Restaurant Review: Avril BYOB

One of my best friends went to cooking school for pastry (yes, food people are a cult) and has travelled the world. One of her favorite things to eat is an almond croissant. The determination she brings to her quest to find the best almond croissant has taken her to many a patisserie, bake shop and coffee shop in cities all across the globe. I like a good almond croissant but am not a fantatical devotee the way she is. In fact, I stumbled across a very good one just the other day but I was searching for something completely different.

My editor asked me to review (Avril is French for the month April, which is the name of one of the co-owners, who is not French). I arrived excitedly with a bottle of Nero D'Avola in tow at 8:47 PM as my two friends parked their cars. I was pleasantly informed that though the restaurant technically closes at 9 PM, the kitchen closes 15 minutes before closing time. We went across the street and had pizza and sandwiches instead.

The next morning (their hours are 7 AM- 9 PM Monday-Thursday, according to their signage) I arrived a little after 9 AM for a quick snack or possibly breakfast (they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner according to their window)  but there was no one there.  

I went to yoga, ran a couple of errands and came back a little after 11 AM and the door was open--hooray! I picked up a menu and began perusing it when the kind gentleman behind the counter alerted me that the chef was not there so I could not order any of the items on the menu. Drats. I looked to the glowing bakery case and ordered a variety of pastries: brioche, pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant), a peach croissant and and almond croissant.

The brioche was slightly sweet and had great texture. I love the larger pearls of sugar they use to stud the top. The pain au chocolat was decent but I would have preferred more of the dark chocolate inside. The peach croissant was also pretty good but it was definitely a canned peach they used. I should have known better than to order a fruit pastry with a fruit that was out of season. Finally there was the almond croissant. It was an after thought, something to round out my order, but I am so glad that I got it. It was excellent. Rich, moist and bursting with almond flavor. It's one of the better ones I've had in a while. Many pastry shops offers up a dry sad version of an almond croissant that leaves you begging for a cup of milk or coffee, but this was the exact opposite. One bite had me screaming for more. 

The coffee they serve is quite strong and very good. An almond croissant, a steaming hot cup of coffee and the morning paper (or online paper) might be the perfect start to your day.

The service was very friendly, polite and welcoming. I would recommend the bake shop portion of this business to anyone-- I can't say anything about the menu items because I have yet to try them. At the very least I know where I'll take my girlfriend the next time she's in town. She'll be gushing with almond joy after she tastes their croissant.