The Placid Baker

One word. Pretzels.
My son and i happened across The Placid Baker’s table at the Troy Farmers Market right when they brought out their handmade pretzels. We only purchased 5, and as soon as we bit into one we instantly regretted not buying the entire basket. I’ve spent a lot of time in NYC and Philly, and have eaten my weight in what i call «streetcart pretzels», so i think I’m quite qualified to say… The Placid Baker makes the best pretzels in the universe.

They had pretty limited options in terms of sandwiches but their Tom’s Turkey was great! Also they have delicious sweets!

I’m giving it two stars because I’ve had the bread before and it’s incredible.
I’m just really sad that they don’t make one option that they can make vegan for lunch. The veggie sandwich I wanted today was unable to be made vegan because it was pre-​mayoed .I don’t think it would be so hard to either set aside a few to make vegans happpy.
Hopefully one day they will make sure that even though they have a very limited menu, that everyone can eat there. :)

I came to check out the options for a light mid morning snack right before noon time. It is more of a bakery-​café as a handful of tables are situated alongside its storefront for patio lovers and another handful of tables within.
I was disappointed to see the items in the case including what seems like 2 types of macarons (very uneven in shape and did not have the prominent feet), some brownies, cookies, scones, cinnamon roll, and 4 kinds of croissants: chocolate, almond, plain, and ham/​cheese. I went for the ham/​cheese croissant ($ 3.25) and while the croissant itself was nicely layered and crisp, carrying a light buttery flavor, it only had a sliver of ham and melted cheese inside. It was tasty and lived up to my croissant expectations taste and texture wise, but I expected more filling to it for its price.
The Placid Baker has daily lunch menus including quiches, sandwiches, and soups that might be worth trying. Good but not a great or impressive first time, but I have hopes they will have more of a selection next visit if there will be one.

YUM. Macaroons, Pretzels, Almond Croissant. Lovely location with great food, I would recommend stopping by for a treat.

FABULOUS! Thank you to Tom and the team at Placid Baker for adding macaron magic to my wedding day. The macarons were soft, crisp, delicate, and delicious. My guests are still raving about them. Tom really went the extra mile to create the perfect flavors and colors — can’t wait to come back for more.

Ate there yesterday. Fantastic homemade bread and desserts. Great Turkey sandwich. Soup looked wonderful as was the quiche.

They stayed open late for me so I could get their amazing macaroons for my wife for our anniversary. They didn’t make me feel like I was causing them any inconvenience at all. They package the cookies in cute boxes. Most importantly – they tasted great!

Quiche and the Tom turkey were what’s up. Macaroons looked bomb as well. Staff is chill. Nice to chat with

This is the yummiest food I’ve found in Troy! Great place to swing in and grab a coffee and tasty baked goods or grab a seat and enjoy tea and a great sandwich, salad or soup! If you haven’t been you are missing out!

Only place in Troy where I’m actually happy to give them my money. This place is an absolute gem. I have no idea why a place like this is in Troy but I thank god that it is. Cute décor, cozy interior, and you even get a view of their kitchen. Friendly staff who know a lot more about baking than your run of the mill bakers around here. If you’ve never been, you have to try their almond croissants. Their other pastries are good but this one is a must try. If you’re in the mood for actual bread, their baguettes are also point. Ciabatta is great as well. With me being an out of state student, this is the only thing worth writing home about.

Awesome Carrot Ginger soup!
Fresh baked goodies for the sweet tooth.
Many teas and coffees!

I’m new to the area and have been searching for a quality bakery for breads. After a bit of online research I decided to hit this place first. Stopped here today and they had, literally, one bread. No loaves. No rolls. Nothing. Just one lonely baguette.
I’m not opposed to trying here again in the future but their hours are sketchy as well. Closing at 3 on a busy downtown weekday? Are they selling that much bread early in the mornings to make up for it? (And really, I can’t imagine all the people downtown are taking time out of their workday to buy bread and sit on it until they leave their job.) I ended up at Bella Napoli (open til 10!) which is fine if you want plain old white dough bread.
*Sigh* Methinks there’s a great business opportunity in Troy for a quality, well-​stocked bakery with better hours.

The food is organic and fresh, so obviously it’s going to be pricey. I finally tried the macaroons today that people keep raving about. Those were okay, but my absolute favorite is the apple almond tart.
The restaurant is set up like a café and has outdoor seating. It’s a bit annoying because the space on the sidewalk isn’t proportionate to pedestrians on trafficable days. It’s not just this restaurant, but all of them on that strip. It is nice to have the option to dine outdoors though.
Overall, decent place to grab a quick bite.

