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Where do you find a good croissant in the Bay Area?

flying_hun said:
Yeah, I've been there. Lots of good food, but their croissants don't cut it.
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Why not? most everything at every Boulange in SF is awesome. (I might be a *little* biased)
The almond one is a bit dry, true,
but the plain one is perfect for dipping. And it is soft.

Then, they have the sugar +hazelnut croissant ... freaking sublime(the crust is a little dry/hard)

Yeah anyway in any case I'd have said "SF is pretty much fully sufficient for me for croissants if not the top" ;) Recently even a plain croissant from my corner coffee shop also works (depends on their supplier)

Back to the Boulanges , they have other food items that we like there. Like all their sweet tarts (the rectangular shaped ones) are full-on sublimeness.

As for Tartine? F- that, that's like waiting in front of a Macintosh store! Due to that , and my only like.. 3 appearances at that place ... I cannot have sweet taste for that place.. only bitterness from crowds and elbow pushing. :p Although they do seem to have pretty soft , sweet, well made stuff like lemon pies and what not.
Edit.. OK then.. for an out of city visit.. Tartine is probably pretty worth it. But still--the wait :(
 
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AbsolutEnduser said:
Why not? most everything at every Boulange in SF is awesome. (I might be a *little* biased)
The almond one is a bit dry, true,
but the plain one is perfect for dipping. And it is soft.

Then, they have the sugar +hazelnut croissant ... freaking sublime(the crust is a little dry/hard)

Yeah anyway in any case I'd have said "SF is pretty much fully sufficient for me for croissants if not the top" ;) Recently even a plain croissant from my corner coffee shop also works (depends on their supplier)

Back to the Boulanges , they have other food items that we like there. Like all their sweet tarts (the rectangular shaped ones) are full-on sublimeness.

As for Tartine? F- that, that's like waiting in front of a Macintosh store! Due to that , and my only like.. 3 appearances at that place ... I cannot have sweet taste for that place.. only bitterness from crowds and elbow pushing. :p Although they do seem to have pretty soft , sweet, well made stuff like lemon pies and what not.
Edit.. OK then.. for an out of city visit.. Tartine is probably pretty worth it. But still--the wait :(
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Out of city visit? Macintosh store? MMM you're trollin. :mad :laughing

I live in the neighborhood so I just look and see if the line is too long. Even if it is it moves pretty fast. It's the worst around 9:30 on sat and sunday mornings though.

The food is worth the wait though. They know what they are doing with baked goods.
 
weak_link said:
:laughing Well aren't you a picky son of a gun? Sorry, I got nothin' for ya buddy.
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Yeah, maybe. The thing is, when you have one that is done properly it is just sublime. You actually don't need to choose between crispy/flaky and soft. Good ones are both. Unfortunately, in the 20 years that I've lived in CA most of the ones that I've had have ranged from being doughy, greasy messes, to being dry bread rolled into the general shape of a croissant.

AbsolutEnduser said:
Why not?
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See above.

The funny thing is that when I lived on the east coast, my local coffee place had some that were amazing, so it can be done outside of France. :dunno

This week I've tried La Farine and La Bedaine on Solano in Berkeley, and they're not bad, but I'm hoping for better.
 
Worst time to go looking for a 'good' croissant in the bay area:

When you just got back FROM FRANCE.
 
flying_hun said:
Yeah, maybe. The thing is, when you have one that is done properly it is just sublime. You actually don't need to choose between crispy/flaky and soft. Good ones are both. Unfortunately, in the 20 years that I've lived in CA most of the ones that I've had have ranged from being doughy, greasy messes, to being dry bread rolled into the general shape of a croissant.
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Yeah, bread shaped like croissant is not a croissant. Technically, you can't legally call such monstrosities croissants in France without getting thrown in jail! It needs to have 128 distinct layers of dough separated by butter! Nice, light, soft and flaky innards with a crispy, but not burnt outside. And filled croissants can't be made that way due to the weight of the filling collapsing it during the baking. If it's going to be filled, it must be done after the baking and cooling process.

I've found two places with authentic croissants:

La Patisserie at 19758 Stevens Creek in Cupertino near 280/N.Wolfe Rd.
Prolific Ovenat 18832 Cox Ave, Saratoga near hwy-85 & Saratoga Ave.
 
DannoXYZ said:
Yeah, bread shaped like croissant is not a croissant. Technically, you can't legally call such monstrosities croissants in France without getting thrown in jail! It needs to have 128 distinct layers of dough separated by butter! Nice, light, soft and flaky innards with a crispy, but not burnt outside. And filled croissants can't be made that way due to the weight of the filling collapsing it during the baking. If it's going to be filled, it must be done after the baking and cooling process.

