Donuts from Les Croissants

Les Croissants is a very nondescript small cafe in Japantown.  Mostly known for the relatively cheap bahn mi and mediocre bubble tea.  In the morning, they also ofter coffee and pastries, including donuts.  They certainly don't make their own donuts, but I'm not sure where they source them from, they may be from Rolling Pin?  I have several co-workers who live nearby, and have been treating us to the donuts fairly regularly, and thus, I've gotten to try a bunch.  If the name sounds familiar, they also used to have a location in the Fidi, but it closed during the pandemic, and never re-opened.

Les Croissants has all your basic donuts, and nothing more.  No wild fillings or flavors, no decadent toppings.  Just your basic raised (glazed, chocolate, sugar), old fashioned (plain, glazed, chocolate, maple), and cake (plain, chocolate, maple, crumble) donuts, and a few specialty donuts like fritters, cinnamon rolls, twists, and bars (custard or plain).

I've tried a number of donuts at this point.  The old fashioned and fritters are definitely the highlights for me.

Pink Boxes.

The donuts come in pink boxes, like many donut shops, but not the iconic solid pink boxes, rather, these are striped, and have a friendly "Enjoy" message on them.  Still, pink box = donut, and pink boxes make me happy.

September 2023

Raised Glazed, Raised Chocolate Glazed.

The first time I tried donuts from Les Croissants, a co-worker had brought them in, and reserved me 1.5 donuts of his choice, which turned out to be a raised glazed, and raised chocolate glazed.

The first thing that stood out about the donuts is how light and fluffy they were.  Remarkably lofty, fluffy, and not at all greasy.  They tasted quite fresh.  Beyond that, they were fairly standard donuts, nothing particularly remarkable about them.  The chocolate glaze was very mild.  Both were well glazed.  ***+.

Variety of Donuts!

A few weeks later, another co-worker brought in a variety of donuts, ranging from old fashioned, to raised glazed/sugared/chocolate dipped, to little donut holes for those who wanted just a bite, to the king of donuts, the massive fritter, and everything in-between.  I gleefully tried several.

I tried a hunk of the fritter, and immediately went back to claim the rest.  It was excellent, although it was a flatter style that made it not necessarily look as appealing.  Greasy in a good way, fried in a good way, flavorful, not dried out.  Top notch fritter.  I'd gladly have another.  ****.

Maple Old Fashioned.

Then I tried a hunk of the maple old fashioned.  Also excellent.  Crispy in the right ways, light buttermilk tang, lovely maple flavor.  ****.

Update Review:
Another day, another hunk of another maple glazed old fashioned, and loved it just as much as before.  Such a heavy layer of glaze, but a really lovely maple flavor, and the base old fashioned is just so moist, great crispy edges, and like tang.  ****.

Cinnamon Roll.

Next, it was time for the other massive donut in the lineup, the specialty cinnamon roll.  I'm not sure if you can tell, but, this is really a large donut.

Like the regular raised donuts, this was very light and fluffy.  It tasted so fresh.  Not at all greasy.  The dough seemed slightly sweeter than the regular raised donuts, which I liked more.  The cinnamon between the rolls was fairly subtle, but enough to taste.  It was well glazed.  

This donut was a delight to eat by just ripping off hunks alongside my afternoon coffee, and equally great when I brought the rest home, heated it up, and topped it with Smitten ice cream Cinnamon Toast ice cream and whipped cream.  I'd get this again too.  ****.

Side note: I learned recently that these are known as pershings, or persian rolls. Wikipedia described them as "fried sweet roll or doughnut with a spiral shape similar to a cinnamon bun. It may be covered with a sugar glaze, iced or frosted, or sprinkled with sugar or cinnamon sugar."  How did I live this long, and blog regularly about donuts, and never hear that term before!

March 2024

Assorted Donuts.

Another day, another box of donuts from Les Croissants.  

From this box, I snagged a donut hole - it was good, lofty, fresh tasting, nicely glazed.  ***+.

