Dining Spotlight
It’s all about the bread at Al & Ernie’s!
By Toni Woodard
The east end of Battle Ground’s Main Street has long been a landmark. Al & Ernie’s was originally named after the two cousins who opened Battle Ground’s first grocery store in the early 1950s. The small corner business is now a thriving bakery passionately run by the family’s descendants. Celebrating its first anniversary in November, Al & Ernie’s newest incarnation as a bakery has been a fast and unquestionable hit.
Originally opened for breakfast and light brunch, popular demand has resulted in Al & Ernie’s Bakery Café offering lunch daily as well. The highlight of the offerings is baked goods. Bread, pastries, cinnamon rolls, cookies, and bagels. All are homemade and taste like it.
Other offerings include pesto pasta salad ($14), a bagel hot dog ($7), a yogurt parfait ($9), a tomato bisque soup ($6 cup; $9 bowl), and a variety of coffee, tea, and lemonade ($2.50-$6.75).
The breakfast and beverage options are the same every day; however, the lunch options vary each day of the week. I quickly learned which days (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) feature a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato bisque soup, as both are worth a special visit. I keep meaning to drop by on a Friday to try the Club Sandwich on Sourdough ($6 half; $10 whole).
I heard from a New York native that Al & Ernie’s homemade bagels are the best available outside of her home state. They offer Plain, Sesame, Everything, Rosemary Cheddar, Jalapeno Cheddar, and Sea Salt bagels ($2.25-$2.50 each). Similarly, I can say that the sourdough bread made by Al & Ernie’s is the best I have found since leaving the San Francisco Bay Area over 20 years ago. Their sourdough is truly sour, giving that slight tightness in the back of your throat, and is delightfully thick and chewy. I’ve happily set aside my loosely held “no carbs” rule many times to bring home a loaf of Al & Ernie’s sourdough bread ($11).
I have toured the menu over the past year and can heartily vouch for anything involving bread. The grilled cheese sandwich ($7 half; $11 whole) is fantastic, featuring melted white cheddar and gruyere cheeses between two slices of the heavenly sourdough. It is chewy, buttery, creamy, and delicious. My husband aptly described it as “Not a kid’s grilled cheese sandwich.”
I also really like the Avocado Toast ($10), which features two slices of sourdough bread spread with avocado, topped with Everything Bagel spices, sliced cherry tomatoes, and microgreens. Crunchy, fresh, and flavorful, the portion is just right to be satisfying without being too much.
I also recommend the Jambon sandwich with its quality sliced ham, butter, and Gruyère cheese on a baguette ($7 for half; $11 for whole). Simple, straightforward, satisfying, and delicious.
The homemade cinnamon rolls are incredibly good ($5.50) – and I’m usually not tempted by cinnamon rolls. Al & Ernie’s version is thick and chewy with a light dusting of cinnamon (I actually wouldn’t mind more!) and some of the best cream cheese frosting I’ve had in a long time. Best served warm, the cinnamon rolls are like a rock star bread pudding without the raisins.
The only food item that has disappointed me at Al & Ernie’s is the BLAT Chopped Salad ($14).
Also offered as a Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomato sandwich ($8 half; $15 whole), the chopped salad is basically the sandwich without the bread. Although all the ingredients were fresh and the bacon was perfectly fried and chopped, it just wasn’t as satisfying as the sandwich. It was my fault. Why I went to Al & Ernie’s and decided to forego their bread is a mystery. I won’t do it again! It was like going to a seafood restaurant and ordering a steak. The salad was fine – and made better by adding Italian vinaigrette to the already lightly dressed salad (sour cream/mayonnaise). I just should have ordered the sandwich version instead.
The coffee beans at Al & Ernie’s are supplied by Fox Coffee Company in Yacolt. It has a more bitter taste on the coffee scale. Since I usually enjoy fruitier, lighter-roasted coffee, I often pair my baked goods at Al & Ernie’s with tea ($3.50) or a seasonal lemonade ($5).
Al & Ernie’s is open daily except Sundays and Mondays. Their website is straightforward and easy to navigate, offering a complete menu of their choices. Parking can be a bit difficult due to the bakery’s popularity. There is a gravel lot north of the corner, street parking, and a few spots behind the building on Main Street. Although I often find a line inside, I have never been unable to get a table when I was ready. The quieter tables are in the back past the restrooms. You place your order at the counter and then wait to hear your name called when your order is ready. I hope they someday start using pagers to make things a little easier for everyone.
Al & Ernie’s Bakery Cafe
802 E Main Street Battle Ground (corner of Main Street and Grace Ave)
360-723-0376
Hours: Tuesday–Friday 6 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed Sunday-Monday
Facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559359273528 or search on “Al and Ernies”
Toni Woodard is enthusiastic about food, fairs, llamas and writing. She is the author of “I’m Fine: A Practical Guide to Life with Chronic Pain.” Contact her at toniisfine@outlook.com.
