The Essential Baking Company

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1604 N. 34th St. Seattle, WA 98103

206-545-0444

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Seattle Weekly
Recommended
Best Reason to Go to Essential Bakery Cafe (Besides the Bread)
Award Winner 2008

Cuisine(s): Bakeries

Hours: Sun 8am-6pm, Mon-Fri 6am-6pm, Sat 7am-6pm

Price: $
Features: Kid Friendly, Takeout

Serving: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Alcohol: None
Reservations: Not Necessary

Parking: Street

Description

If you think hearty organic breads, sandwiches, and soups when you think of the Essential Baking Company Café, it's time to expand your ideas to include decadent desserts. The tartlets are grand: Fresh fruit toppings-whether seasonal berries or apple or pear-fabulous custard, and a sugary pastry crust are what make a perfect tart, but pure fluid chocolate and lemon curd are not to be sneezed at. A white-chocolate cheesecake and chocolate mousse pyramid help round out the dessert menu. Stop by after dinner and see for yourself what fresh ingredients and a whole lot of butter can do.

2008 | Best Reason to Go to Essential Bakery Cafe (Besides the Bread)

I've been an Essential bread buyer for years, but when I go to their airy cafe in Madison Valley (there's another Essential cafe in Wallingford), my foremost thoughts are not about the bread. Instead, I dwell on the produce. Essential makes some of the freshest salads in town, and I once had there the sweetest cherry tomato I've ever tasted. The produce comes from a popular Seattle warehouse, not any special local farm, according to Neil Palmer, manager of the Madison Valley cafe. Still, he... More »

Morning Free Food(!) News: Starbucks, Taco Del Mar, Cinnabon Give Away Goods Today, EBC Pours Complimentary Coffee Tomorrow

By Erika Hobart | Thu, April 15, 2010

It's Tax Day! Foodies, you know what that means. Restaurants want your measly tax refund business. So they're luring you in with free stuff! For your convenience, we've compiled a list of places in Se... More »
Essential Excess

By Noam Reuveni | Wed, June 18, 2003

IF YOU THINK hearty organic breads, sandwiches, and soups when you think of the Essential Baking Company Cafe, it's time to expand your ideas to include decadent desserts. Along with later hours and an offering of several draft beers and a slew of... More »
Ciao Bella Ristorante Is Back!

By | Wed, April 23, 2003

ON THE PLATE Ciao Bella Ristorante, the Italian bistro that suffered a fire last fall, is open again in the same locationa little house near UNIVERSITY VILLAGE. 5133 25th Ave. N.E., 206-524-6989. APRIL 25 If you can't be in Southwest France, yo... More »
Have a Little Something

By Jill Lightner | Wed, September 11, 2002

ESSENTIAL BAKING CO. 1604 N. 34th, 545-8431 ALBERTSON'S MERCER ISLAND 2755 77th S., 232-0244 LEAH'S BAKERY 2114 N.E. 65th, 985-4627 SWEET LORRAINE'S 3055 21st W., 301-9100 As anyone with an occasional craving for pastrami can tell you, Seattle is ... More »

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seattleweeklybestof | Seattle, WA | 62 Reviews

| Wed, May 6, 2009

I've been an Essential bread buyer for years, but when I go to their airy cafe in Madison Valley (there's another Essential cafe in Wallingford), my foremost thoughts are not about the bread. Instead, I dwell on the produce. Essential makes some of the freshest salads in town, and I once had there the sweetest cherry tomato I've ever tasted. The produce comes from a popular Seattle warehouse, not any special local farm, according to Neil Palmer, manager of the Madison Valley cafe. Still, he says, "We try to get organic." It pays off. A small salad makes a perfect lunch, and you don't even have to forgo bread, since it comes with crunchy, olive oil�brushed flatbread.�Nina Shapiro 2719 E. Madison St.,

Main

Soups And Salads
Served With Pizza Bianca Please See Our Daily Soups And Salads On The Chalkboard

Cup $3.50
Bowl $5.50

Soup Du Jour-two Daily

Side $3.50
Large $5.50

Salad-two Daily

Lunch Combo
choose any combination of soup, salad or sandwich and get $1.00 off total price.

