French Bakery - Baguette & Co

One of my favorite indulgence is a French croissant. Crisp on the outside, with over a thousand layers of filo thin butter pastry. Like many food outside it's original region of origin. Finding a suitable replacement is not easy. In the case of croissant in North America, the three major ingredients used, which are flour, butter and yeast are very different to the ones used in France. The cost of importing the ingredients are cost prohibitive and therefore local sources have to sourced. Baking more so than cooking is a science where little variance can have significant results.

So when Laurent and Bernard (not sure about the spelling of their names!) decided to open their own bakery. They spent over a month experimenting and trying to recreate products that are similar to their Native land. Bernard has an engineering background, is Chinese but was born in France. Laurent appeared to be more of the baker. She had traces of flour on her. :-D . Bernard tells me proudly that all his baker are from France or trained in France. I don't doubt him.

When I walked in there were some bite size pieces of cake and baguette for you to sample. I did not hesitate and was immediately pleased. Looking around, the store was sparsely decorated and furnished. I am told they've been opened for six days. Their window display baskets just arrived and the menu board should arrive shortly.

In the refrigerated display. There were sweets patisserie and petit fours that all looked very delicious. Noticed they were not all perfect asymmetrical and 'big like Texas' that you find in many more North American displays. A lot of them dainty and pretty. The prices started at a dollar with nothing over $6. They are looking to add some breakfast and lunch items. I asked him what his favorite items were and he gladly explained them to me. He also sliced some saucisson(French Salami) for me to try. It was very nice and moister than the North American salami. Appears like they are just working out the kinks. Which is true for any new business owners in a new city.

There wasn't a line up but the people I spoke to, all suggested they loved it or were looking forward to trying Baguette and Co. Eventually I settled on a croissant and a shot of espresso. The espresso was served very similar to in Paris with a dark chocolate. And tasted similar to espresso I had in Paris. The croissant had a nice crisp on the outside but lack the flakiness, buttery layers and fluff that I was hoping for. It tasted good but lacked the texture and buttery flavor. The espresso and croissant were each $2, which i though was very reasonable.

I ended with a couple of boxes of pastry to go. Was able to share them with others. The feedback from everyone was positive. I am definitely returning. Hope that they are able to work out their kinks. Here are a few pics and link to my favorite bakery in Paris. The brioche and croissants are the best I've ever had. It was divine and wish I could have such a nice treat more often. Happy eating y'all!

Paris Bakery

Pros:
Afordable prices
Freshly baked daily
Authentic tasting

Cons:
Limited seating
Still working on a more complete menu
Product show signs of inconsistency

Food: 7
Service: 7
Overall: 7
Value: 7