My SF Bites: Craftsman and Wolves

On my 2011 trip to San Francisco, I was on a mission to find Tell Tale Preserve Company’s mystical savory muffin with an entire soft boiled egg in the center at the Ferry Building farmer’s market.  After many loops around the stalls, I was extremely disappointed to learn that the Tell Tale Preserve Company had closed earlier that summer and with it went my dream of tasting an egg within a savory muffin.

Fast forward to this year, I found myself back in San Francisco, this time at the door steps of Craftsman and Wolves, a modern patisserie in the heart of the Mission, on a tip from an insider.  I arrived just after 10AM on Sunday for my last meal in the city and found the bakery already busy with patrons enjoying pastries and their Sunday paper over coffees and lattes.

The modern showcase was filled with rows and rows of delicious pastries, from sweets to savory, arranged with precision on sleek black trays.  It was then that I noticed a little muffin called the Rebel Within.  The name instantly rang a bell and it was that instant when I made the connection between Craftsman and Wolves and Tell Tale Preserve Company.  This was the second iteration brick and mortar establishment from chef William Werner, the owner of Tell Tale Preserve Company!

With that in mind, I turned back to the display case and faced with so many options, I was in a bit of a state of panic.  Do I go with the items that Craftsman and Wolves are known for or do I venture outside of the known territory and sample some of their delicious looking lunch items or even a tea set?  Fortunately,  the line was too short for me to ponder much longer and in the split second that I had at the register, I decided to trust the public opinion and sample a few of Chef Werner’s specialities.

I realized how ridiculous I must have looked carrying my plate of four pastries but I was on borrowed time after all and who knows when I will be able to come back again!  With my latte in hand and two plates of delicious pastries and a comfortable seat at the bar, I was ready to feast.  The first plate was the savory pastries with the Rebel Within front and center.

I took a knife directly to the heart of the slightly warm muffin and sliced into a beautifully soft boiled egg with runny golden yolk.  The muffin was light and studded with sausage, asiago and scallions.  I fully appreciated every bite of this modern take on a breakfast sandwich.

Along with the muffin, I also picked up a savory croissant.  The flavors change daily and I was lucky to find a delicious prosciutto stuffed croissant topped with asiago cheese and harissa that Sunday.  The croissant was light and airy and just bursting with flavors from the prosciutto and asiago.  This might have edged out the Rebel Within as a favorite!

For sweets, I chose the other dessert that put Craftsman and Wolves on the map.  This little cylinder shaped chocolate cake is called the Devil Inside.  The outside was a rich and dense chocolate almond cake and hidden inside was a fabulously rich chocolate mousse center.  While I wish the cake could have been a little more moist, there was no denying the intensely deep chocolate flavor through and through.  A must for chocolate lover.

Last but not least, I threw in a more breakfast appropriate sweet treat called the chocolate croissant stack.  Instead of the typical pillow shape, this chocolate croissant took on a more modern shape with thin layers of chocolates nestled within flaky croissant dough.  Even though I am sure that this would have been a hit anywhere else, compared to some of the other delicious bites I tasted that morning, it wasn’t quite as unremarkable.

In case you were wondering, I was only able to finish half of what I ordered.  The rest went neatly into a paper box to be enjoyed later that day on my way to Half Moon Bay.  By the time I left the bakery, a long line had formed with hungry diners.  I guess the craftsman does indeed attract quite a pack of ravenous wolves looking to sample a bite of his fabulous creations every day.  Even though I had just left the bakery, my mind was already on my delicious leftovers and busy planning all the items I will sample on my next trip to Craftsman and Wolves.

Craftsman and Wolves | 746 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 | http://www.craftsman-wolves.com/