Galaxy Desserts

Galaxy Desserts is yet another wholesale bakery, that I've been able to order from over the years for my group at work.  The company is a bit interesting, as it is based in France ... and Richmond, CA.  It actually started as a small boulangerie in France in 1936, and has clearly expanded into a worldwide presence.  They are also known as Brioche Pasquier, the operating name in France.  Like most wholesale bakeries however, you are unlikely familiar with either brand name, as they distribute primarily to foodservice operators, and you just find the anonymous goodies at cafes or buffets.

Galaxy Desserts bakes three categories of goods: brioche, croissants, and frozen desserts, although I've only had the later.

Tarts

"Our French-inspired tarts with American flavors are the perfect dessert solution. Made with only the finest ingredients: 100% butter shortcrust and flavor-bursting fillings."

Tarts are available in 4 varieties: pecan, lemon, key lime, and creme filled, all of which use the same shortcrust pastry and are hand-piped with white chocolate decoration.  All are distributed frozen, and simply need to be thawed before serving.

As I am not really into tarts (why tart when you can pie?), I've only tried one.

Lemon Tart.

"Our luscious signature lemon curd filling showcase this delightful classic in out signature shortbread crust."

This was not good.  Granted, I don't like lemon desserts usually, but this was particularly bad.

Shortbread crust can be good.  If it is sweet, buttery, decadent, interesting in any way.  This was just hard and flavorless.

The filling was lemon-y, which of course I didn't like, with a strange layer of goo on top (glaze?).  The only decent component was the white chocolate swirl, and that is only because it was not offensive, not because it was actually good.

**.

Duos

"Created to make you desperate for every last delectable bite, our Duos combine two indulgent mousses in one easy-to-serve dessert. Inspired by the best in French cuisine. Why should restaurants and bakeries have all the fun?"

While tarts may not be my thing, the Duos certainly are.  Mini pudding cups, each featuring a duo of puddings.  You know how much I love pudding!

These are also distributed frozen and just need to be defrosted to serve.  They come in little cups already, mini portions, only 100-250 calories each, perfect for trying a few, or serving as part of a big dessert buffet.

Duos are available in 4 classic combinations (double chocolate, creme caramel, cappuccino chocolate, and raspberry lemon), plus seasonal specialities like pumpkin mouse and egg nog.

Creme Caramel.

"A classic European custard on luscious caramel sauce." 

I started with the Creme Caramel.  This was shockingly good, particularly for an item I knew had been frozen and then just thawed for service.

The primary layer was a very creamy slightly thick custard.  Perhaps slightly vanilla flavored, but mostly, it tasted like, uh, "custard".  The bottom of the plastic container contained a runny sweet syrup, like the top of a flan but very liquidy.  It was intensely sweet, too sweet really, just corn syrup.  Just a touch mixed in was good, but, it was way too much, even the small portion provided.

This duo was not as good as a flan, and not as good as a creme brûlée, but, for a frozen thawed easy-serve item, it was very good.

***+.

Update: I had another, the next time it was served.  And liked it much less.  The custard was a nice texture, but really had no flavor.  And the syrup at the bottom is just way too sweet, even if you mix in only a little.  I didn't care for it much at all this time.  **+.

Cappuccino Chocolate.

"A delicate truffle mousse layered with a cappuccino mousse."

The cappuccino chocolate mousse was even better.  It really was a true mousse, the mousse layers were light and fluffy, so very creamy.  The layers didn't necessarily have a strongly distinct flavor, but, the texture was so great that I didn't care that it wasn't screaming "cappuccino" at me.

The dusting of cocoa powder and adorable chocolate covered espresso bean on top were nice garnishes.

This was only 120 calories, and yes, it wasn't huge, but it really shocked me at how reasonable it was.

****.

Updates:
I've since had this many times, and genuinely enjoy it every time.  While the top layer never seems to have much flavor, the texture of both layers is just perfect, so light and fluffy.  And the chocolate covered espresso bean on top is always a nice crunchy sweet treat.  I continue to want more of these, and absolutely cannot stop with just one.

****+, sustained awesomeness.

Double Chocolate.

"Decadent dark and milk chocolate mousse, topped with white chocolate shavings."

Next up, double chocolate.

I expected great things from the double chocolate after the success of the cappuccino chocolate, but, alas, it let me down.

Neither the dark nor light layers really tasted like much.  Texture was good, but flavor was meh.  The white chocolate shavings on top tasted waxy and plastic-like.  Not nearly as successful as the others.

**+.

Raspberry Lemon.

"Tangy raspberry mousse delicately layered with lemon mousse."

And the final regular flavor: raspberry lemon.

I tried this one mostly out of completeness, I wanted to try all 4 varieties offered.  I don't like lemon desserts generally, but, the others were so promising it inspired, me.

And ... yup, the mousse was lemon mousse.  Fluffy, light, airy, but, it tasted like lemon.  Which I did not like.

I tried hard to avoid it to reach the raspberry layer, but it was hard to get only raspberry.  That layer was very sweet, very fruity, and I'm sure if you like lemon, it would combine nicely.

Clearly not the product for me.

**.

Mousse Collection

Moving on, we have the Mousse Collection, 6 different layered individual desserts, again all just defrost and serve.  They also have a "New Mousse Collection", which features some innovative new flavors, and more complicated layers (think: the Crunchy Hazelnut Mousse Cake, with hazelnut mouse, vanilla chantilly cream, almond sponge cake, and a crunchy milk chocolate and hazelnut layer).  The regular Mousse Collection is more classic, like the Tiramisu Mousse Cake, with a base of coffee sponge cake, a layer of mascarpone mousse, and cocoa powder dusting.

I was able to try several from the original mousse collection.

Triple Chocolate Mousse.
(2018)

"A decadent dark, milk and white chocolate mousse."

The triple chocolate mousse featured a base of chocolate sponge cake, three layers of chocolate mousse, and white chocolate shavings on top.

These were basically larger forms of the Duos.  It was the dark and milk layers from the Double Chocolate Duo, just extended to Triple Chocolate with the addition of a White Chocolate layer on top, and a very thin chocolate cake layer on the bottom.

It seemed slightly more set, thicker, which I liked a bit less, and somehow this form factor was less satisfying to eat from than the cups.  Then again, I never really liked the Chocolate Duo in the first place.

**+.

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake.
(April 2023)

"A triple chocolate delight with layers of decadent dark, milk and white chocolate mousse topped with white chocolate shavings."

"Our Triple Mousse cake is an unforgettable and elegant chocolate triple threat and a triple treat! The Triple Mousse cake crafts three layers of European dark, milk and white chocolates. The top layer of white chocolate mousse atop a milk chocolate mousse and dark chocolate mousse sitting on a luscious dark chocolate cake, then elegantly topped with delicate white chocolate shavings!"

I last had this item in 2018.   I didn't really care for it then, but, after 5 years, I figured it was worth another try.

I started with the top layer, white chocolate mousse.  It had an odd flavor, which I guess was the white chocolate, and tasted like the inside of a freezer.  I will try to give Galaxy Desserts some credit here and blame the cafe I got it from for poor storage and freezer burn? 0 stars for this layer.

The milk and dark chocolate mousses were better - nicely creamy, reasonably rich chocolate flavor.  Not outstanding, but not bad. *** for those layers

The base was a thin layer of chocolate cake, that had an odd texture.  Hard to describe, but it was cake-like, and yet kinda like compressed sand at the same time.  It tasted gluten-free, or something like that.  0 stars for this layer too.

So, if you discard the odd cake base and the awful tasting white chocolate mousse top, you could salvage a decent chocolate mousse out of this, but, overall, definitely **.

Four Seasons.

"The new Four Seasons combines a light and refreshing raspberry mousse atop a sweet tart lemon mousse sitting on a lemon zest butter sponge cake. A perfect symphony of flavors." 

The Four Seasons Mousse Cake had a lemon sponge cake base, a layer each of lemon and raspberry mousse, and a raspberry glaze on top.

Again, basically a duo, made into a cake.  Given how much I didn't like the raspberry lemon duo just because of the particular flavors, this was no different.

The raspberry and lemon mousses were both fine, fluffy, fruity, but not flavors I like.  And I really dislike pound cake, the lemon just made it worse for me.

**.

French Classics

Finally, the french classics: molten chocolate lava cake,  New York cheesecake, and crème brûlée.  Um, yes, New York cheesecake is a "french classic" to them ...  

The lava cake and crème brûlée both take some prep to serve.

Crème Brûlée.

"A velvety rich custard laced with Madagascar vanilla bean is ready for a light coating of sugar
and torch to finish off this classic dessert." 

Since I enjoyed the duos, I was really excited when I saw that Galaxy Desserts makes a crème brûlée, one of my favorite desserts.  I ordered it the first chance I got!

I was a bit sad though when I saw them.  Um.  Our catering department did not add the sugar and torch it!  Doh.

I call this, "vanilla pudding in a ramekin", not, crème brûlée as intended.  In this form, it was fairly awful, honestly.  Not thick in the way a nice pudding would be, just kinda firm, vanilla-ish custard.

I didn't have a blow torch, nor did I have proper pearl sugar, but I had Sugar in the Raw, so I tried to make actual crème brûlée.  I searched online and found two techniques to try: the broiler, or, a crazy hot spoon.

Broiled Top?

First, I did a trial with the broiler.

The broiler method didn't work.  I had my toaster oven broiler set to 500 degrees, but that cooked the custard way too much in order to get the sugar to melt.  I wound up with cooked eggs basically.  Not tasty.

Hot Spoon "Brûlée"?