I've found two places with authentic croissants:

La Patisserie at 19758 Stevens Creek in Cupertino near 280/N.Wolfe Rd.
Prolific Ovenat 18832 Cox Ave, Saratoga near hwy-85 & Saratoga Ave.
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Excellent! I'll try them the next time I'm down that way. :drool
 
AbsolutEnduser said:
Why not? most everything at every Boulange in SF is awesome. (I might be a *little* biased)
......

Back to the Boulanges , they have other food items that we like there. Like all their sweet tarts (the rectangular shaped ones) are full-on sublimeness.
Click to expand...

OMG yes! The tarts are little bits of heaven. My favorite is the apricot, but they are all delicious. The macaroons are sinfully rich.

I think I lost 10 lbs and my cholesterol lowered by 25 points when I moved away from La Boulange.

They have good coffee too.
 
revnort said:
You'll most likely have to wait in line, but Tartine's is fucking amazing for pastries and croissants. Try to go in an off hour. I find that between 8-9 on Mondays are generally not that bad. Weekends don't even try unless you're there at 8 or after 1.

http://www.tartinebakery.com/

I also recommend picking up some sweets while you're there too.

Edit: yeah it's not in East Bay, sorry...
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I showed this to my GF and she yelped it right away. Yep, we are gonna check it out. 3,000 + reviews on yelp, get outta here!
 
Model Bakery, there is one in Napa at the Oxbow Market and one on Main Street in St Helena. Their croissants are delish and their English Muffins, THE BEST !! :drool
 
Wassrong with the costco ones? I have to stay away from em, or I eat them like sweet sweet candy.

AbsolutEnduser said:
Back to the Boulanges , they have other food items that we like there. Like all their sweet tarts (the rectangular shaped ones) are full-on sublimeness.
Click to expand...
Open-face smoked turkey sammich with cheese, and greens salad with the candied pecans onnit. So good. :drool
 
revnort said:
You'll most likely have to wait in line, but Tartine's is fucking amazing for pastries and croissants. Try to go in an off hour. I find that between 8-9 on Mondays are generally not that bad. Weekends don't even try unless you're there at 8 or after 1.

http://www.tartinebakery.com/

I also recommend picking up some sweets while you're there too.

Edit: yeah it's not in East Bay, sorry...
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Hell, pick up a couple of loaves of sourdough while you're in there too. Truly an outstanding bakery. :thumbup

revnort said:
I have an answer for that too.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/arinell-pizza-san-francisco

NOT the one in Berkeley. It is not the same. :x

The one on Valencia is a dirty, scummy, hole in the wall. The people who work there are missing teeth and blast metal.

However, the pizza is great there by the slice. Maybe I have deluded myself after a few years out here but I actually think it is comparable to decent NY pizza. No toppings. Just cheese.
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Dude, get out of my head!!!!!! Seriously, I second everything revnort has said. As an NYC ex pat, I still head over to the Mission when I can for a taste of home.

Psychochik said:
Model Bakery, there is one in Napa at the Oxbow Market and one on Main Street in St Helena. Their croissants are delish and their English Muffins, THE BEST !! :drool
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And YOU!!!! If you are ever at the same event I am at, I expect you to bring me a six pack of Model english muffins!!! I don't know about their croissants, but their english muffins are a MUST TRY. Yeah, I know, you're thinking, it's just an english muffin.... but you are so wrong.
 
Gnarly Cranium said:
Wassrong with the costco ones? I have to stay away from em, or I eat them like sweet sweet candy.
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They taste like a dog & cat poo pie compared to a REAL croissant!!! ;)
 
Gnarly Cranium said:
Wassrong with the costco ones?
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I haven't tried them for example, they would cost me an extra 40 bux a year.. :)

Gnarly Cranium said:
Wassrong with the costco ones? I have to stay away from em, or I eat them like sweet sweet candy.
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well, and that too. Dontcha get too many and then you have to eat them?

oh..
and that 'small independent shop' thing ;) ;)
 
Agent Orange said:
Costco ones aren't bad, but that's like comparing a burger from In N Out to a housemade burger.
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You think the Costco ones are as good as In N Out?
 
In N' Out isn't a destination burger joint for me. It's one of those places I go to on the way back home from a vacay on I-80 or 580 when McDonald's doesnt do. I go to places like Flippers or Polkers for burgers. Similarly, I enjoy Costco croissants when it's convenient.
 
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