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Categories: Bakeries, French, Sandwiches [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Theater District, Hell's Kitchen59th St-Columbus Circle (1, A, C, B, D)
57th St-7th Ave (N, Q, R, W)
7th Ave-53rd St (B, D, E)
"wow, what a surprise this place was! .....always hesitant to eat in the theatre district, le rivage pleasantly surpassed expectations! …" read more »
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I can't remember what rating I gave before but it is now a resounding FIVE STARS simply because they have so many different seasonal things to choose from and until now they've been good, but so-so.
...I said until now.
If you have a chance, get yourself early one morning to Bouchon and try their... are you ready for this? PUMPKIN BRIOCHE GLAZED DOUGHNUTS.
It was one mouthgasm that also qualified as a life-changing moment for me, and I have no doubt that it will be for you, dear reader, as well.
At $3.75, it was pricey, but I'd easily pay 1.5x that amount for another.
i'd say four stars is exactly right for this posh and predictably overpriced bakery. yes, the… Read more »
I love this place! It's located near my office so I usually pop in there for a lunchtime treat on days when it's been a little crazy at work. The sandwiches are wonderful (I recommend the tuna or the turkey) and I always make sure to grab a macaron or a lemon tart for dessert. Skip the madeleines though...they're pretty bad. I actually prefer the Starbucks madeleines to the Bouchon one (sorry Thomas Keller!).
The soup are reliably wonderful although you should be aware that it's a little pricey and lunch for one will usually run you about 20-25 bucks. Not bad if it's a nice brunch, but a bit too much for a to-go spot. Definitely a "once in a while" treat.
I miss Fauchon. I will pay the extra money for awesome French baked goods. Even after going to Bouchon on a regular basis, I say to myself....I miss Fauchon. This isn't to say that Bouchon isn't good, but if I had to pay the extra $$, I would go to Fauchon.
I like all of their baked goods I've tried from the macarons to the brioche, and the coffee cake. For lunch, I like their ham baguette and beef brisket sandwich. Pleasant people working there who don't talk down to you. If you're in the neighborhood, try it.
I love TK but being from Cali and living in Napa maybe i'm a die hard Yountville Bouchon fan but i do think the quality is consistently better....or maybe coincidence. (i also lived in NY and went numerous times) I do really enjoy the wine system and communal table if you sit in the 'restaurant area' ...although it is strange eating in a mall (even if Per Se and Masa are there ; )
Go stuff your mouth with a cork.
(Did you know Bouchon is cork in French?)
Okay, now that you know that means, go. Stuff your mouth with a cork. Shut up and enjoy.
This little bouchon thing, is the tiniest mouthful, about as big as an actual wine cork, for some unseemly price of $2.75. Unseemly, before you taste it of course. Super chocolatey, super rich, it sends me into a trance everytime I bite into it. It's like Keller put all his positive energy into making this little bite of heaven.
Of course, till you taste the other stuff.
Out of this F-ing world:
The lemon tart is fresh and silky smooth, with the perfect buttery crunchy crust (maybe they ground a little oatmeal into it?). The macarons are crisp, airy and the cream is beautiful sin. And the bouchons, of course.
Good/Average/Bad:
After being spoilt by Levain cookies, other cookies just don't cut it. Sorry, Bouchon Bakery, but your chewy crunchy chocolate chip cookie is good, just not exceptional. The parfait is overpriced for the taste and hey, what's with the Bouchon ho-ho thing, eh? Stop being silly. It tastes stupid.
Now, if I could only get the servers to actually pay attention to me instead of engaging in non-stop chatter with each other, I'd overlook all the other desserts and give them 5 stars for their excellent ones.
Wait - you have fois gras dog biscuits too? Is this for dogs who're more important than some humans?
From Thomas Keller's brilliance comes the most perfect mastery of my favorite dessert:the parisian macaron.
No other parisian macaron can hold a candle to the ones at Bouchon for two reasons:
- Size (Size really *does* matter, no matter what your girl tells you): four or five bites of heaven.
- Filling: is soft enough that it oozes *just a little* as you take a bite, but still has enough body to hold up to the two sides of cookie chewiness.
Before saying "au revoir" to the east coast, I picked up two boxes of these macrons, one for me & one for my sister. I am eternally partial to pistachio, but I gave my sister a taste of every flavor they had on display that day:
- seasonal flavor: pumpkin
- fig (pretty lavender color, a little jam on the inside)
- chocolate
- pistachio
- vanilla (lots of delicious flavor, despite being "vanilla.")
- caramel
I also picked up a TKO (Thomas Keller Oreo) to eat while I browsed the shops at the Time Warner Center.
The only downside: price ($2.75 each). I know I bought over a dozen macarons, among a few other bakery items, but the $47 price tag was jarring, nonetheless. Perfection has it's price & that price is a high one.
I've never even been here and I'm already a fan!
I had the pleasure of enjoying 2 of their macaroons and it was surely pleasurable alright! My friend is the best...she offered to share them with me:)
The pistachio one was inferior to the caramel one in my opinion, but my friend's taste buds told her otherwise....I respect her judgement cause everyone is different. It was the first time in my life where I really think that the pistachio flavor is second best! @_@
They were both wonderful macaroons and could be one of the best I've tasted in NY so far. The filling in the middle was impecably smooth and creamy and had the perfect sweetness and flavor!
I was a little disoriented when she showed me the size of those macaroons...they were relatively large (2-3x) compared to the normal petit delicacies:) I guess we are in America and Thomas Keller is somewhat recognized as the #1 chef in America...I'm not sure about that.
Yes, please! The chocolate chip (called chocolate chunk) cookie was as big as my face and so delicious, it made me want to cry. I went back and got another.
After a particularly long day at work, I met up with a friend at Bouchon Bakery in Columbus Circle. I had a lovely piece of focaccia, it hit the spot! Also had a chocolate bouchon (cork in French, which is what the treat resembles) as I waited for the staff to heat up my bread. The bouchon was fabulous-- rich and chocolately, but not sickeningly sweet. I should have gotten another one, and not the caramel macaroon I opted for instead to take home (aka eat on the train ride home).
The caramel would have been great except for the intense buttery filling. The caramel flavor was unfortunately masked by the butter. Though to be fair, I'm really not a fan of butter (or salt)-- I'm someone who prefers bread sans butter/ (has to refill the pepper shaker 10x more often than the salt shaker).
Come to think about it, I've yet to come across a perfect macaroon in NYC... I think the best ones I've had were in (no surprise), Paris.
Anyway, I'd definitely stop by Bouchon next time I have a few minutes before catching the train at Columbus Circle to head up to grad school, but probably wouldn't walk out of my way for such a meal. Not when I have Grandaisy Bakery (could eat the Bianca Pecorino every day for lunch) and Buttercup Bakery (amazing red velvet and lemon cupcakes) near the 72nd street station (my train line of choice)!
On that note, it's time to hit the gym!
After my first breakfast here, I chose to eat breakfast here the rest of my trip based on location and taste.
On the positive:
+ great location near central park south
+ everything I tried (macaroons, hot ham and cheese croissant, tea, coffee, cookies, etc) was Delish!!
+ love the packaging, too.
Room for improvement:
- the price, but hey it's NYC
I will be back!!
I'm so sad writing this review because I'm not delighting in the delicious goodies Bouchon offers ... yet I have to sit in agony and recount the fabulousness that can be had at Bouchon Bakery!
Yes, this place is outrageously overpriced, but there are a few lovely bites that make up for all that. We didn't sit down and eat, but instead took our food to go on a picnic in Central Park less than a block away. Here's what we all had and how it went down:
Chocolate Almond Croissant - Oh my. Toasted almonds were smothered all over the top of this delicate pastry that was filled with chocolate in every bite. My friend doesn't even like almonds and she was all over this one. SURPRISE! Best chocolate croissant of any kind that I've had so far.
