Is it really necessary to taste the Dominique Ansel Bakery cronuts?

The famous Dominique Ansel’s Cronuts are now known in the entire world. It is a veritable marketing product! But the question here is, if they are good enough to wait in line for hours before tasting one.

I’m going to tell you my experience… And at the end, read the exclusive interview with Dominique Ansel for NYCTT.

What is a Cronut?

The cronuts are a creation of mixing the croissant and donut.

In fact we need to write Cronuts® because now it’s a registered trademark.

How can you taste a Cronut?

There are 4 possibilities to have a cronut:
-You are Dominique Ansel youngest brother or a famous celebrity. In both cases, you just have to call to let him know and visit the bakery whenever you want to.
-You have a lot of money, and pay somebody to wait in line… or you go to Ebay and pay 3 times the original price.
-Buy online (I will let you know how…)
-Or you just do like I did, wait in line for hours.

How long is the waiting?

The bakery opens at 8am (9am on Sundays), but at least be there one hour before… Be there around 7am.

You must think I’m crazy, but look at the picture. It was 7:10am

And that is just a part of the line… I counted and I was number 83 🙁

But don’t worry, around 7:30am a girl showed up with hot chocolate for everyone in the line.

Around 7.45 she came back with homemade madeleine… Delicious!!

Once the bakery opens, they let you in on 10 person groups.

So you will start moving little by little 10 by 10…

Around 8.40am I finally made it!! Uff!

How is the bakery in the interior?

Once you are there, you need to still wait in line.

You can start taking a look at the products and you’ll have time to choose what you want to eat. Indeed, Dominique Ansel bakes a lot of treats and not only Cronuts.

How many Cronuts can you buy?

You can only buy 2 Cronuts per person. If you want more than that, you must be accompanied.

How much does it cost?

Each Cronut costs $6.

What else can you buy?

There are many other options. They have classics, like croissants, cakes… and other exotic creations like the Burger Koign-Amann.

They have menus for lunch with salads, soups and snacks. I didn’t taste them.

Are the Cronuts really tasty?

Before telling you, let me describe it for you.
They are shinny, firm and soft to the bite. The truth about them, they are unique.

We shared the Cronuts for the very first time.
I had my doubts, I do like it, but is nothing incredible. They were ok, but not a great deal, maybe because I had to wait in line for 2 hours to get 1.
My friends loved them. They liked the texture; it would have been great to keep them waiting in line for me.
In the end, let’s say you’ll need to taste one at least once in your life.

What about the other creations?

I had to taste more things.
So I had a Burger Kouign-Amann, a cookie and a chocolate cookie.

The Burger Kouign-Amann was good, but nothing transcending.

I liked the cookies, but I prefer the cookies from Levain Bakery.

How to order online?

Like I told you at the beginning of this article, it’s possible to buy Cronuts on the internet and avoid to wait in line for 2 hours.

To make this possible, visit the official website, and make your order 2 weeks before you pick ’em up.

The good plan, is to order at the very beginning of the pre-sale on Mondays at 11am (New York Time).

Once you place your order, you can pick them up instead of waiting in line.

Where is located Dominique Ansel Bakery?

It is in Soho, 189 Spring St(between Sullivan & Thompson) New York, NY, 10012.

When is it open?

Monday to Saturday from 8am to 7pm, Sundays from 9am 7pm.

Website:  www.dominiqueansel.com

Interview with Dominique Ansel

I made an interview to the French pastry chef by email, he tells us about his business and his life in NY.

-Hi Dominique, the Cronuts started to be famous. Why do you think your recipe had this much success?

The Cronut promotes creativity and originality. Nowadays it’s all bout technology, but seeing people’s interest in patisserie makes me happy.

-If you had opened your business in Paris selling Cronuts, do you think it would have been as successful as it is in New York?

I think Cronuts would have had the same success in any other country, Americans love the newness, and they are always the first discovering new things.

-What would you tell to people to make them taste your Cronuts?

It is a bread roll with a Donut form, with all the characteristics of the croissant, and cream (different flavors, depending on the season), with flavored and glazed sugar .

-I see that you created the Burger Koign-Amann too. Do you have more ideas to fuse US and French patisserie?

I did not invent the Burger Kouign-Amann. A journalist misunderstood and it got lost in translation…

I went to Austin (Texas) and I found a local chef famous for his BBQ. I had the chance to taste his food and products, and I shared with him my Kouign-Amann version. We made a sandwich… and the result was delicious! It’s not a product to make business, I just wanted to try.

-Which are your other specialties?

Obviously the Kouign-Amann (French specialty from Bretagne region), the Paris-New York (version from the Paris-Brest, another French specialty, with peanut butter, chocolate and caramel, our Cheesecake (light mousse with caramelized Ricota like Crème Brûlée), the Cannelé from Bordeaux, le Magic Soufflé and the Frozen S’mores.

-I have some questions for you about New York. Can you tell us 3 of your best tips to visit a bar and restaurants in the city?

-Bar: Walflower in West Village.

-Italian restaurant: Bar Pitty.

-French restaurant: Daniel.

-A place in New York not so touristic that you love?

I love Soho, there are lots of little shops in hidden streets that tourists don’t visit.

-Where will you take a friend that is a photographer for his first time in NY?

For sure, to Central Park, it is pretty big, and has a lot of beautiful places.

-Which is a must-see spot in New York… besides your bakery?

Katz Delicatessen; a traditional deli with New York products.

-A few words for the NYCTT community?

New York is one of the most attractive cities in the world, there are many things to do and discover.

Conclusion

I would say, the experience with the Cronut is interesting because it’s original. Dominique Ansel is a master in the art of marketing because he knew how to drive and develop his concept with success, he made people want to go and taste his product… even if you have to wait in line for 2 hours.
Nowadays, Cronuts, French donuts and others are offered by other stores. But sincerely the original is the best one I ever tasted.
If you are a foodie and curious at the same time, the best plan is to order your Cronuts online and taste it to make your own opinion.
Bon appétit!