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| - With La Gourmandine, you get all the deliciousness of French pastries without all the hassle of attempting to speak French. This is a bakery that was recently featured in the NYTimes' 36 Hours in Pittsburgh video, and I think it was worth the shoutout!
+ Just the right amount of variety, from savory quiches to sweet tarts to buttery croissants.
+ The staff were quite friendly.
+/- Both times I've gone (once around noon, once in afternoon), there's been a decent crowd. Speaks to the good food here!
+/- Oof. I've insisted on trying pastries I'd never tried before, and unfortunately those happen to be all the ones involving cream. It's good cream, but still, a few bites is enough for me.
On my last visit, I got the Paris-Brest and the Choux a la Creme, which was a huge mistake because both involve COPIOUS amounts of cream. It's basically impossible to eat both in one day. I also got a Marquise, which is like a giant fancy layered candy bar! Be still my clogging heart.
Today I had the Delice de Pistache and the Croissant Aux Amandes, for $6.60 total. The pistachio cream was surprisingly refreshing, at a good level of sweetness. The croissant was the winner though. It had such a nice buttery flaky interior, yet a crisply sweet glazed almond outside. PERFECTION.
I took my treats to the park across the street, and subsequently food coma-ed for a little bit. I am impressed the French manage to stay so svelte with bakeries like this in their country. Ugh.
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