Trade Rite Market - The Commercial Heart of Little Portugal*

Little Portugal (an area roughly bordered by King, 28th Street and Alum Rock) sits just a few blocks from where I live and yet I had never eaten traditional Portuguese food until last week when someone brought food catered by Rosa of Trade Rite Market to a meeting. We talked about Trade Rite and he recommended their breakfast burrito claiming: "You have one of Rosa's breakfast burritos and you're good for the day."  Well this morning at 8:30 I had one.  The delicious, chewy, warm tortilla was filled with tender scrambled eggs, grilled onions, and red and green peppers. I topped it with tiny, pickled red pimentos enjoyed every bite. It is now 2 o'clock and I am still not hungry.

I was really tempted to sample the Porto Lagrima which sat on the counter with tiny cups and a Santa who seemed to be encouraging me to try it, but with an alcohol content of 20% and the time of day being early morning, I decided to take a pass.

The bakery and the connected grocery store have a big selection of sardines, imported wines, religious trinkets  and Portuguese pastries. 

I don't know what those pastries on the left side of the tray are, but I know that before vacation is over I am going back for one and a cup of Rosa's espresso.

*The spiritual heart of Little Portugal is Five Wounds Church.

Birthday Cake

When my daughter mentioned she would be bringing me a birthday dessert this weekend, I pictured one of her fabulous cakes that she makes and then reviews on her blog.  So when she showed up with a box of rich and delicious toffee bars, I have to say I felt like I still needed a cake or at least a cupcake.  So off we went to Bijan Bakery.  The store itself is a feast.  The beautiful curved display cabinets are topped with huge sprays of gorgeous flowers and sample cakes.  Because the bakery is long and narrow and plate glass windows run the entire length, everyone gets a nice view of the Fairmont Hotel courtyard.   And now for the desserts.  A member of my book club has made it a tradition to show up at each of our meetings with a box of pastries from Bijan's  and we love them.  I had tasted their tarts and Napoleans and cookies before but I had no idea how huge the selection is here.  You can get anything from a biscotti to a wedding cake and it is all fantastic.  I chose a raspberry mousse layer cake with a raspberry glaze and it was so good I wanted to lick the little paper wrapper that it was served in.  The quality is high and the prices are reasonable. Do not wait for your birthday.  Go now!