Omnivore - Post-workout snack of the week

• Cliff Bostock’s iPhone
• Panini at Alon’s

I’ve been having car troubles lately. Every time I get in my Jeep after working out at the gym, its homing device automatically takes me somewhere to replenish my carbs.

Yesterday’s involuntary trip was to Alon’s Bakery. Of course, I planned only to have something simple and healthy, like the almond croissant I selected.

But then I noticed the panini. I’ve always liked the one stuffed with bresaola, fennel, parmesan cheese, and a mouth-popping pepper sauce. I owed myself one. Oh, and since I was there, I might as well buy a ficelle.

I ate the panino on the way home, split the croissant with a client an hour later and toasted the ficelle with olive oil for breakfast this morning. I give the panino a B because the pepper sauce, as much as I like it, overwhelmed most of the sandwich’s other contents. The croissant earns an A; it’s just about impossible to find a better one in the city. The ficelle gets a B because the crust had turned chewy. I blame the rainy weather.

Alon’s will reach its 20th anniversary in May of this year. It greatly improved the quality of the bakery scene here when it opened in 2002 and continues to be among the best.