of the Columbus' main thoroughfares, High Street has plenty of room for all manner of businesses. But for the baked goods and pastry-styled treats fan, this roadway has become the home of more than its share of drool-worthy options in recent years. Starting up in Worthington and ending in the Brewery District, one could theoretically embark on a non-big-chain, brick-and-mortar crawl from north to south that could include:

• Donuts (Peace, Love and Little Donuts and Tupelo Donuts)
• Cakes (at least four cake-focused establishments from Worthington's Mrs. Goodman's down to the Short North's Piece of Cake)
• European-Styled/Influenced Pastries (Clintonville's Mozart's and the Brewery District's Kolache Republic)
• Vegan Treats (Pattycake Bakery)
• Gluten-free Goods (Food for Good Thought), and even
• Flowers(!) with your Flour (Flowers and Bread).

If one wanted to be even more of a glutton, places like Laughlin's Bakery and the treasure trove in the North Market (Destination Donuts, Brezel Pretzel, Omega Artisan, and Pistacia Vera) all lie within stone's throw of High. Combined together, these places could easily carbo-load the runners for the Columbus Marathon this coming October and have plenty left over for the race volunteers.

Of course, it would be a cardinal sin if you forget the pie. If you're seeking out the pie and only the pie, the long-standing Just Pies near Graceland Mall fits the bill perfectly. If you want just a little more variety, two very similar places are right up your alley: Worthington's Sassafras Bakery, a favorite destination of ours since I've moved over here, and Clintonville's Dough Mama, which holds down the subject matter of this latest blogpost.

Ice Cream Chronicles (Yr. 4): The Perfect Matcha

Perhaps due to its reputation as a fast-food haven and test market, Columbus finds its ethnic eats remaining a bit under the radar. I sure did not expect the large number of Mexican markets and food trucks in Columbus when I initially moved to the Buckeye state, much less the number of African restaurants that are just waiting to be discovered by locals and out-of-towners alike.

I was pleased to find out early on about another somewhat unexpected Japanese presence, something that made me feel a bit more at home early on. While this particular scene has gotten a bit more publicity than some of Columbus' other hidden culinary treasures (as in this 2016 NPR article spotlighting the scene), it still turns out to be a pleasant surprise for newcomers to the metro. A great place to start exploring this scene is the Japan Marketplace, which lies in the Northwest neighborhood in the Kenny Centre Mall.

California Brunching (Pt. 2): Cabin Fever and a Keller Instinct

A look down at the cities of the East Bay from the Berkeley Hills

The second of my California breakfast/brunch posts for 2016 takes our first peek into the San Francisco Bay Area proper, where we enjoyed the a fine sit-down meal inside a vintage catalog house.  Also, a glance at a Wine Country town known worldwide for its gourmet restaurants and some of the prettier pastries you could ever lay your eyes (or taste buds) on.

You don't exactly go looking for log cabins within the urban landscape, nor would you expect to actually find one. However, Sam's Log Cabin, located along a main thoroughfare just outside of Berkeley proper, is worth seeking out for some scrumptious early day eats.

Built in 1930 from a Sears Roebuck catalog home kit, the space which houses Sam's has served many different capacities: speakeasy, roadhouse, and a gambling institution (as in off-track horse race betting.)  Current owners Mike Daillak and Rhasaan Fernandez took over the space in 2010 and have implemented a focus on organic and local food sources as well as an expanded backyard that doubles as a community/music event space and a customer waiting area.

Bakery 'Round The Corner: Laughlin's Bakery

I've learned that traveling down High Street in the Short North area often gives me a bit of tunnel vision. When I'm in a car, the traffic during the most traveled times slows down to a trudge, caused by a combination of COTA city buses and bicyclists being squeezed along car-lined sidewalks, keeping my focus mainly on the road around me.

When I ride the bus or walk through the area, other distractions predominate. The streams of people traversing this once sketchy neighborhood are natural attention grabbers, not to mention the surrounding buildings, which like a chameleon change over time due either to constant construction or the latest business venture hoping to strike success in one of the metro's most attractive neighborhoods.

