Kokuzo-san's facade
以前は上田市の中心にあるパン屋さんLevainの事を褒めましたが、上田は見事にこだわりのパン屋さんは1つだけじゃなくて、2つもある。真田地区の手前にある穀蔵さん。
自分はアメリカから来たから言う立場じゃないけど、日本のパン文化はイマイチ。初めて欧州へ行った時に、パンの世界の奥深さに目が覚められました。長野に来てからLevainさんと穀蔵さんのお蔭で欧州風のパンを食べれて、幸せです。
両方のお店はパンがもちろんおもみがあって、自慢ですが、両方共は建物が格好良いです。Levainさんは上田城の近くの宿場だった柳町にある。建物は隣の作り酒屋の蔵だった。酒蔵がこんなに楽しい作りかと、面白くて。
穀蔵さんはまた古い町にある。建物は古民家っぽいで隣の通りは両側に溝のある細い道。
上田城の見学のついでにLevainさんに寄ってみるのがお勧めで、菅平へのドライブの途中であれば穀蔵さんがお勧めです。
これでグルメなチーズ屋さんのサラミ屋さんがあれば、もう、最高。
Ueda City is fortunate to have not one, but two gourmet bakeries. I've written about Levain, located in the city center, before. Today I went to Kokuzo, located on the outskirts of the town right before Sanada on the way up to the Sugadaira highlands.
Both Levain and Kokuzo bake hearty European-style breads. And both are located in historical buildings. Levain is in an old sake brewery storehouse in Yanagi-machi, a post town on the old Hokkoku Kaido road to Zenkoji. The building is a you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it maze of twists and turns and lofts and cellars, with amazingly hefty posts and beams everywhere to dodge. If I were a ninja, this is the type of house I'd want.
Kokuzo is also located along a historical road. It is in a renovate old farmhouse with a narrow road lined with stone gutters on both sides running by it. You really get a sense of history from the house and neighborhood that nicely complements the richness of the bread they bake.
So if you are touring around Ueda Castle, I highly suggest stopping in at Levain. And if you're on a drive up to Sugadaira, definitely give Kokuzo-san a try.
穀蔵さんの詳しくはこちら Click here for details on Kokuzo.
