When I first came to hear of the pop-up Urban Apple Orchard that Artisan Bistro was hosting, my imagination was filled with tall apple filled trees looming above me yet below vaulted ceilings within the walls of the restaurant. How they would manage this Saturday afternoon only transformation, I was not sure, but I was excited to find out.
I headed on over the first Saturday that they were open, on the final weekend of September - they are also open every Saturday in October from noon till 4pm - yet Artisan Bistro seemed oddly normal... but the host graciously walked me on over to the small gift shop that was set up off of the elevator lobby of the Ritz Carlton.
Tiny, yet tastefully decorated with a number of apple centered treats and miniature bales of hay, two staffers manned the space. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of trees, but my attention quickly turned to the little tastes of apple cider donuts that were set out for sampling. Available plain or dressed to order with your choice of icings and toppings, they were tasty.
Prices quoted to me were $4 for 2 Gala apple galettes (the tarts), $4 for 2 cider madeleines in cute little bags, $12 for 4 apple cider donuts (iirc), $6 for a half dozen apples from Belkin Family Lookout Farm in South Natick. Additional offerings included apple cider, candy apples, jars of apple pie filling, cinnamon sugar marshmallows packed two to the box, and Kerry's apple & oat coffee cakes.
For $25, one would receive a nice red tin filled with a candy apple, one of the coffee cakes, and twin sets of the galettes, madeleines, and marshmallows. Or for $40, receive double the contents of the red tin, all nicely packed into a larger white tin. A portion of all proceeds go to benefit
The Food Project, so you can eat goodies and do good at the same time!
I've already sampled the bulk of my canister, with the exception of the coffee cake which will break my fast tomorrow. The apple was sweet and crisp and juicy beneath its robe of tasty caramel and chocolate. The crust of the galette could have been crisper, but I enjoyed it nonetheless along with the marshmallow with the crunch of its sugar coating and the tender madeleine.