Then, later, I went back and took a hunk of the sugar raised.  It too was very good - again, very fluffy and light base, tasted really fresh and not fried, and well coated in sugar.  It made me wonder if they make jelly donuts, as I don't really ever have just sugared donuts (I'm more of a glaze girl), but I grew up with jelly filled sugar donut.  Anyway, a good donut too.  ***+.

Raised Crumb Coat.

I don't normally go for crumb coat donuts, but something drew me to this.  I'm glad it did!

The base donut was good - very fresh tasting, raised, fluffy.  The crumb coat was fantastic though, really well spiced, a bit of cinnamon, and I swear I even tasted apple.  Probably the best crumb coat donut I've ever had, and it may have changed my opinion on these in general.  ****.

Vanilla Glazed Old Fashioned.

Last time I had the maple glazed old fashioned, and was impressed, so this time I tried the vanilla glaze as well.

I was equally impressed.  The base donut was very moist, fluffy, fresh tasting, not too fried (tasting, it certainly was fried).  Good crispy edges, light buttermilk tang.  Exactly what you want in an old fashioned.  The glaze was generously applied, and very sweet, but somehow not a cloying style.  

Very good.  A bit less complex of a flavor overall than the maple, but still a top notch donut that went so well with my afternoon coffee.  ****.

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Restaurant Pod Aniołami – Under the Angels, Krakow

During my business trip to Poland, we had a number of arranged group dinners (10-14 people).  I wasn't involved in picking any of the restaurants (I know, shocking), so I just went with the flow (or, attempted to, going with the flow is not exactly my strong suit).  We had some hits (like shockingly good foie gras at Padre) and some lowlights (like the entire meal at Kogel Mogel).  Our last night in Krakow, our journey took us to Restaurant Pod Aliolami, or "Under the Angels".  I did some quick research, and was excited for our visit, as the setting looked very unique, and the food generally well reviewed.

The restaurant is known for their lineup of wood fired and grilled meats, and their dumplings, although they offer an extensive menu of traditional Polish cuisine as well.  I enjoyed the meal, but didn't love anything enough to purposely seek the place out again, but I'd go back with no qualms if someone else wanted to.

Setting

Entrance.

The restaurant is located down a side street, just a half-block off the busy area.  And yes, that *is* a red carpet rolled out at the entrance.

Grill.

The space inside is fascinating, many levels, many rooms, lots of stonework.  There are multiple kitchen areas, one with the wood fire oven, another with grills, another for starters, and presumably one somewhere for the dumplings, although I didn't see that one.

Banquette Room.

We were seated all the way downstairs, down many, many stairs, in the depths of the restaurant.  We were surrounded by lots of stones, and, um, weapons.  Real candles on the table.  Uncomfortable bench seating with carpet squares/tapestries rather than cushions.  No cell phone service.

It was definitely an experience, and a memorable venue.  It was a great private area for our group of 14, as we had this entire banquet room to ourselves.

Food

Starters

The menu has plenty of starters, ranging from grilled oscypek (their local cheese), to traditional Polish herring, to tartar, etc.  Several salads and multiple soups round out the starters.

Our group didn't really get many starters, given a week straight of multi course heavy meals.  One person ordered it, so I did get to try the sour rye soup finally, a specialty of Poland that I had never experienced before.  It was really a fascinating, specific flavor.  Sour and fermented and nourishing and heavy all at once.  I wouldn't want a big bowl of it normally, but I can see the appeal, particularly on a cold day.  I was glad to fit a few bites in during my last day there.

Breads (complimentary).

Once we had ordered, we were provided baskets of bread, two kinds, not warm.  I didn't try the breads.

Lard & Bacon Spread (complimentary).

I did try the spread, made from lard and bacon, though.  It tasted ... like bacon grease basically.  Not particularly interesting.  People felt it needed a bit of seasoning.  **+.

Note that they do not warn vegetarians that this is pork based.  They did provide butter on request.

Pate. 54PLN.

"Our recherche, noble pate, served with cranberries, pickled pear, and home-made horseradish with a side of pickled mushroom."

The pate was decent.  Fairly strong (good) liver flavor, fairly smooth.  Not really notable, I liked it, but I wouldn't go back just for it.

The pickled pears were pickled with winter spices like cloves, which I hated.  The fresh horseradish was great.  I didn't try the pickled mushrooms, as others grabbed them first.

