Sunday, April 18, 2010

Euro Pane: Best Croissant it is Not


I admit I had high expectations for Europane, the venerable bakery in Pasadena whose chocolate croissants sell out so quickly I haven't yet sunk my teeth into one. Maybe I should defer my review until then, but I have to say, if the chocolate croissants are anything like its regular croissants that I have tried, I haven't been impressed. Breadbar has a far superior croissant. It wasn't as flaky or buttery and just didn't do the trick. Europane's quiche was no contest to Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, which is as delicious as it is decadent. The macademia nut tart was too hard and not seasoned right. Its sandwiches sounded good on paper -- roast beef with horseradish sauce on cranberry walnut bread. The bread was fantastic -- fresh and flavorful. The sandwich? Not so much. Meat was hard to bite into because of all these connective tissues and it was a bit bland. Still, Europane seems to be doing something right to expand to an Old Town location that's decidedly bigger. I just need more flavor that lives up to its hype.

3 comments:

Eleanor said...

The two reasons to go to Europane are the breads and the Mocha cookies. Oh, and the beet tart, I will admit that the beet tart can be a little hit or miss but when it hits it is well worth the hassle of standing in the painfully slow line.

ironchef442 said...

Thanks for the tips, Eleanor. I definitely liked the cranberry walnut bread I had and will try the cookies next time.

Cafe Pasadena said...

What time did you eat that croissant?

Besides the croissants, you go to Euro Pane for their macarons, egg salad sandwich, and breads.