Euro Pane Bakery: One of Pasadena's Hidden Gems

For some Pasadenans, we know that the default place for breakfast on weekends is EuroPane Bakery on Colorado Blvd. Some may call it "hole in the wall" but I like to think of it as small and quaint. When I first started going over two years ago, I really liked their puff pastry pear or white peach tarts. I eventually ventured to other pastries, including their different brioches, sticky buns and cinnamon rolls. I was not crazy about the cinnamon rolls at first, because they were unevenly-cooked, dry in some parts, and overall unflavorful. The coffee was also different every week; sometimes it was very dark, other times weak and ashy in aftertaste. Euro Pane has definitely matured, and I'm glad I kept going, thanks to their fabulous tarts and courteous service. Their cinnamon rolls also improved, as well as their coffee. Their custardy blueberry brioche looks like a blueberry personal-sized pizza. I've also gone for lunch, and they have salads and great pressed panini sandwiches. Recently, they had a black mission fig puff pastry tart, which has a bit of cheese baked in (possibly gruyere or some other sharp cheese). The combination of the sublimely sweet figs, soft and juicy with the crispy pastry that has the slightest bit of cheese browned to a savory crisp from the oven, really was an exercise that a true foodie's tongue could enjoy. The combination of sweet and sharpness really made the tart. However, sadly, I didn't see the fig tarts this weekend. Perhaps the figs are now out of season? I just saw them in the produce/fruit section of Whole Foods last weekend in East Pasadena. Oh well.

Parking sometimes has become a hassle, because more locals have found this little bakery/cafe. For now, parking on the street or the back parking lot is still somewhat manageable. It's definitely a hidden gem, as the bakery sits hidden, albeit a storefront, in a strip mall-type space.

After finding some online reviews on EuroPane, I found out the proprietor/chef Sumi Chang, was once chef at the famed Campanile and La Brea Bakery. There are several professional expert and client reviews on Euro Pane that can be found online at Openlist.com. I've heard about Campanile's Thursday Cheese Sandwich Nights; the to-die-for gourmet, mouth-watering sandwiches are supposedly worth the 14 dollars. Also, on October 17, Chef Mark Peel will prepare "Duck Four Ways." I love duck, and if I can make it out there, I better make reservations soon. Apparently, Chef Peel, who started out peeling vegetables (no pun intended) for Wolfgang Puck at Ma Maison, then eventually helped open Spago, has been nominated nine times for the James Beard Award (won in 1997). Before Peel opened Campanile in 1989, he opened La Brea Bakery just a mere five months prior. In case you're wondering, the James Beard Foundation Awards is the "the Oscars of the food world," according to the James Beard Foundation Web site.

Biography source: Campanile Web Site.

I'm sure I'll have more updates on Euro Pane in the near future. This little gem seems to evolve, even as the plants surrounding the entrance seem to take over like a tropical jungle.