Interestingly, it was not served with a bread/brioche/crostini component on which to spread the pate.

***.

Dumplings

The restaurant is known for their wood fire and grill, but also, the dumplings.  They have won a bunch of awards.  The lineup is extensive, with 6 options, 2 savory vegetarian, 3 meat, and one sweet.  You can also order a sampler of the 5 savory.  We ordered multiples of most, the only ones we didn't end up getting were the venison.

These are probably the best pierogies I've ever had, granted, I've mostly had pierogies in college dining halls, or the generic kind from the grocery store frozen section.  They were in an entire different league than the ones we had the night before at Restaurant Kogel Mogel.

Mushroom & Cabbage Dumplings. 54 PLN. 

I didn't try the mushroom & cabbage dumplings.

Spinach and cheese. 54 PLN.

"Dumplings with spinach and Bryndza (sheep milk cheese), pan fried with butter, served with green dill."

I went straight for the spinach and cheese dumplings.  These ones had a great sear on them.

The dumplings were very well made.  Thick, but not too thick, skins.  Crispy on one side.  DELICIOUS crispy fried onion bits.  Butter sauce.

The spinach dumplings were very spinach forward. They made you feel a bit healthy (besides the fried nature, and the fried onions, and the butter of course).  Lots of spinach inside.  

I liked them, my second favorite of the 4 kinds I tried.  ***+.

Cheese/potato/onion. 54 PLN.

"Dumplings with cottage cheese, potatoes, and onion, known as Russian dumplings, brought to Poland in the 15th century by King Jagiello from Kievan Rus, pan-fried with butter and onion, or water boiled."

The cheese/potato/onion were the only ones that had an option to have boiled rather than pan fried, but we still went for pan fried.

I'm not 100% certain the ones pictured here were the cheese, as dumplings were arriving by the plateful all over the table and I lost track, but I think it was these.

Many people thought these were the best, but I felt they were just kinda average.  I think I just wasn't excited by the texture of the cheese inside, akin to cottage cheese.  My least favorite of the dumplings.  ***.

Meats. 56 PLN.

"Dumplings with several kinds of meat, pan-fried with butter and onion, served with cranberries."  

I loved these.  I'm not sure what the several meats were, but they were stuffed with a very flavorful mash of shredded meat bits.  Well seasoned.  Great sear on these ones too.  The cranberry sauce with them was a lovely compliment.

Hands down favorites for me, I'd get these again anytime.  Probably the best pierogies I've ever had. ****.

Dumplings with smoked plums and sweet cream. 49 PN.

Since I knew this group wouldn't order dessert (even though I wanted to try several dishes on the dessert menu!), I got the sweet dumplings with the main meal.  

They were a bit lackluster.  The dumplings weren't crispy like the others (intentionally I think), the filling was just not very flavorful. Not sweet, not particularly sour or fruity, just kinda bland.  I did really like the sour cream though, it was lightly sweetened and really quite smooth.

**** cream, **+ dumplings.

Other

Most of the group was a bit burnt out on heavy food, so they sadly skipped the extensive lineup of grilled meats and got salads.  You could tell our waitress was confused why we got only one starter at our huge table, only a couple main dishes, and mostly salads and dumplings.  The few people who got the meat seemed underwhelmed.

Gnocchi (Vegetarian). 62 PLN.

"Polish mountain mushrooms in cream with our cut-up parsley leaves, served with pan-fried potato gnocchi."

Vegetarians had two choices for a main (besides dumplings), either stuffed cabbage or gnocchi, both of which we saw on menus basically everywhere.  The vegetarians in the group went for the gnocchi, having just had stuffed cabbage the night before (that they didn't like).  I was glad they picked this, and got in on their sharing party.

I thought I'd love it, but, wow, I didn't.

Thick mushroom stew base, not as cream forward as I hoped, and not particularly good mushrooms.  The potato gnocchi were fine I guess, decent sear, but, compared to the dumplings, no need to indulge in these for carbs.

Didn't even want a second bite of this.  *+.

Special: Asparagus. 38 PLN.

