Bad Ass Pastries at Bad Wolf Coffee

I'm absolutely thrilled that Bad Wolf Coffee has opened in Roscoe Village and now exists for my pleasure. This cozy walk up recently opened its doors next to the Paulina Brown line stop and is open from 6:30 AM - 6 PM every day.



Owner Jonathan Ory is a serious chef with a pedigreed background working at Momofuku and Schwa, and it shows in how seriously amazing the pastries are. Jonathan posts a rotating menu daily, where he offers elevated pastries, not your typical coffee shop croissants and crappy scones.



It doesn't look like a lot on the trays, but just imagine the care and craft it took to make these technically difficult pastries that very morning.



The salammbos appear to be similar to a cream puff pastry in the shape of a small eclair, which has a delightful candy sugar coating. Jonathan then fills them with house made vanilla cream. The cream is extremely fresh and made with pure vanilla bean as evidenced by the black specks. The puit d'amour was similar in that it had a crunchy candy sugar coating, but it was a flakier pastry with a fruit filling. The filling was made with some type of berry and not too sweet. Next was the olive oil cake, which was moist and fluffy and also not too sweet. The cheddar biscuit was really savory! The cheddar wasn't that strong of a flavor, but the level of saltiness was exquisite. The kouign amann is quickly becoming a favorite of mine ever since my first one at Floriole. This rendition did not disappoint. The braided pastry had a soft buttery interior and a crispy exterior.



Jonathan mentioned that his pastries sell out every day, and normally I would say get there as early as you can. But the caneles that come out at 10 AM on the weekend are worth waiting for. They look like small round chocolate biscuits, but oh wait, that ain't chocolate. It's actually a toasted sugar coating that is so caramelized, it turns brown to make it look like chocolate. Inside is a moist eggy custard. For any fan of burnt sugar or burnt caramel desserts, this one is a can't miss! Finally, the blueberry muffin. It's good for a blueberry muffin, but it's a pretty straightforward version. This pastry wasn't for those seeking adventurous and complex sweets. It was the lady behind me in line who struggled to pronounce kouign amann so she just opted for a blueberry muffin to be "safe."

Oh, and they sell coffee too. (I hear it's Counter Culture Coffee). All in all, a welcome addition to the neighborhood and a place that I'm grateful to live near.

Bad Wolf Coffee
3422 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 969-2346

I'm totally addicted to those kouign amanns.

Seriously. I hope I never find out how many calories they have.

I haven't had the ones from Floriole, but they are truly addictive. The fact that I'm not a morning coffee drinker is about the only thing that keeps me from stopping in here every morning, which is good, because of the aforementioned calories.

I hope business skyrockets so Jonathan can hire some help. 6:30 - 6 working hours, 7 days a week plus baking time in the early morning is insane. Even with the copious amounts of caffeine at hand, I think those kind of hours would burn me out within a week or two.

Yes, Counter Culture Coffee.

I could be in trouble with Bad Wolf's pastries, its on my way to work and, if I don't watch it, I'll soon be going the wrong way belt notch wise.

Bad Wolf Coffee

If only it were that simple! Sugar mixed into the the batter, a thin coating of butter and beeswax in the molds, and very hot, extra-long baking times create the shiny, deeply browned exterior of the canelé. The interior is technically a cake, albeit a moist and eggy one.

Canelés tax even the best bakers. I'm impressed.

Well snap203 it looks like your report influenced some of us to stop by. After a morning of weeding at my community garden I went by for an iced coffee an the kouign amann and all I can say is wow. I'm glad it's not too close or my waistline would be in trouble. I look forward to trying his other pastries. Thanks for the report.

No don't tell people about this place It's already becoming crowded even on Sunday mornings.

I don't really like pastries in general. Especially muffins, I think most muffins are miserable. But even the muffins here are incredible. Just the right amount of sweet, buttery, full of rich and interesting flavors. The coffee is amazing too.

My favorite pastry so far is the rosemary walnut roll, but he doesn't make it that much because he says it's the ugliest. The caneles are great too, at the level of the one I had at Le Bernardin.

I also have very few friends who watch Doctor Who, so I get my Who gossip from Jonathan.

Dare I say the kouign amann is Chicago's cronut

1) thank you all for being so supportive!
2) the rosemary walnut roll is the ugliest, but I am making it tomorrow anyway.
3) please tell people about us so we can be busy and stay in business.
4) don't worry about me and hours, I'm used to it. Also, should have an intern soon.
5) fleurdesel, impressed with your canele knowledge. Props.
6) disagree, I did the math on calories. You don't want to know.

Thanks again! See you all soon!

Well, crap.

I'll be in on Thursday for one (or more) anyway. Pastries, they're what's for lunch.

sallekhana wrote:the rosemary walnut roll is the ugliest, but I am making it tomorrow anyway.

Sigh, well now I have to stop by tomorrow before I leave town and try this.

How serendipitous! I walked across the street from Bad Wolf today, noted to myself that I should look it up later, and then this thread shows up. See you tomorrow!

Ohh, I really want to try this rosemary walnut roll! Somebody please post a pic. I'm very curious as to the ugly nature of this pastry.

Espresso is top notch also.

Snap and I stopped in for a quick breakfast today.