Pain au Trois Chocolat - Slap down $3.75 and GET THIS and don't look back. Light and beautiful layers of thin chocolate pastry are sandwiched with dark chocolate cream. It's amazing and I want one right now. RIGHT NOW.
Chocolate Bouchon - Good, but no wow factor from me. And so small for $1.75!
Salade Nicoise - Blah. The seared tuna was skimpy and under seasoned, and the dressing was practically non-existent. Waste of my $15.75! Great idea, but bad execution. I'll remake it at home for half the price.
Butternut Squash sandwich - Still don't know how this was $10.25, but loved the whole thing. Freshly baked bread with roasted butternut squash, a very creamy brie, fuji apple slices, carmelized onions, and spicy arugula. This was mmmmm wonderful and toasty on the outside. Such a great fall sandwich. I'll also be ripping this one off in my own kitchen.
I closed my eyes when I had them swipe my credit card, but then again I also closed my eyes when I ate that amazing Pain au Trois Chocolat.
Don't think about it and just go. Go Thomas Keller.
macaroons of course were delicious as usual. and still soft in the middle after 2 or 3 days even. had the pumpkin, pistachio, hazelnut - all these were great. i asked for 1 of each flavor but they didn't have the vanilla when it was my turn. but after i sat down, they pulled out a tray of vanilla. i wasn't going to go stand in line for another 15 minutes for a vanilla macaroon. so, next time, i will just ask them to go back and get me the 'missing' macaroon. strawberry is 'ok'. the TKO is sooo good. the wagyu beef sandwich was just aiite. don't think it was a $9 sandwich. but the beef slices were thick. they had some carrot or some orange veggie thick soup and it was good too. but not OMG great.
it's a love/hate relationship with bouchon. hate the lines (no matter which location), love the bakery. i even dreamed i made a scene at the bakery over a TKO a few nights ago.
4.5-star!
If it weren't for the ambiance (a shopping mall), I would have believed that I finally got into heaven and this is what they are serving for breakfast, Dark chocolate souffle with vanilla custard.
I was brought back to reality (which really was inside a shopping mall) when the warm dark chocolate aroma dissipated. Still, it wasn't
bad at all considering the beautiful view of Central Park.
The tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwich was just the right combination for a late afternoon snack. Very dense tangy soup, just the perfect texture for dipping.
Food 4.75 star (i know, I'm splitting hairs but I can't be giving out 5-star like it's worthless)
Service: 4.5-star
Ambiance: 4-star (it's within a mall)
Sure its weirdly located sort of in the middle of a floor in the Time Warner Center, but the Bouchon Bakery will blow you away with their deceptively simple comfort food that transcends their unfortunate location.
My coworkers and I pathetically wound up all ordering the same thing. This was made even more pathetic by the fact that while we waited (and yes, you will wait), a five year old boy went over the menu and got just as excited as us to order the same thing. Ok, fine... we were more excited than he was.
But what can I say? The grilled cheese and tomato soup combo hits the spot like only something you can whip up yourself for three dollars at home. Except its so much better than you'll ever make it. Forget Campbells, and forget Kraft Singles. Bouchon is about to launch you into comfort food heaven.
Forget the sit down cafe and get in line at the bakery instead.
i like the nutter butter. alot. the sandwiches are great too. and decently priced for the quality of the goods.
you can make believe you are eating at the french laundry or something.
Fig & Balsamic macaron! Delectable! What a lovely mix of flavours! :D I did try the Nutter Butter cookie as recommended by Yelpers here but its a little too rich for my liking. The bf would be all over it though! Hehehe!
But somehow my heart still lies with Laduree macarons though... :P
Great sandwiches and a good selection of beers (and wine) make this a very good lunch spot. There is often a wait but there are many places to hang out in the mall while your spot becomes available. Service is very good and the view is unique.
I brought my grandma here to have some treats because heck..she just loves em but won't admit to it.
A small selection of macarons and cookies later her response?
"This is a friggen rip off..."
Ok she didn't actually say that...she doesn't speak English, but that's a rough translation and close enough.
"No grandma, how'd it taste?"
"Well, they are delicious of course!"
