croissants there anyone in the Boston/Cambridge area, making wonderful croissants?

[cigalechanta]

Is there anyone in the Boston/Cambridge area, making wonderful croissants

[litchick]

I quite like the ones at Quebrada bakery on Mass Ave in East Arlington.

[marcreichman]

Ditto. Plain and filled. Broccoli and cheese = ultra tasty.

[barleywino]

Japonaise on Beacon st...try the almond or the apple

[suzysue2]

Tatte, across Beacon St. from Japonaise is also pretty spectacular. I like Quebrada too.

[teezeetoo]

Japonaise and Clear Flour - I particularly like the plain croissants at both

[Berheenia]

Ham and cheese at Japonaise, gruyere at Clear Flour float my boat.

[qianning]

Clear Flour gruyere croissants, yum.

[BobB]

Yes! And for a nice sweet/savory contrast, while you're there pick up some of their Morning Buns too. Basically croissant dough swirled around brown sugar and cinnamon and baked in a muffin tin so the edges are nice and crisp. Available with or without walnuts.

BUT - you can only get these treats (both sweet and savory) in the AM, they're usually sold out by midday.

[mcel215]

Just in case you would like some from your freezer, try Trader Joe's. Their frozen chocolate croissants come 4 to a pack and you defrost overnight to rise, in the morning brush with an egg wash, cook 20 minutes. They are so, so good.

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Trader Joe's
1427 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476

[almansa]

You stole my thunder. I like the plain croissants from TJ. Just proof overnight at room temp and bake until done.

[kobuta]

Yes, they are. But then I read the calories info on the back (after I ate them), and I force myself not to even look at them in the freezer section anymore. *cries* But if you don't care, they are simple quick and so delicious.

[little.tiger]

How would you say they compare to Iggy's? Those are the household favourite, but certainly not great for the budget.

[kobuta]

I'm not sure I've ever had an Iggy's croissant. And as much as I love butter, I don't eat croissants that often.

[StriperGuy]

Clear Flour and Iggy's.

[verka]

Second the Iggy's croissant! Especially plain ones early in the morning at their Fresh Pond store/bakery.

[itaunas]

They aren't as good as those two, but the current incarnation of Verna's in North Cambridge has plain croissants which I prefer to some of its neighbors (quebrada and danish pastry). There also are retail outlets for Iggy's outside of Fresh Pond such as Evergood Market on Mass Ave while they last, I think Dave's, Formaggio has a nice but pricey selection.

[litchick]

I forgot about Verna's. Their croissants are great. I especially like them made into a Verna's breakfast sandwich.

[maillard]

Are their breakfast sandwiches good? How do they cook the egg?

[Ralphie_in_Boston]

Another vote for Clear Flour

[nonaggie]

We like the ones at Burdick's in Harvard Square.

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Burdick's
Cambridge, MA, Cambridge, MA

[makonna]

I love the ones from Bella Moto in Arlington.

[ebaba]

Without a doubt, Cafe Vanille on Charles Street. The best croissant outside of Paris, better than some I ate living there. I can't remember what the pain au chocolat is like but the almond is spectacular and the plain is delicious.

[StriperGuy]

That is a pleasant surprise cause Cafe Vanille's pastries are mostly mediocre.

[ebaba]

It's worth a trip, I promise. I love the financier too. I don't know if I've even tried anything else, save a forgettable (tasteless) clafoutis.

[rlh]

The Bakery at Sportello has amazing ones in the morning - worth a detour! The coffee doesn't measure up, unfortunately.

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Sportello
348 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02110

[yanz]

the best croissant I've ever had in boston was a bread course at Menton...if Sportello has anything even resembling those croissants, I'm going to need to try some.

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Sportello
348 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02110

[CookieLee]

Clear Flour for plain and chocolate. Yummy!

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Clear Flour Bread Bakery
178 Thorndike St, Brookline, MA 02446

[smtucker]

Clear Flour's gruyere cheese croissants are worth every single calorie.

[kimfair1]

They are worth twice the calories. The strawberry ones they have sometimes on weekends are also great.

[cornFusion]

I second, third and fourth this statement - Clear Flour's Gruyere Croissants are at least as good as - if not much better than - any other croissant I have personally had.

[okra]

After a recent Boston Globe article...

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2010/11/10/bonjour_croissant/

I revisited the Danish Pastry House in the old Iggy's spot.

It was very light and good - but I think I was charged $2.50, vs the $2 quoted here

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/...

Nice, but pushing my $$ limit... I'm poor, y'know?

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Danish Pastry House
205 Arlington St, Watertown, MA 02472

[cornFusion]

Have you tried those at Crema Cafe in Harvard Square?

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Crema Cafe
27 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138

[ahipoke]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Canto 6 yet. They were my top croissant place before I found Clear Four's just because Clear Flour is easier to get to. I've loved their plain and chocolate ones and their special savory ones are also equally yummy.

Also love the ham and cheese from Japonaise Bakery.

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Japonaise Bakery
1020 Beacon St, Brookline, MA

[opinionatedchef]

Whichever plain croissant you prefer, I have a great discovery for what to put on it! Some of our Boston area WF are selling a tremendous product- Justin's Dark Chocolate Hazelnut (or Almond) Paste. It's available in little 99 cents one- serving size foil pouches so you can try it before investing in a jar. Holy Cow. Mine is the story of 'don't overlook what's in your own backyard.' A few months ago, I had learned about a Turkish/Greek/Mediterranean product of chocolate hazelnut paste but the ingredients were primarily corn syrup and gross stuff, so i was on the hunt for a pure product- when i came across this WF item. Fifty pounds later..............!

[Pia]

Hmm, I tried the chocolate peanut butter and found it to be a little gritty and not very chocolatey. I prefer my homemade Nutella. But maybe the hazelnut/almond varieties are worth checking out -- those little pouches are convenient.

[The Chowhound Team]

Discussion of how to make Nutella at home has been moved to the Home Cooking board. You can find it here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7667...