The kouign amann were piled high on the baking tray, hopefully a sign that they've been selling well. We picked up one of those and the aforementioned walnut rosemary roll. The roll looked quite beautiful to me. The pastry dough, as with all of Bad Wolf's pastries, is savory with a subtle sweetness that rounds out the flavor. The combination of walnuts and rosemary is really something special. And it goes great with a cup of coffee.

The coffee is fantastic too. I've been doing some reading about what is being called third-wave coffee. The term is being used to describe the recent rise of single-source, fair trade coffee beans. The three roasters most frequently associated with this movement are Intelligentsia (Chicago), Stumptown (Portland), and Counter Culture (Durham). With the recent opening of Heritage General Store down the street that serves Stumptown, the Intelligentsia bar on Broadway, and now Bad Wolf coffee that serves Counter Culture, my neighborhood is becoming a hot bed for great coffee.

This is kind of my ideal coffee shop. Somewhere I can pop in for a quick cup of coffee and a great pastry while chatting with an owner who is passionate about his craft. It's also quirky in a way that's wholly inviting and charming. It's a great addition to the neighborhood.

Bad Wolf Coffee pastries, so delicious you need a safe word.



And yes, that is a slice of grandma pizza in the background. Jonathan made a tester sheet pan pizza, offered me a sample, and it was, as one might suspect, terrific.

Bad Wolf Coffee Caneles, a whole new level of delicious decadence.

turkob wrote: I've been doing some reading about what is being called third-wave coffee. .

If it's in Time magazine it's as dated as cronuts.

Fine, how about a piece from Imbibe magazine about the rise of third wave coffee.

I kind of wish Jonathan would make a cronut so I can see what one is actually supposed to taste like. In the mean time I'll enjoy the hell out of his kick ass canales and kouign amanns. Also this week he filled the salammbos with violet cream instead of vanilla. This place just keeps getting better.

sallekhana wrote:1) thank you all for being so supportive!
2) the rosemary walnut roll is the ugliest, but I am making it tomorrow anyway.
3) please tell people about us so we can be busy and stay in business.
4) don't worry about me and hours, I'm used to it. Also, should have an intern soon.
5) fleurdesel, impressed with your canele knowledge. Props.
6) disagree, I did the math on calories. You don't want to know.

Thanks again! See you all soon!

Thanks for checking in, and looking forward to trying you guys out. Are you guys using beeswax in the cannelés?

1) seriously though. Doesn't everyone know we're on fourth wave now? Lol
2) sorry, no hood = no frying = no cronuts. Thanks for all the compliments! Trying to do a good job.
3) yes, I brush the inside of the molds with a mixture of beeswax and clarified butter.
4) can't wait for the holidays. I've got some big plans.

I had the Eccles cake cake yesterday, quite excellent, in fact I had two. I have a mysterious passion for traditional British pastries and I've made my share, but I despite having salivated over the Eccles cake in the St. Johns cookbook, I haven't attempted these because I suspect they are beyond my pastry skills.

These were nice and flaky, not very sweet, with a robust currant filling:


I'd love to see figgy pudding or mincemeat pies during the holidays. Maybe even a spotted dick?

snap203 wrote: The cheddar biscuit was really savory! The cheddar wasn't that strong of a flavor, but the level of saltiness was exquisite. The kouign amann is quickly becoming a favorite of mine ever since my first one at Floriole. This rendition did not disappoint. The braided pastry had a soft buttery interior and a crispy exterior.

fully agree, both of these items were terrific. I did enjoy the olive oil cake but will be back for the prior two items mentioned. I also want to try a salammbos which he was out of.

Hi everyone,
Two things regarding my hours....

1) I have started opening at 7 instead of 6:30 because no one comes in before 7. I've also started closing on Tuesdays.

2) I will be closed this Sunday (18th) until Wednesday (21st) because of a death in my immediate family. We will be open Wednesday at 7am. Thank you for understanding.

Jonathan

Jonathan,
So sorry to hear of your loss, but glad to hear that you're finding ways to get back a little time for yourself and your family.
Best,
Becky

Visited this morning: the coffee is terrific . . . obvious they're taking it very seriously. But the canelés are a total game changer. I was first introduced to them in Paris, where I ate my fair share. Here, I've had them at Tru as a parting gift, and I love the ones from Floriole. But these are better than the ones at Floriole. Bad Wolf's coffee and canelés have the potential to become an expensive addiction.

New article in the Reader features some delicious looking new additions
http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/ar ... t-bad-wolf

I stopped by and had some quiche yesterday. It was, as expected, delicious.

Love the quiche. Love the Kouign Amman. Love the coffee. Love the passion. Can't stop thinking about the Paris-Brest with brown butter hazelnut cream. So happy this place is in my 'hood.

i just read the Reader article. i think I'm going to faint from all the deliciousness. I must go there tomorrow. Just out of curiosity, what's the price point here? I expect them to be pricier than the average pastry but it sure looks worth it. I'm tempted to buy 1 of everything.

buttercream wrote:i just read the Reader article. i think I'm going to faint from all the deliciousness. I must go there tomorrow. Just out of curiosity, what's the price point here? I expect them to be pricier than the average pastry but it sure looks worth it. I'm tempted to buy 1 of everything.

If you read the first post in this thread there is a picture of the price list. It's not too pricey.