Taste wise I'd have to concur especially on the nutter butter cookie. What's even better? They have the recipe for them available to recreate: http://www.nytimes.com...
There that should appease grams, I'm not being ripped off if I make them myself.
Of course you lose the convenience of simply exchanging money for a finished product.
The location is of course a little tiny being just a small store space within the Time Warner building. At least everyone's just typically getting small pre-made treats so you get served quickly.
All the treats are packaged nicely and mess free to eat on the go. It's perfect for that little indulgence.
NUTTER BUTTER COOKIES!
A must try for peanut butter lovers
Simply divine. Moist, peanut buttery cookies with a peanut butter frosting filling. One of the best cookies I've had
While I am not a fan in general, I am in LOVE with their sticky bun. Most of the food here is overpriced and underseasoned. I have tried several times to find worth in a bland $10 sandwich or tasteless $8 soup, and I cannot.
Only worthwhile items are the breads which are priced accordingly and are exceptional, and of course the sticky bun.
Back to the sticky bun which at $2.75 for such a scrumptious product, the price point is fair. Compared to others I have tried(great ones at that) this one rocks because, it's ultra carmelized baked dough and it super sugary and generously crunchy pecans. STICKY bun heaven!
Obviously the big attraction here is the name. We had lunch here one afternoon and found; the food good, the view and atmosphere great, but way overpriced. Even for NY standards.
It is a great place to sit and have a snack (if you can find a seat).
any excuse to go to time warner warrants a trip to bouchon...i always try to get something new, as there are generally seasonal or holiday goodies to be had (autumns spiced bread cookies are a particular favorite), but i must always get a nutter butter or macaron to take home for later, otherwise it would be a wasted trip!
the nutter butter isnt like its name-sake...it is two peanut butter cookies that sandwich a peanut butter cream, but they are big, chewy and soft cookies, with peanuts and oatmeal in them; and the cream is so rich and peanut buttery!
and the macarons! firstly, they are the parisian style, egg-white and almond flour sandwich cookies...usually four standard flavors, and four seasonal...ive had a lot of them, but the vanilla bean is by far the best, simple, classic.
not to mention, great coffee!
Every time I'm in NYC, one of my good friends is patient enough to brave the crowds, ride escalator after escalator, and wait in line at the Time Warner Center. The TKO cookies are as good as they get. The chocolate shortbread is outstanding. Plus, around the holidays the cookies are in the shape of Christmas Trees. Brilliant!
I don't like macarons. In fact, no one in my family likes macarons. But if it's the specialty of the house, I will try it.
Stopped by to buy some delights for my sister and her family, and lunch for me on the NJT train ride. I asked the gentleman at the cashier for a ham and swiss baguette and a selection of their "greatest hits." He was professional and wrapped everything very delicately, if not a little slowly. The selection included 4 macarons, nutter butter cookie, red velvet cupcake, and a fruit tart.
Sandwich was delicious, there were hints of mustard and butter on the baguette and a couple of cornichons in a separate little plastic container. I had to check my teeth afterwards for chips/cracks, the baguette's crust was so crispy but the insides were chewier.
Once at my destination we tried the macarons. The chocolate macaron could turn me into a believer. The others were good, but the chocolate is the memorable one, the one that I would order again next time. The nutter butter cookie is a PB cookie with PB spread and another PB cookie atop. This is where PB goes to die, if it's been good.
Also recommend the fruit tart which included fig, always nice when there is a seasonal touch. The others were OK, but not so WOW as to warrant a recommendation.
The butternut squash sandwich is to die for. The tuna tar tar was delicious as well. However, being that we ate from the smaller takeout area, everything was completely overpriced.
Eh, I'm definitely not a Bouchon macaroons person. I bought two macaroons... it was a waste of $5. This was the first time I tried macaroons and probably my last. I don't know what the rave is about.
I had a ham and cheese croissant, too for brunch... nothing special about it. It did its job in making me not hungry.
