Hi,
I'll be travelling back and forth to Red Bluff, CA from the bay area - 237 -> 880 -> 680 -> 780 -> 80 -> 505 -> 5 (to Red Bluff) several times in the next two months. Would love suggestions for good places to stop along the way for snacks/food/bathroom breaks, etc. At varying times of day.
Last Friday, found a 5star bakery on yelp called "Starbread" in Fairfield (340 Travis Blvd Ste #6, Fairfield, CA 94533). Not far off I80 (Travis Blvd). They basically had one thing (new to me) called "Senorita bread" - almost a crescent roll (shaped like a slim, half-sized hot dog bun, almost hollow in the center, where there is buttery-sweetness).
We got there at 8:30am and I bought a box that was filled with buns so hot, it was uncomfortable to place on my lap for more than a few seconds. The buns were buttery (almost dripping) and sweet (almost like a hawaiian roll) - very slight presence of granulated sugar crunch.
Eat them hot, they're amazing. Cold, the next day, not so much. Didn't have any left to try reheating to see if they were nearly as good fresh, but how could they be?
Also bought some pork rinds (hard-crunchy kind) and some oily roasted peanuts with a little garlic. The peanuts were a good car snack, but a little greasy.
They had some baked sweet like a baked manju with yellow bean or purple yam (ube?) on the inside, but i didn't try them.
Hope you have another bakery to recommend for me to try that's not far off the freeway! Would LOVE to find a bakery with "artisan" bread - like a cheese board/acme/etc
thanks,
Audrey
If you follow a more coastal route, you could stop by the bakery run by one of the Schats family in Ukiah. I've never been there, and in fact, the only Schats product I've had in the last 30 years was some jalapeño cheese bread made by the Carson City location, just over a year ago. I know people who love, love, LOVE Schats' breads, and others who think, "Who in the hell could possibly love this bread?"
FTR, the jalapeño cheese bread was really good. Was it good enough to recommend that you plan a trip around it? Eh, probably not.
Link to a prior discussion about Shats bakeries: https://www.chowhound.com/post/schats...
In hawaii, we call them "spanish rolls" and the pace to get them is nanding's bakery in waipahu
https://www.yelp.com/biz/nandings-bak...
It's a somewhat hit or miss area. For baked goods, and top notch dinner food hit any of the black bear diners. They are surprisingly good. Pie for breakfast? Or a muffin?
Farwood, in Orland, is solid. Granzellas is only good for avoifing in my opinion.
Back in the day the Pot Belly, in Red Bluff, had the world's best pie. End of story. But it burned decades ago.
That sounds amazing!
I just did several trips along the 680/80 (as far as 505) part of that route. I remember seeing signs for a bakery, but didn't have time to check it out.
As for snacks/food/bathroom breaks, I did have lunch at Pelayo's Mexican Food in the mall that's right on the 680/80 junction in Cordelia (there's a Costco with a gas station there, which is why I stopped there). The food was fine but unexceptional, except for the excellent al pastor, which included the traditional but often lacking grilled pineapple, and the watermelon agua fresca (which really hits the spot in the Valley in the summer!).
If you really want "all hours" and will settle for better-than-average fast food I'll note there is a Nation's Giant Burgers in Vacaville that is open until 1 a.m. I found a cheeseburger, iced tea and slice of lemon meringue pie to be quite restorative at that hour! There's also a Sonic in Fairfield that's open late and a Grocery Outlet in Vacaville for cheap road snacks and drinks (open until 10 p.m.) and an easily accessible bathroom.
I'd love to know if there are any chow-worthy stops in the Concord area.
Here's my post from last year on Señorita bread at the Vallejo Starbread. It's a small local chain. I'd tried to buy this stuff at a couple other locations, only to find it sold out. But keep trying!
https://www.chowhound.com/post/starbr...
There's a new one in Pacifica that you could hit on your way to and from Año Nuevo.
http://www.starbreadca.com/
You might consider a stop in Winters; they have been crafting a reputation for better food as a small town in the middle of the farmland.
https://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/res...
https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/...
Also: a small peruvian restaurant off I5 in Corning: "Condor Marka Peruvian"
https://www.yelp.com/biz/condor-marka...
Not fast food, not cheap food, but I don't mind supporting a local restaurant with good ingredients and good food! We've called ahead and ordered boxes of empanadas and alfajores for a family gathering - I think I called when I was about an hour away and let them know when I thought I'd be there.
Those were also mentioned in an SFGate article "the best hidden gems of the Bay Area suburbs." There are several other places listed that are along your route: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...
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