Farine Away

The crusty, airy, yeasty French baguette alone makes La Farine a lodestone for breadophiles. But that's just the beginning at this new West Town bakery storefront from seasoned Chicago bread peddler Rida Shahin.

Shahin, a self-trained baker who spent years supplying bread to Chicago restaurants, is clearly an overachiever. His small shop turns out baskets of savory loaves--like olive-oil-rich ciabatta ($7) and rosemary sourdough ($5)--each day.

But the storefront's prime landscape is occupied by sweets, a new realm for Shahin, made with the help of an assistant who trained in the art of French pastry in Morocco.

The result is a buttery and beautiful spread of French, American and cross-cultural pastries, from croissants to caramel-topped cream puffs, cardamom-spiked Danish, and cardamom-peach tarts.

One not to miss is the guava jalousie (pictured, $2): This traditional French pastry is part turnover, part strudel, and at La Farine it's filled with sweet, sticky guava puree and cream cheese--a nod to the bakery's Latin American neighbors.

The selection changes almost daily, so call ahead about the jalousie--and to see if Shahin has started making his spicy cheddar-cilantro panini and tuna-parsley-caper sandwiches yet.

La Farine Bakery, 1461 W. Chicago Ave.; 312-850-4019