Marie B.
Yelp
I was thankful that I-5S and 99N were straightforward to/from Shoreline, because I made yet another attempt to check out Panterelli in West Seattle (7/8/23, 8/4/23) after first reading about this indie business in late June. I also had good luck finding nearby street parking in the Junction.
I purchased one of each of the three choux items featured in the pastry case on Friday morning, see my attached Yelp photos of whole choux and later halved.
Note: the pastry case does not have signage or prices placed with each product. I was charged a flat $17.85 plus tip - this was just under $21. Each item was nicely packaged in Barbie-pink containers with a clear lid and placed carefully in a bag. I was reminded to make sure to refrigerate these choux if not consumed immediately. Duly noted for filled pastries on a summer morning.
I would have inquired further about ingredient details and prices. However, there was another individual ahead of me. Plus while in line, I was detecting a strong distinct scent of chocolate. Sure enough, while packaging my items, the presumed owner had to pause and remove a pan of melting chocolate off the burner. Not seeing another pastry assistant in the production area, this was a one man business this morning. It is wasteful to burn chocolate, especially when on direct heat and not melting via a bain marie. So I did not want to further distract the owner with random questions. Plus in my case, the intended choux aficionado does not have a nut, gluten, or lactose allergy. Just take the above into consideration if you or others may have allergies or sensitivities.
I would have had an Illy coffee onsite, per the first Yelp review mentioning "Perfect espresso". But the limited indoor seating was all a jumble - chairs all askew among the few tables. Again, that would have been another pause for the owner. I decided to have an espresso elsewhere instead.
This bakeshop's niche is focusing on choux pastries, familiar as éclairs or cream puffs. The light airy eggy pastry is filled and dipped with tasty ingredients. I appreciated the pastry cream, but did not really pick up the pistachio flavor profile. The pastry shells were thin so contents were generous, but led to the shells not remaining crisp and a bit soggy.
It is telling that the other halves have not been immediately consumed by The Homie. This and other observations resulted in an overall 3 Yelp review.
Instagram posts showed another pastry assistant in training. Glad to see that another indie is fairly successful from the get go with early shop closure due to product being completely sold out. Hopefully Panterelli will get their par numbers increased to allow for consistency and variety.
West Seattle loves their dessert choices with nearby A la Mode Pies, Cupcake Royale, Flying Apron, and Bakery Nouveau...and now with the addition of Panterelli.