Owner of 28th Avenue’s Crema keeps a good thing going

By Liz Colie Gadberry

The Portland Tribune, Apr 15, 2005, Updated Oct 30, 2009

When Carrie Birrer sold the popular Florio Bakery last May, many people worried that the quality would decline. They didn’t need to get their knickers in a twist. Brent Fortune bought Florio lock, stock and barrel, but he changed little except the name.

Crema Coffee & Bakery (2728 S.E. Ankeny St., 503-234-0206) still serves superior coffee drinks and excellent baked goods. Stumptown-trained baristas make some of the best lattes in town. And Crema’s four bakers (three of whom graduated from the Western Culinary Institute) turn out pastries that are to die for. I’d eat the pain au chocolat if it were only half as good as it is. And there’s a scrumptious raspberry vanilla cream Danish. Only the cinnamon rolls are a bit on the dry side.

Crema’s sandwiches are quite good. The turkey and brie panino is served with a tasty, tangy dipping sauce. The turkey dill sandwich is nice, too.

Located on the same block as Noble Rot, Crema is a nice component of the Southeast 28th restaurant scene. The big, open room with floor-to-ceiling windows is a hangout for Southeast Portland hipster professionals (that’s not always an oxymoron). They’re lured to Crema by the cool space, the great coffee and pastries, and by one change that Fortune did make: free wireless.

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On the subject of coffee shops and sandwiches, I have something to say about the relatively new pre-made sandwiches being sold at Starbucks. They stink. I’m not an anti-Starbucks person. I go to Starbucks occasionally (although I keep it secret from my sister who is part of the “Starbucks is the evil empire” contingent). Really, the coffee is not bad, and supposedly they are nice to their employees. Plus Starbucks is everywhere. But I digress. The point is these sandwiches are horrible. The bread is dry, the turkey is sickeningly slimy, and the flavor is blah. In short, skip them.

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