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Kouign-amann in the Chicago area?

Kouign-amann in the Chicago area?
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  • Post #31 - September 16th, 2014, 8:09 am
    Post #31 - September 16th, 2014, 8:09 am Post #31 - September 16th, 2014, 8:09 am
    peaceyall wrote:This thread was started before the birth of Bad Wolf, but hands down the best kouign amann is at Bad Wolf Coffee.

    I agree 100 percent (and yes, I've posted here about others). As I posted in the Bad Wolf topic:

    nsxtasy wrote:2. Okay, about their kougn amman. I've had them at Floriole and Bennison's, and both are very good. But at Bad Wolf - OH MY GOD. Sheer heaven. I feel that only now do I truly understand how amazing this pastry can be.

    I should also add that since then, I've also tried the kouign amann at Dominique Ansel's bakery in New York City, which he pompously calls the "DKA". It was very good, and similar to the ones at Bad Wolf. But the ones at Bad Wolf are even better.
  • Post #32 - September 16th, 2014, 8:19 am
    Post #32 - September 16th, 2014, 8:19 am Post #32 - September 16th, 2014, 8:19 am
    Has anybody had the kouign amann at Cellar Door? I loved it, but just wondering how it compares to Bad Wolf, because that Bad Wolf one looks flippin' delicious.
  • Post #33 - September 16th, 2014, 8:32 am
    Post #33 - September 16th, 2014, 8:32 am Post #33 - September 16th, 2014, 8:32 am
    jordanhojo wrote:Has anybody had the kouign amann at Cellar Door? I loved it, but just wondering how it compares to Bad Wolf, because that Bad Wolf one looks flippin' delicious.

    I have, and I think it's excellent, though I may have slightly preferred Bad Wolf's . . . I'd have to do a side-by-side. But both are far superior to Floriole's IMO.
  • Post #34 - September 16th, 2014, 9:34 am
    Post #34 - September 16th, 2014, 9:34 am Post #34 - September 16th, 2014, 9:34 am
    I saw this thread and just assumed it had been started because of Bad Wolf's. Those are definitely one of the top pastries I've ever had. I've also tried Cellar Door's and didn't love it. It was too messy and seemed more like a sticky bun to me. And that's not to knock on Cellar Door. I love almost everything else there (especially their bread and their caneles).
  • Post #35 - September 16th, 2014, 3:50 pm
    Post #35 - September 16th, 2014, 3:50 pm Post #35 - September 16th, 2014, 3:50 pm
    Perhaps I am too close, but I think both Floriole's and Bad Wolf's Kouign amann are delicious but completely different. It's a lot like loving Vito & Nick's pizza as well as Spacca Napoli's.

    Now I am anxious to try OFD's fritter with the grasshopper/apprentice's at D & D Tastee Freez.

    There's room for love all around, thank goodness.
    Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

    Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening
  • Post #36 - September 17th, 2014, 3:29 pm
    Post #36 - September 17th, 2014, 3:29 pm Post #36 - September 17th, 2014, 3:29 pm
    When I went to Cellar Door their Kouign Amann had a flavoring added, either orange flower or rose water, I can't remember. I, personally, prefer mine without any additions. I don't know if they do this all the time or it was just that day.
  • Post #37 - September 19th, 2014, 10:12 am
    Post #37 - September 19th, 2014, 10:12 am Post #37 - September 19th, 2014, 10:12 am
    I was wondering how long this thread would go on without mention of Bad Wolf. IMO, their version is at the tops of my list of best pastries ever.
  • Post #38 - September 20th, 2014, 6:30 pm
    Post #38 - September 20th, 2014, 6:30 pm Post #38 - September 20th, 2014, 6:30 pm
    bon2mic wrote:When I went to Cellar Door their Kouign Amann had a flavoring added, either orange flower or rose water, I can't remember. I, personally, prefer mine without any additions. I don't know if they do this all the time or it was just that day.


