“Not that you can't get better in London/Europe, but Dominique Ansel (formerly of Daniel) recently opened his eponymous bakery in Soho, and it has some of the better viennoiserie in NY right now.”
November 10th, 2011
It’s funny what triggers your memory, not to mention what you can find when you dig through your own inbox! Nearly two years ago, I received this message from a friend who’s clearly well-immersed in the NYC food world. At the time, I didn’t think much of it apart from a mere “oh that’s nice.”
By sheer happenstance, I ended up going to the bakery that very weekend... after a lazy Sunday brunch with another girlfriend of mine. She was pregnant at the time, but I didn’t know it. I remember listlessly watching her order an inordinate amount of goodies from the store while I half-heartedly bought a latte (a latte!!). We then parted ways and she wished me well for my safari trip to South Africa.
My, my – how times have changed!
It’s as if the world has awakened to the biggest Dominque Ansel shake since… well, since the bakery’s opening back in November of 2011 (and even that parallel is contestable).
Ever since I’ve learned about cronuts, I’ve been positively obsessed. My sleep-deprived girlfriend told me that she had invested two separate weekends to wait in line for these puppies, and had even attempted to coerce my hubby to procure some for my baby shower (to which he flat out refused, of course).
Still, I knew I had to have these half croissant/ half doughnut confections. It’s not a matter of if – it’s a matter of when.
Then, the perfect opportunity arose last Friday. We had decided to host a BBQ for some friends (an initiative my trainer deemed “insane”), and I thought – what better way than to treat everyone with some Dominique Ansel desserts? Off I went and pre-ordered some DKA’s (Dominque’s Kouign Amann) and Paris-NY. I then strategically timed my pick-up, and was lucky enough to get my grubby little preggy hands on some last minute cronuts (or croconuts, as they call them, since this month’s flavor is coconut!
Now – I must admit, coconut crème is not my favorite flavor of all time (though the cronut was still delicious). Personally, I found the DKA (more like a caramelized croissant) to be the star of the show… along with the frozen s’mores, which was simply too rich for words. The trouble with these type of experiences, of course, is that my eyes are clearly too big for my stomach. Though I would also argue that when it comes to enjoying food, I celebrate with my eyes just as much as my stomach. To quote a recent piece written by Guy Trebay in Travel + Leisure, “I prefer to eat with my eyes.”
Unfortunately for my dinner guests, neither the cronuts (of which you’re only limited to two per person) nor the s’mores made it past noon. However, there were plenty of DKAs and Paris to spare. Judging by their ravenous reactions, I would say that both were a huge hit! Not a bad effort from someone who's 39 weeks pregnant! As Amy from Dominique Ansel noted, “that is some pastry dedication!