These aspects make it easy to lose track of what might lie in the areas block or two over on either side of High, and is certainly a big factor for me personally as to why it took me so long to get over to the very compact space that is Laughlin's Bakery, just a couple dozen steps off the main strip on East 2nd Avenue.

Southern Road Trip: Best of the Rest (Pt. 1)

As much ground as the previous couple of weeks of Southern road trip blog posts covered, not every place we visited made it in. However, that by no stretch of the imagination means that they aren't worthy of a mention. These next couple of posts touch on an eatery from each of the major cities we encountered during this road trip that we found to be worth the consideration at the very least.

I know I can't personally start the day without a good cup of coffee, but the following two places add much more to the equation other than that caffeinated elixir.

Dallas - Cuban Dulceria International Bakery & Cafe

A longstanding Dallas-area tradition, the Vasquez family has been serving their Cuban specialties to Dallas-area residents since 1979. They may have remained pretty much only on the radar of the locals, but a couple of unrelated pushes from as different spheres of fame as you can imagine (President Barack Obama efforts to normalizing Cuban relations and a Khloe Kardashian reference to cortaditos) has bumped into modest eatery much higher onto the culinary radar. In fact, the demand created has encouraged the owners to open up a second location in the area.

Vilnius on the Park: Mama Papa Lithuania Bakery and Restaurant (Alameda, CA)

Mama Papa Lithuania Bakery & Restaurant occupy adjoining
spaces along Park Street in Downtown Alameda, California

While my spouse's multinational roots are fairly varied, the Eastern European (more specifically, Polish) side often comes through when we're looking for potential culinary destinations. A drive through Buffalo, New York on a trip to and back from Niagara Falls late 2014 allowed us to dive into one her favorite Christmas-time treats via Mazurek's Bakery in the form of kruschiki, or Polish Bowtie cookies. Cabbage rolls are also another favorite of hers from her childhood; if that item happens to be on the menu at any eatery we stop by, the decision is all but made up for her.

Eastern European cuisine has always held small presence in the San Francisco Bay Area to the depths of my knowledge, so anything new that pops up in that vein always catches my eye in general. In what seems like a completely unrelated tangent, my first experience with anything having to do with Lithuania, outside of the breakup of the old Soviet Union in the 1990s, came through the world of professional sports. Sarunas Marciulionis, one of the first European players to come play forthe National Basketball Association, was drafted by and then signed with Golden State Warriors (based out of Oakland) to play in 1989. He became an immediate favorite of mine and many others because of his hard-nosed and tough-minded style of play.

Thus, when my research came across a relatively new Lithuanian restaurant located in Alameda (just a stone's throw across a strait from Oakland itself), it seemed a natural to give it a visit.

Mama Papa Lithuania Restaurant, opened in October 2013 by "Mama" Damute Sukiene and her son, "Papa" Vaidas Sukys, holds a space next to the recently-opened-to-the-public (October 2015) bakery portion of the business. Since we arrived a few minutes prior to the restaurant's opening, we stopped inside the bakery to take a look. Our clerk was quite welcoming (funnily enough, she turned out to be a Puerto Rico native and we got to discussing (the lack of) her cuisine in the Bay Area) and guided us quite well on the bakery's offerings.

A small glass case and some shelves off to the side held a variety of cakes, cookies (the Lithuanian words describing the cookie shapes, including mushrooms, stars and ribbons) and breads, were found displayed in the small glass case in front and on the shelves to the left. A few savory items were packaged in bags, including a fried rye bread rubbed with garlic which was available for sampling. Even as avid garlic lovers, we were taken aback a bit by the powerful allium punch provided by this bread. We grabbed a few treats for the road (more on this later) and headed over to the restaurant.

The restaurant itself offers an interior that seems to be in tune with its home city's maritime vibe (along with a naval base that was closed in the 1990s, Alameda is home to Coast Guard, numerous marinas and a ferry service), with blocky, bench-like tables and chairs, dark wood paneling dominating most of the walls. Framed street scene pictures from Lithuania's capital city of Vilnius dot the brick wall that separates the restaurant from the bakery space.