    Completely agreed about the Cellar Door Kouign Amann. It's light and crispy but the orange blossom water was distracting. Bad Wolf remains my personal gold standard and I think it may even be better these days than when Bad Wolf first opened. The Cellar Door canele, on the other hand, is every bit as good as the Bad Wolf version.
  • Post #39 - December 18th, 2014, 10:01 pm
    Post #39 - December 18th, 2014, 10:01 pm Post #39 - December 18th, 2014, 10:01 pm
    I had an incredible kouign amann from Nico Osteria. Who knew they had them since all I've heard about is CDP, Bad Wolf and Floriole. Nico's comes with a really fresh whipped cream that pairs so nicely (though a hint of salt would have made everything pop even more).

    The queen is decadent and buttery with a nice crisp on top... and the interior...just wow... it verges on having a syrup or caramel - it's hard to describe but it was amazing. Would have taken a photo but I was with a client so that would have been weird. I will go back especially since I shared it. I hear Amanda Rockman's doing some great work as pastry chef so I'll also get a few other desserts and baked goods when I'm there.
  • Post #40 - March 1st, 2015, 10:36 am
    Post #40 - March 1st, 2015, 10:36 am Post #40 - March 1st, 2015, 10:36 am
    They also sell frozen kouign amanns at Trader Joe's. Like their frozen croissants, they need to be taken out of the freezer to proof (rise) at least 6-8 hours ahead of time, before baking. They're actually pretty darn good. Of course, nobody is going to mistake them for the ones at Bad Wolf, but they offer the convenience of buying them when you're shopping at TJ's, and being able to keep them in the freezer until (shortly before) you want to enjoy them. I think they're better than some of the ones bought fresh!

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    Last edited by nsxtasy on August 30th, 2017, 10:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #41 - March 7th, 2015, 12:10 pm
    Post #41 - March 7th, 2015, 12:10 pm Post #41 - March 7th, 2015, 12:10 pm
    Watch them being made:

    Better Than a Cronut: How to Master Kouign-Amann
  • Post #42 - February 26th, 2016, 2:54 pm
    Post #42 - February 26th, 2016, 2:54 pm Post #42 - February 26th, 2016, 2:54 pm
    I bought this one earlier today at the Whole Foods on Green Bay Road in Evanston. It was okay - not as sweet and rich as Bad Wolf or even Trader Joe's, but decent.

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    Last edited by nsxtasy on August 30th, 2017, 10:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #43 - February 28th, 2016, 12:06 am
    Post #43 - February 28th, 2016, 12:06 am Post #43 - February 28th, 2016, 12:06 am
    I saw them at the Au Bon Pain at Block 37.
    I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love

    There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach

    I write stuff.
  • Post #44 - February 29th, 2016, 11:35 pm
    Post #44 - February 29th, 2016, 11:35 pm Post #44 - February 29th, 2016, 11:35 pm
    Pie Lady wrote:I saw them at the Au Bon Pain at Block 37.


    Nico and Floriole are my favorites now that Bad Wolf is RIP.
    Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

    Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening
  • Post #45 - March 8th, 2016, 11:44 am
    Post #45 - March 8th, 2016, 11:44 am Post #45 - March 8th, 2016, 11:44 am
    Val is now doing a phenomenal ham and cheese kouign-amann most days at Loba Pastry in the old Bad Wolf space.
  • Post #46 - March 8th, 2016, 6:41 pm
    Post #46 - March 8th, 2016, 6:41 pm Post #46 - March 8th, 2016, 6:41 pm
    Tambreet wrote:Val is now doing a phenomenal ham and cheese kouign-amann most days at Loba Pastry in the old Bad Wolf space.


    Val's using a really great house-smoked ham from Paulina Meat Market across the street...it's not the most traditional Kouign-Amann, but it's probably my favorite pastry of hers. Balanced sweet and savory. She doesn't make them super frequently though, I might have to give her some encouragement. :-D
  • Post #47 - March 29th, 2016, 9:05 am
    Post #47 - March 29th, 2016, 9:05 am Post #47 - March 29th, 2016, 9:05 am
    I just had my first kouign-amann. Oh. Oh, I see! :shock:

    Au Bon Pain, Block 37
    I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love

