What has happened to 'City Bakery'?!
I've eaten at 'City Bakery' since they were at their original location on 17th Street, and over time, it became THE place where I met friends; the baked goods were lovely, the atmosphere pleasant (particularly up in the balcony), and the location very central. The shop had an air of effortless, yet unrelenting efficiency that characterised similar establishments in Italy, where I grew up. I cannot precisely remember when things seemed... changed.
Suddenly, the staff was very different, more evocative of a Dunkin Donuts than a moderately upscale bake/coffee shop. The sense of efficiency was gone. The baked goods were frequently heavy or soggy, as if they'd been rushed into the oven without adequate rising time. The seats of some of the stools broke from their posts, and were not replaced. I came to dread going there. Last time (late November 2007), at least, the naked seat-post had been replaced with ordinary stools.
I know another branch of the bakery opened in LA, and the negative changes do date back to about the time that the owner was no longer around on a full-time basis; I also know that new business makes heavy demands of its owner. Still, it seems a shame to drop the ball on what was a really good thing.
Has anyone else noticed this? Any thoughts as to whether this slide is likely to be long-term?
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6 Comments:
I frequent city Bakery in Brentwood and have become friendly with the owner who now lives here and is opening a second one in the PAlisades. I would not count on City Bakery- N.Y. improving anytime soon. sorry!!
snake53 at 1:09PM on 12/29/07
So Maury Rubin moved to Brentwood? I haven't been to City Bakery in a while, but I went there a lot when they were on 17th Street. They had the best croissants in America, especially if you got them while they were still warm. And in February, they had the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted. Are these no longer food truths? That would *really* be a shame.
Tom Steele at 2:57PM on 12/29/07
I must confess...and I was ashamed to say it anywhere else...I have had stale baked goods at City Bakery within the past year. And I mean crack-a-tooth stale.
I always did find the hot chocolate too sweet, but i thought that was just my taste.
Didn't Rubin also open a "green" bakery in NYC?
annien at 3:27PM on 12/29/07
I have been eating at City Bakery since it opened on 17th street and I have yet to have a bad experience. I was just there last week and everything was swell. I also go to Birdbath which has also been fine. I saw Maury at the 18th street location sometime this Fall but there is also a woman, perhaps the manager, who is usually on hand. Sorry to hear that you have had such bad experiences. You should email them to let them know.
izzy's mama at 12:08AM on 12/30/07
Tom: that is in fact no longer a consistent truth.
When I lived in NYC, I definitely qualified as a regular, and even now, when I'm not in NYC very much, I still make at least one visit per quarterly trip, although admittedly these days it's more to see if things have picked back up or not. I tend to be acutely aware of variations in quality, and things are distinctly not what they were. Of the last half dozen or so occasions that I went there, on only one was the pretzel croissant what I had previously relied upon it to be. It was still okay, but undistinguished. A bit heavy and greasy, nothing to go out of one's way for.
I freely admit that I'm probably hypersensitive to these nuances, but my sister, who is far more down-to-earth about these things, was the one who first asked me if I noticed something 'different'.
I have the feeling that the success of the location was very contingent on the owner's presence, and his absence means that staff are just not keeping on their toes.
I'd love to email him, but couldn't find a contact email address; there is one for catering, but it seems inappropriate to use a dedicate address for another purpose.
Perhaps he reads 'Serious Eats'? ;)
mongoose at 3:42AM on 12/30/07
Perhaps he reads 'Serious Eats'? ;)
Hey, stranger things have happened!! When TVFN had message boards, mysteriously Sandra Lee would make all the changes we discussed on those boards. Coinkydink? Nope. When TVFN nuked their boards, they took away her primary source of constructive criticism.
As for Maury Rubin - wow. That's a disappointment. I remember a couple of spots he did on Martha Stewart building the most beautiful little tarts. As a matter of fact, I have his book of tarts and have prepared several of them.
It sucks when an otherwise dependable place goes downhill - which seems to usually coincide with expansion (to another city or another building - no matter). How can someone be in several places at once?? Yet in each place, patrons expect the same high level of quality on which the proprietor has built his reputation.
chiff0nade at 9:04AM on 12/30/07