Next, I did the hot spoon method, where you heat up a metal spoon as hot as possible, and use *that* to actually burn the top.  It worked slightly better I guess, it didn't cause the entire pudding to heat up, but it also didn't really create a nice layer.  I would not consider this a success either

Sigh.

**+, but hard to evaluate fairly.

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Amtrak Acela Dining

I travel a lot.  Or, at least, I did pre-covid.  About 120 nights a year on the road (for work primarily).  And yet, I have been on a "real train" exactly once before.  Yes, once.  You see, I grew up in a state that literally has no trains (besides the scenic cog railway up in the mountains).  Years ago, the government made the decision to turn all the rails into trails instead - for cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling in the winter, running, horseback riding, etc in the summer.  I'll admit, it is a pretty cool program, and having a state filled with extensive trails for public use is great.  But ... it also meant that I had no exposure to trains growing up.

Once I moved to the Bay Area, I spent my first year gawking at the light rail as it went by, while everyone else was annoyed to be stuck at the crossing.  That novelty wore off quickly, and those trains no longer interest me.  But, "real trains", not just local rail, still remained elusive to me.  I took an Amtrak train between New York and Boston about 10 years ago, and remember being pretty much overjoyed at the novel experience, but I also was with seasoned travelers, and sorta just followed along.

Which brings us to present day.  Yes, I am 42 years old, travel a ton, and yet have been on a "real train" exactly once, and this was my first time doing it alone.  I was both excited, and slightly anxious at the same time.  My journey was New York to Washington, DC, and of course I choose the Acela.  

Route: 2263, Acela
Departure: Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station 12:21 PM EDT (scheduled) 1:05pm (actual)
Arrival: Washington Union Station 3:10 PM EDT (scheduled) 4:212 PM (actual)

I started my trip in the new Metropolitan Lounge, which was a very calm and fairly empty space, with snacks, drinks, and some small food items.  I spent far more time there intended, given that the inbound train was delayed due to mechanical issues.  We were also later delayed due to track construction, and the need to use a single track, and thus, go slow-slow-slow.  But besides the delays, it was overall a pleasant experience.  I used the Red Cap service to help me with my bags, since Acela has no bag check, and I had, gulp, 2 roller bags, a back pack, and a duffle with me, and that was a fantastic experience.  They fetched me from the lounge, lead me straight to my train, and I was able to pre-board.  No drama scrambling to find my track, or navigate the escalators with too much stuff.  Highly recommend if you have extra baggage, or limited mobility in any way.  

Onboard, the crew was friendly, and ride relatively smooth, although I did need to adjust a little to seeing the world whirl by, and not get carsick feeling.  The overall experiences was considerably less stress than flying, particularly as getting to New York area airports can be such drama with traffic.  I'd do it again if I ever needed to go a similar distance - even though the train took 3 hours compared to a flight's single hour, it really was so much more chill. 

Drink Lineup.

My ticket included drinks, with a reasonable list of liquor, a few beers, one each of a sparkling, white, red, and rose wine, a seltzer, and even a few cocktails, plus non-alcoholic options of tea, coffee, soft drinks, juices, and even cold brew.  Good name brand products all around.

As we settled in to our seats, we were provided with still water bottles.

Our additional drink orders were taken nearly immediately after we departed the station.  They were served once we stopped at the next, fairly close, stop, Newark.

On the Rocks Old Fashioned.

Yes, it was only 1:30pm, but, hey, they had an old fashioned on the menu, how could I not get it?  Plus, I was ON A REAL TRAIN!  Time to live it up!

I've had other cocktails from On the Rocks before, and this was as good as others.  Very strong booze, but balanced.  Bonus points to Amtrak for serving attractively with a lime garnish and stirrer.  Better than what you'd get freshly made at many bars.  You can buy these at most grocery/liquor stores for $10+. ***+.

Decaf Coffee.

Later in my journey, to go along with dessert, I got a decaf coffee.  The Amtrak staff member serving our car told me they only had instant for decaf, and asked if that was ok.  I said yes.  She then came back to say she'd need to get it from the cafe car, so it would be in a paper cup.  Also ok.  If I had gotten regular, it would have been in a real mug.

I really enjoyed the coffee.  It was served piping hot, and was really quite strong.  No decaf funk, no high acid.  I'm not entirely sure it was decaf in the end, but, it was really really good, and went perfectly with my dessert. ****.

I also had sparkling water, which was S. Pellegrino brand.  Not much to say besides I appreciated having sparkling water as an option, included in my ticket price.

Spring / Summer 2023 Menu.

My menu featured a signature dish from Starr Restaurant group, along with standard Amtrak items.  The lineup was very everyone-friendly, with a fruit & cheese plate for those who just wanted a snack, a actually quite good sounding burrata salad that was very lunch appropriate, a comforting butter chicken, and the heavier Starr dish, black pepper beef.  

Orders were taken once we went through one more stop, and arrived within 10 minutes.  

Since it was lunchtime, the salad was certainly most appropriate, and I do quite like burrata, but the black pepper beef gets rather rave reviews from other travelers, and is their special collaboration with Buddakan, so I went for it, even though kinda heavy for lunch (for me anyway).  Around me, many passengers opted for no meal, one actually ordered from the breakfast menu (I didn't know you could do that!), and the rest all got this dish.  I clearly wasn't the only one who had heard good things about it!  I didn't see any of the other entrees ordered in the entire car.

There are two other menus on the spring/summer rotation, which of course I knew from my research.  One features dishes from The Continental Mid-town (another well reviewed dish, chilled sesame noodles) and Pizzeria Stella (lasagna) instead of the Buddakan collab, along with the fruit & cheese plate or a baked salmon lattice that I was really interested in, as it comes wrapped in puff pastry and served with bearnaise, and the other menu has a flagship dish from Adrian restaurant (baked manicotti), along with kofta kebabs, chilled shrimp, or the fruit & cheese plate again.  The last menu wasn't interesting to me, but I would have been happy with the other one too, but I was happy enough with the menu we wound up with.

Meal Tray.

Our trays all included a wam roll with butter (although the breakfast guy had a croissant instead!), salt (no pepper?), our entree choice, and the "rotating dessert", which was a crème brûlée like pot, plus a cloth napkin with cutlery.  

Buddakan Restaurant: Black Pepper Beef

"Wok tossed tenderloin, Chinese crullers, and finger chilis in a black pepper sauce."

I'll start by saying this isn't what I'd normally order.  For lunch, and for playing it "safe" in terms of subpar food on a flight/train, I'd get the burrata salad, no question.  And I do like beef, but, if I'm at a restaurant, chances are much higher that I get seafood.  I probably eat beef only a few times a month.  

This dish comes from their Buddakan collaboration.  At the restaurant, this dish is on the menu featuring rib eye rather than tenderloin, and comes with a crispy bird's nest instead of crullers, and costs $40.  I knew not to expect something at that restaurant level, but I was incredibly impressed when I tasted it, even with the knowledge that many people praise it and high expectations.

The dish was relatively attractively presented, with 9 cubes of steak, 3 hunks of the cruller, onions and peppers in the middle.  It was heavily sauced, but not drowning, no excess in the plate, but every piece well saturated.

I took my first bite of the beef.  Well, huh.  It was tender.  Not chewy.  Well trimmed, no fatty bits.  Restaurant quality.  How ... how did they heat up beef so well on a train?  I was very pleased with the preparation, and seeming quality, of the beef.  ***+.

The sauce was quite flavorful and savory.  It went very well with the beef.  While I found it odd that my tray only came with salt and no pepper, I truly didn't need any, as the beef was crusted in it.  ***+.

The onions and pepper were soft and well cooked.  I would have loved even more onion, as I just really like beef and onions together.  

And finally, the crullers.  They were a bit soft from being warmed up and coated with sauce, but still had a light crunch, and helped soak up the rest of the dish.  I think it would be nicer to have them come on the side, so they would be really crisp, and I could dunk myself, but perhaps that wouldn't work as well with the Amtrak heating mechanism.  I was very pleased to see the crullers rather than standard rice filler, but I can imagine some people finding this dish lacking in a substantial carb and heft.  For me though, this was perfect.

Overall, this was quite good, far better than airline meals, and set a high bar for me for future train travel!  ***+, maybe **** particularly given that it was train food.

Roll, Dessert.

The roll was a simple white dinner roll.  Not sourdough.  Pleasantly warm.  Not really restaurant or fresh bakery quality, but far better than what I normally get on flights.  ***.

And then, dessert!  I'll admit that I was a bit let down to see a pudding, not because I don't like pudding, as I actually adore it, but, because I'd had a ridiculous amount of pudding that week.  My office in New York has 3 daily housemade puddings (they are so lucky!), and I couldn't not have the decadent chocolate tartufo at least every other day, plus they had a lovely lemon yogurt mousse and a truly stunning apple pie cobbler triffle, that I kept rotating between for my dinner desserts.  Oh, and a different office cafe had coconut rice pudding one day, our team dinner at Golden Diner two days prior also featured coconut rice pudding (pistachio and orange version) , and when I got takeout from Thai Diner the night before I opted for banana rum pudding  ... let's just say, I was starting to be a little sick of pudding.

This pudding pot appeared to sorta be crème brûlée, but, with a top that was never bruleed.  I recognized these, as I've had something similar from the grocery store in Paris.  But you really are supposed to torch the top of these, so it was a fairly odd choice on Amtrak's part.  At least they did seem to freshly sprinkle it with the caramelized pearl sugar.  

The pudding was ok - a thick set pudding, fairly creamy, but a slightly separated consistency.  Not very sweet in the base, but obviously plenty sweet with the sugar on top.  It didn't have any particular flavor, no strong vanilla or anything.  The sugar on top was a bit crunchy.

