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Ovy Transylvanian Bakery (!), Skokie

Ovy Transylvanian Bakery (!), Skokie
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  • Ovy Transylvanian Bakery (!), Skokie

    Post #1 - March 21st, 2014, 10:31 pm
    Post #1 - March 21st, 2014, 10:31 pm Post #1 - March 21st, 2014, 10:31 pm
    I just noticed this place while out & about in Skokie a couple of days ago, and looked it up tonight. I am intrigued. From the site:

    Ovidiu Pop (Ovy) was born and raised in Romania, more specifically in the region of Transylvania. Growing up he was not fascinated with the vampire myths sorrowing his culture, but instead became fascinated with the delicious traditional pastries that his mother baked to mark special occasions. His mother, an excellent baker, is the person to thank for Ovy's skillful talent in making the famous pastries that warm not only the taste buds of customers, but also their hearts.

    As a graduate of Kendall College, Chicago's #1 Culinary Program, Ovy's fascination with fresh and natural ingredients stem from his education, which was further substantiated by his years in some of Chicago's finest kitchens such as Balsan (Elysian Hotel now Waldorf Astoria), and Blackbird (1-Michelin star). It was here that Ovy realized the value of using the freshest, most natural ingredients, resulting in the most flavor-intensive dishes...

    ...At Ovy's Transylvanian Bakery, we pride ourselves on making delicious Transylvanian pastries such as Cremes, Amandina and Savarina, also some of the classic American desserts, using only the finest ingredients.


    I will stop in tomorrow, and try a Dobos, or perhaps a Savarina. Their facebook page is updated daily, and mentions all manner of daily specials not listed on the website, including savory items like Lángos (a sort of Romanian version of Navajo fry bread, slathered with sour cream and cheese)

    Has anyone else visited this place? Any recommendations? More tomorrow, in any event.

    Ovy Transylvanian Bakery
    3455A W Dempster
    Skokie, Illinois 60076
    (847) 675-7715

    http://ovybakery.com/skokie-pastries.php
  • Post #2 - March 22nd, 2014, 7:33 am
    Post #2 - March 22nd, 2014, 7:33 am Post #2 - March 22nd, 2014, 7:33 am
    Hi,

    People in the region he came from either identify themselves as Romanian or Hungarian. I would not be surprised if you find a mix of cultures there. I cannot wait to hear your report.

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #3 - March 22nd, 2014, 7:50 am
    Post #3 - March 22nd, 2014, 7:50 am Post #3 - March 22nd, 2014, 7:50 am
    I have! After all, who can resist a Transylvanian bakery. First, let me say, that there operation seems slightly more geared towards commercial clients not walk-ins. In fact, you can find a lot of their stuff at Fresh Farms as well. Second, nearly all that they have is in the cake/over $3 per piece category. It is not the kinda place you walk into for a little nosh. Now, that said, is it good? I'm a huge fan of baked goods from this part of the world. You know who mostly did this to me? Fresh Farms. And you know what that means? Ovy's good enough, but the housemade Serbian cakes at Fresh Farms, including Fresh Farm's dobos are just a bit better (IMHO).
    Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.
  • Post #4 - March 23rd, 2014, 12:36 pm
    Post #4 - March 23rd, 2014, 12:36 pm Post #4 - March 23rd, 2014, 12:36 pm
    Is this the bakery formerly known as Le Patisserie? Is this the same ownership, or have they changed?
  • Post #5 - March 23rd, 2014, 4:02 pm
    Post #5 - March 23rd, 2014, 4:02 pm Post #5 - March 23rd, 2014, 4:02 pm
    nsxtasy wrote:Is this the bakery formerly known as Le Patisserie? Is this the same ownership, or have they changed?
    Same location - http://skokie.patch.com/groups/business ... an-goodies
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #6 - March 27th, 2014, 10:37 pm
    Post #6 - March 27th, 2014, 10:37 pm Post #6 - March 27th, 2014, 10:37 pm
    Finally made it in today, and I wasn't disappointed. Bought three items from the jewel-like assortment in the case: A crème (layers of puff pastry filled with vanilla crème patisserie), a Dobos (layers of thin yellow sponge cake and chocolate cream topped with walnuts and caramel), and a bun filled with cheese and raisins. The very nice lady at the counter gave me a freebie, something they had just cooked up: a chubby profiterole/popover, filled with citrus and chamomile-infused whipped cream, fresh raspberries, and fresh blueberries. Absolutely delicious; subtle, and more tangy than sweet. Highly recommended.

