NYC: ozzie's coffee and tea

I went to Ozzie's early this morning because they only make a handful of plain croissants each day and I have never made it in time for one. Still warm from the oven, this croissant completely surpassed my expectations. It had a perfect balance of butter and yeast, fluffy and dense, crispy and silky soft. Every bite was heaven. I feel uncomfortable about giving it a 10, never having been to France, but it couldn't imagine wanting any more from a croissant.

Rating: 10 out of 10
Ozzie's Coffee and Tea
57 7th Avenue (at Lincoln Place)
Brooklyn, NY

NYC: patisserie claude

This croissant had a quality to it that I couldn't put my finger on, but I think was staleness. It was very dense, and difficult to break apart into bite sized pieces. But interestingly enough, the flavor was very good, and I'm a little worried I hit up this place at the wrong moment (late afternoon on a very humid day). Despite its many flaws, I tasted potential in this croissant -- and I can't help but think that fresh out of the oven it could be an (overly dense but still delicious) favorite.

Rating: 3 out of 10
Patisserie Claude
187 West 4th Street
New York, NY 10014

NYC: balthazar bakery

Delightful start to one of the first real days of spring in new york city. This was my first visit to the well-known Balthazar Bakery and it didn't let me down. The bakery was beautiful: quaint, full of artistically presented baked goods, and accompanied by classic benches out front to enjoy the Soho scene. As for the croissant: the layers were well defined, the buttery flavor was right on and the inside was airy, porous and velvety. The outside was crispy (a little too crispy for me, and the only detraction really). The buttery bottom of the croissant was just the right density, without being overly decadent. Scrumptious!

Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Balthazar Bakery
80 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012

NYC: blue sky bakery

Filling and enjoyable, but far from perfection. My croissant wasn't near crispy on the outside, and lacked a true buttery flavor. It tasted sweet, almost like a light challah bread, and was a little too dense -- although i think that was a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself. I must say that the muffins looked and tasted amazing (i got a carrot blueberry cream cheese muffin to go). I'll be back, just not for a croissant.

Rating: 4 out of 10
Blue Sky Bakery
53 Fifth Ave (at Bergen)
Brooklyn, NY 11217

LA: hollywood farmer's market

this was an un-rated croissant that i got from an unidentified vendor at the hollywood farmer's market. as far as i remember, the croissant was just average--but at the market, even just average is extra enjoyable. i will have to go back for a second tasting...

hollywood farmer's market
ivar & selma avenue
hollywood, ca
every sunday from 8:00am to 1:30pm

NYC+LA: lil's homemade croissant

unfortunately, we did not get to bake our homemade croissants together. but we split the dough, and each baked/tested in our respective kitchens. above is one of my (mini!) croissant creations. they were all very buttery--but still delicious with jam.

making croissants is not easy.

NYC+LA: croissant making!

nicole & i reunited in massachusetts and decided to make a batch of our own croissants! our recipe of choice came from the joy of cooking (pdf).

here's our dough just before we folded in 1 heaping cup of cold, shredded butter. making croissants is a very labor intensive process and involves 10+ hours of warming/chilling/waiting.