So, overall, fine, but really only **+.   If it had been torched, and more like crème brûlée, it certainly would have gotten at least another half star, or if they had just accepted it as pudding, and put a dollop of whipped cream and a little fresh fruit or compote on it, it too would have gotten a higher score, but as served, it was just a pudding.  

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Felix, Sydney

I've long been a fan of the Merivale restaurant group in Sydney.  They have well thought out unique curated concepts, and they aren't afraid to pivot and move on to newer trends.  Two of my top 10 restaurants in Sydney are Merivale establishments: Mumu for innovative Southeast Asian street food, and Ms. G's for truly wonderful ridiculous Asian fusion.  I've visited others over the years, e.g. Mr. Wong, Sushi E, and others that have since closed, and generally enjoyed them all.  I generally gravitate towards the Asian cuisine, because that is what is so much better in Sydney than SF, but I've heard great things about their Italian concepts too.

During my recent visit to Sydney, we needed a location for a small leadership dinner of 7 people.  Somewhere quiet enough to chat (so not as much of a scene as many Merivale places provide ambiance-wise), but also somewhere not too adventurous in menu, as we had some folks that are pretty classic "meat and potatoes" folks, and also, one vegetarian.  We also had a fairly limited budget.  So, all my top choices were out, as they were deemed too "scary" for the guests.  I went back to the drawing board, and came up with a somewhat boring, but safe, cuisine: French.

Overall, it was a "fine" experience, but not one I'd repeat, nor really recommend.  Service was average for Sydney, not particularly attentive, but it was generally possible to flag someone down when we needed something.  No real checkbacks done, nor interest or concern in if we enjoyed our meals, minimal acknowledgement of one dish that was served improperly raw.

Setting

We partially picked Felix for the location, right in the CBD, so easy access to hotels and public transit for the locals.

Outdoor Seating.

The entrance to Felix is down a lovely side street, lined with restaurants that spill out into the street.  Felix is no different, with plenty of tables outside in a sheltered area.  The outdoor space was fairly vibrant and lively.

Indoor Seating & Wine Room.

Inside was a more subdued environment, very traditional dining room with white tablecloths and napkins, wooden chairs with matching salt & pepper grinders and little lamps.  The back wall had all the wine in illuminated shelving.  It wasn't a stuffy, silent dining room, but it certainly wasn't as lively as outside.  It worked well for our group as we were easily able to hear each other throughout the meal.

Open Kitchen.

I enjoyed watching some of the action in the kitchen, clearly formal French brigades style.  The separate pastry area was also open on the other side from here, where I watched soufflés going in and out of the oven, and the blow torch come out over and over again for crème brûlée.  It made me eager for our closing round.

Food & Drink

Menu.

Felix has an unsurprising menu.  No real innovative cuisine here, just, French classics.  

The menu is broken down into Fruits de Mer (which we actually entirely skipped) and Début to start, Plats de résistance, Les Steaks, Plats à partager, and Garnitures for the main round, and Desserts to finish.

Wine

2018 Hickinbotham ‘Trueman’ Cabernet Sauvignon. $29.

I forgot to take notes on my wine, but, I was quite pleased with it.  A fairly big and bold wine, not too high acid, not too much tannin, but real structure to it.  I recommended it to others when they moved on to wine.  I'd get it again.  ****.

Début

Rolls.

Once we had ordered, our server came back with a giant bread basket.  "White or brown?", she asked, which didn't seem particularly descriptive, given that the white bread clearly had seeds.

Sadly, neither kind was served warm.  Cold butter provided on the table for the group.

"Brown" Roll.

I went for the brown roll, and it seemed to be lightly sourdough, so not really my thing.  It had a decent enough crust to it. But room temp, sourdough-ish bread, not interesting.  No one else commented on the rolls, so I don't think anyone was particularly impressed.  *+.

Pâté de foie de volaille. $26.

"Chicken liver pate, spiced pear chutney, brioche."

To get started, I had my eyes solidly on the pate.  I had a great pate the week before (in the Sheraton Grand executive club of all places), and couldn’t wait for more.  I had seen photos of it on Instagram, and I knew it would be delightfully smooth and creamy.  The rest of the group chatted through some shared apps for the table, including the charcuterie board, that would come with some pate, but I wanted my own portion (which I would share of course if it was a huge hit with others).  The server warned us that the charcuterie platter would have it, but I still pushed forward.  I’d eat it all, gladly.

Or … so I thought.  It did look absolutely fabulous.  It was remarkably smooth and creamy.  But the flavor wasn’t particularly good.  Strong bitter notes, and although it had some liver taste, the bitterness really overwhelmed.  It lacked seasoning, and really needed a sprinkle of salt to make it pop.  ** pate.  The Sheraton Grand pate was just better in all regards.

Spiced pear chutney wouldn’t be my first choice for a pairing, particularly in the summer when stone fruit or berries are in season and I think go even better with liver, but, it actually was fine.  The pears were nicely cooked, lightly al dente, and the spicing was interesting.  ***.  The cornichons were average, and the little pearl onions were delightfully tart, my favorite element of the entire meal actually (yes, really.  **** onions).  

Toasted Brioche.

To go with the pate, fluffy toasted brioche slices were served.  They were not warm when they arrived.  But otherwise good, and a great vessel for the pate.  ***.  Considerably better than the dinner rolls.

Assiette de charcuterie (Large). $45.

"Cured meats, cornichons, baguette."

The rest of the group was excited for the charcuterie board.  It had the same pate (with the chutney and cornichons, but no more of the tasty onions), a rillette of some sort that was decent (none of us could figure out what it was, I thought maybe duck confit?), a slice of the terrine that is also available standalone (the others finished this before I had a chance to snag a bite), and two kinds of thinly sliced meats (the proschuitto like one was great, I didn't try the other).   Overall a nice selection.  ***+.

This came with crostini on the side rather than brioche.  I didn't try them, but no one seemed to care for the crostini, commenting that it was too hard and hurt their mouths.

This was the large platter for $45.  A smaller $32 version is also available.

Salade de tomates et prunes. $24.

"Heirloom tomatoes, blood plum, green herb dressing."

The vegetarians went for their only two options to start, starting with the tomato salad.

Tomatoes are very much in season right now, so I was expecting something great from this dish, but alas, the tomatoes were pretty average.  My office had considerably better tomatoes every day.  I didn't get a slice of plum.  The dressing was not very flavorful. ***.

Poireaux grillés et sauce piperade. $24.

"Grilled leeks, roasted peppers, hazelnuts, sherry vinaigrette."

The other vegetarian option I was also excited for, grilled leeks, but, alas, there was only 5 pieces, and by the time I looked up from the meats, it was gone.

Plats de résistance / Les Steaks

Our mains came about 30 minutes after our starters.  We had a variety of dishes from the Plats de résistance and Les Steaks sections, but none of the higher end sharing Plats à partager.

Poulpe grillé. $27.

"Grilled octopus, kipfler potato, rocket, fennel pollen and Espelette vinaigrette."

For my main dish, I actually ordered an appetizer, as I wanted a smaller portion, fully intending to go all in on the dessert round, and because I had really wanted two appetizers: the pate and the octopus.  The server asked if I’d like a larger portion if I wanted it as a main, which I declined, but thought was a nice touch.  I frequently order appetizers as mains, and haven’t ever been asked that before.

I was not very thrilled with my dish.  The potatoes were really quite boring, just ... disks of potatoes.  Not seemingly roasted nor seared, just boiled and sliced.  Soft.  There was segments of extremely bitter citrus throughout, that I’m not sure what it was, as it wasn’t listed on the menu as a component.  The octopus, which should be the star, was the most lackluster part.  It wasn’t rubbery at least, but it wasn’t charred or smoky or interesting in any way.  It was cut into small pieces, and there wasn’t much of it.  

The entire dish was covered in the espelette vinaigrette, which, despite its color and name, really lacked spice or dimension.  It was just oily.  So, overall, boring potatoes, nothing cooked particularly well, covered in oil, and no interesting flavors besides the too bitter citrus that I didn’t care for.  **.

I salvaged the octopus by dunking it in the aioli that came with my tablemate's frites, but even that made it just passable.

Poisson de Jour (Big Eye). $52.

"Pan roasted market fish, fennel, lemon confit, tomato vinaigrette."

Two co-workers both got the fish of the day, which was big eye tevally.  If I had gotten a proper main, this is what I would have gotten.

One came out cooked properly, the other was quite underdone, raw in the center.  At first I thought perhaps she was mistaken, but, it really was rare, and really shouldn't be.  She was able to get the server's attention quickly, and it was replaced with an entirely new piece (totally different shape, rather than thin and long it was wide and short) but it took a very, very long time.  Everyone else had finished eating, even though we were trying to be polite and eat slowly, before she finally got the re-fire.  No real apology was given by the staff.  The skin looked nicely crisp at least?

Minute Steak.  $65.

"220g pasture fed scotch fillet, Bordelaise butter, witlof, watercress, pickled shallots."

One colleague got the minute steak, served the recommended medium-rare.  He said it was good.  (Another got the steak frites, which was a slightly bigger cut (250g compared to 220g), wagyu, and came with fries and jus instead of the veg and butter garnish (and was $15 more).  He seemed to think it was fine, but not particularly great).

Pithivier de Canard. $45.

"Pie of confit duck leg, pomme purée, thyme jus."

I encouraged another colleague to get the duck pie, because I really wanted to try it, but I don't love duck enough to really commit to it.  I knew it was going to at least visually be a showstopper (and it was!).

