There’s a list on my phone. It’s about 500 restaurants deep.
I know that sounds a little obsessive, and honestly, maybe it is. But when I first started making videos and restaurants began reaching out, I found myself with a real problem: how do you decide who gets a video and who doesn’t? How do you keep it fair? The answer I landed on was simple — a list. Every restaurant goes on it, broken down by city, and I work my way up. Restaurants find their way onto the list through follower recommendations, social media scrolling, or owners reaching out directly. Once you’re on, you move up the queue just like everyone else.
It’s a system. It works. Most of the time.
And then there are moments like this one — where I’m driving past a spot on the list that isn’t quite next up, I’ve got a little time to kill, and something pulls me in anyway. That’s exactly what happened on a recent trip out to Seabreeze. I was actually headed to Anatolia’s Mediterranean restaurant, but I showed up 30 minutes early. Thirty minutes is a lot of time to just sit in your car. So I didn’t.
I walked into Salty Bread Cafe.
Now, I want to be upfront — I walked in cold. No research, no heads up on what they were known for, no idea what to order. I just stood at the pastry case and let my eyes do the work. And that’s when I saw it.
A crème brûlée cronut.
Built for Upstate Winters
I’ve had cronuts before. They tend to run tall and delicate — the kind of thing that feels like it might blow away in a stiff breeze. This one was different. This was the winter-weight version. Wider, sturdier, built more like something you’d eat before heading outside in February than something you’d pick at on a cafe patio. And I mean that as a compliment. There’s something deeply satisfying about a pastry that actually has some heft to it.
But don’t mistake sturdy for dense. The inside is still flaky and airy — all those thin, laminated layers that make a cronut a cronut. It’s just got more presence than you might expect. More confidence.
The Kind of Bite That Quiets Everything Down
The custard inside is cold, sweet, and genuinely comforting in that old-school way — the kind of filling that reminds you why pastries like this have stuck around for centuries. It’s not trying to be fancy. It’s just really, really good.
And then there’s the top. That caramelized sugar crust is where this thing really earns its name. It’s slightly burnt — and I mean that in the best possible way. That edge of bitterness is doing a lot of work here. It cuts through the sweetness of the custard, adds a little drama to every bite, and gives the whole pastry a sense of balance that you wouldn’t expect from something sitting in a bakery case. When you bite through it, the sugar cracks, gets a little sticky on your teeth, and then gives way to that light, flaky interior and the cool custard underneath. It’s a whole sequence. A little event in your mouth.
Is it something you’d eat every day? Probably not. Let’s be honest about what it is — a full, rich, indulgent pastry that asks for your full attention. But that’s exactly what makes it special. From the first bite to the last, nothing else really matters. Whatever you had on your mind walking in? It can wait.
Worth the Detour and Worth Planning Around
What started as a 30-minute gap in my schedule turned into one of the better surprise finds I’ve had in a while. That’s the thing about having a list — sometimes the system works perfectly, and sometimes the best move is to trust your gut when you’re driving past and you’ve got a little time.
Whether you’re making a Saturday morning trip out to Seabreeze for a treat, or you’re grabbing something on the way to work and want to start the day on a high note, get yourself to Salty Bread Cafe and try that cronut. You’re not going to regret it.
One more thing worth mentioning: Salty Bread Cafe is participating in Eat Local New York Restaurant Week, running April 13–26, presented by our friends at Summit Federal Credit Union. It’s a great excuse to get out there if you needed one.
📍4615 Culver Rd., Rochester, NY
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