Just made my first visit and I'm wondering why I've never visited before; this place is wonderful,…read moreand for several reasons:
- It's a rare city place with a parking lot
- Even the street parking is easy
- Plenty of seating, soft French music
- Friendly staff
- First croissant was warm!
- Fresh stuff
- Extensive selection without having so many that it's overkill
- Some nice innovation but not cheap gimmickry aimed at the Instagram set
Almond Croissant: Gigantic, still warm, very crusty, very flaky, and a near-liquid almond filling that was in the mild side but naturally sweet rather than pumped up with additives. Good crunch to the bite, sending flaky shrapnel everywhere, but yielding to the tender center. Somewhat buttery.
Chocolate croissant: Not as gigantic, but a steal at under $5. Not warm but very fresh, very flaky and delicate, cracking more intensely in the bite with even more shrapnel. Underneath, a very light and fluffy feel, along with a very buttery taste. Not greasy at all; just great flavor, and that's not even counting the dark chocolate, which was understated but effective.
Pain au Raisin: Again flaky, but a bit (only a bit) on the dry side, even with the noticeably custardy notes. Good flavor to the dough. Minimal glaze if any. A rung or two lower on the impressiveness scale than the almond and chocolate croissants, but still solid.
Blueberry Danish: Nice pastry, many layers, light, crisp and delicate, while still being soft and buttery. Good flavor to the dough and faintly glazed. Surprisingly, the crispness lasted well into the early evening, when tried as a take-home item. Lots of blueberries, fresh and not too fussed with, along with a bit of blueberry compote. No gimmicks, no bombast, just good stuff.
Looking forward to a quick return. On my mental shopping list to encompass a few visits: chocolate almond croissant, chocolate chip cookie dough croissant (aka "cookie" and the only gimmicky item I saw), apricot danish, pear danish, pain suisse, and babka.