Croissants of Paris :: Part II
By Paris Pâtisseries in Other Goodies
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Croissant Quest 2011 continues today with three buttery little guys, hailing from three different corners of the city. Representing the 10ème arrondissement is Du Pain et des Idées, home to some of the most acclaimed breads and viennoiseries – produced lovingly by Christophe Vasseur. Making an appearance for the 4ème is Boulangerie Martin, whose baguettes and croissants regularly appear on best of lists. And for the 7ème, there’s Hugo & Victor, whom you know I love for their pastries.
When we left off, I’d reviewed Des Gateaux et du Pain, Pierre Hermé and Ladurée. While Des Gateaux and Hermé knocked my socks off, Ladurée made a tragically weak showing. So how do our three newest entrants stack up? Well . . .
NOTE: There have been many questions here about shape of croissants and what straight vs. curved means. By law, a croissant that isn’t 100% butter cannot be straight. But a 100% butter croissant can be whatever shape it likes.
Du Pain et des idées (above): I was very excited to visit Du Pain, as a number of my friends had said my life was not complete until I snagged a few of their goodies. My friend Caroline actually refuses to call it Du Pain et des Idées, feeling that it dishonors Christophe Vasseur to merely reference his shop’s moniker. After he made her fall in love with pain au chocolat, which she’d spent 27 years of Parisian life not being fond of, Monsieur Vasseur’s is now one of her favorite haunts in the city. And, yes, the pain au chocolat, as well as their Mouna (fleur d’oranger brioche), is quite tasty. But what about the croissant? Well, I wish I could be in love with it, but after purchases on two separate occasions, I can’t muster more than a sentiment of “pretty good”. On that second visit, Monsieur Vasseur himself proudly told me, “Cent per cent beurre! (100% butter)”, and it’s true that the buttery tones are lovely. But from the hum-drum skin to the fairly ordinary internal texture and on to the only modestly amusing notes from the farine, I just wasn’t getting the same level of excitement I had for the other work of theirs I’d sampled. Score: 6.5
And now on to Boulangerie Martin…
Boulangerie Martin: I had some pretty high hopes this this croissant, given all the nice things I’d read about it. So I walked over to the shop, situated on the Île Saint-Louis, not far from Berthillon’s doors, and poked my head in. It’s a very run-of-the-mill boulangerie, and everything, including the croissants looked pretty standard, too. But I had them wrap one up, and as I nibbled on it during my walk home, the first thing I thought to myself was, “Interesting. I didn’t know Pillsbury Crescent Rolls had such a sophisticated pedigree.” It literally tasted like enough of a notch above said crescent rolls that it seemed Boulangerie Martin might have been Pillsbury’s inspiration. A second tasting was not as Pillsbury’esque, but it was still pretty mundane. Buttery, though a wee dry. Not particularly nuanced in flavors. Pleasant enough – but not worth another vist.Score: 6.5
And now on to Hugo & Victor…
Hugo & Victor: As with all the croissants I have reviewed and will review, I’ve savored H&V’s on two separate occasions – just to make sure I don’t catch a chef on an off day. In fact, I gave H&V a third shot, as my first two tastings were a little late in the morning and perhaps didn’t let me be privy to the height of freshness. So the third visit allowed me to experience a more tender and generally pleasant texture. But, honestly, and I keep searching for the best word here, the piece felt “encased”. The exterior seems almost a separate entity from the inside – not like a deliciously buttery team. The interior was the aforementioned pleasant part – yet I just wasn’t getting a lot of flavor/character from it. I wish this little one were closer to the awesomeness of H&V pastries.Score: 6
So it’s a tie between Du Pain et des Idées and Boulangerie Martin today – not that I would buy either of them again. In my next croissant round-up, I’ll have one from Eric Kayser, which is superior to the three today. I know. I kind of want to vomit, too, thinking that chain can top Du Pain et des Idees and H&V for croissants. Don’t get me wrong – it’s only going to rate a 7. Why can’t more of these shops be like Des Gateaux et du Pain? I don’t want them all to be the same, but I do want a different spin on the same level of excellence. I guess Jesus can’t personally descend from heaven each morning and visit every kitchen in the city. For now, Des Gateaux seems to have a monopoly on his time and his assistance in crafting transcendent croissants.
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