Some Columbus residents might not know the Japanese words for “pastry” (kashi) and “bread” (pan), but the food at Japanese-cuisine Crescent Café and Bakery speaks the international language of good taste.
Owner Hideo Ishikawa and his wife Yumi have a “best-kept secret” on their hands, located a block and a half from UA’s northern border on Kenny Road (near the Pepperidge Farm Outlet).
Hideo is also known as “Dr. Ishikawa.” He taught biophysics at The Ohio State University for 20 years and specialized in space biology. In that career, he worked with John Glenn as a payload specialist on Glenn’s final flight into space in 2005.
TO start his business, Hideo studied the Columbus market and found numerous grocers, fine dining and sushi retailers catering to Columbus’ large Japanese population. However, baked goods are an important part of the Japanese diet, and Hideo saw a need to be filled.
He scoured the country for an experienced Japanese baker, found one in Chicago and lured him to Columbus. The rest, as they say, is history. Crescent Bakery and Café offers numerous breads and pastries. Many are unique to Japanese cuisine, while others are non-native delights such as the Apple Danish.
So what makes Japanese baking so different? It comes down to the yeast. Japanese bakers do not let the yeast rise to the extent traditional American bakers do. There are no secret ingredients or technique, and no preservatives, either. Hideo proudly says all ingredients are 100-percent American, such as “everyday, but top quality” flour, sugar, butter and cream.
The effect of dough made with less rising is twofold. Hideo says it increases density and moisture, which makes the bread or pastry extra rich in both texture and flavor.
“Traditional (American) bakers focus on the crust. Japanese bakers focus on the inside of the baked good,” he says.
There are several varieties of bread, including plain white, whole wheat, a style similar to a French baguette and a Panvigneron (a baguette-shaped loaf with walnuts, raisins and seven grains). You’ll also find dinner rolls and delightfully light-on-the-tongue croissants.
Hideo says the Japanese palate does not favor sweets as much as American cuisine, and the use of sugar is minimized, but not missed in the various pastries. Try the Dorian (named after a fruit from Southeast Asia): it will remind you of a cream puff, with filling similar to a Bavarian cream, or a Colonnette, with a filling like chocolate cream. The Danish include cappuccino, almond, apple and apricot varieties, as well as other seasonal fruits. There is brioche, and a variety of sweet breads. Birthday cakes are a specialty.
The café has plenty of beverages, standard and unique, to complement its baked goods. Coffee (hot brewed or iced) and tea come served in pots, and assorted cold beverages include a Japanese favorite, melon soda.
The best value of all at Crescent is the carry-out counter: you’ll find numerous pre-prepared sandwiches for about $1.60-$1.70, including pork filet cutlet, egg salad, tuna salad, ham and egg, ham and cheese, veggie and an assortment of smaller sandwich “slices” if you want variety.
Overall, Crescent Café and Bakery is the kind of place to visit and experiment: you will most likely leave with some new-found delights that will keep you coming back.
Crescent Café and Bakery
1168 Kenny Square Mall
614-451-2073
www.crescentbakery.com
9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday
Closed on Mondays.
Do you have a recipe you would like to share with What’s Cookin’? E-mail it to us at klohnes@thepubgroupltd.com or send via snail mail to Kate Lohnes at The Publishing Group Ltd., 4500 Mobile Drive, Suite 100, Columbus, 43220. Please include your name and a phone number where you can be reached.