Bouchon Bakery, Financier Patisserie, Minamoto Kitchoan, and La Maison Du Chocolat

My mom and I stayed at a very convenient boutique hotel near Rockerfeller Center. This meant we were not only close to the subway, but also Bouchon Bakery and Financier Patisserie. 

Convenient? Check.

Delicious? Check.

For the two mornings we were there, I went out to each bakery to buy breakfast (on different days, of course). The first day I felt unusually hungry and ended up ordering a craquelin, chocolate croissant, and raspberry almond croissant. Even though it was only the two of us, we ended up eating everything. Actually, it was more like I ate two pastries and my mom ate one, but that's okay they were worth it because they were absolutely delicious! My mom enjoyed the craquelin because of the (candied?) oranges and tons of orange zest. I loved the sugar on top (of course!). I loved the chocolate they put in the croissant. It was dark, rich, and paired well with the buttery and flaky croissant. The raspberry almond was interesting. I only picked it because it looked good with the sliced almonds on top and dusting of powdered sugar, but it turned out to be a great choice. Like the chocolate croissant, the croissant was flaky and buttery, but the filling was what set it apart. The combination of raspberry jam and almond frangipane was a wonderful combination. I didn't try their macarons this time, but I did have one before in Vegas (which was tasty!).

The next day I didn't fell like such a heavy breakfast (I actually felt a little buttered out-my new word for when one feels tired of eating buttery foods like pastries.)  Gasp, I know! Me not wanting sweets? What is happening?! Anyways, I ordered a pistachio biscotti and a diplomat. I know what you're thinking, you ordered a diplomat? What the heck is that? The place had some long explanation about what it is, but basically it's like a bread pudding in a tart shell with an apricot glaze. It tasted creamy and bread-y like a bread pudding, but I think I just wasn't in the mood for such a heavy breakfast item because I didn't really enjoy it. The pistachio biscotti wasn't as heavy, but it still wasn't as light as a piece of fruit, which I was probably craving at the time. The biscotti had a nice flavor and they used the perfect amount of spices. My mom enjoyed dipping it in her free(!) coffee (nope sorry, it wasn't from the Patisserie, but they do give you a mini financier when you order a coffee or something. The hotel has this coffee machine in the computer area. Yea, most people would probably not be amazed by it, but I got to use the machine so I thought it was pretty cool). I didn't try one of their macarons, but now I wish I had cause they looked yummy!

You know what else was near the hotel? Minamoto Kitchoan and La Maison Du Chocolat. Are you wondering what hotel I was staying at? The Jewel! BTW, they had some pretty cool water machines! Now back to the food. Sorry for that odd transition. Anyways, Minamoto Kitchoan sells Japanese wagashi or sweets. They import them from Japan so they're a tad expensive, but taste like the ones I remember from Japan! Ah, I wish I could go back. *sigh*. La Maison Du Chocolate has some amazing chocolates. We only ordered two since we had dinner reservations, but boy, is their chocolate decadent!