The choices seemed fairly in line with other Eastern European restaurants we have dined in with both some unique options and taste variations. We were glad to see that all their dishes were available in lunch-size portions, as we would have been quite stuffed had we gone with the dinner-sized meal. My spouse's Stuffed Cabbage Roll was a bit different from the Polish versions she grew up with but still very tasty and satisfying, sporting a creamier tomato sauce, more paprika and perhaps even a hint of clove. For me, my pan-fried Potato Pancakes with Meat was nothing fancy but still quite satisfying, with a crispy exterior and chunks of mildly-spiced ground pork within the fluffy interior, perfectly accompanied by the dollop of sour cream on the side.

Some of the other menu options, which we did not partake in on this quick visit, seemed to be worthy ventures on a future visit.  Both the bakery and restaurant offered Lithuanian Amber Tea and Pour Over Coffee, while the restaurant itself sported a beer list from breweries in Lithuania as well as a Bread Kvass, a non-alcoholic, fermented beverage made from rye bread.

On the road, we gobbled on our three sweet treats from the bakery. The baravykai (mushroom-shaped) cookie was pleasant, and their Apple Pie (actually more of a cake) was nicely flavored, a bit crumbly, and moist.) But perhaps the most memorable of the threesome was the Honey Cake (Medutis); while this version did not sport the chocolate that is available on the restaurant dessert menu, its tangy sour cream based filling alternated with cake layers was nice satisfaction for both our sweet tooths as we journeyed toward points to the west and south..

Mama Papa Lithuania
1239 Park St. (Bakery)
1241 Park St. (Restaurant)
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 521-1108 (Bakery)/(510) 522-4100 (Restaurant)
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The Sweet Life Savored: Sassafras Bakery

Sassafras has been the source of frequent carbo-loading for the
spouse and I ever since their opening in August of 2013

This review is somewhat overdue, but nevertheless, it's a pretty easy one to do.

This bakery, owned by Northwest Ohio native A.J. Perry (who we found out, in a neat bit of circumstance, grew up in a town within shouting distance of where my spouse was raised) was several years in the making. Perry, who learned the ways of the kitchen early on in her childhood, was forced back to them back in 2007 to earn a living when a downturn in the economy led to her layoff from her regular job. Her baked goods proved to be a hit at area farmers market; her strong relationship to the market in Worthington pretty much made opening up a brick and mortar space in the its downtown area a natural fit.

Sassafras packs a lot of visually pleasing sights in a very small space

Sassafras is definitely not the biggest space in the world; it definitely is a lot easier to grab a seat when the Worthington Farmers Market goes indoors for the colder months of the year, though the flow tends to be nice and steady whenever we've dined in. Dining in is always a visual pleasure, with a wall of pie tins, neatly scripted chalkboard menus, shelves with select local vendors' products (including soon-to-be next door neighbor Igloo Letterpress) and the pleasing view of baked goods neatly displayed just behind or inside glass display cases, of course. Interestingly enough, we've rarely had a problem grabbing a seat when the crowds pile in, which especially is the case when the Farmers Market returns outdoors right outside Sassafras' doors. Most people then tend to buy Perry's sweet treats to grab and go, making people watching an added bonus feature while we enjoy our orders.

As far as our favorites, there really has not been anything that we have tried that we wouldn't order again. Especially excellent are their seasonal savory quiches and galettes, their anchor donut muffin (the perfect blend of textures between both of these sweet treats) and their traditional-style cinnamon rolls. In addition, Sassafras' pies are among the best in the region, not surprising when you consider that Perry's pies have been featured in such publications as Food & Wine Magazine. The cookies are pretty good as well: Sassafras Bakery's unique Cookie & Milk Happy Hour (order a cookie, get either a free glass of milk or cup of coffee brewed with Cafe Brioso beans) has received press as well, courtesy of Country Living Magazine. It is at times a difficult choice to make, but we have found our ultimate decision is always a delicious one at this bakery.

