Bouchon Bakery

Thomas Keller does casual? Indeed he does. At Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Center just underneath his NYC flagship, Per Se, offers just that! Overlooking the grand atrium with it’s wall of glass overlooking Columbus Circle, this spot is particular good for a casual brunch on a beautiful day. And even if you don’t have the time for a sit down meal, there is the Bouchon Bakery counter where you can get a quick meal to go, or even better, choose from the amazing selection of pastries. Chocolate bouchons, macarons, TKO’s…the list goes on and on!

It’s kind of embarrassing – these people have known me since I was 20 years old. :-o Yes, that’s the first time I visited NYC in a while, tried their soup and said OH MY GOSH!!! THIS IS LIKE THE SOUP I ATE IN ILLINOIS AT NICE RESTAURANTS!!!!

They have a little mall seating area “mini restaurant” and then there’s the cafe with chairs scattered. Truth be told, the mall sucks apart from the Bebe store and bookstore and well, bumping into people (hello how I forced myself to meet some folks in the modeling industry by randomly “shopping” lol!!!), but this little mall bakery makes my day! I love having someone pick up my soup here because I’m so obsessed with eating it once a week. They have butternut squash in wintertime and the best ever grilled cheese w/tomato soup combo I’ve had in my life and when I don’t get that, I get the flutter nutter PB and banana sandwich!!!

Last January I spent my birthday in New York with my best friend, it was all my favorite things at one time snow, my best friend and a week in New York at the Empire Hotel. Things were all lining up for a fabulous foodie excursion as we shared a flight from New Orleans to New York with Rocco DiSpirito who was dropped off at the airport by John Besh. That’s were things started going completely down hill and I became deathly ill and after a few days of not being able to leave the hotel and relying only on what my best friend could carry up from the Duane Reade next to the hotel and local delivery options I found the strength to make it to the Time Warner Building at Columbus Circle and Bouchon. One word or three letters TKO. The best cookie ever. I can’t even describe after 2 days of ginger ale and saltines how good these cookies were. These are oreos refined and perfected. Honestly I thought maybe it was just because it was the first real thing I had eaten in days but the next I went back had another TKO and a few chocolate bouchons which are these tiny little brownies. Bouchon became our breakfast spot for the rest of the week and not once was I disappointed. The pain au raisin was flaky and had this incredible vanilla custard in the middle and was full of rum infused raisins. You have to try this place. I’m convinced it saved my life !

the macarons may be expensive, but definitely worth every penny!!

Okay, it’s expensive, I’ll grant. But I had the best (and, yes, most expensive) ham and cheese sandwich of my life at this place. And, more importantly, the pastries are exquisite. By far the best I’ve found in NYC, and that’s saying something.

One little chocolate bouchon (sort of like a reallllly good brownie) is satisfying, all by itself. I’ve swooned over the mille-feuilles.

If I were rich, I’d come here often (and then I’d be poor).

Try:
- Foie Gras
- Nutter Butter
- Grilled Cheese and Tomatoe Soup
- Hot Chocolate
- various salads
- various sandwiches

… pretty much everything on their menu.

not bad for an expensive lunch