Good Morning Sunshine...

...look outside, the first fall of winter snow! I'd run out for a photo, but am quite cozy in my weekend jammies and don't intend to brave the cold for another hour :)

I attempted to do holiday shopping yesterday afternoon, but (as usual) was distracted by the callings of food. I ended up meeting Lauren at Patisserie Claude which reopened yesterday under ownership of Pablo, Claude's assistant for as long as I can recall.

You might remember my very first post on Patisserie Claude back in 2006. Claude was the first patisserie I fell in love with (and yes, I do indeed fall in love with patisseries). The croissant! The brioche! Claude never disappointed.

But earlier this fall, rumours started to fly about. Claude is moving! Back to France! Nooo, to South Africa! The patisserie! What will happen? It will close! He will sell it! Will it become another laundromat? No, it's going to Pablo!

And then the rumours were confirmed on Chowhound. Lauren, who is lucky enough to live within steps of the Patisserie, phoned one morning, "it's closed! Pablo said they're under renovation."

And so we waited. And waited. I dined on inferior croissants throughout the city, and attempted to replace my croissant cravings with that of gelato. Then one morning, when I had all but given up on croissant consumption, a text came in from Lauren, "Open!!!" Any prior plans were pushed aside, and we met up for our first Saturday morning meal at the Patisserie.


The verdict? Prices have increased, $2.25 for a chocolate croissant instead of $2.00. It's only a $.25 difference, but noticeable enough. The croissant itself is layered haphazardly, and bites taste more doughy than flaky. More greasy than buttery. But still, they're better than the vast majority of croissants in NYC. The sweets tucked behind glass cases - the eclairs, plum tarts, and napoleons, don't look quite the same. They've lost their delicate features and fine precisions. They look bloated and childish, far from the polished creations of Claude.

But with all that said, things are better this way. What a wonderful surprise it would have been if the croissants were just as good as the original. But the fact that they are not (and hopefully could never be) allows us to remember Claude with some sort of angelic halo. Cheesy, I know, so you'll have to forgive me.

No one could have done the job Claude did except for Claude himself. I'll continue to patronize the Patisserie, though without the obsession of my past. Half the reason I love the bakeries I do is because of the people that run the operation. Even if they croissants were up to par with Claude's original, much is lost in the fact that we are not blessed with the opportunity to see Claude in his element every morning.

So best of luck to Pablo and his family! How exciting it must be to take over such a venture. The Patisserie was doing brisk business yesterday, with both curious passerby's and regulars who stopped in to wish Pablo congrats. I'm sure recipes and the atmosphere inside the Patisserie will be tweaked (however unintentionally) over time as Pablo makes his mark. It's his bakery now, and I'm excited to see what happens.

Patisserie Claude
187 W 4th St.
NY, NY 10012
(212) 255-5911