I'm fairly certain this was the best dish of the meal.  The pastry was very, very good.  Perfectly crispy exterior, ridiculous rich and decadent.  Likely lard heavy, and that is not a bad thing.  It made me very hopeful for the dessert round.  **** pastry.

The duck confit was good, tender, flavorful.  I didn't try the other components.  But, yes, definitely the best dish at the table.

Gnocchis aux herbs. $42.

"Sauteed herb gnocchi, corn, pickled mushroom, tomato, green herbs."

The vegetarian had only one option: gnocchi.  It actually looked good, nice sear on the gnocchi, but I didn't hear her review in any way.

Garnitures

We mostly skipped the side dishes, but the vegetarian throw on an order of fries, er, frites, to round out their meal, which they shared with table.

Pommes Frites. $14.

"French fries, tarragon mayonnaise."

Since these were sitting on the table, I tried one.  They were thin, crispy enough, but pretty boring, and lukewarm even when first served.  Nothing special about these. ***.

The aioli was good, creamy, lightly herby.  It helped my octopus out considerably. ***+.

Dessert

In general, it doesn't matter how lackluster a meal is, I'm always excited for dessert.  In Felix's case though I was more excited than usual, as I wanted many of the options, and I'd seen good reviews for all.

Dessert.

The dessert lineup was, well, very french.  Soufflé.  Profiteroles.  Crème brûlée.  Tart tatin.  A token light fruit tart.  No chocolate mousse, or actually, no chocolate dessert of any kind (some had chocolate elements, but nothing dominant), a slight surprise.  Also interesting is that every dessert included a ice cream/sorbet component, e.g. the soufflé, which was Grand Marnier flavored, came with milk chocolate ice cream, the profiteroles with vanilla ice cream, the fruit tart with coconut sorbet, even the crème brûlée came with a sorbet.  You could also order these on their own of course.

I truly would have been happy to try all of them, but my stack ranking was the epic tart tatin first (designed to serve 2+), the crème brûlée second, and souffle a close third (only slightly deterred by the choice of Grand Marnier, sight).  Our group of 7 had two people who didn't want dessert, two more who only wanted a bite or two, and two more who each really wanted their own crème brûlée.  And thus, I had to narrow my choices down considerably.

Crème Brûlée. $20.

"Vanilla crème brûlée, oat crumble, strawberry pomegranate sorbet."

Regular readers of my blog know that I have a thing for crème brûlée.  For all pudding, really.  There is a reason they both have labels on my blog.  This also means of course that I have, um, strong opinions on my crème brûlée.

This one wins for uniqueness, I can't say I've had it served with a fruit sorbet before.  I'm all about pairing cold scoops with most desserts, but it did seem a bit odd here.  The menu also said there was an oat crumble, but neither of ours seemed to have that.  

I gleefully dug in first (yes, to the one belonging to someone else - no shame!).  First up, the tap test.  It was underwhelming.  It was torched, clearly, but it was a thin layer, and didn't impart any real caramelization flavor.  The base flavor was equally underwhelming - no vanilla bean, no real flavor besides cream and sugar.  But it was perfectly set, very creamy, no grainy consistency.  Great execution on the pudding itself, but, just not very flavorful.  ***.

Tart Tatin (for two). $42.

"Apple tart, calvados cream, cinnamon ice cream."

I was so excited for this.  For many reasons.  First, I love a warm dessert with cold ice cream pairing.  Second, while I don't generally get excited for tart tatin (or apple pie), I had strangely been craving it for about two weeks.  And third, well, I'd seen all the photos of it, and knew what a signature dessert it was.  Intended for two (or more), and served in a big skillet.  OMG.

The giant skillet was put into the center of our table.  I wish I had something for scale so you understood how big it was.  But, yes, massive.  A scoop of calvados cream was added tableside.  We were each given our own scoops of cinnamon ice cream.  I was ready.

But ... it let each and every one of us down, even those without expectations.  There was no real caramelization.  It was very runny.  Some of the pastry underneath was raw.  The pastry that was at least cooked was soggy, and nothing like the glorious pastry from the duck pie.  The apples were at least ok, not too mushy.  Spicing reasonable.  But really, it just wasn't very good.  5 of us split it, and much went unfinished.  I wished I hadn't taken such a big slice originally.  *.

The cinnamon ice cream was very good though, perfectly creamy, very smooth.  It paired well.  **** for the ice cream only.

A fitting letdown of a dessert, for a letdown of a meal.

Read More...

Tatte Bakery, Boston

Update Review - December 2023

No intro needed at this point.  Another Christmas visit to see family, another stop at Tatte.

Prosciutto & Fig Panini. $13.

"Fig jam, brie, fontina cheese, prosciutto and sliced Bosc pear on housemade ciabatta."

One day, when in Cambridge, and my mom was coming to pick me up, I was really craving brie.  It was the holidays, and my mom had been talking about making baked brie as an appetizer to serve at a Christmas eve gathering, and, I had brie on the mind.  I knew she'd like the fig jam and ciabatta elements of this, so I got it for us to split for a light lunch, alongside some salads I had picked up elsewhere.  

It came nicely toasted, crisp exterior, still warm inside, lightly melted brie.  The fig jam was flavorful and complimented the brie well, as they are frequently a classic pairing.  The prosciutto was nice quality, but dominated by the cheeses, as was the little bit of thinly sliced pear hiding inside.  The fontina was also a strong cheese flavor, so, really, cheese was the star here, and you had to be in the mood for funky strong cheese.  I found the ratio of bread to filling to be a bit off - lots of bread, and I didn't want more brie, but I wanted more meat, or really, just less bread.

Overall, a reasonably well composed sandwich, but not one I'd get again.  990 calories, in case you care, which is a bit high for a lunch item, also part of why we split it. ***.

Chocolate Rose. $4.50.

"Enriched egg dough similar to brioche rolled to create a rose shape."

The last time I got a chocolate pastry from Tatte, I went for the chocolate snail, which uses croissant style dough, rolled around the chocolate.  This time, I went for the "rose", which is more like a brioche, and more elaborately rolled.  The bread was rich and not too eggy, but definitely enriched, and there was a generous amount of chocolate in the folds.  

I liked it, but really wanted to be able to serve it warm with ice cream or at least whipped cream, and alas, I had none with me.  Just as-is, I didn't find it particularly compelling.  A bit hefty at 510 calories compared to the chocolate snail (only 390), but not as decadent as the other rose, the cinnamon & pecan one, which is 660. ***.

Update Review - July 2023

Another Boston visit, another stop at Tatte ...

Coffee. $3.25.

"Traditional batch brew made from Stumptown Hairbender Blend served hot."

Somehow, in all my visits to Tatte, I never tried the coffee before.  I'm not sure why, as my hotel (no matter where I've stayed in Boston), always has had such horrible coffee.  I got it black, just a regular coffee.

The coffee was nicely hot.  But ... it was fairly acidic, and had a harshness to it that I didn't care for.  I don't think this is Tatte's fault though, I haven't generally liked other Stumptown coffee I've tried before either.  Why is it so hard to find decent coffee in Boston (and no, don't tell me to just get Dunk's, I've obviously had that many times ...). **+.

Savory French Toast. $14.50.

"Housemade challah soaked overnight in roasted garlic custard, topped with crunchy sesame, served with bacon, 2 fried eggs, VT cheddar, tomato jam, and spring mix salad."

After trying the sweet version of Tatte's french toast a few years ago, I was drawn in by the savory version, which sounded really quite fascinating.  I don't think I've ever had savory french toast before, and the idea of soaking challah in roasted garlic custard sounded pretty great to me.  

This was a substantial meal, with two eggs (fried, sunny side up, pretty textbook execution as you can see), lots of bacon (reasonably crispy, but fairly greasy), and a small side salad (very crisp, fresh, simply mixed greens with a vinaigrette that I didn't use), plus the fascinating "tomato jam" that was kinda like sophisticated ketchup.  The tomato jam I found quite tasty, but, I didn't really think combined well with anything in the meal - not the french toast, not the eggs, not the bacon ... delicious, but, better suited for breakfast potatoes or something?

These elements were all well executed, and highlight Tatte's kitchen skills not only as a bakery, but, as a breakfast/brunch destination.  ***+ for those all being done well.

Savory French Toast: the cheese!

Once I dug under the eggs and bacon, I found the cheese.

The cheddar element of this was totally unexpected.  I thought it would have melted, runny cheese, but rather, it was a cheesy crisp frico.  Definitely unique, and it added crunch.  I liked breaking pieces of it and mixing with the side salad, or with the eggs, rather than with the french toast itself.  Strong quality Vermont cheddar flavor.  ***+.

Savory French Toast: garlic custard / crunchy sesame.

Under the cheese frico, we finally got to the savory french toast!

It was a large, really thick slice of challah, just like the sweet version.  Fluffy, super moist and custardy, really nice base.  As promised, it was soaked/slathered in the garlic custard and tons of sesame seeds, which added flavor and crunch.  Very savory.  A bite of this, with runny egg, was a tasty experience, very brunch appropriate.  I think it would be fairly heavy for breakfast, but, for brunch, it was hearty and savory and still had tones of breakfast to it.  ***+.

Overall, I found this fascinating and enjoyable, but it really made me want to use the savory french toast base for a lunch or dinner entree, with different toppings, although I'm not quite sure what.  I need to keep thinking on that.

Update Review - December 2022

As you know by now, when I visit Boston, I basically always make at least one stop at Tatte, which, you've read about in my previous reviews.  This visit was no exception, although I only made it in once, I was still able to try two more pastries, and another lunch.

