We made it to Ken’s Artisan Bakery in the Alphabet District at 11 AM on a Sunday, and found it packed. Not a single table inside the bakery was available.

Understandable, when it has these kinds of offerings.

Tarts and éclairs.

One éclair is obviously chocolate, but I’m not sure about the other one.

Lemon Meringue Tart. Lemon. Meringue. Tart. !

Fresh Fruit Tart. I love when food is colorful. It makes a big difference, right?

Fresh Plum Tart.

Fresh Blueberry Tart. I love the amount of blueberries piled on.

Summer Pudding. I regret not trying this slice of prettiness.

My friend’s “NFL.” Or Non-fat Vanilla Latte.

She, a former barista, pronounced that it had “good foam.” Is it weird to crave foam? Because I do each time I view this photo.

Salted Caramel Macaroon. You’re getting up close and personal with it because the outside table we sat at didn’t provide a very photogenic backdrop.

Salted caramel is one of those flavors I really want to like. But so far I haven’t tried an item with this flavor combination that satisfied, this macaroon included. Actually, its flavor was fine—I could certainly taste the salt and caramel—I just didn’t care for the texture, which I found too chewy.

Oregon Croissant. Now this is something I want to rave about. It was buttery and flaky, with sweet berries (whose seeds added just a bit of tartness) and crunchy white bits that lent an interesting textural contrast.

Because delicious and lovely food deserves a second, closer look.

So, because I wasn’t leaving Portland without some edible treats (and a new purse), I got this Cannelé.

I was intrigued by this French-style pastry at the bakery, and one of the girls there explained that it was flavored with vanilla, rum, citrus, and other things, then baked in a beeswax mold. (Read more about Cannelés and find a recipe for them here.) The girl assured me it was good.

I liked it (and really wished I’d gotten a photo of the Cannelés tower by the register. But I didn’t want to hold up the line taking photos of it. You can see a photo of the tower—the second one in the second row—here). The pastry had a very caramelized crust with a moist and chewy interior (which was sticky but not sticky, if that makes any sense). I think the Cannelé’s understatedness in terms of flavor was the best thing about it. I really want to try it again because I think I’ve missed how much of a gem it is.

I also bought a more-familiar Chocolate Poundcake.

Don’t you just want to break off a chunk of it?

Here you go. As I ate it, I found myself not wishing for the poundcake to be more chocolatey, more moist, or less dry. To me, it contained the right balance of flavor and consistency (which reminded me a lot of a brownie’s). I love it when food gives me nothing to complain about.

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