Holy effing French pastryman. I had two hours before I had to catch a bus to Philly so I hauled ass to Bouchon. I tried to act unimpressed walking up to the bakery, 'Oh.. there's a bakery here? I never knew' HA yah right! Like when I'm waiting for my food at a restaurant - because I'm starving I'm watching those waiters like a hawk, and when I see my food coming I yell at my friends, 'ACT COOL!' when I'm the one sweatin it.
My eyes glazed at the sight of all the pretty pastries. Mine mine mine!!!! Dammit this lady in front of me is taking too long. She keeps asking 'What's this? Are there vegetables in that?' Who cares?! MOVE!
My turn! 'I'll have a pistachio macaron... Hmm.. and a caramel macaron too.' That's it? 'Uhm.. and a TKO.' Your total is- 'WAIT! Can I have a nutter butter cookie too?'
Pranced over to a table with my gorgeous sweets filled Bouchon bag. I felt like an Upper East Side woman carrying a pair of new Jimmy Choo's. Took many pictures of my macarons. It felt so pornographic to be doing it out in the open, in broad daylight, by myself.
The filling in the pistachio one was too creamy, but I still finished it. And the TKO ain't my thang but I could see how it's totally a grown up oreo. Unexpectedly I loved my nutter butter cookie. Damn that thing is good!! Also the caramel macaron.
$2.75 for the macarons isn't bad considering I've paid as much for small macarons (I guess I'm the sucker). Man, the sweets at Bouchon know how to work it. If you're looking for more sustenance (aka something savory and hearty) get the grilled cheese and tomato soup combo. For $9 something you'll get the most filling grilled cheese and tomato soup you've ever had. Add a macaron and I'm stuffed, satisfied, and I still have some change in my pocket. They don't joke around at Bouchon; it's serious business.
We got 4 macarons, a banana nut muffin, chocolate almond croissant, and 3 iced coffees to go. The macarons at $2.75 a pop are jumbo sized and they were quite good with unusual flavors like Fig Balsamic and Pistachio. Pastries were moist and fragrant, coffee was good. Just wish they provided more seating and larger selection of classic savory French pastries.
I can only comment on the walk-up bakery counter, but this place is definitely worth a visit. I got a tuna nicoise sandwich and a Ho-Ho. It was a little on the pricey side - I think the Ho-Ho was $5.25! - but the tuna sandwich was the best I've ever had. The Ho-Ho was good but not amazing, probably just a bad pick on my part given the vast selection in the bakery case. The chocolate tarts looked amazing. My friends had sandwiches, ham I think for one and I can't recall what the other had, but they both liked what they got. They didn't sample any baked goods (how they refrained I do not know!). I recommend the bakery counter rather than the cafe because then you can take it to Central Park like I did. I will for sure be back for another visit.
Holy nutter butter cookie, Batman! Seriously. Somebody get me the recipe for this cookie, and quickly. It is probably the thing I miss most about living in Manhattan. Maybe.
I would love to try some of the lunch items, but they are way beyond my means for a teensy sandwich.
I came here with one thing on my mind: MACARONS. Pistachio and blueberry cheesecake called out to me today, but I had just picked one up from the Whole Foods downstairs and didn't need another (shh, I'm trying to justify it to myself). I was relieved to see that they were big macarons. The price to size ratio isn't horrible once you take that into consideration.
I was turning to leave, all proud of myself for limiting my sweets intake slightly for once, but I saw something magical out of the corner of my eye.
Blueberry Pistachio Turnover. OMG.
Fresh, big, juicy whole blueberries mixed in with a mild pistachio cream filling that was barely contained within the flakey layers. Good bye, self control. I've never been happier to shell out $3.50.
** Update 9/22 **
So I finally tried a caramel macaron. The temperature, texture, and flavors are all good. The cake to filling ratio feels about 1:1, though I prefer a 2:1 proportion, favoring the cake, otherwise the filling is overwhelming. But for macarons in the city, it's worth a stop.
I am writing this review for one and only one reason: les macarons de citrouille. Holy hell. PUMPKIN. The buttercream throws me into a hallucinatory state, mumbling incomprehensible blather with my eyes closed, tonguing the roof of my mouth for every smear of the buttercream. Yes, it's probably unpleasant to watch.