I frequent here at the Placid Baker, for I believe that it is a gem here in Troy. The décor is very subtle and trendy, and it is always clean. You will always see a couple workers rolling dough or whipping up some goodies in the back.
I came here almost a year ago because I was given word that this place has macarons, something that I have been craving for ever since I started attending RPI back in 2012. And I finally found the Placid Baker, which to my current knowledge is the only place with fresh French macarons in the area.
I came in and was pleasantly surprised at the price of the macarons. They are 1.50 a pop, which is cheap compared to the usual 2.50−3.00 price I usually pay in Southern California and NYC. The macarons were fantastic! And I love how they consistently have changing flavors. I great way for people such as myself to always come in because it’s nice seeing what new flavor they’ve come up with. I have tried flavors such as raspberry chocolate, sweet corn, lime, pistachio, lavender, vanilla, sea salt caramel, mango, passion fruit, blueberry, lemon, hazelnut, cocoa almond, coca with sea salt, grapefruit with peppercorn, coffee, and a lot more that I can’t really list off because damn I’ve been here too many times haha.
I came here soley for the macarons up until about last month when I discovered that they make a wonderful Turkey Tom. A perfect balance of savory and sweet, a nice crunch from the apples accompanied by the chewiness of their freshly baked ciabatta.
I have also enjoyed their grilled cheese, tomato and kale bisque, soba noodle salad, and the pesto cous cous salad. Everything is fantastic and fresh! The lady who cashiers every day knows me because I come here so often, she rocks as well!
Definitely a favorite and happy to have this place down the street (:

I recently vacated the capital district semi-​permanently, and I am so very disappointed in myself for not realizing earlier how incredible the Placid Baker is. It is truly a gift to Troy, and if you’ve never been, you owe it to yourself.
You will instantly know you’re in for a treat as soon as you walk in the door– the interior is spotless and the décor tasteful and minimal. The furniture and lighting are made of reclaimed materials by a local builder and are gorgeous. Like any bakery, it smells wonderful. Bright, clean, smells good, delicious-​looking food on display. Aw yeee, you think. You know it’s your kind of place as soon as you walk in the door.
Let’s talk about food, shall we? So I’m a bit of a scone fiend for some reason, and the best scone I’ve ever eaten in my life is made at the Placid Baker. It was a lemon scone, but what I truly loved about it was its subtlety. Without reading the description, it would have thought I was eating a plain scone with a hint of lemon. It didn’t take over the entire sensation, but instead complemented everything else the scone had going on. I can’t really adequately describe the depths of the experience I had with that scone in words, but it was a revelation. It wasn’t dry at all, a fate that befalls many a scone. It was so flavorful and delicious that I’m still thinking about it nearly two weeks later. Despite the strong vanilla flavor, it was not overly sweet, not coated in some obnoxious glaze, just perfection. Excuse me, I need to go gather myself.
I’ve had a few other things from here too. In fact, I went back the next day after I got that scone, like an addict trying to recreate that first high. I had curry chicken salad sandwich which was just fantastic, and one of the finest chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten. The bread had a crunch but wasn’t tough, and the whole sandwich was complex and wonderfully textured. They have good coffee for a reasonable price, too.
The Placid Baker is a real diamond in the increasingly glittering rough that is downtown Troy. The hours can be a little difficult, but they are pretty typical for a bakery (really, not sure what you were expecting, fellow Unilocalers). Check them out at the farmers’ market as well.

I’ve learned something about myself. That my love for these sandwiches is stronger than my convictions but
THEY ARE OPEN ON SATURDAYS AGAIN!
That’s all I have to say.

Another nice surprise in Troy! The Placid Baker offers a good selection of lunch items, baked goods and dessert. They use organic and local ingredients as well, so you know you’re getting it fresh. We got the curried chicken salad with radish and kale slaw, cranberry mayo on brioche, which was delicious and fresh. The lemongrass chicken noodle soup was nice and light, although a bigger bowl would have been nice! The chocolate almond croissant was yummy and my favorite item in the bakery. We also ordered a macaron to go for our road trip, but should have had it while we were there!

I’m a home artisanal baker in my spare time, and I take my bread places seriously. I’ve recently had the opportunity to try a brioche, baguette and almond/​apple tart from Placid Bakers and am ready to say these folks are very, very good at what they do. No votes for or against the sandwiches or the macarons (are those made in-​house?) but the aforementioned items are top-​notch.
What keeps them from five stars? Lack of natural ferments, i.e. sourdoughs, for those who prefer them. Like me. Add those and you climb into the Michael/​Mrs. London stratosphere.

Exquisite lunch experience at the Placid Baker last week. My sister, a baker herself, had been waiting to take me here. I stopped by on my way to NH and we split one of the daily sandwich specials: Niman Ham with artichoke and pepper salad, sharp cheddar and mustard mayo on brioche.
I’m pretty sure the ham fell off the bone and directly into our sandwich. I rarely have good ham in lunch-​meat form. This was tender, juicy, and flavorful. The cheddar was a nice punch and the acidity of the artichokes, peppers, and whole grain mustard pulled it all together.
But better than all those ingredients combined was the bread itself. The brioche was sweet, pillowy, and light. Perfect texture and color. My sister said broiche is her least favorite bread to make, which made me appreciate it even more.
Half a sandwich was not enough for me, so I also ordered the tomato soup. The soup itself was good. Well-​seasoned and thick. Better? Yep, the bread. A chunk of warm baguette filled my stomach the rest of the way.
Well, I still had room for dessert. I got a salted caramel macaroon. It was delicious, but still not as good as the ones made by Bake It Or Cleave It in Rochester. It tasted more like vanilla than caramel.
Don’t come too early for lunch or they won’t have all of their sandwiches ready. We were there at 11:30 and they were only prepared to make two out of the three specials. However, when my friend requested the third because it was the only vegetarian option, they still made it for him.