Today, my husband and I had planned a date in Manhattan, intending to explore some of its best food spots and bakeries. However, just as we were heading out, we discovered that today is the annual International Marathon! Given the likely crowds and road closures, we decided to change our plans. It reminded me of our time living in New Jersey, where we often drove out to the central and western parts of the state to explore. One of my favorite places to visit was the quaint town of Montclair—a town we’d come to for dates, dinners, and leisurely strolls. Montclair is charming and picturesque, filled with memories for us.

This time, we made a special trip to visit a bakery on Church Street: Le French Dad Boulangerie. This wasn’t our first time stopping by. The first time, we’d heard that the owner was French and trained in baking in France, with a solid reputation in the local community. That day, we were in the mood for something new grabbed their well-known croissant and sourdough bread. I remember that first croissant as being large, airy, and light. I was so hungry, though, that I didn’t take the time to savor it. So, today’s change of plans allowed us to sit down, relax, and really take in their croissants and bread.

We picked up a pain au chocolat and a White Campagne (a white sourdough bread) to go. Since it was a cold day and there was no seating in the bakery, we ducked into a nearby Starbucks to sit and enjoy our pastries indoors.

Without further ado, here are my thoughts on their croissant. (I’ll save my sourdough review for another post!) Chocolate croissants are a personal favorite because they offer a great way to evaluate both the dough and chocolate quality at a bakery.

1. Appearance

Le French Dad Boulangerie’s pain au chocolat is on the larger side and has a classic look, with visible layers that give it a nice shape. The surface is a bit wrinkled, but otherwise, it’s an good size and holds up well visually.

2. Cross-Section

Cutting through, there were faint signs of butter mixing with the dough, though nothing major, and it definitely qualifies as a good croissant. The interior of the dough was remarkably pale—almost white, actually. This makes me wonder if they’re using a brioche-like dough with added eggs, which would explain the lightness. From the cross-section, it’s also clear they’re not using a high ratio of butter, which gives the dough a delicate, airy quality. With croissants, it’s all about the balance between flour and butter: a higher flour content enhances lightness and volume, while more butter enriches the layers and adds depth to the flavor. In this case, I felt the croissant could use a bit more butter to add richness. The chocolate, though high-quality Valrhona, felt a bit sparse. Still, I appreciate their choice of chocolate, as Valrhona is an excellent and premium option.

3. The Texture and Taste

The surface of the croissant was pleasantly crisp, and the inside was soft and airy. Overall, I enjoyed it. However, because of the slight butter-dough mixing and relatively modest butter content, the dough had a somewhat dry feel. As mentioned earlier, a bit more butter could improve the moisture and richness of the croissant’s texture. (The chocolate itself, I must say, was fantastic—just too little of it! I’d happily pay more for a pain au chocolat with a bit more chocolate.)

Summary

Le French Dad’s pain au chocolat is definitely a quality croissant, with impressive size and high-quality Valrhona chocolate. Personally, I think adding more butter would enhance the flavor and texture even further. (P.S. I noticed the cross-section on their website looks a bit different from what I bought. I wonder why!)