Honore vs. Besalu

[BennyShoga]

Curious to know what your favorite pastries (and perhaps any other goodies) would be at these two fine bakeries. And which is better where?

[CMSeattle]

Honore also has the best macarons in Seattle.

[Charles]

Better then Ines? Cuz her macaroons are amazing

[RandyB]

Are you talking about macaroons (heavy coconut treats), Charles, or macarons (French cookies made by joining two egg-white based hemispheres)?

[Charles]

The French cookie

[frygirl]

Besalu - plain croissants and ginger biscuits
Honore - Kouign Amann

[mrnelso]

You said it, sister. The jam is lovely.
Us decadent sweet-tooth sorts admire the twice-baked almond cream croissant, though...

[HCGirl]

Besalu has the best croissants in the city, but I also can't ever go there without buying a ginger biscuit (or two).
I haven't been to Honore in a while because I don't think their pastries can hold a candle to Besalu's.

[Quintious]

The twice baked almond croissant at Bakery Nouveau would like to have a word with you....

[babette feasts]

The twice baked almond at Nouveau and the plain at Besalu are different animals, not even trying to be the same thing. You can only compare a plain croissant to another plain croissant.

[RandyB]

Besalu for: plain crossants and pains au chocolat. Also very good cookies, especially lemon and cornmeal-lavender-sage. Also fresh fruit in puff pastry. James's style is mainly for simple but perfectly made. Don't go there looking for layered cream tortes, for example.

Note by "simple" I don't mean easy to make. Croissants are one of the hardest things to make really well. You can't hide any flaws or errors with filling or icing.

[Bax]

Plain croissant at Besalu. Everything else I've had there is good enough, but the plain croissant is typically stellar.

Have only been to Honore once and it was late in the day and I found the kouign amann a little lackluster. But that may just be because it had sat around til nearly 2pm. I'm guessing it's much more appealing in the a.m.

[LemonyRoux]

Besalu - plain croissant with jam
Honore - Kouign Amann