Why can't all difficult decisions end up so delicious?

For awhile, the only thing lacking (so to speak) at Sassafras was that other than the quiche and galettes, there wasn't really a lunch-oriented option for diners. This gap was rectified this year when Sassafras introduced a line of lunchtime salads and sandwiches with the assistance renowned locally-based chef of Matthew Heaggans, who is currently plying his trade at the Flatiron Bar & Diner. Added with a cup of soup, it makes for a nice solid lunch option if you're in the area. I admit my turkey sandwich didn't look like much when I first saw it, but it was actually quite filling with nice flavor twists like the pickled cauliflower bits (their so called Sassafras pickles) and a nice touch of smokiness via the smoked paprika mayo.

Soup and Sandwich? Sassafras now has this combo for the lunchtime crowd

Often times, Sassafras Bakery's sandwich board outside invites customers inside to "savor the sweet life." Suffice it to say, we have taken that invitation plenty of times since my move out here, and this little bakery has easily become one of our most favorite places to visit in the Columbus metro area.

Sassafras Bakery
657 High Street
Worthington, OH 43085
(614) 781-9705
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Tried and True: Mozart's Cafe

Mozart's has settled in nicely after their 2013 move to North Clintonville

Mozart's Cafe holds a very special place in the hearts of me and my spouse. At their old location in Clintonville (now occupied by Harvest Pizzeria and Kitchen - see my recent post here) and being official long-distance daters for just months, we fell into a fairly deep conversation about the type of house and neighborhood in which we wanted to eventually settle down (definitely not the type of talk you have for a passing fling of a just-because affair.) At our wedding ceremony, we bought one of their delicious carrot cakes to serve as our celebratory dessert. And there was (and still is) something simply relaxing about dropping by on a lazy weekend to grab one of their pastries with a cup of coffee accompanied by strains of music from a live pianist.

The pianist still remains, but the menu and interior
have expanded for the better

Founded in 1995 by Anand and Doris Saha (who met in Switzerland and brought the European theme to Columbus), Mozart's announced they were moving to expanded space in the more northern reaches of Clintonville that originally held the Beechwold Tavern and, more recently, a Cord Camera. This also would allow them to bring their offshoot Vienna Ice, specializing in European-styled gelato and ice cream (and definitely worth a sampling, if you're in the mood), under the same space. After a few delays, the space opened up in August 2013 and, based on our experiences, Mozart's has definitely made the most of their move.

The increased space has allowed Mozart's to expand their horizons on several fronts. Larger events can easily be handled in private dining areas; in general, larger groups can be handled a lot more easily in the common area. For warmer days, patrons can grab a seat in the patio outdoor patio area in front of the restaurant to enjoy the warmer temperatures. In addition to their traditional pianist, Mozart's now holds a wider variety of live music events. And of course, the afternoon tea tradition continues as strong as ever.

Menu options have been broadened for the better as well. Thanks to an approved voter initiative, Mozart's has acquired a liquor license which has allowed the restaurant to offer a variety of wines and beer; mead from Columbus favorite Brothers Drake is also available.

From pastries to breakfast and onward, Mozart's
expanded menu remains satisfying

Their hearty European-fare menu (most breakfast and brunch items are hover around $10; dinner-oriented items are in the $13 - $16 range) remains solidly satisfying, and has been enhanced with the addition of some select well-received items and more American-styled offerings such as Angus burgers. In addition, meal portion sizes may have actually increased a bit with no loss in tastiness: on my parents' recent visit to Ohio, we found that the breakfast sandwiches were more than enough for a meal and made for some good leftovers. Their quiches are almost always on the consideration lists of my spouse and I whenever we visit, and their schnitzel seems to have been improved compared to the past.

Of course, I can't possibly not talk about their European-style pastries. It's hard to pick a favorite, but their Plunder (especially their poppyseed variety) is one of my all-time favorite sweet treats in the area, flaky and sweet without being too cloying. They have expanded their other offerings as well, adding tortes and other delectable-looking treats to their daily display cases. It would seem almost impossible to not find anything at Mozart's that wouldn't satisfy your sweet tooth.