Chocolate Croissant. $4.85.

"Four Valrhona dark chocolate batons rolled into Tatte flaky croissant dough."

The chocolate croissant at Tatte is rather massive.  I know it is hard to tell in this photo, but, it is really quite large.  Huge and puffy.  

The croissant base was decent - nicely buttery, lightly flaky on the outside, good chew.  Better than a  generic cafe or hotel breakfast, but not as good as some better bakeries.  The butter level was great though.

Inside was the full batons of really high quality, nice dark Valrhona chocolate.  I really loved the chocolate.   There were four of them, but, given just how big this croissant is, there were many bites, particularly from the ends, that were croissant only, which was a bit of a letdown.  I shared this with my mom, and she even remarked on the quality of the chocolate, entirely unprompted.

At room temperature, I could appreciate the quality chocolate and buttery dough, but felt it was still just barely above average.  It was better heated up a bit.  ***+.

Almond Croissant. $4.85.

"Filled with housemade almond cream, topped with almonds, and dusted with powdered sugar."

Since I had liked the insides of the pistachio croissant so much before, I decided to try the more classic almond croissant next.  The croissant itself was much like the pistachio and chocolate ones - a reasonably good croissant, nice butter level, crispy exterior, chewy inside, but not really noteworthy beyond that.  Better than generic, but not as good as a good bakery in Paris, or one of the best croissant ever.  But certainly above average.

The toppings were great - it was well crusted in slivered almonds, and I think some almond paste, and plenty of powdered sugar.  It was sweet, crunchy, and more appropriate for dessert than breakfast, and totally delicious.  Honestly, I'd love that topping just on top of some ice cream.

Inside of course is where it got even more interesting, with plenty of almond paste.  The menu said cream, and it seemed more like a paste to me, but there was a fair amount of it, it had lots of bits of almond, and was pretty tasty.  The pistachio one was more magical, but this was certainly very good.

Overall, one of the better almond croissants I've had and excellent warmed up with a little ice cream stuffed inside.

****.

Crunchy Halloumi. $14.50.
(housemade roll).

"Bibb & red leaf lettuce, seared halloumi cheese, roasted carrots with sesame and raisins, radish, apples, and crunchy almonds in a tahini vinaigrette. "

I had eyed the crunchy halloumi salad for many years, and finally ordered it last year at Tatte.  As you could have read back then, I wasn't as in love with it as I expected I'd be.  It did have great textures, and I did quite like the dressing, but it was the halloumi itself I wasn't a huge fan of, which shocked me, given that I love halloumi.

I tried it again however, remembering the incredible dressing, and how much I did like the crunchy toppings.  The halloumi was hot and fresh this time, but ... yeah, I still didn't love it.  It tastes more like feta, or something sheep or goat like, to me, which I just don't care for.  The sesame carrots were fine, the crunch from the slivered almonds was great, and the juiciness and sweetness from the plump raisins worked well, but I wasn't in love with it overall.

The main problem for me was the dressing.  I had adored it last time, but this time it just seemed like, well, a vinaigrette, not the style of dressing I generally pick (I'm all for mayo laden creamy dressings).  The tahini was barely noticeable.  It was fine, but just not something I'd ever rave about or seek out.  *** overall for the salad.

Like all salads, it came with a fresh roll.  The roll was not served warm, and I'm not really one for dinner rolls, but it was a nice roll, lofty, clearly quite fresh, with a nice shine on top. ***.

I likely will not try this salad again, but do appreciate the textures still.

Update Review - July 2022

When I visit Boston, I basically always make at least one stop at Tatte, which, you've read about in my previous reviews.  This year, I managed to make it in three times, at totally distinct times of day: for a hot brunch, a lunch salad, and breakfast pastry.  Amazingly, NOT for dessert baked goods this time.

Breakfast

I never really get the actual hot fresh breakfast/brunch at Tatte, because I am too drawn in by the extensive breakfast pastry lineup.  But Tatte is *very* well known for the breakfast fare, served all day, for a reason.  The lineup is extensive, with a slew of different breakfast sandwiches, egg plates, a zillion tartines, several kinds of shakshuka, granola, muesli, and more.  On weekends (which includes Fridays), lineup is even more extensive, with the challah french toast I had last time.

Biscuit & Egg Sandwich. $9.

"Two eggs soft scrambled served on a housemade biscuit served with tomato salad."

I love a good biscuit.  So one morning, when for some reason eggs also sounded kinda good, I went for the biscuit & egg sandwich at Tatte.  I didn't notice when reading the description that it was very ... plain.  Literally, just a biscuit and scrambled eggs.  I expected cheese (isn't this a standard thing for a breakfast egg sando?), a sauce or spread (pepper jelly?), maybe some kind of vegetable ... just, something?

Anyway, the biscuit was good.  Some tang to it.  Decent crumb.  The eggs were just, well, plain scrambled eggs.  Fine I guess, but, just scrambled eggs.  Unseasoned.  Eh?  Together, no, the biscuit and eggs didn't magically turn into something more exciting.  

The tomato salad on the side seemed a bit random.  It wasn't particularly good, the tomatoes not all that juicy or flavorful, and it was just ... well, tomatoes, a bit of onion, and not really any seasoning.

So, decent biscuit, but overall, kinda a boring dish.  ***.

Lunch

Lunch is also a draw for most people at Tatte.  In addition to the aforementioned breakfast served all day, the menu has numerous sandwiches, salads, soups, quiche, and veggie/grain bowls.  Again, not where I usually go, although the creativity in the sandwiches and salads nearly has tempted me many times (I mean really, a sandwich with a corn latke inside?  Braised short ribs with beer relish in challah?  Even the simple proscuitto & fig panini calls out).   But I'm usually there for pastries, not lunch.

Crunchy Halloumi.  $14.50.

"Bibb & red leaf lettuce, seared halloumi cheese, roasted carrots with sesame and raisins, radish, apples, and crunchy almonds in a tahini vinaigrette."

I've had my eye on this salad since I first discovered Tatte.  The thing is, to me, Tatte is a bakery first, and a cafe second, and so even though I loved the sound of this, for years, I never wound up there at salad appropriate time.  Luckily for me, it is a menu staple, and is always available.  I finally got it.

It was a good salad.  I liked the use of big chunks of bibb lettuce as a base for something different - mixed greens, kale, spinach, etc have their place, but this was a nice change.  The greens were fresh and crisp.

I don't actually like cooked carrots, and somehow sorta glazed over the fact that the salad features roasted carrots because I was too excited about the crunchy elements, and, um, the halloumi.  The carrots were ... well, roasted carrots.  Not really my thing, and although I like grilled veggies on a salad, I realized I don't really like just cooked, soft, roasted veggies on a salad.  Anyway.  I did like that they had sesame seeds on them, even more crunch, and they were flavorful.

The radish slices and julienned apple added great crunch and freshness, although the apple was granny smith, and I rather dislike granny smith.  Still, they added acidity that was helpful too.

And finally, sliced almonds, yup, more crunch.

This salad base had a lot going on with textures, which is exactly what I was hoping for, although it turns out, half the ingredients weren't really things I care for all that much.  I liked it more than expected given my general preferences.

And then, the star of the show, the halloumi.  4 large pieces, seared, but, cold.  I was expecting it hot, freshly seared.  Instead it was cold, kinda squeaky, and tasted a bit like feta, which, yup, not my thing.

The dressing I was skeptical of, because, yup, I don't generally like vinaigrettes (hmm, do I really dislike this many things?), so I asked to have it on the side.  I LOVED the dressing.  The tahini flavor just tied everything together perfectly, particularly the sesame coating on the carrots and the almonds.  Nutty essence just permeated throughout.  The dressing really, really kicked this salad up a notch.

Like all salads at Tatte, it came with a roll.  The roll was good.  Just a soft, brioche-like dinner roll, but fluffy and lofty and clearly very fresh.

Overall, this was a good salad, but, alas, it turns out, likely not the best pick for me.

***+.

Pastry

While I did branch out and get both a hot breakfast and lunch item this year, I of course did need to get a pastry too.

Chocolate Snail. $4.50.

"Flaky croissant dough with chocolate pastry cream and Valrhona chocolate chunks."

I finally caved one morning and ordered a chocolate snail.  I was in the mood for a carby pastry, and definitely in the mood for chocolate.  The snail seemed far more fun than a chocolate croissant.

It was ... fine.  The dough was croissant dough, reasonably flaky, but fairly greasy and heavy.  Not light and flaky, not the style that makes a mess in a good way, if you know what I mean.  Between the layers was the chocolate elements, including softer chocolate that I guess was pastry cream but didn't actually seem creamy, just, softer, and some hunks.

Maybe it would be better warm, but it was kinda a miss for me, not bad, but not really good either. ***.

Update Review - December 2021

Another year, another stop in Boston en route to see my family in NH, and thus, another visit to Tatte, my favorite bakery chain in town.  This year, my visits were to two different locations, both ones I hadn't been to before (the South End location and Berklee), but both were fairly standard Tatte locations, with large pastry displays, very busy staff, and a constant flow of orders.  I'll skip the details of the locations, and focus just on what I had this time, but check out my previous reviews for more background on Tatte.

Morning Pastries

The morning pastry lineup at Tatte is always so temping.  Croissants, filled and topped with all sorts of appealing goodies.  Then there is the chocolate snail, the pecan and cinnamon rose, the muffins ... the brioche monkey bread, and coffee cake loaded with streusel, the list goes on and on.  And, if you consider it "breakfast", the kouign amann looks like a specimen of highest quality, so very caramelized.  It is always impossible to pick.