As for les autres, all are appropriately glorious, but the pumpkin is the only one I've tasted that doesn't overpower the nuances of the buttercream, and compliments it splendidly. Haven't tried the fig balsamic, but that's next. Jesus, what a foul glutton I've become.
The macarons were pretty divine.
For some reason, since coming to the city a week ago, chris c and i have had some serious cravings for the delicious little treats. Tried out pistachio and caramel. The caramel was a little too sweet for me, but the pistachio was delicious. The cream was neither too sweet nor bland, and the flavor really shines through.
The people at the cashier were also friendly and provided great service. Think i'd definitely be back to try more flavors.
Amazing food at such a random location! Located on the 3rd floor by the escalators, you'd never expect that a "mall type" of bakery would have such good food!
It's a bit pricey, about $14 per sandwich, but they all come with salad and free bread. I had their turkey sandwich because the waitress said that it was one of the best turkey sandwiches she's ever had!! I love turkey sandwiches and it was AMAZING because it came with this tomato spread and avocado cream. YUMMY.
I had no idea what to get for dessert because everything looked SO enticing!! We finally decided to split the chocolate souffle and it was very delicious! It's definitely not as sweet as the "normal" types of souffle out there, especially because there's no chocolate "lava" in the middle---- it's just warm cake with vanilla custard on the side.
Overall it's a great place to drop by for a quick bite! Convenient to get to too!
Good place to stop for coffee after cruising Central Park. Expect to pay a premium. Get the chocolate souffle and have the matradee seat you towards the windows; great view facing East.
The waygu beef sandwich was delicious. The shrimp and corn salad was too. But honestly the best part was eating the desserts. The TKO- Thomas Keller Oreo was sooooo delicious! And the macaroons, YUM in my TUM. Yeah, it's pricey but I was in NY for vacation so I didn't care one bit.
Oh you damn, damn Frenchies. You ruin my wallet and waistline.
But, seriously? Holy cow.
Bouchon - a few bites of a brownie like crackpot. Chewy edges, creamy/fudgy interior.
Oatmeal raisin cookie - by far my favorite cookie in a long, long time. Chewy, spicy, not too sweet, nice plump raisins.
Chocolate chip cookie - nice, big chunks of chocolate, a good cookie.
Oatmeal pecan cookie - a bit less chewy than the raisin, a bit of a tougher 'bite.' Still good, but raisin was preferred.
Trois Chocolate - the triple chocolate pastry devil indeed. (YUM)
Vanilla Macaron - if there was ever an unadulterated, absolutely delicious few bites of vanilla, this is it. Seriously, amazing. Nice, chewy, almondy cookie, deliciously creamy filling. I'm a vanilla fanatic and this was pretty damn great.
Raspberry Almond Croissant - imagine the most adult, buttery, naughty jelly doughnut. It was seriously, seriously buttery, crisp, crunchy, a nice raspberry filling that was smooth and fresh and not too sweet and the almonds on top and subtle almond filling and... gah. Insanity.
So yes, go. Buy a bag full of stuff and pretend you're taking it home to an apartment full of roommates. But pig out. Enjoy. Because this is damned good stuff.
So with little time and definitely not enough money to enjoy something like Per Se, we decided that a taste of Thomas Keller's desserts would just have to do. For our post breakfast pastries to be enjoyed on a fine day in NYC, here's what we ordered up:
Bacon Cheddar Scone - Surprisingly, perhaps the best item we picked up at the bakery. There was something relaxing, fulfilling, and absolutely perfect about the bacon cheddar scone. A subtle flavor that was enough to fulfill, the flavor was just enough to keep you wanting to take a few more bites until the scone was completely gone. Yum.
Blueberry Pistachio Turnover - On recommendation of my close friend in NYC, we picked one up, and was not disappointed. The flaky pastry was perfectly crisp and light, with fresh blueberries and pistachio cream filling. Slightly messy to eat, but every bite was memorable.
