I won a contest and ate literally the best croissant
plus July's cronut, a visit from Melissa Weller, and a wafel
I’m super excited for this edition of Bun Stuff, if only because I won an actual contest for pastries thus proving that I am among a select group of pastry devotees in NYC, the greatest city in the world. BRB putting that on my LinkedIn.
OK this week we’re gonna talk about that, the very delightful July cronut, some coffee shops with tasty pastries, and see what Melissa Funk Weller’s been up to since we last tried her cookie box in April. Let’s get to it!
Dominique Ansel Workshop
Two weeks ago, Dominique Ansel ran a contest on Instagram where you basically had to tell them why you were worthy enough to be selected for a “first taste” of the standard offerings of his new Workshop that opens on the 16th. I sent them a two minute video (after several rehearsings) explaining that I should be selected because I’ve been to his bakery 85 times, spent over $2500, and run a pastry newsletter that you may be familiar with. Also, I shared my plight on my IG story and asked you all to message them and tell them to pick me.
Thank you all, because it worked! I won! As part of the deal, I also offered two of the five star bun buds to join me as I collected my winnings, and our pals Lillie and Abbe joined me.
After picking up the “confidential” prizes (the staffer did mention how excited my friends were in messaging, so thank you all 💓💓💓💓💓💓), we hopped over to nearby Madison Square Park to enjoy.
On offer our day was the olive oil croissant, made with cold-pressed EVOO and a subtle hint of rosemary and sea salt. NGL, I had medium-high expectations and I was blown away. Ours were fresh out of the oven, and due to the EVOO these weren’t flakey and more just buttery oily goodness. Abbe thought they were “really good” and liked “the savory quality of the rosemary, and really buttery”, noting how excellent it was for a general breakfast pastry or sandwich. Lillie noted “the essence of the rosemary, and how surprising it was since it seems so Italian (rather than French)”. I wanted a bit more rosemary flavor, but Lillie was good where it was.
They’ll also have plain and multigrain croissants when they open on the 16th that look delicious, as well as a variety of other unique specialties like a brioche bresanne with orange blossom water and a huckleberry riz au lait cube, so be sure to check it out!
The July Cronut
While we’re on the discussion of all things Ansel, let’s talk about the July cronut: lemon poppyseed and marscapone.
This was definitely one of the best cronuts I’ve ever had, and honestly surprising he’s never done this combination of flavors before. It was delightfully lemony, but the marscapone helped balance the acidity with the poppyseed coming in to give it that little extra kick to make it the perfect summery lightness. I had four over a weekend and am definitely going back for more before month’s end.
Melissa Weller’s Creations (aka Gertie and Funk Foods)
This past week I had a sampling of all things Melissa Weller, with a stop over to Gertie where she resides as Head Baker in Residence in addition to picking up the July box of cookies from her brand Funk Foods Bakery. First up, the schnecken at Gertie.
This is a beautiful schnecken, and I wish the day wasn’t so gray so I could have gotten better photos. Clarified as a “honey glazed sticky bun” on the menu, the caramely/honey glazed outside adds a nice crunch and stickiness. The dough is very thick, desptie looking somewhat airy it’s quite dense and buttery. There isn’t much filling per se, just hints of cinnamon amid the caramel sweetness. The middle was oh-so-gooey, with an almost apple flavor and was so delicious. Definitely worth picking up if there’s still some left when you visit.
Next up, the Funk Foods July Cookie box:
Comes strong with three each of (from top left, clockwise):
White Chocolate & Macadamia - delightfully creamy, not too nutty or chocolately. I’m usually pretty ambivalent about this combination but these cookies did it for me, great job MFW
Strawberry Shortcake - sweet, oh so sweet, almost like that fake Hostess strawberry shortcake but without the fake flavor. A dusting of pink sugar on top keeps it so very sweet. The cookie itself is very buttery, but surprisingly more shortcake than sugar cookie.
S’mores - ok this was the reason I ordered, because of my s’mores addiction, and was a bit disappointed. The cookie was almost bready, with a taste that was more graham than anything else. The chocolate adds a nice complexity, but not enough marshmallow to help round out the flavors. I’d definitely recommend dipping milk.
Chocolate Chunk - more on the crispy side than chewy but just barely. Not a lot to say here other than it's real good.
Marie Blachère
A French bakery chain with a few locations in NY, Marie Blachère offers a standard assortment of French pastries alongside the usual beverages, including a cinnamon roll.
The first thing you notice taking a bite is the cinnamon filling that begins falling from inside the roll. It's the first one I've tried that had a noticeable filling separate from what is applied to the dough. It almost has the texture of brown sugar, somewhat crystalline. Despite the amount of it inside the roll, the flavor of cinnamon was not as strong as you would expect. The dough was fairly light, and almost like croissant dough. There was a light glaze over the roll that added an expected amount of sweetness. This definitely falls into the category of coffee rolls, but unfortunately not a particularly notable one. If you’re at their location in the West Village there’s much better options, but if you’re in Long Island or Miami then maybe give it a go.
Sey Coffee
Sey Coffee is the most hipster of hipster coffee bars right in the heart of Bushwick. Located in a former warehouse, with beautiful wood and plants everywhere brightened under a gigantic sunlight, the visual aesthetic extends to their serving experience as well. Each coffee is lovingly crafted and served with a full on chemistry set to ensure optimal experience, and that devotion to excellence extends to their pastries as well.
The cinnamon rolls, usually sold out early on the weekends, come about standard diameter but small in height. The cinnamon filling is visibily bursting from between the rolls, with a nice layer of frosting covering the whole thing. Their dough is very light and flakey, almost like a croissant, and the particular roll I had was a bit overly toasted. The frosting is a fairly standard cinnamon roll affair, however the cinnamon filling is a something completely different. The filling makes no attempt to hide, and boldly proclaims its flavor in every bite. There is no doubt about it when you feel the strong bitter flavor with a hint of butter dance across your tongue. Sey Coffee's roll has one of the strongest cinnamon flavors of any roll I've tried, but it's well balanced by the dough and frosting. Overall an incredibly tasty roll with a uniquely bold flavor and a nice reasonable size, easily a favorite nearly a year after my visit.
Small Bites
Wafels & Dinges
It’s unclear if waffles count as a pastry, but it’s my newsletter so I’m saying they fucking do. Wafels & Dinges is a traditional Belgian waffle chain in NYC that started out as a sole food truck, eventually having several food trucks and a cafe in my neighborhood. Unfortunately the cafe didn’t make it through the pandemic, so when I found myself in Bryant Park near their stall last week I had to stop by.
They have a number of toppings you can get, but my go-to is the Throwdown, which won in a competition against Bobby Flay and comes covered with spekuloos, whipped cream, and spekuloos cookie crumble. I love it because spekuloos is my second favorite topping (behind cinnamon and sugar, duh) and the mountain of whipped cream on their traditional Liege waffle. It’s unique for NY (unique new york unique new york) and a tasty treat if you’re near one of their stalls.
Until next time…
Next week we’ve got a little bunventure through north Brooklyn, and as always if you eat tasty pastries send them my way 😎😏