Grilled Sandwiches

Half $4.75
Whole $6.75

Pastrami Reuben, Turkey Rachel Or Portabella Reuben
pastrami, turkey or roasted portabella mushroom with swiss cheese, russian dressing and fresh red cabbage

Half $4.75
Whole $6.75

Grilled Caprese Sandwich
mozzarella cheese, balsamic tomato, watercress, and red onion served on our rosemary bread

Half $4.75
Whole $6.75

Black Forest Ham
sliced black forest ham, swiss cheese, parsley butter, and onion grilled on our columbia bread

Half $4.75
Whole $6.75

Tuna Melt
albacore tuna, pumpkin seeds, lemon aioli, celery, tomato and sharp cheddar grilled on our signature fremont sourdough

Half $4.75
Whole $6.75

Portabella Burger
over roasted portabella mushroom with gorgonzola cheese grilled between our poppy seed kaiser roll served with a side of baby spinach and tomato

Kids' Specials
Pb&j Grilled Cheddar Cheese Or Peanut Butter With Housemade Chocolate Ganache

Half $3.75
Whole $4.75

Kids' Specials

Specialty Sandwiches

Half $4.75
Whole $6.75

Roasted Chicken Salad
herb roasted chicken, walnuts, cranberries, citrus aioli and watercress served on our walnut bread

Half $4.75
Whole $6.75

Braised Turkey
over braised turkey, swiss cheese, tomato, watercress, and stoned ground mustard aioli on our roasted potato bread

Half $4.75
Whole $6.75

Garden Vegetable
whipped cream cheese, cucumber, tomato, fresh watercress and avocado puree on our whole wheat desem bread

Special Items

$3.50

Oatmeal
organic steel cut oats

$3.50

Granola
housemade and organic

$3.50

Fruit Salad
organic fresh fruit

$1.50

Toast
toast served with preserves & butter

$3.00

Quiche
lorraine, spinach & feta, broccoli & cheddar or three cheese

$4.00

Stromboli
ham & provolone, mushroom & provolone, and seasonal

Crepes Savory

$6.00

Spinach And Mushroom Crepe
sauteed crimini mushrooms, fresh spinach, provolone & mozzarella

$6.00

Bacon And Cheese Crepe
bacon, provolone, mozzarella, and cracked black pepper

$6.00

Salmon, Dill And Caper Crepe
lox, fresh spinach, capers, and dilled creme fraiche

Crepes Sweet

$4.00

Lemon And Sugar
a french classic-freshly squeezed lemon and powdered sugar

$5.00

Housemade Chocolate Ganache Crepe
our organic dark chocolate topped with whip cream

$6.00

Seasonal Fruit Crepe

Beverages

Schooner $2.75
Pint $3.50

Beers On Tap
ask about our rotating regional selections

Glass $5.00

Wine
please inquire about our seasonal wine choices

Beverages Other Cold

Glass $1.95

Honest Tea

Glass $1.25

Pellegrino Water And Sodas

Glass $1.50

Bottled Sodas

$3.50
$2.50

Columbia Gorge Organic Juices And Smoothies

$1.00

Bottled "water More Precious Than Gold"

Beverages Coffee

$1.95
$1.60
$1.40

Organic Drip Coffee
espresso, americano and machiatto

$1.40

Single Shot

$1.60

Double Shot

Latte And Cappuccino
espresso and steamed or foamed organic milk

$2.20

Single Short

$2.40

Single Tall

$2.70

Double Short

$2.90

Double Tall

$3.00

Double Grande

$0.50

Extras

Beverages Teas

$1.85

Black
earl gray-fruity and aromatic, scented with bergamot oil darjeeling-himalayan high hills grown with a nutty strong character ceylon-fair trade certified medium bodied with a mild nutty cap

$1.85

Flavored Black
chocola-rooibos with slightly bitter chocolate and smooth vanilla bean black velvet-ginseng, peppermint, and licorice with china black tea

$1.85

Oolongs
iron goddess of mercy-amber liquor taste with peach and tree nuts

$1.85

Green
gen mai cha-lite green with delicate barley and nutty toasted rice kokeicha-vibrant japanese green made from powdered sencha dragon's well-pan fired to produce smooth aromatic undertones

$1.85

White
rai mu tan-smooth and flowery with a hint of earthiness

$1.85

Blended

$1.85

City Harvest Black-orchid Scent & Vanilla Flavored Vietnamese Black Tea

$1.85

Tisane (naturally Caffiene Free)
ambroisa-sweet & pleasurable with apple, chocolate, vanilla, and mango chamomile-whole egyptian flowers, gently relaxing chamomile lavender-floral chamomile with hints of lavender and lemon rooibos-earthy south african herb, smooth and mellow taste yerba mate-grassy & stimulating contains mateine similiar to caffience)

Other Hot

$2.70
$2.50
$2.00

Hot Chocolate And Steamers
made with essential dark chocolate or flavored syrups

Looking for another city?

The Essential Baking Company

1604 N. 34th St. Seattle, WA 98103

206-545-0444

Description

2008 | Best Reason to Go to Essential Bakery Cafe (Besides the Bread)

By Erika Hobart | Thu, April 15, 2010

By Noam Reuveni | Wed, June 18, 2003

By | Wed, April 23, 2003

By Jill Lightner | Wed, September 11, 2002

seattleweeklybestof | Seattle, WA | 62 Reviews