"Green asparagus served with butter and breadcrumbs."

It was asparagus season, and I adore asparagus.  So I clearly had to get the special.

This was good.  Dramatically better than the asparagus I had the night prior at Kogel Mogel.

The asparagus was a bit softer than I'd like (ok, a lot softer) but it had a good taste to it, large stalks.  The butter sauce was good, and I loved the flavorful bread crumbs.

** cook on the asparagus, but *** overall.

Peppermint Vodka.

"On parting, our home-made mint liqueur to health and good memories."

At the end of the meal, we were all provided a shot of their peppermint vodka.

I actually really enjoyed it.  Refreshing.  Lightly sweet and minty.  Others felt it was like liquid toothpaste.  I thought it ended the meal nicely.  ****.

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Express InterCity Trains Dining, Poland

OMG, I rode on a train.  A real train!

Ok, now that I got that out of my system, I can do this review.  Yes, trains are novel to me as an adult.  I grew up in a state without them (literally, the government converted all railways into nature trails long ago), I went to college in an area with out them, and basically have only been on a (non-subway) train 2-3 times in my life (once was just last year, as you read about my adventures on the Amtrak Acela between New York and DC).  Let's just say, I was pretty excited about our mode of transportation between Krakow and Warsaw during a recent business trip to Poland.

Our journey was on the Express InterCity Premium train (EIP), and we were seated in First Class, which meant, we even got a meal.  And thus, this blog post.

Dining Card.

Dining cards were handed out to us once underway.  The cards told us that we'd get a snack, exclusive to us in First Class (others could go to the cafe car to order food of course).

Menu,

The other side of the card listed our options.  Croissants, two kinds of salad (one vegetarian), or two kinds of mini sandwiches (one meat, one veggie).  This ... didn't feel very premium.  But it was something I guess.

I knew I didn't want the sandwiches (either tofu with beetroot or ham), and I don't like chicken so the salad topped with chicken wasn't really appealing (although it had a black sesame dressing, that sounded maybe interesting?), and I had already had a slew of pastries that morning (two different muffins at breakfast, and then ALL the donuts from Dobra Pączkarnia (zomg, so good!), so the croissant wasn't catching my eye either.  Thus, the other salad it was, sorta as the last resort, even though I'm not excited for blue cheese, nor vinaigrette.  We had literally just finished lunch anyway, so I didn't really care about this random "snack" anyway, besides research purposes of course.

Our orders were taken immediately, but not orders for drinks, only the snack.  Drinks came later from a cart, with coffee, tea, or a few bottled drink options.  I had a bottle of sparkling water, it was, well, a bottle of sparkling water.

Salad with Blue Cheese and Walnuts.

"Blue cheese, salad mix, tomato, cucumber, walnuts, vinaigrette."

The meal came exactly one hour into our train ride.  The cart came back through, delivering all the salads first.  Then it did a pass with all the sandwiches.

The portion size of this was pretty funny.  Yes, a snack. Definitely not a meal salad, but barely even an appetizer salad really. Nothing more was served with it - no roll, no salt & pepper packets, no little piece of chocolate or candy, nothing.  

It came pre-dressed with the dressing.  Luckily, not over dressed, and I didn't mind it.

The salad too was actually fine. The greens and tomato and cucumber all pretty fresh.  The cheese did not have any blue cheese funk, even though it looked like blue cheese, it really tasted like a fresh cheese.  A bit uncanny, but I sorta liked it.

Overall, fine, but so small, and such a random "snack".  ***.

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Joe & The Juice

Update Review, May 2024

In May 2024, Joe & the Juice introduced a new range of shakes, protein shakes, for all "the Gym Bros & Sisters".  They made a bit of fanfare about them, developed in partnership with PUORI (whey & collagen or plant based protein supplements) and SPROUD (plant based high protein milk alternative).  I'm not really one for protein shakes in general, so I did not pay attention, that is, until they offered a freebie.

So of course I went to try one.  I could pick any of the 5 item lineup, 3 of which were new to the menu (Beets & Berries, Big Matcha Energy, and Chocolate Flex), or two almond butter based ones that I think were already on the menu.   All use Sproud M*lk and Puori proteins, use dates for sweetness, and bananas.  None sounded actually all that appealing, but again, can't resist a freebie ...

