Not yet named food entry: Pretzel Challah (Los Angeles)

When I travel or in my own city, I always find foods that taste so incredible or that are prepared in innovative ways that I always remember that they are special.  They can be from a friend’s recommendation or a serendipitous find at a hole-in-the-wall.  So as a self-proclaimed foodie, I have my favorite places to go and I am always looking for new suggestions.

When I checked in with foursquare and announced: Got the pretzel challah! Can't wait to have a bite. (@ Got Kosher) http://4sq.com/lfU3l6, a few followers wanted to know about the bread.

When I saw Wendy earlier in my trip to Los Angeles, she kept telling me that I needed to try some pretzel challah.  I kept hearing “I need to take you to glatt kosher to get this incredible pretzel challah.”  I understood the meaning of each individual word, but I couldn’t glean a meaning when they were strung together.  I inherently trust Wendy’s taste in food, so I didn’t worry about going to some kosher deli for food even though I didn’t understand.

Well, my first first comprehension error was cleared up when I drove to South Robertson, Los Angeles, on Pico Blvd.  The store front is Got Kosher? Provisions, with a tag line: haute glatt to go. Without context, I didn’t understand the name of the store was a reference to the Got Milk? Ad campaign, and not just how kosher the food was. 

It’s a small store front with a bakery in the back, a glass counter displaying their meal offerings of sandwiches made with meat and parve foods, a refrigerator for kosher gourmet chicken and turkey sausages and three tables and some chairs in the front to serve as a dining area. It was the bread rack that was the goal.  There were large braided loaves of bread, turning out to be kalamata olives and rosemary challah, Belgian chocolate challah, whole-wheat challah, fennel seeds and fleur de sel challah, and a sole pretzel challah.

Now my second comprehension error had been cleared it.  It's a loaf of challah this is treated in rinse and then baked to get a pretzel-like finish and taste to the crust.

“Is this pretzel challah fresh?” Wendy asked.

“Hmm,” the lady behind the counter mused as she grabbed the bread to test.

“Normally, I don’t ask, but he’s never had this before and I want it to be good.”

“Would you like me to get one from the back?” the counter lady asked, smiling.

Wendy nodded and the lady asked a co-worker to bring out the fresh loaves. Wendy handed me one of them, and it was big.  It weighed in at two pounds.  I’ll admit, I thought that it was a burnt loaf of bread.  Yet, I know Wendy wouldn’t lead me a stray.

We leave with our challah and I’m just astonished how heavy it feels.  After getting into the car, Wendy asked me if she could open the plastic bag and get some pretzel challah.  She ripped me off a nice piece of the bread.  The soft, fluffy, almost-white dough was a contrast to the very dark brown crust. I bit in for the taste, and I was sold.

It was incredible. The challah consisted of six ingredients (in no particular order: flour, water, yeast , baking powder, salt and oil) and it was a magical food. Though there is no potato or butter, it tasted buttery, deceptively dense, sweet and yet fluffy with a caramel burnt dark pretzel taste in its thick bread crust. Had Jesus tried some, He wouldn’t have started his metaphor with “man cannot live on bread alone.”

With that purchase, I drove Wendy back to her place and thanked her for hospitality.  Originally planning to take Santa Monica Blvd to the 405, I double backed and headed to the 101 south to continue onto San Diego.  I wish I had some photos of my loaf of pretzel challah, but it didn’t last 3 days in my possession and it was nearly reduced to crumbs by the time I thought to photograph it.  When I get back to Southern California in December, I will get more and that time get a picture.

Got Kosher? Provisions is located at 8914 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA.