There are a lot of food critics’ account on Instagram but I think my account has the followers with incredible taste buds. I truly have great friends who are capable of doing good things. With the recommendation of one of those friends, I came to Dominique Ansel, a bakery in New York.
First, I was welcomed with a queue that was almost 100 meters long. Just as we were discussing with my wife whether we should go in or not, a voice inside me told me to walk towards the door. Indoors wasn’t that crowded. “Perhaps that was a tourist group waiting for their bus,” we thought.
Here, the croissants are as good as the ones I had in France, and I’m talking about the level of Eric Kayser-type places (though I think the Eric Kayser in New York isn’t that good).
The sugar-covered dough Dominique created and called DKA was among the things I liked. The only problem is that they use too much butter. When you hold a cookie, your hand gets covered in chocolate since they use so much chocolate that the heat of your hand is enough to melt it all away. I loved the quality! Even the flourless ones were good enough to change my dislike of the “light” products.
But the real deal is called “Cronut”! You might ask what that is. Dominique makes their normal donuts like croissants: Crispy and with a lot of butter. Then they fill it in with cream like a donut and serve it hot. It turns out that the queue at the door was for this incredible taste! It’s really good though I must say that the name isn’t that creative.
Another interesting product of Dominique is the cookie cup. They make cookies in a glass form and fill it with milk. As the level of milk goes down, you start eating the cookies. The idea and the way it’s presented is pretty nice. But be aware that this is served after 3 pm, for $4
Another creative idea is Frozen S’more. The ice-cream filling is covered with chocolate, and marshmallow on top of it, and they melt the marshmallows with fire. I couldn’t taste it because of the long queue. Perhaps you might have the patience to wait in line.
Overall, I was happy that I found a French-quality bakery in New York. If you like having bakery products for breakfast, I recommend this place. Dominique Ansel also is a step ahead of other bakeries with their creativity. If only they didn’t have the long queues…
Evaluation: 9/10
Address: 189 Spring Street (between Sullivan and Thompson) New York, NY 10012
Telephone: (212) 219 2773