Perhaps the most satisfying thing I have come to know, both pre- and post-move, is the love and support that the Sahas and the Clintonville community mutually share for one another. Their annual birthday party, which corresponds with the founding of their business as well as the birthday of their namesake classical composer, now draws thousands of people and is perhaps the most definitive expression of how Mozart's has become a true local treasure.

Mozart's
4784 North High Street (Clintonville/Old Beechwold - Google Maps)
Columbus, OH 43214
(614) 268-3687
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Kruschiki Disposition: Mazurek's Bakery (Buffalo, NY)

Alas, this picture of Kruschiki, a Polish cookie traditionally made around the holidays, is the lone picture of what we ate from Mazurek's Bakery. But these tasty treats explain a lot of why we made this side trip to this long-standing Buffalo, NY institution in the first place.

On the day we were ready to return with our parents back to Ohio, we had enough gas in the car to make it out of Canada (thank goodness, with gas prices in the area around $5 per gallon.) It would be simply a matter of two things: 1) where to fill up the tank and 2) where do we stop to snag a quick grab-and-go breakfast.

As far as 1) we were able to creak into Pennsylvania before being forced to fill up the car again. But in regard to 2), I have previously mentioned before that Mrs. 614orty-Niner has some Polish heritage on her side of the family, and had grown up eating and loving quite a few Polish dishes. So when I stumbled upon Mazurek's in my research, my interest perked up. It perked up even more when I saw one particular item advertised on their menu.

"Hey dear, do you know that they have Kruschiki?" I've learned that this cookie had been made by her great grandmother for the holidays as she was growing up, and mere thoughts of them bring back delicious flashbacks from those days for her. Central Ohio, alas, just isn't a place where you can find these specialties quite easily

"Really?!" She glanced through and confirmed what I was seeing, and responded back, "Well, you know where we're going tomorrow, right?"

Mazurek's original shop, plus all manner of deliciousness

Buffalo had at one time one of the larger Polish-American bases by percentage in the early 1920s (these days, they comprise about 13% of the city's population)) with Mazurek's opening up near this peak presence in 1933. Despite a change in ownership due to the Mazurek family's retirement from the business, the new owners have kept both the recipes and the building housing their original South Park Avenue location (save for some minor spiffing up) more or less the same. In addition, Mazurek's has recently expanded to a location in the downtown area at the Market Arcade as well.)

On this day, it was the original store we visited, and the smells that hit us as we entered this fairly tiny interior were amazing (it made my mouth water almost instantly). Mazurek's is your basic old-school bakery with an Eastern European/Polish bent. Breads, "ordinary" donuts (the Polish variety of donuts, Pączki, are offered only Thursdays through Saturdays), cookies by the pound, pies, sweet rolls, cakes - Mazurek's has these and much more despite its limited space.

Everything we bought for breakfast (my parents went with the Cinnamon Rolls, I went with Coconut Sweet Roll with their homemade icing, and my spouse's Cherry Turnover) was quite delicious, and was scarfed down pretty quickly. We also got to enjoy some excellent Vienna Bread (a very soft bread with a delicate texture and taste) and two bags of those precious Kruschiki.

My spouse was able to send one of those bags of these Polish bow-tie cookies up to some very pleasantly surprised family members in the more northwestern reaches of this state. Mazurek's can now claim to have put big smiles on the faces of people living in three distinct parts of Ohio and California in the span of three days. I'd say that's a job well done indeed.

Mazurek's Bakery
543 S Park Ave (Google Maps)
Buffalo, NY 14204
(716) 853-7833
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World of Wander: The Circleville Pumpkin Show

In my time here in the Buckeye State, I've quickly learned that Ohio is the land of festivals. Here in Columbus, you can get everything from cultural (Asian, Greek) to food/music (Jazz and Ribfest) to neighborhood-based (Grandview Digfest; the Moonlight Market, and the Short North's Gallery Hop) and everything in-between (Red White and Boom, Comfest and the Columbus Arts Festival.) And if you go beyond the metro region, you'll find seemingly hundreds more celebrations.