    Also, there was a big round table, formally set, in the front part of the store. The nice lady explained that they were doing a catering tasting in the shop this evening, and I snagged a menu. It ran the full gamut - canapes, several appetizers, a sorrel soup and an endive salad, and a halibut main, in addition to the pastries (the profiterole/popover was mentioned as the plated dessert, served with a chocolate sauce).

    I'll be back. (After I finish that dobos.) BTW, the total including tax for the three items I bought was $9.72. Not cheap, but better-tasting and more bang for the buck than, say, a $3 donut. :lol:

    UPDATE: I had the cheese & raisin but for breakfast today - really delicious. Still moist nearly 18 hours later, slightly sweet, with a hint of orange peel in the yeast dough. Good eats! 8)
  • Post #7 - March 29th, 2014, 12:01 pm
    Post #7 - March 29th, 2014, 12:01 pm Post #7 - March 29th, 2014, 12:01 pm
    Have to add my praises as well. I stopped by this morning--how can he have been here for over two years (!) and I just discovered him? Partly because the sign outside still reads "Le Patisserie." You have to look for Ovy's sign. This is not ten minutes from our house and were it not for this thread, I still wouldn't know about it. Small place, beautiful displays. I had trouble choosing from the selection but ended up with a number of items (including a savarin and some honey cakes that didn't last long enough to be photographed). Highly recommended.

    Image
    (That's an Amandina on the left and a slightly out-of-focus Dobos torte in the back.)
    Gypsy Boy

    "I am not a glutton--I am an explorer of food." (Erma Bombeck)
  • Post #8 - March 31st, 2014, 10:28 pm
    Post #8 - March 31st, 2014, 10:28 pm Post #8 - March 31st, 2014, 10:28 pm
    Gypsy Boy: Glad to be of service! I feel precisely the same way about missing it for all this time. I loved that dobos, particularly the gently bruleed top crust. It was such a neat experience finding a bona fide European pastry shop turning out drop-dead elegant stuff in an unassuming Skokie strip mall, across the street from my dry cleaner!

    I think I may have to drop in again tomorrow. . . . I do have dry cleaning to pick up. Really! :oops:
  • Post #9 - April 5th, 2014, 10:06 am
    Post #9 - April 5th, 2014, 10:06 am Post #9 - April 5th, 2014, 10:06 am
    I went the other day, and I'm sorry to say, I wasn't all that impressed. About half the pastries - tiramisu and opera, for which it's traditional, and one or two others - had some form of coffee flavoring, which was an immediate turn-off for me. I tried the crème and the dobos. The crème was quite bland and flavorless; it could have used some vanilla flavor in the pastry cream. The dobos was not bad - a bit dry and again somewhat flavorless - and the crunchy/chewy caramel stuff on top really didn't help.

    Image
  • Post #10 - June 19th, 2014, 7:02 pm
    Post #10 - June 19th, 2014, 7:02 pm Post #10 - June 19th, 2014, 7:02 pm
    I normally find most pastries to not live up to their looks from a taste standpoint, most pastries look much better than they actually taste.

    Mrs Willie & I split a dobos this evening & we were both delighted with this item. Thankfully it wasn't dry or flavorless like nsxtasy's experience.
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #11 - June 20th, 2014, 9:22 pm
    Post #11 - June 20th, 2014, 9:22 pm Post #11 - June 20th, 2014, 9:22 pm
    Mrs Willie and I had the 2nd pastry from Ovy, a tart with yuzu cream, again another hit in our opinion.
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.

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