Here is my second visit to Bouchon Bakery. This time to the original one in Napa Valley.
The store has amazing stuff. The lines were a block long. Everything was perfect, perfect town, perfect neighborhood bakery, almost too perfect baked goods, almost like Stepford wives town perfect. The first time I visited Bouchon Bakery in NYC, I thought it was lovely but deep down I felt something was a bit not real. I figured it's the NYC version, in a big upper crust mall. When I first read about it Bouchon Bakery, I wanted the small town, neighborly spot feel. The NYC one was a bit too commercial perfect, so when I saw the outside store front, I was super excited to be at the one in Napa.
The Napa store did have a charming, old time bakery feel. However, some of the baked goods were exactly the same as the one in NYC. Especially the patisseries goods, and I'm sure they are the same ones in Las Vegas. I realized that they prob don't make or bake the sweet pastries in the local stores but rather in some big factory. The chocolate tarts were too perfect. No hands can cut that perfect for all of them. Same goes for the macrons, and eclairs. This is where my slight disappoint comes from. I some how wanted to think, it was all made by hand and local. Perhaps it is but somehow I doubt. You see, I love neighborhood bakeries. The one of a kind that bakes everything in house, and reflects the personality of the things in the neighborhood.
They do bake stuff in house but I think it's just the breads and morning pastries which were good. They had sandwiches to homemade chips. Good stuff but still a bit too commercialized. It was a tourist destination and the lines reflected that. Not the lines of local bakery but the lines to see Thomas Keller stuff. I was one of them. I'm good on Bouchon Bakery. I still love Thomas Keller, now I just see the business side of it.
Here are some of the goods...
A peanut butter cup...again too perfect
Fresh baked goods of scones, almond croissant, buns, and more.
Tuna sandwich. This was nice, with the nice details of super thin red onion, kalamative onions. They also sold homemade potato chips. This is the local stuff I'm talking about. Loved it.
The Napa store did have a charming, old time bakery feel. However, some of the baked goods were exactly the same as the one in NYC. Especially the patisseries goods, and I'm sure they are the same ones in Las Vegas. I realized that they prob don't make or bake the sweet pastries in the local stores but rather in some big factory. The chocolate tarts were too perfect. No hands can cut that perfect for all of them. Same goes for the macrons, and eclairs. This is where my slight disappoint comes from. I some how wanted to think, it was all made by hand and local. Perhaps it is but somehow I doubt. You see, I love neighborhood bakeries. The one of a kind that bakes everything in house, and reflects the personality of the things in the neighborhood.
Here are some of the goods...
The too perfect lemon tart
The macrons were a bit larger than others you see, about 3 inches wide, but at $3 bucks each, I guess they had to be bigger. I love the ones at Honore more but these were good.
Lastly, the eclairs... they were close to the ones from Le Panier. Very good and phallic. :)
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