    There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach

    I write stuff.
  • Post #48 - March 29th, 2016, 9:58 am
    Post #48 - March 29th, 2016, 9:58 am Post #48 - March 29th, 2016, 9:58 am
    Finally made it to Loba on Saturday. Their kouign-amann is definitely a worthy successor to Bad Wolf and the best in the city currently, in my opinion.
  • Post #49 - March 29th, 2016, 7:17 pm
    Post #49 - March 29th, 2016, 7:17 pm Post #49 - March 29th, 2016, 7:17 pm
    Pie Lady wrote:I just had my first kouign-amann. Oh. Oh, I see! :shock:

    Au Bon Pain, Block 37

    A friend gave me one from Au Bon Pain and in my opinion, it's not worthy of the name. The frozen ones I had from Trader Joe's were much, much better, and those are not even in the same ballpark as really good ones.
  • Post #50 - March 30th, 2016, 2:47 pm
    Post #50 - March 30th, 2016, 2:47 pm Post #50 - March 30th, 2016, 2:47 pm
    I have not seen kouign amann's at Trader Joe's in a while, and I suspect they may have been discontinued.
  • Post #51 - April 16th, 2016, 10:44 am
    Post #51 - April 16th, 2016, 10:44 am Post #51 - April 16th, 2016, 10:44 am
    Interesting article on the rise of Kouign-amann in America:

    http://www.eater.com/2016/4/13/11410646 ... ce-america

    Veering slightly off-topic... stopped by Dominique Ansel's Kitchen in NY last week and they seem pumping out fresh KA's throughout the day:

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  • Post #52 - April 17th, 2016, 10:17 am
    Post #52 - April 17th, 2016, 10:17 am Post #52 - April 17th, 2016, 10:17 am
    I have not seen kouign amann's at Trader Joe's in a while, and I suspect they may have been discontinued.


    Confirmed by the Trader Joe's personnel at the Evanston store. (Also, no more Red Boat fish sauce, either. :( )
  • Post #53 - April 17th, 2016, 5:22 pm
    Post #53 - April 17th, 2016, 5:22 pm Post #53 - April 17th, 2016, 5:22 pm
    BR wrote:
    Pie Lady wrote:I just had my first kouign-amann. Oh. Oh, I see! :shock:

    Au Bon Pain, Block 37

    A friend gave me one from Au Bon Pain and in my opinion, it's not worthy of the name. The frozen ones I had from Trader Joe's were much, much better, and those are not even in the same ballpark as really good ones.


    As an additional data point, they had them at Whole Foods a week or so ago. Extremely meh. I'm thinking it's an item that needs to be eaten very soon after it leaves the oven?
    fine words butter no parsnips
  • Post #54 - April 20th, 2016, 7:06 pm
    Post #54 - April 20th, 2016, 7:06 pm Post #54 - April 20th, 2016, 7:06 pm
    Roger Ramjet wrote:they had them at Whole Foods a week or so ago. Extremely meh. I'm thinking it's an item that needs to be eaten very soon after it leaves the oven?

    No, not IMHO. When a kouign amann is really great, it's really great regardless of whether you eat it when it's still warm, or later the same day. I experienced the perfect example of that today. (I've also had ones from Whole Foods, and like you I have not been impressed with them. I have found them lacking in the combination of flavor, richness, and sweetness that makes some kouign amanns so delicious.)

    For those traveling to the north of Chicago, there's a wonderful bakery in Milwaukee called Rocket Baby Bakery. I've tried a lot of their baked goods and pastries, and everything has been truly excellent. Their main bakery and cafe is in Wauwatosa, just west of Milwaukee, and they have a satellite location in the Bay View neighborhood south of downtown Milwaukee. I bought this kouign amann earlier today at the satellite location and it's outstanding.