Chocolate Flex. $14.69.
 -Banana -Date +Mint, Sub Plant Protein.

"Raw Cacao, Banana, Date Puree, Collagen & Whey Protein, Sproud M*lk, Ice."

I went for the Chocolate Flex, but modified it.  First up, removing the dates as I don't like the taste of them, and the bananas, because I wanted it to be more pure chocolate.  Next, opting for the plant based protein rather than collagen & whey, because my body doesn't like whey protein isolate.  And finally, adding mint, hoping that would make it like a mint chocolate shake.  Really, I was just trying to create a dessert.  Protein shakes/healthy tasting things and I are generally not very aligned.

My order was ready quickly.  It was nicely blended, finely ground bits of ice, no big lumps or chunks.  But very clearly an ice based drink, not a real shake, as the milk pooled up and separated quickly.  The aroma from the mint was strong, and it looked chocolately, so I took a big gulp.  Um, yeah.  This was a protein shake.  One that I had eliminated all sweetness from (not quite intentionally).   It was bitter.  It tasted chalky.  It was not tasty.  And likely all my fault, given my omissions.

I don't think I can give a real review of this, because the shortcomings are due to my own changes to it.  I brought it home, added sweetener, added bits of chopped Heath Bar and chocolate chips, added whipped cream, and tried so hard to make it dessert, but, it really was a protein shake after all.  It did have 24 g of protein in it, so there is that.

Original Review, September 2021

I don't know when it happened.  Sometime in the past couple years, when I wasn't looking.  My neighborhood became overrun with Joe & The Juice locations. 

"Taking juice to the next level."

Yeah, yeah, another trendy juice shop?  Not quite.

Joe & The Juice stands out from all the other juice shops (e.g. Pressed Juicery, Juice Shop, etc), as rather than focused on cleanses and juicing lifestyles, it seems to be marketed for much greater appeal (but not in a general Jamba Juice way).  In addition to juice they have some (healthy) food, a full coffee bar, and plentiful lounge space, and, well, my neighborhood seems to have fully embraced the brand.  There are 3 (!) within a half mile radius!

The success however is certainly not limited to my neighborhood - Joe & The Juice is a worldwide chain, and actually started in Denmark (in 2002).  I first saw it in Sydney years before it made its way to San Francisco.

Anyway.  I'm not a juicing type, not really one to seek out healthy foods, but, I finally visited, drawn in by the popularity, and, um, the lure of free things, courtesy of AllSet, an ordering platform they are offered on.

Side note: Stuck doing a lot of takeout and delivery these days? Want to try some free food and new pickup or delivery services?  Here are some codes for free money!

• Allset ($5 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Door Dash ($15 off, $5 each of your first 3 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Caviar ($20 off, $10 off your first 2 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Ritual ($6 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Delivery.com ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Grub Hub ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Seamless ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Uber Eats ($20 off - use code eats-lejw5 at checkout) [ Pickup or delivery ]

My orders were always through AllSet, and were quickly acknowledged and filled.  I never waited for my items, and they were always waiting for me in the pickup area.  I think AllSet likely integrates with the same POS as their own app, which is how most people seem to order, so I never had issues.

Treats

Yes, Joe & The Juice is a health focused place, and yet ... of course I went straight for the "Treats" section of the menu.  You know me and my baked goods!

The treats lineup isn't exactly decadent, but offers up two kinds of muffin (blueberry, chocolate), both reasonably sized (as in, smaller than most places), and little mini loaves of banana bread, carrot cake, and a brownie ... all of which were the same shape (yes, the brownie and banana bread look the same).  They also had a cookie on the menu, but it seems to have been discontinued.

The items I tried were all ok, but certainly tasted on the healthy side.

Cookie Box.

The first item I ordered at Joe & The Juice was a cookie.  Yes, me, the girl who says she doesn't really care for cookies generally.  I ordered through the app, and it just said "cookie", without description of what kind.  I wasn't sure what to expect. Classic chocolate chip?  Sugar cookie?  Oatmeal raisin? I had no idea.