Sour Cherry Almond Scone. $3.50.

"Tender and buttery scone with sour cherries and toasted almonds."

For some reason, this scone called out to me.  Granted, my visit was in the afternoon, so I was thinking mid-afternoon snack (and possibly saving some for dessert after dinner with fresh berries and cream of course), or saving half for breakfast the next day ... but, yeah, this scone jumped out, more appropriate for my mood than any of the flaky pastry items I'd normally go for.

I was also drawn in by the unique flavor: sour cherry and almond, in line with Tatte's slightly middle eastern vibe, and a flavor I can safely say I've never had before in a scone.  Plus, I like sour cherry, and the crunch from nuts would be most welcome.  Also, it was huge!

It was a good scone, a hard style, with a great crumb. I absolutely loved the almonds in it, not just little bits, but real decent size chunks, although they seemed predominantly on the outer edges.  

The sour cherry aspect was ... somewhat lost?  Honestly, I didn't taste sour cherry.  There were no bits of fruit in it. But it *was* vibrant blue inside.  I wouldn't have ever guessed it was sour cherry, nor any fruit really for that matter. So if you expected a real sour cherry taste, or bits of (dried?) fruit, this might disappoint, but it was still a very tasty scone.

This did feel appropriate for afternoon tea, or, as I decided to have it, as dessert warmed up with fresh blueberries and homemade thick whipped cream (from my takeout from The Gallery Restaurant at my hotel), as it was sweet from the very generous amount of pearl sugar on top (which also made the top a bit caramelized/crisp!).

I wouldn't seek this out again, but, I enjoyed it, a very good scone.

***+.

Pistachio Croissant. $4.50.

"Filed with housemade pistachio filling, brushed with simple syrup and topped with crumbled pistachio."

The croissant lineup at Tatte has all the usual suspects: plain, ham & cheese for savory folks, chocolate filed with Valrhona dark chocolate, almond with house made almond cream. All look good, but, it was the rather unique pistachio option that called out to me (again, Tatte having a touch of middle eastern flair).

The exterior was perfectly crispy, it flaked well, and made quite the mess. I wouldn't say it was remarkable otherwise, not particularly buttery or anything, but, fairly classic.

It was inside however that I was excited for.

Pistachio Croissant: Inside.

The inside was more magical that I imagined it would be. Look at all that filling!

It had crunch from the bits of pistachio, it had lots of flavor, and it had sweetness. There was so much filling.

I actually ended up having it for a dessert, warmed up with fresh blackberries (perfect with pistachio!) and a scoop of JP Licks black raspberry ice cream (again, great pairing) stuffed inside. That was pretty fabulous.

I probably wouldn't get another of these, as it was "just a croissant", but, the filling was unique and plentiful, and I did enjoy it.

***+.

Cakes & Desserts

When it comes to a dessert item, the choices at Tatte are equally hard, although at least I can (mostly) look past the cookies and brownies.  I adored the cheesecake before and nearly always want to order it again, and I recently saw that they have rice pudding (random, but I love rice pudding!), and, during my December visit, the seasonal pies were in full force.  So. Many. Choices.

Cranberry Apple Pie. $40.
(December Seasonal.

For the winter, Tatte had 3 pies available: classic double crust apple, pecan maple, or, this, cranberry apple.  Given that I'd had a ton of apple pie lately, and my mom always makes pecan (although not maple pecan!), I decided to mix it up and get the cranberry apple, even though I'm not always fond of cranberry.

The pie was beautiful, and an easy choice once I saw it, because, swoon, that crust. Much like the scone, the pearl sugar on top was a draw in. Available whole for $40, or by the slice for $6 as I got it.

BIG BOX!

I did laugh a bit when I got my slice, as the box it was in was considerably deeper than my slice. Where's the pie?

Cranberry Apple Pie. Slice. $6.

"Double crusted Apple Pie with granny smith apples & tart fresh cranberries in our flaky pie crust. "

So ... I didn't read the description carefully, too distracted by the beautiful crust. Granny smith apples. Doh. I really don't care for them, raw nor in pie form. And, I should have trusted my instinct that I may not be into the cranberry. Doh. This wasn't the pie for me.

But, to give it a fair review - the distribution of apples and cranberries was good, the pops of cranberry were juicy and tart (you definitely need to want to taste cranberries!), the filling wasn't mushy. But ... not really what I like.

The crust looked better than it was. It wasn't particularly buttery nor flaky. It was fine, definitely far above grocery store quality, but not nearly as remarkable as it looked.

So, overall, for me, sadly not the thing. However, my mom was coming to pick me up, and I know she likes tart, so, I saved the rest for her. She enjoyed it.

**+.

Rice Pudding. $4.

"Creamy rice pudding made with arborio rice."

Of course, I also got a rice pudding to-go, as I knew it would keep a couple days, and, I just adore pudding.

It was ... honestly, not that special. It was very thick and quite rich - made with whole milk and butter, but it tasted like made with heavy cream. The rice (arborio) was almost minced, quite tiny bits, and very soft. The thick consistency plus fairly soft small bits of rice made it all just eat like ... mush? I generally prefer slightly al dente rice, to actually distinguish individual grains.

It also didn't have any flavor. Sugar, vanilla, and salt were in it, and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top, but I didn't taste the vanilla and the cinnamon was so minimal.

I think Tatte missed an opportunity here. Cardamom, some crushed pistachios, even a touch of rosewater all would have been very on brand with their other offerings, and made this pop. This was just bland.

I tried to give it to my mom, but she also felt it was lacking in every dimension.

Eh. **.

Update Review - August 2021

Another year, another quick stop in Boston when en route to visit family in NH.  And thus, another stop at Tatte, this time however not for pastries, but rather to get brunch, which sadly I had to do takeout style, since COVID.

French Toast.  $11.50.

"Housemade challah soaked overnight, ricotta goat cheese mousse, housemade raspberry jam, fresh strawberries, mint, and toasted sliced almonds."

I'll admit I was skeptical on this one.  French toast isn't usually my thing (meh, eggy). And I loathe goat cheese.  But ... I really was in the mood for a carby, sweet brunch, and this was my best option.

It was .. beautiful!   Although a single slice, the challah was sliced super thick, and this was more than enough for a meal.  The challah was ridiculously moist, not eggy in any way, certainly more on the ... buttery side?  It reminded me of very very buttered thick moist toast, not really what I think of of french toast.  Good, but, very buttery.

The strawberries were a slight letdown, not as juicy and ripe and delicious as I was hoping (am I spoiled in CA?), and they were sliced but still had stems on. The almonds were nice for crunch but felt sort of like an thrown on element to satisfying that bit ... rather than being crusted or something.  So, toppings, looked good, but, not really special.

And then, the spreads. The housemade raspberry jam was sweet and fruity, pretty standard stuff.  But not really what I wanted with french toast.  I wanted syrup!  (Although, jam goes better with the buttered toast feel this thing had ...). 

And ... that ricotta goat cheese mousse?  I'm happy to say, it did NOT taste goaty! Nor did it taste like ricotta ... in fact, it tasted just like thick, rich, tart yogurt.  I wonder if I was accidentally given the Greek yogurt that goes with the pancakes instead?  I love having a cream element with my french toast  (usually whipped cream) so I liked the idea of the whipped mousse, but the thick (yogurt) was very tart and savory.  I liked it, but just not with the french toast.

I saved half of it, and brought it home, heated it, served it with maple syrup, and ice cream, as dessert, and enjoyed it far more that way, almost like a bread pudding.

So, overall, not really a classic french toast in any way, some interesting components, but not something I'd get again.  ***.

Update Reviews - July 2019 & 2020

Oh Tatte.  A bakery mini-chain  I didn't discover until 2018, and that I live on the other side of the country from.  But I still try to visit every time I am in Boston, because, well, the pastry case is just too droolworthy.

To learn more about Tatte, start with my original review of their glorious "croissin" (yes, that is a croissant-muffin).

July 2019

Walking into Tatte is like a world of indecision for me.  I want everything.  Pastries.  Cakes.  Cheesecake.  Even things like the Jerusalem bagel look good to me.  I don't really understand why I turn so unable to make a decision when I walk in here, I think because the line is sooo long, and you walk along the case staring at everything, that it doesn't matter what decision you make, there is just too much opportunity to change your mind.

Anyway, on this visit, I walked out with something I'd never normally select, somewhat due to the recommendation of the person taking my order.  I can't say that was a good idea ...

Pistachio Crush. $7.

Behold, the ... Pistachio Crush?  Yeah, I don't know.  I wanted something with cream, and she said this was one of her favorites.  Described as like cheesecake, but not, just heavy cream.  Sounded like a thick mousse?  I took a gamble.

I liked it for a few bites.  The base was a cookie crumble sorta, sweet, but firm enough to stay together.  I was fairly impressed with that.

Next, the main event, the mousse.  It was rich, thick, uh, creamy, and studded with pistachio.  It was good, but I felt myself thinking "this needs just a hint of honey or salt to give it oomph!"

The reason this didn't make me excited past those few initial bites though was the topping, just, tons of pistachios.  I like pistachio, but this was just ... too much, particularly with the pistachio in the mousse too.  Just, too much pistachio, too much nuts, not enough cream, and too bitter overall.

I think I might like it more with another nut (hazelnut perhaps?), or with a fruit layer (sour cherry?), or really, just with fewer nuts, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of sea salt.  But as is, **+.

