Fall for Basque cheesecake, sourdough brioche and scones at new Tacoma bakery

A mysterious glow of a neon cheesecake appeared in the papered-up windows of the subterranean kitchen under Berliner Beerhall a few weeks ago. The owners of the German pub in downtown Tacoma had decked out the space with Blodgett deck ovens for a presumed pizza parlor, but years had passed, and it had yet to open. What could it be?

It’s Bas Que, a new bakery from DJ Park and Seong Hyun Lee, an ambitious couple already producing some of the finest baked goods in the area.

The signature and guaranteed mainstay is a luscious Basque-style cheesecake, the crustless version with a caramelized, nearly burnt top that originated — only in the late 1980s — at a humble restaurant in San Sebastien, La Viña. Park and Lee spent several months traveling through the British countryside, France and Spain, but they fell head-over-heels for the laissez-faire, bar-hopping, tapas here and pinxto there, maybe we’ll have dinner at 10 p.m. chill of this distinctive region of Spain.

The name of the Tacoma bakery is somewhat cheeky, spelled as two words and “que” rhymes with “hey,” almost as a question. The goods reflect that playfulness.

Take the browned-butter bar, a rich shortbread-esque dough with an almost cookie-crunch exterior. They wrap them in custom parchment paper emblazoned with the word “butter” in red and a “ruler” that, instead of tablespoons, says “mine, mine, maybe mine.”

Other early offerings have ranged from perhaps the best scone I’ve ever had (flaky, savory, swimming with currants), a divine little pan de sal, a whole-wheat concha with a cinnamon-cookie topper that almost knocked me out, and torrijas — a Spanish French toast of sorts, with a brioche base (a recent flavor featured a homemade chestnut-pear jam). Everything is forged from Washington state flours and the house sourdough, which Park has built from a nuruk culture, a style used to make the milky Korean rice spirit known as makgeolli. Rather than refined white sugar, Bas Que uses natural cane or alternative sweeteners like honey, agave and date syrup.

“I want people to know it’s gonna be worth it,” said Park, adding that their long-term goal is to become a zero-waste operation. They are striving to offer a price-point that feels fair for the quality of the product and the care that goes into making it. They intentionally don’t accept tips. “What they’re tasting is pretty much time.”

The sourdough inspiration came largely from Lee, a self-admitted lover of bread and dairy who is really intolerant to gluten and lactose.

Opening Bas Que in Tacoma

They soft-opened the Tuesday before Thanksgiving when I picked up a few items — including a pillowy, whole-wheat pan de sal hot from the oven. The almost-sweet tang of a three-day fermentation with their house starter had me swooning.

Park has been cooking in professional kitchens for about 25 years, including in Los Angeles where he eventually worked as a private chef and then fell into owning a bakery. “There was a curiosity that kind of sparked,” he said. Baking offered hyperfocused moments of zen compared to the chaos of a loud kitchen, he realized, and a creative channel for unexpected flavors and techniques.

He met Lee, a ceramicist and designer, while staying with family in Korea during the pandemic and later developing recipes for a friend’s bakery. They married and moved back to the United States. Park landed a job at a restaurant in Crested Butte, Colorado, but they knew such an isolated life was not for them. During a sojourn with Park’s family in El Paso, Texas, they tested a baking business at local farmers markets. Then, an opportunity to consult on a new restaurant brought them to our little corner of the Pacific Northwest, a region they had long eyed. They also have discovered surprising overlap in crops that grow well here and in the Basque region, such as quince (which they recently handpicked for the aforementioned torrijas), chestnuts and pears.

“When we looked around Tacoma,” said Lee, “there weren’t any bakeries. Maybe we could provide something to this community.”

(Of course, there are some, but as I have written, the options remain rather limited. A few of the most exciting newcomers for breads and pastries are also somewhat elusive: Lobo Bakery, Balloon Roof Baking, Dough Boy Bakery and Midsommar Bakery, for instance, are largely only found at local farmers markets, other pop-up events and maybe a cafe or two.)

Park and Lee met with Lydia and Dennis Mascarinas, who own Berliner and the building at 2401 Pacific Ave., early this year. The beerhall’s prep kitchen is also downstairs, but Bas Que has its own address — 112 S. 24th St. — with just a walk-up window.

The setup feels, aptly, quite Euro. Peep the pastries in the windows and the day’s menu handwritten on brown paper as you near the Dutch door. For now, the items are sized in an individual, grab-and-go format, but they anticipate expanding to sourdough loaves as they settle in. Pair with a simple espresso drink brewed with Naomi Joe Coffee beans, and order more than you think you need — I assure you, you’ll want more.

Bas Que Bakery

• 112 S. 24th St., Tacoma, 253-255-9265, getbasque.com
• Thursday-Friday 7 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Details: new Tacoma bakery with Basque cheesecake, small-format sourdough breads and other baked goods, plus Naomi Joe Coffee
• Follow instagram.com/getbasque for daily menu updates; whole cheesecakes available for pre-order