When I went to pick up my treat, I was at first quite pleased with the packaging.  What a cute box!  I expected a cookie just in a little sleeve ...

Smooshed Cookie.

But when I opened the box, I was less thrilled.  The cookie had a larger diameter than the box, and thus, it was smooshed in, broken when I got it.

It looked to be chocolate chip, which turns out to be the only kind they carried.

Chocolate Chip Cookie. $2.99.

Yup, for $2.99, I got a broken cookie.

The cookie was ... fine.  Very crumbly.  Somewhat strange texture, almost like a gluten-free cookie, but it was not gluten-free.  I'd say perhaps it was a strange texture due to something they do to make it healthier (but, it still clocks in 267 calories).

Anyway.  A thin cookie, crisp, crumbly, with very, very, very few chocolate chips, and the ones that were there were quite small.  Nothing particularly good about this cookie.

**+ and certainly not worth $2.99.

Another Broken Cookie.  $2.99.

So, yes, I didn't give the previous one a rave review, but, during the COVID days, I went through a cookie obsession, plus, AllSet kept giving me $3 credits to spend, so, why not take a "risk" and get another?  I'm glad I did.

It came mushed into a box just as before, no napkin this time, and it wasn't even trying to not be all broken up.  Completely mangled.  Seriously, minus a point for this!

And this time, I knew to expect the kinda strange crumbly texture, and healthier taste, and liked it considerably more.  It went well dunked in milk.

***.

Carrot Cake. $3.49.

My next order was a more exciting sounding dessert: carrot cake

Since I ordered on AllSet, I did not see the carrot cake in person before I ordered it.  If I had, I likely would not have picked it.  I expected, well, a slice of cake.  Lots of cream cheese frosting, ideally on top and between layers.  Instead, it was more like a tea cake.  At least it had *some* frosting ...

I tried not to judge the cake by the cover, but, it was highly, highly mediocre.

It was more like a carrot muffin.  It seemed like it was trying to taste fairly healthy?  I guess that would be on brand.  It had no flourishes, no nuts for crunch, no pineapple for moisture.  Just a lightly spiced, kinda dry, mediocre cake.

The frosting was more sour than cream cheese-y.  Eh.  

This did not satisfying my dessert sweet tooth. **+.

Update: I had another, and found it was much better warm with ice cream.  It grew on me a little. *** ... maybe.

Drinks

As you can likely guess from the name of the business, drinks, specifically juices, are their focal point.  Joe & The Juice offers up a slew of juice blends, with fun names like "Go Away Doc" (features carrots), or "Prince of Green" (cucumber).  They also make healthy shakes (sweetened with dates, full of things like spirulina or beetroot powder, etc), and have a full espresso bar, along with T2 tea.

I haven't actually tried the juices (not my thing), but tried a shot (random, I know), and some coffee drinks.  All were ... "fine".

Ginger Shot.  $3.60.

"Apple, Ice, Ginger."

I was feeling a little under the weather, and really wanted something refreshing and to pick me up.  For some reason, the ginger shot called out.

I've only had ginger shots a few times in my life, but the gym at my office used to have a ginger shot of the day, and I'd grab it from time to time.  Those are really my only comparison point, and I always loved the major ZING to them.

This ginger shot was far more muted, clearly cut with a lot of apple juice.  The flavors were balanced, but, I wanted something with a bit more bite.

At $3.60 for a tiny little apple juice with a touch of ginger, it wasn't worth it to me.  But the cup was adorable.

**+.

[ No Photo ]

Cold Brew. $5.00.

I had no reason to really think Joe & The Juice would have good coffee, but, when my coffee maker was broken, I decided to try their cold brew.  It was ... fine.  Not particularly complex, but not too bitter.  Kinda watered down.  It did the trick but I certainly wouldn't get it again.

**+.

[ No Photo ]

Espresso Shot. $2.80.

The espresso turned out much better than the cold brew.  Nice aroma, fairly complex flavor, smooth finish.  I have since gotten it several time (when AllSet has given me free $3 credits to spend!).  Not something to rave about, or go out of my way for, but, a solid espresso.

***+.

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