July 2020

For this visit, I wasn't actually getting items to eat then, which was *incredibly* difficult, as I wanted, um, #allThePastries.  But I was just visiting to get a few items to take to my parent's house with me, to have goodies for my first few days in rural NH.  I mostly got items from the retail and pantry section, designed to take home, but I couldn't resist at least throwing in *one* dessert.  For later that night.

I found some great hits (the cheesecake! the granola!) and had a lot of fun trying other things too.

Bakery & Dessert

Since I wasn't getting something to eat immediately (I was going to lunch with my mom while she picked me up in Boston), I selected the item most likely to be best that night for dessert (cheesecake!) and one item from the bakery (no, sadly, not a croissant or decadent morning bun, but a Jerusalem bagel to have with my dips and spreads from the pantry - I knew I could freeze some to use later with them).

I enjoyed both my selections.

Strawberry & Raspberry Cheesecake Cup. $6.

"Creamy cheesecake made with fresh Israeli cheese and a rich buttery crumb topped with raspberries and strawberries."

Cheesecake cups are available with 3 toppings: simple with just the same buttery crumb from the bas on top too, or with raspberry/strawberry or blackberry/blueberry.  Since I don't like blackberries, but still wanted something interesting, I went for the strawberry/raspberry.

Um, yeah, one bite is all it takes to realize how good this is!  Glorious.  If you are looking for a traditional *slice* of cheesecake, it clearly isn't that, but, I really loved the form factor (difficulty of getting that first "perfect bite" including the crumble base aside).

The cheesecake was beautifully creamy, not quite as thick, nor as rich in some ways, as traditional cheesecake, but definitely cheesecake, not pudding.  I loved the texture.  It was sweet, but not too sweet, cheesy in a more complex way than just "cream cheese" (was it the fresh Israeli cheese used?), and the crumb base was a beautiful compliment, buttery and delicious (I'm a sucker for a butter crumb in general, and, well, dislike standard graham cracker based crusts entirely).  The fresh berries on top just sealed the deal.

This was crazy good, and I absolutely did *not* share as I had intended too!  I'd gladly get this again. ****.

Full size cheesecakes are also available.

Jerusalem Bagel. $3.50.

"Traditional soft, sweet Israeli pastry dipped in simple syrup and coated in sesame."

If you've never had a Jerusalem bagel before, you may not know what to make of this.  The only familiar bagel aspects are, well, it is a bread product, and round-ish.  Besides that, they aren't boiled, they aren't small, are crusty, and I think always have sesame seeds?  Oh, and a touch of sweetness?

Oh, and they are generally street food.  And you can serve them with dips, usually bean dips, like hummus, baba ganoush, white bean, etc, or just olive oil and often za'atar, or ... you can have for breakfast, buttered, maybe with some jam, etc.

I was excited to try it in all ways.

First up? Just a chunk, on the spot.  

It was good.  Crusty, but ... bouncy? inside.  I liked the texture.  Slightly sweet, and I liked the sesame seed crunch.  Definitely easy to just eat as is.

But it was even better when I toasted it, and spread a little cream cheese and drizzle of honey on it.  Or toasted it, with cream cheese and smoked salmon.  Or even just warmed it, and had it dunked into labneh with honey ...

It just went well with basically everything I tried it with, and the texture was even better when toasted. ****.

On the cooked food menu, Tatte serves it as the vessel for eggs in a hole, with fried eggs (and ham and cheese if you please).  That sounds pretty epic.

Pantry

The majority of what I got was from the "pantry", an area of pre-made salads, spreads, and longer shelf life baked goods (e.g. tea cookies, granola).  A little way to bring some Tatte home for a few days ...

Meze Plate On the Go. $8.

"3 of our favorite spreads - Cashew Pepper, Chickpea puree with Aleppo Oil and Garlic Labne with olive oil and dukkah."

I was eyeing most of the spreads and pre-made salads, and assumed my mom would want to get a bunch too, as they seemed really her style, but, she wasn't actually into them.  I still planned to get a bunch for myself, until I saw how many had ... pine nuts.  The roast cauliflower salad, the pesto, and others, all, pine nuts.  After having pine nut syndrome a few years ago, I just really, truly can't deal with taking that risk again.

So alas, no pine nut items for me, and no mom who wanted to share.  Thus, I grabbed the packaged "meze plate on the go" trio, which would at least give me a sampling of 3.  I got the aforementioned Jerusalem bagel to use with them, but I also was imagining many many other ways to enjoy.  I was pretty excited to try them all.

All are available by the half pint for $6 as well.

Cashew Pepper Spread.

"Housemade pepper cashew (magic!) relish. Add to salad, eggs, meat, or use as a spread to create your own sandwich."

I started with the one I was least excited for: cashew pepper spread.  I'm fickle on cashews, and not really one for red peppers.  What's in it?  Well, cashews, and peppers (roasted piquillo peppers), along with parsley, garlic, red onion, alepo pepper (EVOO, salt, pepper).

I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I did like the chunky texture.  But the piquillo pepper flavor was just too strong for me, and not what I really liked.  I think it would be good inside a wrap or on a sandwich, particularly with feta, or as a condiment used at breakfast with eggs and feta.  I gave it to my sister, who used it over some sauteed veggies and loved it.

When I looked up how they use it, I was amused to see that yes, indeed, it comes as part of the brunch meze, along with eggs, sunflower spread, whipped feta, cherry tomato salad, and, yes, the jerusalem bagel.  I certainly grasped how to use it, it just wasn't the product for me.  **.

Chickpea Puree.

"Seasoned chickpea puree with Aleppo chilli oil. Enjoy it as is or as a side."

Next up: chickpea puree.

A strange choice for me, sure, as I don't like chickpeas as just cooked legumes, and I don't like hummus (unless chocolate hummus!), but I do like fried/crispy chickpeas, and I liked the idea of the creamy puree.

While not actually hummus, it certainly tasted like a lot like it, which, well, makes sense.  A base of pureed chickpea, blended with caramelized red onions and garlic, and topped with Tatte's Aleppo chili oil.

They suggest eating it as is, which I tried.  Yup, uh, hummus?  I could imagine dunking pita (or your choice of favorite dipping item), into it, if you like hummus.  I don't really, but, my bigger problem was that it turns out I don't like the flavor of the Aleppo chilli oil ... which, well, pretty much ruined this for me.

I also wanted to think about ways to use it warmed up, and did take some from the bottom, avoiding the chili oil the best I could, and warmed it.  It was kinda nice, like a soft falafel patty.  But, still, Aleppo chili oil, and, not for me. **.

Tatte does serve it warm at the cafe - it comes on the All Day menu as the chickpea puree, warm, with caramelized onions, green favas, and warm pita, along with the aleppo chili oil, dukkah, and herb salad.

Roasted Garlic Labneh.

"Creamy Labneh with roasted garlic. Enjoy it as is, or add it to your favorite sandwich, salad or meat dish! "

And last, the one I actually really did want!  Labneh.  Yes!

Tatte is well known for the labneh, available plain, or in savory versions (spicy, garlic, etc), and, now, a sweet version, paired with their own strawberry jam and poached rhubarb.  I've wanted to try the labneh for a long time, and the spicy, garlic, and sweet ones all equally appealed, so I was happy Tatte made my decision of which to try first easy, by including the garlic one in the meze trio.

For the unfamiliar, labneh is like ... Greek yogurt, but even richer, smoother, creamier.  Very thick.  If that makes sense.  It is actually strained, with excess whey removed.  You may hear it called "yogurt cheese" or kefir cheese as well, people do thick of it as more like a cheese, like a soft cheese, than a yogurt.  Commonly used as a spread, as it is so thick.  I still really like it as a yogurt replacement, when plain or sweet that is.  I wasn't quite sure what to make of the savory one.  I didn't want a bowl of savory yogurt ... did I?

In addition to the garlic (both fresh and roasted), it has ginger, mint, and parsley to brighten it up (and olive oil?).  It was thick, it was rather tart, and it was only slightly garlicky.

I think I really may have liked that, except, um, it was covered in dukkah (fine), but also ... yes, sadly, aleppo pepper oil :(

Sadness. **.

Strawberry Rhubarb Labneh . $6.50.

"Creamy Labneh with poached rhubarb and house-made strawberry jam."

As an indulgent yogurt-lover (as in, I dislike non-fat, and honestly even most whole milk or greek yogurts, but love super high fat, super thick, yet creamy yogurts), paired with granola and fruit, for breakfast, the sweet labneh really caught my eye.

I couldn't wait to try it.

Strawberry Rhubarb Labneh: Close Up.

The container came with plain labneh on top, and the layer of poached rhubarb intermingled with strawberry jam (with whole berries!) below.

I started with a spoonful of just the labneh, and was very happy.  It was indeed very thick, very very rich, and seemed a touch sweet.  This is a "little goes a long way" sort of product.  

Next I tried the poached rhubarb.  It too was great, and I'm not a huge fan of rhubarb.  The tartness was lovely with the sweet strawberries interspersed.  

And all together?  Yup, delightful.  Again though, very very rich and indulgent, so hard to eat a large portion as a pudding/yogurt style.  It really is intended to be used differently.

I made a parfait with it, using Tatte's granola (keep reading!), and fresh berries, and enjoyed it, but, it was pretty dessert-like, not really breakfast.  I see why Tatte uses Greek yogurt for their own parfaits rather than the labneh.

I really enjoyed it kinda spread on the jersusalem bagel too.  ****.

(By the way, Tatte also sells just the poached rhubarb, and suggests pairing with yogurt, baking with it, or using as garnish.  I'd definitely consider it in the future!).

Granola. $16.

"Our housemade granola is a delicious mix of whole grains, almonds, cashews and pumpkin seeds baked to a crisp with unrefined honey and muscovado."

