• Pushkin (Midtown West, New York)

Pushkin is an international (New York, Paris, Moscow) bakery and restaurant which makes the best almond croissants I have ever tasted.

Mmmm, I love almond croissants.
Entering, you feel a sense of luxury as one staff member opens the door for you and another asks if you will be eating lunch.  This is heightened as they wrap your delicious pastries in paper bags or boxes and place them in an extravagant, decorated bag.  We felt like we’d just bought an elaborate gift, despite knowing we were going straight to Central Park to consume.

So what made the almond croissants so good?  The pastry was crisp and buttery on the outside but fluffy in the middle.  Flaked almonds and icing sugar decorated the top, the usual ground almonds were sweetly found in the middle.  But perhaps the best of all was the light crème accompanying the almond paste, fresh, with real eggs and delectably soft, this made the croissant standout as one like no other.

Delicious creme on the inside.
My friend ordered a scroll like an escargot with cassis and poppy seeds.  He enjoyed his pastry immensely too.  And he, being French, claimed it was just like those in France but with the added excitement of cassis.

As I plan to visit all its cities during my world-wide trip, perhaps I will try all its bakeries…

Pushkin Brasserie
41 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
(212) 465 2400
www.cafe-pushkin.com

Brasserie Pushkin on Urbanspoon