A delicious surprise
DESCRIPTION: Towards the back of the parking lot, on a corner, sits a small store. Its front is all windows, covered in posters and announcements, and it's clearly a business catering to the Hispanic community in this area. I've been intrigued by it for years, but have never gotten around to going in. Since a couple of months however, the "panaderia" has a large new sign outside announcing their business, a sure invitation for each passerby to come in, "gringo" or not. The first thing that hits me, when I enter the place, is that the store is a lot larger than I suspected from the outside. Two heavy glass doors separate the front of the building, what is clearly the store, from the bakery section in the back. I can see several bakery racks standing side to side, waiting to be filled with proved dough. The store part of the Tres Coronas panaderia contains shelves with exotic products, the more common ones which I recognize such as salsa and refried beans, the use of others I can only leave up to my imagination at this point. There are refrigerated displays that contain different varieties of soda pop, both Hispanic and American flavors, and endless strips of colorful candy hang off the sides of the shelves. To my right is the counter. On top of it are a dozen huge metal trays, and three or four metal tongs. The young lady behind the counter greets me with a friendly smile and invites me to take a tray and a tong, then points to the displays behind me. When I turn around, my eyes meet what can only be described for a "pan"-ophile such as myself, the ultimate eye-candy. Two large displays hold what must be at least fourteen different varieties of rolls, pastries, donuts, and the likes. Bright red, limegreen and sweet yellow fillings literally ooze out of the sides of craftily folded pastries, in all shapes and sizes. Donuts, the size of your hand, are covered in shining white sugar crystals. When I bite into one later, it almost bring me to tears. The dough is soft and almost melts in your mouth, the hard sugar offsets the softness of the dough perfectly when you chew, and the taste of old-fashioned home made donuts brings back memories. Not even Krispy Kreme can top these babies! I am overwhelmed and giddy at the same time by the discovery of this great place, unsure of what to retrieve with my tongs from the display and place on my metal tray first. After asking for recommendations, I end up with four bread rolls for dinner (they measure a good 8 inches a piece), a donut, a sugar covered pastry that looks like a giant snail and that turns out to be the lightest, tastiest pastry I've had in a long time, and a sweetened cream cheese pastry. Damage? $2.65. Soon I will be going back for more. There were pastries that looked like huge colorful sand dollars, that I am sure must be absolutely delightful..... :-)
DATE: 2006-03-08
FOODRATING : 10
SERVICERATING : 8
AMBIANCERATING : 6
OVERALLRATING : 8
RECOMMENDED DISHES : Bread rolls, donuts, pastries