Pro tip: Forno Cultura is the only place to get decent espresso on this strip of King West. They use Illy beans, and Britt really knows how to pull espresso.
Forno Cultura is my neighbourhood bakery and I love it (and everyone who works there) with all my heart. These people love what they do and are always investigating new recipes and perfecting their techniques. Everything they make is delicious, so I'll just run down a few of my favourites.
They make Sicilian-style cookies, which I never thought I'd be able to get outside of Sicily. These are tender nut-based cookies in a variety of flavours. They're perfect for traveling. Grab a bag for your next road trip.
I pretty much have to restrain myself from buying a slice of the semolina olive oil cake every time I walk by (which is twice a day). This rich, tender barely-sweet cake is dusted with rosemary and pine nuts. Close your eyes and you're in Rome.
Their breads are hearty and tasty, with great texture and a good chewy crust. We always have a loaf of seed bread or olive bread in our house.
For lunch, you can't do better than their huge sandwiches. One feeds two people. We love their porchetta and proscuitto versions. They also make Roman-style pizza which looks fab but I haven't tried it yet.
Finally, just to show off they make a dark chocolate olive cake which is served in little metal tubes. The combination of chocolate and salty dried Moroccan olive is even better than salted caramel. It doesn't photograph well, but has flavour dialed up to 11.