Brown Bear Baking — Restaurant in Orcas Island

Would come back in a heartbeat. These people demonstrate a level of passion and care that shows through their work and is hard to find even in Seattle. If you show up at the right time you can watch them make and roll up a 5 foot log of cinnamon buns.

My husband and I stumbled into this delightful little cafe/bakery on our final morning of a weekend getaway to the island. I could not be more happy with my experience. Every one of the pastries on display, savory or not was a thing of beauty. Consistently and expertly crafted so that each one looked just as appetizing as the last. Im angry that I had to make a decision because I wanted to try them all. I especially want to visit during lunch to see what their other offerings look like.

The cafe serves Victrola coffees and Steven Smith Teas. I love the Lord Bergamot Earl Grey that smith teas offers and I asked for an unsweetened London fog. It was beautiful. My husband asked for a doppio espresso, and it was pulled expertly. Served in a demitasse size cup it was the proper volume of just over 1 fluid ounce and packed with wonderful spicy notes and a deep chocolate background.

I enjoyed a chive and gorgonzola scone and a pain a poulet. My husband had an orange morning bun and another savory pain option. I normally hate gorgonzola, and a bleu cheese I can stomach is few and far between. This scone however, was perfect. It was well balanced between the buttery scone and the rich cheese and the chives melded really well with the hint of funk from the gorgonzola. The Pain a poulet had a slice of apple with applewood smoked chicken sausage (I think) and it was the perfect balance of savory and sweet with a hint of herbs from the sausage and an amazing crispy and buttery croissant around the filling. The orange bun was tender and sweet bursting with a powerful orange essence I was surprised by, and was glistening with caster sugar. This was a welcome break from the normal morning buns that are filled with cinnamon or have caramel...

You step inside the rustic and welcoming bakery and you immediately feel warm and cozy. Then you wait in line to order, are immediately given the food items from your order so you can go find an open table to sit and eat… drinks are picked up at the far end of the bar. There is a small number of tables/seats inside… but a decent number of seats outside. Right by the cash register (that you order at) is a display of all the pastries, croissants, quiches, and croque options. The croque options here are unique in that they are open faced on one large slice of bread (rather than in sandwich form) and have roasted asparagus & no bechamel. There were three of us and we ordered the ham & leak quiches for dine in, and a couple pastries to enjoy after the quiche were finished and then also a couple things to go. I was very impressed by everything we got. The ham & leak quiche is rich & full of flavor but also still very light and delicate. The almond fruit crumble is amazing: it’s light, rich, but mildly sweet and the crumble topping is a nice addition of texture and savory sweet. The sides are kind of a cut off and toss though, as they are overcooked. I’d order a center piece on my next visit, rather than a border piece from the tray. The currant scone was also a big hit. The scone is very mildly sweet which is such a nice change from the overly sweet everything in America. There’s a sugar dusting on top which gives the scone a nice crunch and also just the right amount of sweetness to the treat. I would definitely come back to try other items and also to watch the baked goods being prepared and baked, as the kitchen is entirely open and in full view from anywhere inside the establishment....

I think there's a consistent issue on Orcas with quality for price. Brown Bear is a really charming space with polite staff, comfortable yet minimal seating and a warm atmosphere. Where it starts to lose me is pricing. We paid $36 + 20% tip for two sandwiches. The roast beef was decent enough, but we didn't get much flavor from the filling or the bread. Using something like a croissant or baugette would've made more sense - the bread felt heavy, and only the top of the bread carried flavor. The apple and ham option had most of the same issues, though the unique combination is admirable. Service was polite, though if you're in a rush I can't say it was worth the 15 minute wait. Finally, the included side salads had a LOVELY vinaigrette! Unfortunately, they were pathetically small for the cost. To purchase one of these salads independently, it costs $5. It'd be cheaper to buy some greens and a lemon from the store. You'd have lots of leftovers too!

Sandwiches: 3/5 by no means gross, just disappointed in the relatively mediocre quality for the price.

Salad: 3/5 (i·o·ta /īˈōdə/Definition: an extremely small amount). That's all the description the salad needs.

Service: 4/5 As is the standard on the island for the most part, the service is friendly and excellent. One can't blame price gouging on those just trying to pay rent.

Overall: 3/5 I don't have a problem with expensive. I simply ask that when I pay that much for such a simple dish, I get what I pay for. (Like you do at Roses, their salami and provalone sandwich is excellent and...