Dominique Ansel Workshop’s Menu Focuses on French Pastry Classics | Eater NY

"Opening July 16 in the Flatiron District at 17 East 27th Street (between Fifth and Madison avenues), this flagship bakery's storefront—an arched entry framed with an Instagram-ready cascade of flowers and bold, egg-yolk-yellow signage—already drew crowds days before the debut; the window sculpture by Vancouver paper artist Justina Yang, two coils of wheat-colored paper that reveal themselves to be cross-sections of a croissant, captures the soul of the shop. The Workshop is a celebration of croissants and viennoiserie—traditional, experimental, even sculptural—with a dedicated croissant section listing seven varieties on the open countertop: a savory olive oil croissant ($4.75) with confit garlic and rosemary, a multigrain croissant ($4.75) with quinoa and malt barley, and a pain au chocolat ($5.75) that envelopes three batons of chocolate; even the plain croissant impresses thanks to French-imported flour from Les Grands Moulins de Paris and Isigny Sainte Mere butter, which create an airy, honeycomb interior. Desserts abound: the hazelnut praline coffee triangle ($6) topped with a glistening brown dome and almond frangipane, the geometric riz au lait ($5.75) filled with arborio rice pudding and huckleberry jam, and special items revealed through a First Batch Instagram contest (winners sampled the brioche bressane soaked in orange blossom water). The savory offerings lean French—an American-only-in-concept croissant breakfast sandwich with spreadable Boursin ($12.50), tricolor cherry tomato tarte tatin ($12.50), quiche lorraine ($11), and gougère puffs with comté and mozzarella ($5)—and a glass-encased commissary kitchen in the 4,000-square-foot flagship (which also houses the bakery’s corporate offices) lets customers 'see the magic happening.' A storefront Test Kitchen with stark black marble countertops will host talks, classes and after-hours experiments—from 3D printing to thermoforming molds—so the space functions as both showroom and lab. My takeaway is that Ansel wants to make croissants exciting in flavor, texture, and presentation—pastries people will want to eat every day that still inspire childlike wonder (and yes, his son Celian gets a weekly pain au chocolat)." - Elisa Mala