death of the croissant in new orleans
Croissant D'or has always been a favorite of mine. it's nearby, wide selection, and for me their croissant has always been the epitome of european perfection. as a simple man, i almost always get the plain...their recipe & technique is simply the best ive had stateside -- flaky on the outside, layered, almost-gooey buttery goodness on the inside. at $1.25 it simply doesnt get any better.
as you may know, Croissant D'or is under new ownership. ive been several times in the past month and my report is in -- theyve killed the croissant.
price is up 50 cents, but okay. the problem is that they are now baking a crescent-shaped dinner roll. it is not flaky. it is not layered. its just a mushy roll. im shocked. devastated. what happened!? i assume they bought the recipes w/ the business, as i see many of the past pastries and desserts. ive heard baking croissants correctly is a challenge..i guess the new baker must just not be to to the task.
other miffs -- $20 min on credit cards (at a bakery? c'mon at least do $10, a meal for two), dont see gelato, and theyre serving king cake out of season.
this is disappointing... w/o that croissant i dont have much reason to be a regular. boo!
By kibbles
on Apr 22, 2011 09:40 AM
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Oh wow, that's terrible news. The FQ needs a great croissant, I know I do.
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Shucks! Have the new owners kept the potato au gratin (served in the oval ramekins) on the menu and if so, has it gone downhill, too?
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Time to switch to La Boulangerie.
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La Boulangerie
4526 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115
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The coffee at La Boulangerie is so atrocious that I find it difficult to enjoy their croissants or any of the breakfast pastries.
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I realize this is a zombie thread, but I just had a ham-and-cheese croissant from La Boulangerie this morning and it was stomach-turningly bad. The middle was full of uncooked dough, and I don't mean it was slightly underdone--I was scooping out tablespoons of mush with my fingers. I gave up and threw it away. Then I tried the chocolate croissant I'd ordered--it was okay but meh. Pretty greasy.
I love croissants, and I really don't have unreasonably high standards for them. I just want them not to leave a film of grease on my fingers, and I want them to be, you know, cooked.
Does anyone have other suggestions for a good croissant Uptown or in the Garden District?
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La Boulangerie
4526 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115
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Don't know if she's at the Farmers Market on Tuesdays uptown, but the lady right near the entrance at the CCFM on Saturday at Magazine & Girod makes one heck of a croissant -- brown and crispy on the outside, real -- is the best way I can describe it ;) -- on the inside. Had one this morning and was quite satisfied.
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I can only make it to CCFM on Saturdays, but you're right--I was thinking in terms of permanent establishments, but I do really like her baked goods. I'll stick with her next time. [The moral of this morning's lesson for me was that I should've just waited 20 extra minutes for Stein's to open so I could get the bagel that was what I really wanted.]
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On the other hand, they did acquire a new coffee setup and are now serving drinkable espresso alongside the raw croissants.
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That’s good to know. I would always go to Rue for lattes and then pick up pastries at Boulangerie. It was almost like they went out of their way to serve bad coffee. I could never figure out why they didn’t step up that part of their game.
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Uptown, do you think La Boulangerie is worth another try for me? They're in my neighborhood [my handle's outdated] and I'd love to support them, but I know I won't be trying a croissant from there anytime soon.
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La Boulangerie
4526 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115
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I don't know, I think ham and cheese croissants are pretty gross anyway, I wouldn't use them as a yardstick of bakery quality. I think their bread is fine, and it is cheaper or comparably priced to the "artisan" breads at the supermarkets. There are some pastries I like. Why not try a few things and decide. You'll be out what, $5?
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We drove over there in August and they were closed. I'm almost glad now. They had no web site and there was very little information that I could find. I thought that was odd.
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