Just a quick breakfast note for you all as you wake up this morning. Jenn and I drove in NYC together as we are meeting Susan and Rich for lunch at Nougantine. Since lunch won't be until late afternoon, we decided to stop by the newly opened Bouchon Bakery in Rockefeller Center, near where I work.
Jenn got her favorite, Pain au Chocolate, which I'm sure she'll post about. I went with the twice baked Ham & Cheese Croissant...toasted. Let me tell you, this is toasted, cheesy, flaky, yuminess. While a bit on the expensive side for a breakfast sandwich ($9), it is really good.
They start with a fresh, flaky croissant, no doubt made with a lot of butter. They slice it and layer in ham and Swiss cheese. Next, they take more cheese and put that on top of the croissant. Lastly, the toast the whole thing so that everything is warm, melted, and has just a bit of crunch to every bite. What a way to start the day!
It's nice having Alan work up town a little farther than me (I'm at 47th and 5th Avenue and he's in the Radio City Music Hall building at 50th and 6th Avenue) because he sees different restaurants than I do and we can compare notes. When he remembered that Bouchon opened this week and suggested we stop in for breakfast to go, I said yes before he finished his sentence! Bouchon is all glass windows on one side facing directly into the large crowds of people standing around Rockefeller Center during the Today Show hoping to get a call out from Al Roker. The entrance is around the corner on 49th and has a few little tables outside for sitting over coffee. The inside is reminiscent of Bouchon Bakery in Yontville in terms of the familiar offerings (gourmet doggie biscuits, pastries, prepared sandwiches and salads, little glass bottles of Coke & Diet Coke and all of those incredible looking chocolate covered treats). But the décor is definitely New York…it’s a lot bigger than Yontville and more modern and bright. You can tell they are assuming it’s going to draw some pretty big crowds.
ReplyDeleteI got my favorite as Alan mentioned the pain au chocolate. You might think this is a boring choice – you might even think redundant…but you know what, when baked in a traditional French bakery style, INCREDIBLE. It was flakey and buttery with just enough chocolate to give that touch of bittersweet to pull it all together into breakfast’s perfect masterpiece. You’ll be happy to know that this Bouchon’s pain au chocolate stands up against its sister in Yontville. And other than the absolute mess I made with croissant crumbs on the desk, my dress and the floor it really is happiness in every bite.