Fresh Flours, the popular boutique pastry shop on Phinney Ridge (below) is expanding to Ballard.
We spoke with the owner, Etsuko, this morning who says their new bakery will be next door to Bastille on Ballard Ave. The space has a bigger kitchen and they hope to expand their selection to possibly include baguettes and sandwiches. They’re aiming for a November opening and they’ll be open seven days a week from tentatively 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Thanks Nancy for the tip!)
Fresh Flours expanding to Ballard
I'm curious if anyone knows whether there's a certain level of business saturation that corresponds to the demographics of a neighborhood. How many residents of what age & income can support how many eating establishments?
I guess I'm simply overwhelmed by how many places there are to buy prepared food in Ballard, and I'm wondering how people can afford to buy their meals ready-made. I'd estimate I buy meals at a restaurant maybe once a week, usually a light lunch, and maybe a supper out once a month. I think I'm below the average, though.
I did a quick search online, and discovered this report (from 2000) that says “The typical American age 8 and older consumes an average of 4.2 commercially prepared meals per week” (http://www.restaurant.org/rusa/magArticle.cfm?A…)
I wonder if Ballard is reaching a saturation point soon?
This is awesome news!
I'm a big fan of their pastries but Phinney is just a bit out of the way for me.
I think that the fact that Ballard is saturated with young professionals now is reflected in the number of prepared food establishments. I guess you could say that I fit that demographic. And while I have a great kitchen that I always intend to use more often, I end up grabbing prepared food more often than I probably should. I do this for two reasons – time constraints and wanting to get out of the house (work from home).
So hearing that there will be another place where I can hopefully grab something fast and healthy (if they do sandwiches) is good news to me!
Great news! Especially if they're open until 9. If they stayed open until 10, or later, even better! But 9 gets them solidly into the “dessert” category, which is key.
So, for those who have eaten at the Phinney version, what's the affordability vs taste factor? I've been getting lunch at 3 Girls most of the time (I rarely ever eat at home, btw) and the price/taste is pretty near perfect. I would love a second option if they're including sandwiches on the menu.
Yeah, we do seem to have more than our fair share of bakeries and restaurants just now. I eat out pretty much daily but my income doesn't support places like Bastille and Matador. Thankfully, there are still plenty of bars and pubs that serve food. You can still get a '$5 sammy' there. :-)
Don't know about affordability but this is great news – great bakery!
There must be enough traffic during the day in Ballard to support this I'm guessing – I live in Ballard but work in Belltown so I'm not too familiar with the Monday through Friday daytime scene…if they are toying with serving sandwiches they must expect a decent-sized lunch crowd???
Nora, here's there Phinney menu: http://www.freshfloursseattle.com/cafemenu.html
I've eaten there twice now. I thought the price/quantity ratio was a little on the high side, but the food was good. Probably a dollar less would feel better.
Well, for a quick lunch option I'm guessing there is room for it. And if they are open later than 3 Girls I can see myself in there at least twice a week, especially if they do sandwiches. Went to the website and saw the menu and prices. Not bad at all.
Fresh Flours folks, please bring the sandwiches and baguettes to Ballard. :-)
Thanks! Found it on the Phinneywood site just now too. I would rather have a $5 sandwich than a $6 sandwich but I didn't get the sticker shock I was expecting. :-)
If you ate at home a few more days you could afford those places, which aren't all that pricey. Bastille has a lot of good stuff on their Back Bar menu, which is quite reasonable. $5 happy hour Baguette sandwiches! $6 mussels or lamb burger! (that lamb burger is heavenly.)
I can't cook a meal to save my life, and I also have zero counter space in the kitchen. Mealtime at home is normally cold cereal and grapes.
That's what I mean about bar menus vs regular menus. I can (and sometimes do) eat off of the Bastille bar menu just fine (though have to be careful budgeting drinks). Sometimes, though, ya just want a little grilled cheese action.
I find that it's hard to eat out frequently and still maintain good control over the quality of food I'm eating. At least when I prepare the food myself, I know exactly what the ingredients are. Still, eating out sometimes is nice, just not too often. I fear I'd have to buy bigger clothes.
Ha! Good point. I'm a snacker by nature and only do one actual 'meal' a day so I don't seem to get any bigger. And the simpler the menu item the easier it is to understand the ingredients. And I've only had food poisoning once. ;-)
Ooh. i've been there on the no counter space front, but i'm sure we've got enough ideas here to help with a no cooking/no counter meal solution. I often find myself without time to cook due to weeknight commitments and long work days and i learned a few tricks (maybe I'll take this to the forums).
I'm home a lot more than I used to be too. When I worked in an office the kitchen was used only for feeding the cat and keeping the beer cold.
mmm beer
This is so exciting. FF is one of my 3 favorite bakeries (the other two being Besalu and Honore). But since B and H are both closed Sundays and Mondays I have been a more frequent patron of FF and now I won't have to leave Ballard! Although parking might suck…
Yes now I will be in bakery heaven. My diet just grew birdy wings and now has flown the coop. Diet go bye bye.
Can't cook my way out of a wet paper bag. My kitchen is my workshop. ;-) the drawers are for storing tools and project parts. ;-)
It will be a happy happy thing to have a pastry place that will be open on Mondays and Tuesdays when Honore is closed. Some mornings the promise of a delicious pastry is the only incentive that can get me out from under the electric blanket.
Fresh Flours has some of the best quiche I have ever eaten.
And if you walk there, the calories are free!
(Work with me here…)
I live up on Phinney and Fresh Flours is a regular stop for me (some would say too regular :) ). I'm so glad they're successful and are expanding!. Their pastries are a little bit out of the ordinary and their coffee is excellent .
There are plenty of bakeries in Ballard, but the population is still growing. I think people like having a high-quality coffee-and-pastry shop right outside their door for a quick breakfast or lunch – sometimes it's all about proximity. Fresh Flours should do fine.