Over his storied career, with restaurants like French Laundry and Per Se, Thomas Keller has gained a reputation as America’s grand master of high-end cuisine. Thankfully for food lovers, Mr. Keller is also a proponent of simpler culinary pleasures, so not everybody has to spend hundreds to experience his offerings. In Yountville alone, he has the Lyonnaise style cafe, Bouchon, and his latest simple triumph, Ad Hoc. In 2003, he treated Napa Valley residents (and curious gastrotourists) to Bouchon Bakery, offering an array of baked delights. Here’s a shot of the bakery’s exterior, the sun still low in the eastern sky.

The bakery’s pastry counter is filled with gorgeous stacks of croissants, bear claws, scones, muffins, cookies and more. With so many tantalizing choices, it took awhile to decide.

The bakery’s back wall is lined with several varieties of fresh breads: baguettes, loaves, rings and rolls.

This swath of counterspace was topped with mammoth triangles of quiche Florentine, chocolate-filled chocolate-glazed donuts and the bakery’s signature pastry, the cork-shaped brownie-like bouchon.

There are no tables in Bouchon Bakery, but just outside is this patio, perfect for a morning pastry and coffee or chai. Don’t worry about spilling crumbs. There are always plenty of birds on hand for easy clean-up.

Here’s a feathery citrus pistachio brioche, flecked with nuggets of candied citrus.

On the left: a sensational almond chocolate croissant, lined with shaved almonds, with a luscious marzipan core. On the right: a chocolate bouchon, with a thin crust and velvety interior.

Here’s the bakery’s take on the Nutter Butter, about three times the size of the original, with a nice chew.

The cheese danish and coffee cake had mixed results. The danish was highlighted by a flaky pastry cradle for the lemon cream cheese, and studs of crystallized orange. The coffee cake was a little dry, but had surprising ribbons of chocolate, and a flavorful streussel top.

The pecan sticky bun featured a light caramel glaze and moist pastry. The cornmeal financier was like a good cornbread muffin, with a slightly sweet, partially caramelized cap.

I was happy with the pastries at Bouchon Bakery, and with so many more options, I never even got to the breads, macaroons, tarts or sandwiches. Everything I ate was good to great, except for the leaden coffee cake, and I would happily return two more days straight on my next visit to Napa Valley.

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This entry is filed under Bakery, California, Northern California.