Croissants of Paris :: Part V
By Paris Pâtisseries in Other Goodies
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In writing my Laurent Duchêne piece the other day, and in referencing his croissants, I realized it had been too long since I shared anything from my 2011 croissant quest. There were four installments of the series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4) before a certain “Negative Nancy” got under my skin with some off-site commentary on the last one, leading me to hang up my croissant quest moccasins. Plus, it was late July and all the shops were closing, meaning a necessary croissant hiatus. Of course I’d eaten from almost 40 shops by that point – and plan to continue the quest this spring – so I have a serious backlog of photos and critiques to share.
While Monsieur Duchêne’s piece inspired me to write this today, I’m going to focus on five other boulangeries/pâtisseries. Most are simply neighborhood shops that have fared well in the city-wide croissant rankings of the last few years. One is a true standout. Another is very good work. And the rest . . . either edible enough or simply disappointing. So grab yourself a cup of coffee or a French “expresso”, and let’s dig in.
Regis Colin (above): I’d heard many good things about Monsieur Colin’s croissant. But, walking up to the shop, I thought I’d perhaps gotten the address wrong, for it sits amid a super touristy stretch of Rue Montmartre in the 75002. I was sure I’d take a bite and taste nothing but hype. Au contraire. I was more than pleasantly surprised. The croissant was very buttery – but by no means wet or overdone – and with a fantastic skin, as you can see. My notes say it has a, “…nice flavor if you buy it early in the morning and eat immediately.” Since I always bought four croissants at a time, notes from the later tasting of the day said that, “…the flavor seemed to dissipate.” While the croissant lacks the refinement of the best days of Bread & Rose, Des Gateaux et du Pain, or Pierre Hermé croissants, it’s nonetheless tasty and a, “bigger, messier, more substantial chunk of awesome.” than those just mentioned, on their more middling days. Score: 8-8.5
And now on to Pichard…
Pichard: This croissant topped Paris’ official 2011 rankings for the best croissant in the city (technically, one outranked it in the outlying suburbs), but I wouldn’t quite go that far in my assessment of its quality. It was definitely a little burnt on the bottom – but in such a way that it did more to add a nice little flare to the flavor than it did to detract from it. Still, a little too charred. Very light in texture – but yet not quite as much as the lightest I’d ever had from Lenôtre … and very buttery, though perhaps a little too far along and into the realm of slightly greasy, not too unlike the croissants from Le Triomphe. My notes peg it as a hybrid of the two shops I just mentioned and the croissants from Gontran Cherrier, though lacking the perfectly nuanced character he seems to imbue in his little guys. Totally worth a purchase though. Score: 7.5
And now on to Didier Maeder…
Didier Maeder: Monsieur Maeder placed 13th on the list of best croissants for Paris (and its suburbs) for 2011. And, yeah, it was certainly not so good. I’d say 13th place was probably pretty generous. The crumble to the exterior was satisfactory – a nice medium flake. The interior was a bit too bready and lacking both in butteriness and any discernible character. Adding insult to injury was its dryness and completely misshapen form. Again, I buy four at a time, so if this was the prettiest of the bunch, imagine how ****** up the others were. My notes succinctly say, “…a notch below ‘good enough’.” Score: 6.5
And now on to Maison Delcourt…
Maison Delcourt: The croissants from Maison Delcourt, as crafted by Guillaume Delcourt, placed high on the list of the 2010 croissant rankings. Why? I don’t know. Slightly dry, slightly bready, minus any charming flavors or tones, it was just . . . boring. Looking at the exterior, I was expecting a lot more, but I was left thoroughly unimpressed. My notes say it’s, “…fine enough for slathering [in confiture]…not that I would buy it again.” Score: 6.5
And now on to Carton…
Carton: Last, and certainly least, Carton’s croissant just sucked. The exterior was “boring as ****” and not flaky/crinkly at all.” The buttery tones were there in texture only, so the flavor thereof was curiously absent. Even the scent of the interior was bland. The two “saving” graces were that the moisture of the piece was spot-on and there was a wee salty kick, but that did little to make up for how insanely lackluster the overall flavor and texture were. There’s no point in eating this thing unless you’re starving and can’t walk a few more blocks to a better shop. Score: 5.5-6
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