New York is the food capital of the US, but on our visit, it seems like we ate mostly pastries. Clearly we have a sweet tooth! We also tried many doughnuts in New York, New York cheesecakes, other desserts around New York, New York ice cream, and savory foods in New York
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| Croissants at Dominique Ansel Kitchen |
Dominique Ansel Bakery
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| Dominique Ansel, we're coming for you |
One of several bakery spots by renowned patisserian (yes I made that up) Dominique Ansel, the Bakery is his flagship location. Dominique is achieved renowned when he developed the Cronut, made from laminated croissant dough cut into a donut shape and fried like a donut. They also fill and frost these babies--and they tend to sell out, so it would be wise to get them early. In 2014, James Beard named him Best Pastry Chef in the US and in 2017, World's 50 Best Restaurants named him Best Pastry Chef in the world.
After waiting in line for the Cronut, (and enjoying a sample of their tasty and light mini madeleines) we noticed the DKA, Dominique's kouign amann. After seeing the kouign amann on The Great British Bake Off years ago, I'd made multiple attempts to find one at a local bakery, without success. It seemed like fate, so we ordered a flavor-of-the-month cronut (peach jam and pancake batter ganache) and a DKA and left to eat them on a bench outside.
The cronut was interesting and the flavors inventive, but I'm not entirely sure I'd choose to eat pancake batter . . . ever. Unfortunately, the pastry texture wasn't as crisp and flaky as you'd want. (I'd had better at a French bakery in Provo, UT, so I think that's saying something.) BUT the DKA was transcendent. The layers were perfectly buttery and the crystalline crunch on the exterior was heavenly. It was definitely worth the wait for these Breton beauties!
The cookie shot was a warm chocolate chip cookie shaped into a cup and coated inside with chocolate, with cold-infused Tahitian vanilla milk inside. Mm MM. Yes, they will ship a cookie cup (or a whole set) to you, but no, no Tahitian vanilla milk.
The frozen s'more was bruleed in front of us, marshmallow encasing a layer of chocolate wafer around a vanilla ice cream center. The combinations of flavors, textures and temperatures made this dessert extra interesting!
We also enjoyed a LOT of ice water in here and sat in their patio outside the "Garden" room which was decorated with fake flowers.
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| Pastries including religieuse at Dominique Ansel Bakery |
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| Macaron and éclair at Dominique Ansel Bakery |
After waiting in line for the Cronut, (and enjoying a sample of their tasty and light mini madeleines) we noticed the DKA, Dominique's kouign amann. After seeing the kouign amann on The Great British Bake Off years ago, I'd made multiple attempts to find one at a local bakery, without success. It seemed like fate, so we ordered a flavor-of-the-month cronut (peach jam and pancake batter ganache) and a DKA and left to eat them on a bench outside.
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| Kouign amann and peach jam and pancake batter ganache cronut |
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| Cookie shot cup |
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| Frozen s'more |
And if you're feeding a crowd, you can get the kouign amann in its original form: yes, it was originally a cake.
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| XL DKA: enormous pastry! |
Pain d'Avignon
While Boloud in the Plaza's cafes did not have our beloved kouign amann, Pain D'Avignon was a success! This location is now closed, but the Pain d'Avignon legacy lives on with Café d'Avignon locations in Essex Street Market, DeKalb Market Square, and the Moxy in Times Square, Chelsea and the East Village. The kouign amann was good, baked darker than the DKA, but the DKA was still tops for us.
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| Kouign amann from Pain D'Avignon |
Defunct: Bouchon
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| Bread and pastries at Bouchon |
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| Cream cheese danish from Bouchon |
Defunct: Dominique Ansel Kitchen
Closed in 2020, the Dominique Ansel Kitchen made a kouign amann with traditional buckwheat flour and brown sugar. The layers in this one were not as defined as the DKA, but the caramelly flavor was even better. So, texture-wise, the winner was the DKA from Dominique Ansel Bakery, and flavor-wise, Dominique Ansel Kitchen's BS DKA edged out the competition. #kouignamannoisseurs |
| Tarts at Dominique Ansel Kitchen |
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| BS DKA exterior |
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| BS DKA interior |
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