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Bouchon Bakery
10 Columbus Circle (inside the mall, 3rd flr)
(212) 823-9364

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Take Out
Cuisine: French Bakery, Dessert, Coffee
Favorite Dish(es): Blueberry Macaron ($2.95), Bacon Chive Scone, Red Velvet Cupcake

Fancy bakeries are pretty commonplace in NYC, but this one on the top floor of the uberposh “mall” at Columbus Circle sets itself apart with a few notable offerings. Most obvious are the colorful, oversized macarons (not to be confused with macaroons) and bakery-made Oreos behind the glass. Don’t even get her started on the macarons. Definitely try the blueberry one- it’s blueberry and cream cheese heaven. I also liked the chocolate and our friend is a huge fan of the vanilla ones. Just get one of each and try them all to find your favorite. I doubt any will be left uneaten.

But in my opinioin, the hidden gem that isn’t a sweet treat at all is the Bacon Chive Scone.

It may sound odd to some, but it’s really a good pairing of flavors and textures, meat and carbs. Crunchy bits of bacon embedded in between flaky layers of buttery pastry that are more like puff pastry than “scone”, but who cares? When i think of scones i think of a rock. This is firm but not crumbly. Its almost like a super gussied up hot pocket, without the freezer burn and oozing fake cheese. I almost thought for a moment that it could be even better with a coat of crispy cheese on top, but the butter and bacon are plenty salty and savory enough on their own. It’s a good thing I don’t work near Columbus Circle or I’d be eating these for breakfast on a regular basis.

The other sweet nothing whispering in my ear was a huge Red Velvet Cupcake. Really though, at the size of a large beefsteak tomato, it was shouting at me, “Take me home.” So I did. It was the perfect size to share, like a mini cake. The interesting thing about it was that it actually tasted chocolatey, unlike most other red velvets. (Red velvet, for those who don’t know, is simply just red food coloring added to a cocoa-based cake mix.)  The chocolate flavor is strong but not overpowering. The frosting is a thick rich cream cheese and butter base. Think chocolate cream cheese muffin. Mmmm. The packaging was also fancy, albeit wasteful. I felt like I had just bought a Coach bag – it is, Columbus Circle after all.

I’ll be back here for sure. after I work off the 2 lbs of butter from the first trip!

Online Menu

Filed under: American, Bakery, Date Places, Dessert, French, Midtown West, Not Cheap, Take Out Tagged: | bacon, baked goods, Bakery, bouchon, bouchon bakery6, columbus circle, cupcakes, French, french bakery, macarons, pastries