Nutter Butter Cookie - Holy cow. Are you one of those kids that grew up on Nutter Butters? Welcome to the grown up version. While good, the richness was just too much to finish the huge cookie. A few bites in from each of us, and we easily still had half a cookie left. If you're a nutter butter fan, this is pure heaven. If not, skip it for a macaroon.
Coconut Macaroon - You know, I thought I had tried some great macaroons in Chicago... but this is another level. Have you ever thought you knew about something, only to find out there's a whole 'nother world out there? This was my experience with this single macaroon. Unfortunately, we were too full to eat the other two-three macaroons we ordered, but this was enough to make me realize Bouchon has some serious technique in making great macaroons.
Verdict: Worth a side trip from Central Park. Make your way here ASAP.
Had a heck of a time finding the place, as we walked around in circles (literally, the address is Columbus Circle) trying to find it. Silly me, I should have guessed 10 Columbus Circle was the Time Warner Center. So yeah, don't make the same mistake.
Mistake number two came when (since we were just snacking, not eating) we scooted up the escalators and were greeted by Bouchon Bakery, the restaurant, not the bakery. It was not until one of our party went to use the bathroom that we realized there's actually a bakery counter service (with limited seating, if you're interested). Anyhow, we went to both.
The restaurant is actually in an open area that overlooks the grand entrance and lobby of the Time Warner center, a pretty cool sight while eating. Service was amicable; I think our waitress was slightly displeased we were there just for dessert and not for an actual meal. We were there at around 6, so dinner time for some locals coming off work and/or shopping around Central Park. For snacks, we went with two things that were ironically not baked: berries with sorbet and nutella banana sandwich. My girlfriend loved both; for the price, I thought it was only average (hence the 3* review).
We continued on to the bakery and picked up some bouchons (the place is, after all, called Bouchon Bakery, right?). In Yelping retrospect, perhaps we should have gotten some macarons instead. Let that be a lesson for those who don't Yelp first... Anyways, the bouchons were good but not great and taste more flourless cake than brownie, if that's your thing.
I apologize for the 3* rating, as this sounds like a really fabulous place. I imagine we just ordered the wrong thing for my palette; maybe next time, folks.
Bouchon Bakery is a bright, pleasant, and calming oasis bakery of delicacies in the exciting bustle of the Time Warner Center (this mall in the SW corner of Central Park featured a kick-off party for this summer's NYC Restaurant Week).
My dining companion and I went to Bouchon Bakery for a late breakfast as an oasis in the midst of window shopping around Midtown. (TWC also has Samsung's only showroom in the U.S., and it is definitely worth a look inside.)
With so many tempting choices, we settled on a classic (Butter Croissant) and one we had not tried anywhere else (Cherry-Pistachio Brioche) for breakfast along with coffee. We also chose a few sweet treats to enjoy later: Blueberry Cheesecake and Pistachio Macaroons plus its namesake chocolate treat named after the cork stopper for wine bottles.
The croissant was flaky and very tasteful, yet virtuous--seemed to not be full of butter :-P The brioche was moist and delicious with the dried cherry and pistachios bringing ample amounts of flavor. Our one gripe was with their coffee. I like strong coffee as I prefer drinking it black, but Bouchon Bakery's did not complement their delicate pastries because it was too dark of a roast--a lighter roast like La Colombe's Corsica served at Jean Georges would be perfect.
The Macaroons were crisp on the outside and moistly tender in the middle with a decadently creamy filling. At $2.75 each, they are not inexpensive, but they are ~3 inches in diameter and lasted us for two days of epicurean savoring. My dining companion liked the blueberry cheesecake because it was less sweet. I could not decide--both were fabulous. As for the Bouchons, I agree with Emily R.'s assessment: lovely chips inside and overall texture between cake and brownie.
Bouchon Bakery is expensive compared to most bakeries, but it makes excellent goods that are worth sacrificing quantity to upgrade to luxe quality. Next time, we will have to try their lunch items (sandwich/soups).
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My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
Places I brag about to my NON-NY friends... good…