Pumpkin-related products from beer to baked-goods seemed to arrive a bit too early on the market for my tastes this year, and at first I mentally rebelled. Perhaps it was related to my hope (as it turned out, in vain) that a somewhat mild summer would hold for a bit longer. Alas, autumn came in and kicked summer to the curb, and after a short begrudging, my mindset shifted into that vibe. This meant I was more than ready to do my first ever wandering at the self-proclaimed "Greatest Free Show On Earth" - The Circleville Pumpkin Show.

Operating since 1903, The Circleville Pumpkin Show now stands as one of the world's largest pumpkin festivals in the United States, always being held starting on the third Wednesday of every October. The town population swells to approximately 8 times its normal size on each day of the festival, as approximately 100,000 people each day from all over the world visit during its four days of operation.

However, I did not read any of these factoids beforehand. As I had never been to a similar-styled event before (the San Francisco Bay Area has the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival, but it was just a bit too far to drive from where I lived to give it a go), I preferred to go into this experience free of any expectations.

I reached Circleville on this cloudy day approximately thirty minutes after the announced start time of festivities that day, and immediately got a sense of the potential crowd. I noticed that some dirt spaces close to the highway off-ramps were starting to fill up with cars, and after a little hesitation, I went with my gut and grabbed a spot. It turned out to be a good move: on the walk back from downtown, the line of autos to get into the parking areas closest to the downtown area had slowed to a tepid trudge.

Traffic wasn't too bad (yet) as I walked up Main Street into the Pumpkin Show

I don't what I was necessarily expecting size-wise, but I got a sense of how large a scope this event truly was as I walked around. This wasn't an event that covered a only couple of main streets in a sleepy small town; this was something that pretty much encircled the entire downtown Circleville area, with stands and other attractions on many of the side streets and alleyways. I ended up getting in much more of a walking workout than I ever would've figured to make sure I saw everything.

As I gathered in the scope of food options (of course, plenty of them were of the pumpkin variety, but there was plenty of carnival-style eats and a smattering of almost everything else), the arts and crafts collections, vendors, and the other assorted attractions (camel rides, autographs from Ohio State University Football alumni, music bands, etc.), it felt as if someone had airlifted entire county fairs from various locations in Ohio and plopped them onto downtown Circleville.

At this point, I think it's best to relate my day's experiences with a lot of pictures with a bit of select commentary.

Of course I had to have some pumpkin donuts; these beauties were fresh from the oven
of Circleville institution Lindsey's Bakery

Of course, you can't forget about the giant gourds; this young lad gives one a good idea
of just how large these pumpkins (first place weighed in at 1,964 lb) really were.

These colorful beauties were of more manageable size and were on sale for anyone needing a gourd to take home.

Wittich's Confectionary, opened in 1840, bills itself as the nation's oldest family-owned candy shop
I picked up some of their tasty pumpkin brittle to take home with me.

Historical marker detailing the origin of Circleville's founding on an ancient Hopewell Indian-era earthwork

These quilts were just part of the numerous submissions for the various arts & crafts competitions

This fun mixed-media pumpkin used circular lids of all sorts to provide the color

Pies (what else?) in the foreground; children's art submissions on the wall behind

I like buying my food from the local organizations at these affairs; the Circleville Kiwanis' version
of the Fried Boloney Sandwich was a perfect lunchtime meal

A youngster looks at the cornhole supplies from the Flipin' vendor tent

You can't have a Pumpkin Show without a pumpkin pie eating contest

The crowds were still building up by the time I left to head back north

After this first experience, I can see why the Circleville Pumpkin Show has evolved into the prime attraction that it has become. There's plenty here to entertain most anyone, especially a guy who's just in the mood to wander around for a couple hours with no real set plans.

The Circleville Pumpkin Show
Starting day: The third Wednesday of every October
Downtown Circleville, OH
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