One of downtown San Diego’s most creative chefs runs a coffee shop on Cedar Street at the base of Cortez Hill. Recently, The San Diego Sun got a sneak-peek taste of Adore Coffee House’s delicious new “it dishes” for the summer.
Get ready for a series of oversized French toasts made with enriched-dough brioche bread, topped and filled with sweet and savory garnishes and accouterments.
Ukrainian-born Maryna Goncharenko opened Adore more than two years ago. The airy, sun-filled coffee house shares the space with Bloom Avenue. Though the location is fairly low on foot traffic, business is blooming.
One reason repeat customers flock to Adore is Goncharenko’s detail-oriented kitchen skill. Yes, she serves an assortment of traditional beverages – espressos, cappuccinos, matcha tea and more.
The food menu, however, is at times The Bear-worthy.
Goncharenko does watch that Hulu streaming series and admits she sometimes falls victim to the same attention-to-detail syndrome as lead actor Chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White).
“We’re a coffee shop and there’s not always enough time to make these things, but I tried to create something interesting,” Goncharenko says.
A trio of decorative French Toasts are hitting the menu next week. The common denominator is the tender, soft and rich Brioche bread. One treat is a tiramisu strawberry French toast. The bread is stuffed with mascarpone. It’s topped with fresh strawberries, more mascarpone, cacao powder and adorned with colorful flowers. It comes with a strawberry sauce and a shot of espresso.
There’s also a blueberry version of this sweet dish.
On the savory side, Goncharenko has stuffed the Brioche with mousse and topped it with a healthy portion of salmon (tickled with spicy salsa and micro greens). The salmon is further enlivened with avocado cream cheese and some more mousse. It comes with a shot of yuzu lemon juice.
Adore is open for breakfast and lunch. Explore the menu. Fall in love with Goncharenko’s endearing smile. And don’t try to fight the irresistible charm of Brioche bread infused with magical ingredients. SDSun