I've been looking for a good granola for a while, as my favorite granola is only available in Australia (where I don't live, and clearly won't be visiting for a while) and isn't available retail anyway.  My second favorite is from Jane the Bakery - review soon! - in San Francisco, a very different style though.  I've been wanting a more traditional granola for a while, and regular grocery store brands just never do it for me.

Tatte is well known for many hits, but their muesli bowls are ones that I've wanted to try forever, and people certainly love, made with whipped greek yogurt, their housemade granola, fruit (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, pear, apple), and honey and black sesame.  It always looks so delightful, and people love it.

I haven't tried it, but I at least wanted to give the granola a try, so I took home a bag.

Granola: Close Up.

Two tiny nibbles and I was sold.  And quite pleased.

Yes, yes, yes, I had finally found a granola I could purchase and enjoy.  Well, when I was in Boston at least (doh, again, not where I live!).

The granola is a classic oat base (oats only), with whole cashews, sliced almonds, and pecans, sweetened with honey and brown sugar, brightened by a hint of vanilla, and lightly salted.  Traditional oil roasted style, crispy.  I do generally like to have some clusters, and alas this didn't have any, but I still quite enjoyed it.  It was definitely a sweeter style, a bit decadent even.

It was a good munchable granola (e.g. straight from the bag), but it also made a *lovely* parfait with the labneh, poached rhubarb, strawberry jam, and my own berries.

Much like the cheesecake, this was *not* shared with anyone, and I'd certainly get it again. ****+.

Original Review Summer 2018

I just discovered Tatte Bakery on my recent visit to Boston.  I was doing a bit of reading on Flour Bakery (more on this soon), and Tatte was mentioned in an article.  I made a mental note to investigate later, as Flour Bakery was still my top priority for baked goods.  A day or two later, I was looking for an easy option to pick up a salad and dessert item on my way back to my hotel after work, and, Tatte came back up, this time because of the salads.  They have a salad topped with halloumi (!) that sounded amazing.  But I didn't end up visiting then either.  A day or two after that, I was walking to work in the pouring rain, and walked by Tatte.  I was freezing, soaking wet, and looking for something to warm me up, and, uh, make me happy.  Yes, I could have breakfast at the office, but ... I wanted hot coffee right then, and I wasn't impressed with the baked goods at my office.

So into Tatte Bakery I went, without doing my normal level of research.  I must return.

Amazing Lineup!

If I had done my normal research I would have had a game plan.  I would have known which item I was going to get before I walked in.  Instead, I was greeted by a plethora of options, and just picked based on what looked good (which, was everything, really).  This was new for me, but a huge success - the item I picked was one of the best pastries I've ever had.

Setting

Tatte was founded by a self-trained pastry chef from Israel, who started selling at farmer's markets in Boston before opening her first store in 2008.  She has a small chain in the Boston area now, with 4 locations in Cambridge, one just over the river on Charles Street in Beacon Hill, and the original location in Brookline.   I visited the Main Street Cambridge location, down the street from MIT.  This was the 4th location, opened in 2013, and is also where the baking hub is now located.

The feeling of the space is very neighborhoody, and you can tell that this is not a standard classically trained french pastry chef, yet the pastries produced are top notch.

Outside Seating.

Simple wooden tables and chairs fill the (covered) sidewalk outside.

Interior.

The interior was light filled, even on a rainy day, with high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows.  There isn't a ton of seating, but there are regular tables and some high counters.  Most people, like me, were taking their items to go.

The front counter housed all the pastries and the register to order at.

Condiment Station.

On the side was a little station with milk (skim, whole, half & half), sweeteners, cinnamon and chocolate powder, and lids for coffee, plus salt and pepper, and hot sauce.

I didn't take a photo, but I also ordered a decaf americano (no decaf drip available, but a full lineup of espresso beverages, plus matcha, was).  My americano was fine, not particularly noteworthy.

Food

Tatte has a full menu of main to order savory items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in addition to the abundant baked goods.

For breakfast, you can pick from a range including basic breakfast sandwiches, tartines (yes, you can get your avocado toast here), muesli, and even shakshuka.

The lunch/dinner menu is very extensive, with salads, soups, sandwiches, and plates, all seasonal offerings.  The salads sounded really creative, composed of greens topped with everything from seeds (black sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, etc), to grains, to nuts, to vegetables (pea shoots, asparagus, roasted eggplant and potatoes), to fruits (fresh apples, dried apricots, raisins), with matching dressings (lemon-olive oil, tahini, orange vinaigrette).  I really still want to try the "Crunchy Halloumi",  with seared halloumi cheese, toasted carrots, radishes, apples, toasted almonds, sesame, and tahini.  Sandwiches too, not just plain Jane, even the BLT includes sriracha mayo and tomato onion relish, and the grilled cheese has short rib, beet-horseradish relish, high end clothbound cheddar, and is served on challah.  The fig, brie, and prosciutto panini also called out.  As did the roasted cauliflower with spiced labneh, capers, chilies, golden raisins on pita.  The list goes on and on, so much creativity.  Plates included assorted quiche, savory tart tatin, and a quinoa bowl.  If you visit on the weekend for brunch, there are even more options, including pancakes.

Tatte To Go.

Near the register is also a refrigerated section with quick grab and go items, dubbed Tatte To Go, with  premade sandwiches, salads, and parfaits.

Desserts.

Next to that was the not yet entirely filled dessert case, filled with individual and large treats, any of which I would have gladly opted for if I was in the market for a dessert.

Baked Goods: Part 1.

But I passed up all the "real" food, and went straight for baked goods.  Tatte makes a lot of baked goods.  They do not have a listing online anywhere, and I'm sure the lineup changes often.  I honestly wanted at least 10 different items.  Every time I thought I had picked what I was going to order, I saw something else I wanted.  Everything looked, and sounded, incredible.

The first section began with a streusel topped coffee cake, assorted brownies, and plain brioche.  These were all easy enough to walk past.  Then came some savory items, prosciutto cheese brioche with pesto and seasonal red pepper and asparagus croissants, with spears of asparagus sticking out, that seemed like perfectly valid "responsible", aka, not just sweet, choices.  And then there was the sweets, perfectly caramelized kouign amann, jagged monkey bread, and sugar coated morning buns.  I wanted all of these.

Baked Goods: Part 2.

Already filled with indecision and too many things I wanted, I looked into the next case.  Things got even better.

Chocolate and hazelnut twists had bits of hazelnut all over, and folds layered with chocolate.  The "Roses", either chocolate or cinnamon pecan, looked magical.  I decided on a cinnamon pecan rose, until I looked below, and saw croissins, their version of croissant-muffins.

Even the danishes, muffins, and other filled croissants looked far better than average.

Filled Croissants.

I nearly decided on one of the filled croissants, either pistachio or almond, as they looked absolutely stuffed with tasty fillings, and the pastry looked flaky as could be.

I couldn't identify the ring item pictured here, and it was one of few items not labelled.

Muffins, Danishes.

The strawberry cheese and cream cheese croissants looked better than average.  Ham and cheese filled, plain, and pain au chocolate were also options,

I very nearly went for a muffin actually, as I loved the look of the crispy, pearl sugar topped choices, bursting with berries and fun varieties, like strawberry rhubarb, blueberry hazelnut, and poached pear and almond.

The Stars.

In the end, I went back to that section with the monkey bread, the cinnamon pecan rose, the morning bun, and the crème brûlée croissin.

Even as I stepped up to order, I didn't know which I'd pick.  I think I intended to pick the monkey bread, but at last minute, I asked the person taking my order about the fascinating crème brûlée croissin, and she assured me it was amazing.

Crème Brûlée Croissin. $4.75.

I barely enough knew what I was getting when I ordered this, but I expected something made from croissant dough, shaped like a muffin, and perhaps filled with a little pudding, or at least bruleed on top as I could see from the case.  Given that I obviously adore baked goods, and have entire labels on my blog devoted to pudding and crème brûlée in particular, this, uh, sounded like something I'd love.

I pulled it out, and still didn't quite know what to make of it.  How was I supposed to even eat this thing?

I ripped off a piece of the croissant dough from the bottom.  It was a fantastic croissant, buttery, flaky, delicious.  I got excited.

Then I tried a bit from the top.  It had been coated in sugar and torched, not something I ever knew I wanted in a baked good, but turned out to be amazing.  It had a phenomenal caramelized flavor, and was perfectly crisp and sweet.  Crème brûlée perfection, intense flavor with no burning, although there was a lot of sugar on top of this thing.  There was even a hard caramel ring where sugar had oozed out, and I plucked it off and eagerly consumed it.

Just the croissant itself was good, and just the croissant, er, croissin, form on its own with the brulee top would have been amazing, and left me quite satisfied.  But this had more to give.

Crème Brûlée Croissin: Inside.

This thing was filled with crème brûlée pastry cream.

OMG.

It was absolutely loaded up with filling.  The pudding was delicious.  It was super creamy, had a nice vanilla flavor, and a hint of citrus.  It really was remarkable on its own, like the best vanilla pudding crossed with Boston cream.

Just like the base croissin, I would have been happy with just a bowl of this pudding, but, combine it all together, and it was magic.

It was one of the best pastries I've had in recent memory, even though it was complicated, and even though it didn't really make sense, and even though it was a bit hard to eat.  I loved every single bite of it, and I assure you, this was not just a fad item, it was really, really, really good.

Oh, and entirely not breakfast appropriate.  There was way too much pudding in here, and way too much sugar on top, to remotely qualify as breakfast.  But I didn't really care.

I can't wait to get another. ****+.

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