I remember back when I first discovered Maison Alyzee, I was almost instantly intrigued. The cute decor and outdoor seating for starters, but, more significantly, how good their array of pastries and sweet treats looked. So good, in fact, that it was also readily apparent that they weren't cheap. Not a problem in and of itself, but certainly so when the overall experience falls so disappointingly short...
Given how different they are compared to the majority of bakeries and patisseries in this part of the Bay Area (even for Burlingame), Maison Alyzee is a great addition to Burlingame Ave. While their selection of goodies includes a number of classic offerings (croissants, almond croissants, pain au chocolat, kouign amann, etc.), they also have a lot of lesser seen items, as well as a variety of gorgeous looking desserts, like tiramisu, pies, cakes, tarts, galettes, cookies, and macarons. In addition, they have a handful of hot offerings, like omelettes, quiche, and croque monsieur/madame, as well as sandwiches, salads, and even some breakfast combos (pastry and drink).
-- LEMON TART
Not too shabby, though, I wouldn't say it was among the best I've had. The lemon curd had a nice tartness and consistency to it and I thought the crust was solid. That said, I thought it had a bit too much meringue, as all that sweetness overshadowed the lemon curd.
-- STRAWBERRY FRUIT TART
Not sure they make this anymore (they've only had mixed berry the last few times I've stopped in), but this was actually my favorite thing I've tried. The strawberries were super fresh, the custard was creamy and not too sugary, and the buttery crust was terrific!
-- MARBLE QUATRE QUART CAKE
Nothing amazing, but nothing to complain about either. While I wish the marbling had been better and that the flavors had been stronger, the taste of the vanilla and chocolate complemented each other really well. Plus, the cake was surprisingly moist, too.
-- KOUIGN AMANN
I was super hopeful for this one, but it was a bust. The bottom (top?) had a gooey, caramelized crust and the dough was nicely layered, but everything else was a miss for us. The texture of the dough bordered on dry, especially the outside, and this tasted shockingly bland.
-- RASPBERRY PISTACHIO NEST
On the plus side, this was pretty unique and I liked how the sweetness of the raspberry complemented the pistachio's more savory flavor. On the other hand, it felt like this had a disproportionate amount of dough relative to the amount of filling you get.
One thing about Maison Alyzee that feels rather nonsensical to me is their ordering process. The front portion of their display case/counter is full of their various pastries yet none of them are labeled, so there is no way to tell what their more unique offerings are or how much they cost. Sure, the workers are happy to help, but, a lot of times, your turn comes up when you're close to the register, so you have to awkwardly squeeze by everyone to go back to point out what you want (and then squeeze by again) or try to describe what they looked like. It'd sure be helpful if they posted a copy of the menu on that end of the counter instead of leaving them at the register (unless we just didn't see it).
As for the actual service, the workers themselves are friendly enough, but it feels inconsistent and rather slow/inefficient. The times I've picked up stuff to-go, I've been in and out in a breeze. However, we dined in this time and even though the place didn't look particularly busy, it still took a curiously long time for us to get our two coffees and two pastries...the latter of which were even warmed up! The couple ahead of us in line had to wait even longer for their order, which was similar to ours, yet another person that came in after us got her pastry and coffee just a few minutes after ordering and sitting down. Weird.
Given how I've found Maison Alyzee's desserts and sweet confections to be far more successful, I'd definitely be more inclined to come back for those than the pastries or some of their other dishes. Along those lines, plus points for staying open (relatively) late until 9pm, which makes this place an option for a small dessert. However, even then, it doesn't make up for how expensive so many things are, either.
THREE AND A HALF STARS rounded down. read more