Cedric Grolet & Dominique Ansel Bakery Le Citron, La Noisette, and La Fraise pastries: About 24 hours ago, I was waiting in line at Dominique Ansel Bakery at 7am, an hour before opening, in what would turn out to be a 2 hour await for a taste of French pastry chef Cedric Grolet's NYC debut. This chef is known for concocting fruit desserts whose outward appearance mimics the texture and color of the real fruit, a style many describe as works of art. When its thin shell is shattered, the desserts reveal a layer of cream and a molten filling of fruit compote. Winner of the 2018 W... (read more) 2.5/5.0
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Craftsman and Wolves Strawberry Cake: On Valencia in the heart of the Mission is the original location of the Craftsman and Wolves, a pastry shop where each item is backdropped by a matte black countertop, with slide-out trays for individually plated cakes and specialty items. The presentation of the pastries is impeccable, with a commendable level of consistency and care put into every piece. Of course, as with any San Francisco establishment, you pay a premium for quality - the strawberry cake, about 4 inches long, was $8. ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Dominique Ansel Bakery Peach Creme Fraiche Mousse Cake: This teardrop-shaped dessert consists of a lemon cake with peach compote, all covered in a thin shard of pink-striped chocolate. It had a sharp, acidic flavor, and technically, the cake was soft and moist. But I couldn't help but wonder what exactly this dessert was trying to accomplish. While I hadn't had anything like it before, I wouldn't say it was particularly satisfying; it exists in its own world that's not quite delicious, yet not really challenging enough to stay in my memory. 3.0/5.0
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Dough Donuts Blood orange donut: Brooklyn Donut shop Dough Donuts serves ginormous donuts with vibrantly colored glazes. This blood orange donut came with a candied slice of blood orange. Brioche-based dough makes the donuts neither light and fluffy nor overly dense - somewhat middling as far as small-batch donuts go. Blood orange glaze was very sugary but had a decent citrus flavor. Best part was definitely the candied slice, with its sharp tart flavor. 3.0/5.0
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Flora Bakehouse Seasonal Sweet Dasish with Charentais melon jam, pastry cream,, Gaila and Charentais melon, and shiso : Multiple people have recommended Flora to me after learning I recently moved to Seattle. The Bakehouse in Beacon Hill is an offshoot of the full-service cafe in Madison Valley and has a variety of freshly-made pastries, with classics like croissants and kouign-amanns alongside seasonal offerings. Currently featured is their seasonal danish of diced cantaloupe and honeydew (literally a hybrid of the two with the Galia melon) sitting on a mix of pastry cream and melon jam, topped with sliced... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Gjusta Miso date cookie: Gjusta, the sister bakery of Gjelina in Venice, LA, is apparently popular enough to not need any signage. It’s unlabeled storefront conceals a narrow counter and dining area, where patrons wait for a variety of pastries (cakes, cookies, croissants) and hot and cold prepared items (pizza, salads, pâtés). Luckily, their express line was relatively short, which meant purchasing this miso date cookie took just a few minutes. The sizable cookie contains a single date at its center. Its texture is... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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