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    Last edited by nsxtasy on August 30th, 2017, 10:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #55 - April 20th, 2016, 8:09 pm
    Post #55 - April 20th, 2016, 8:09 pm Post #55 - April 20th, 2016, 8:09 pm
    Floriole was offering a chocolate-rye kouign amann the other day. In my opinion, Floriole still doesn't have them quite right. They're just too dense below the crust, although the distinct layers are apparent. Still, they're quite good and this chocolate-rye combination in particular was fantastic. On the other hand, my other pastries from Floriole (the Gateau Basque and the croissant) were the best I've ever had from there.
  • Post #56 - April 22nd, 2016, 9:11 am
    Post #56 - April 22nd, 2016, 9:11 am Post #56 - April 22nd, 2016, 9:11 am
    i had a kouign- amann from cellar door yesterday as a treat after stomach flu earlier in the week... and it did not have the additional floral notes that apparently they've had in the past- to my relief. i do not like orange blossom or rose water at all. it was delicious (i'm halfway through), and on that wonderful edge of being almost burnt. it would have been perfect if it had a little more burnt, sticky sugar on it....but this isn't a complaint as much as wishful thinking....
  • Post #57 - March 21st, 2017, 2:28 pm
    Post #57 - March 21st, 2017, 2:28 pm Post #57 - March 21st, 2017, 2:28 pm
    Gary W reports (with photo) that they have kouign amanns at Maison Parisienne in Lakeview, in this topic.
  • Post #58 - March 21st, 2017, 7:13 pm
    Post #58 - March 21st, 2017, 7:13 pm Post #58 - March 21st, 2017, 7:13 pm
    for anyone wanting to bake their own kouign amann, rose levy beranbaum's recipe, if followed exactly, is very doable....and fantastic. it's the cover recipe in her last book, 'the baking bible'.

    here's her recipe, on someone else's website:http://leitesculinaria.com/98968/recipes-kouign-amann.html
  • Post #59 - April 13th, 2017, 4:27 pm
    Post #59 - April 13th, 2017, 4:27 pm Post #59 - April 13th, 2017, 4:27 pm
    nsxtasy wrote:Gary W reports (with photo) that they have kouign amanns at Maison Parisienne in Lakeview

    I went to Maison Parisienne today, and I got that OH MY GOD feeling from their kouign amann, which I haven't had in a Chicago-area kouign amann since Bad Wolf closed (and no, Loba's don't do it for me). The ones at Maison Parisienne have that PERFECT balance of sweetness, and flakiness, and awesome richness and deliciousness. Unlike the usual single-portion size, Maison Parisienne makes a larger one, then slices 6-8 individual portions. You can't taste from the photo, but it's wow-inducing, as good as the ones used to be at Bad Wolf (or, for those who travel, Rocket Baby in Milwaukee or Bouchon Bistro on either coast).

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    Here are more photos:

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    Maison Parisienne
    3307 N Clark St
    Chicago, IL 60657
    maison-parisienne.com
    MONDAY closed
    TUESDAY-FRIDAY 8:00am-6:00pm
    SATURDAY 10am-6:00pm
    SUNDAY 10am-4pm
  • Post #60 - January 19th, 2018, 3:19 pm
    Post #60 - January 19th, 2018, 3:19 pm Post #60 - January 19th, 2018, 3:19 pm
    Today I bought a couple of kouign amanns, including the one pictured below, at Cellar Door Provisions. In previous posts above, some had wondered about flavoring added to the kouign amanns there; I can assure you that there was no unusual added flavor to the ones I bought today. They tasted like, well, kouign amanns, without any added flavor. I thought they were very good, with exceptional crispiness to the outer edges, a goodly amount of richness and sweetness and flavor. I slightly prefer the ones at Maison Parisienne, but these are quite good as well, and both are better than Floriole's and far better than the ones at Whole Foods. Definitely worth a try.

    Incidentally, I also tried their caneles, and they were good, but those seemed to have an added flavor I had trouble identifying, which also made the insides a bit yellower than usual.

    One other comment. In a visit to CDP a while ago, there were no kouign amanns and the selection of other items was meager (only one or two). Today, during my 10 a.m. visit, they had perhaps ten different items. Many of them had unusual flavorings. And they had a large number of kouign amanns, over a dozen of them on a plate. And they were warm, which never hurts.

    Cellar Door Provisions
    3025 W. Diversey Avenue
    Chicago, IL
    773 697-8337
    Wednesday - Sunday 8am - 3pm
    Friday - Saturday 5:30pm - 9pm

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