Adventure, baby!

croissant

Bacchus Le Cafe; Kid-friendly Places To Eat Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, NY

Sunday morning, breakfast date with friends. It’s still fiendishly cold, so we head around the corner to our local patisserie for a simple, fast breakfast before the kids need naps.

Sweet, very French, interior – La Patisserie, Boerum Hill, New York.

The counter is piled high with freshly-baked goods. Croissants, pain au chocolate, pains aux raisins … the smell is unbelievable.

Complimentary sweet treats for the babies.

The service is fast and super-friendly. They were so welcoming to us, crazy toddlers and all.

The food is great – fresh omelettes packed with spinach and tomato, flaky crossants with layers of ham. The kids shovel as much of the food into their mouths as they can, unable to believe their good luck at getting so many treats on this cold morning.

Freshly-baked madeleines.

I took a madeleine to go for the Cheese – and when I tasted it later I wished I’d bought more. It was so insanely good that I went back a few hours later, just for a few more madeleines.

This casual little cafe is absolutely going to be our weekend place to stop by and grab fast and delish food, either to eat in or to grab a pastry on the run. It’s hard to find a decent crossant in New York – but this little cafe really delivers. The pain au chocolate I tried was light and soft, flaky but not hard.

A sign on the counter displayed their free wifi password, so this cafe could also be great as a working location – if you can resist gorging yourself on the pastries, that is.

We had such a pleasant and delicious morning, that we will most certainly be back for more.

Where do you head when you’re in the mood for a croissant?

Highchairs: Yes, there is one highchair.
Stroller storage: There is room if they fit through the narrow front door. Think Bugaboo Bee or smaller.
Easy access: Yes. One or two easy steps.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Bacchus Le Cafe
411 Atlantic Ave
(between Nevins St & Bond St)
Brooklyn, NY
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-9pm, Sat-Sun 8am-9pm
Get directions.

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Dominique Ansel Bakery; Kid-friendly Places To Eat, SoHo, New York

After a gluttonous afternoon we decided to end it with … even more food, of course. Our target – the Dominique Ansel Bakery in SoHo, for pastries that would blow our calorie counts for the next month.

Late afternoon sugar hit.
Macaron heaven.
White Rose Religieuse.
Banana Passionfruit Pavlova.

What was totally surprising was how easy it was to stop by here with a toddler. I’d previously only ordered to go from the front counter, not realising they have a large back garden area, enclosed like a conservatorium. Lots of tables free, lots of space – no one caring if our manic toddler ran around like a nut case. Miss Cheese was in heaven with all the treats coming her way – hot chocolate, croissant, cream puffs. No wonder she was manic … My favourite thing to order here is the DKA (“Dominique’s Kouign Amann”). It doesn’t look like much (it looks kinda like a rock cake), but it’s devine. The best description comes from their website: “Tender, flaky, croissant-like dough with a caramelized crunchy crust”. Yes please.

Get away from me, Dad.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: No. The front of the store is a bit tight, but they have a large (enclosed) garden out the back where your giant stroller will fit.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.
Baby-friendly rating: ♥♥—

Dominique Ansel Bakery
189 Spring St,
New York
Phone: (212) 219 2773
Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-7pm Sun 9am-7pm

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Dominique Ansel Bakery on Urbanspoon