La Cabra: The Best Croissant in the City
Sunny and green outdoor dining area at La Cabra.
Denmark has come to New York City in the form of coffee and pastries. La Cabra is a coffee shop from Aarhus, Denmark and this much anticipated opening has finally happened. Wondering why is this Danish roastery such a big deal? Well, Scandinavians drink the most coffee in the world per capita compared to any other region. And La Cabra is super well respected for their coffee. And to up the ante, they have a full fledged bakery built right into the coffee shop. Pastries at a coffee shop? La Cabra takes their pastries just as seriously as they take their coffee. Or else they wouldn’t recruit a ringer like chef Jared Sexton to make these excellent goodies. He was the former executive pastry chef at Chefs Club by Food & Wine and Bluebird London NYC. And with all that knowledge and experience, he has created the best croissant in New York City. Full stop. Anyone that wants to refute this claim, come @ me!
Let’s take a coffee break — A comforting cappuccino in a clay coffee cup at La Cabra.
Look at all those yummy pastry options!
The croissant at La Cabra is the complete package. There is nothing remotely comparable to it right now in New York City. One of the biggest things that separates this croissant from everyone else’s is how it looks. At first glance, La Cabra’s croissant is deeply, deeply caramelized. The rich color is darker than any in the city, almost burnt looking. Also, the lamination is freaking fantastic. Each layer of that flaky pastry can be easily distinguished from the next.
Extreme close-up of the lamination of La Cabra’s croissant.
But how does it taste? A lot of croissants fail in one of two ways: no texture or no flavor. The first sign that La Cabra’s croissant is different is the texture you feel as you pick it up. Once your fingers touch the pastry, you sense its delicateness. Each layer feels like it is going to break immediately. A general reaction is to pull away or to lighten your grip. And on the first bite, you can actually feel each single crisp lamination layer gently shatter on your teeth. If you go slow and listen, it almost sounds like stepping on broken glass. As you break into the middle layers of the croissant, the fresh butter flavor gradually fills your palate. With each bite, the flavor of the butter intensifies, sending you into butter bliss. The inside of the croissant is gorgeous too, with large air pockets forming in between the tender layers of dough and butter. This croissant is beautiful and extremely delicious. There is no peer amongst its New York counterparts. This will be the best you’ll ever have here in the city.
Cross-section of a croissant. Check out the the air pockets between the flaky dough and butter!
Another pastry that you absolutely have to try here is the cardamom bun. This twisty, humble bun is ubiquitous in Scandinavia. The cardamom bun is found in every bakery just like the croissant. It may be odd for the uninitiated to see a spice like cardamom to be used in sweet baking applications but it is one of the best things you can get here in La Cabra. Upon inspection, their version of the cardamom bun is small and tight. This results in a taller bun than at other shops, and is the key to its deliciousness (we’ll get back to that). The bun has a caramelized and crisp golden brown, and is topped with a mixture of ground cardamom and sugar. The bottom has a thin, crispy layer of caramelized sugar, sort of like a creme brulee. As you sink your teeth into the supple bun, you release cardamom perfume and crack that sticky brulee. With each bite of the incredibly soft and chewy bun, more of its warm, sweet spice fills your senses. What’s so amazing about this bun is its fantastic chew. The taller the bun is, the chewier it is, since there’s more stacked dough to bite down on. It is an absolute delight and a must order.
The cardamom bun. Flavorful, soft and gooey, super buttery. Super good.
The spirally shaped ham and cheese croissant is striking. Topped with sesame seeds, this deeply caramelized pastry has a hearty crunch, much like the plain croissant. The rich butter flavor fills the mouth with its creamy goodness. Past the crunch and butter, the 12 month aged Comte cheese provides a velvety texture unitil the salty, savory flavor of the black forest ham kicks in. There is so much going on, your brain is trying to figure out the intertwining complexities between salty and buttery until you hit a stop. Where is this extra flavor coming from? The sesame seeds! Those roasted nutty notes from the sesame melds nicely with the rest of the flavors of the croissant. It feels like it belongs there. That extra hit of nutty flavor mellows out the edges, resulting in one harmonious pastry.
Black forest ham and 12-month aged Comte cheese croissant at La Cabra.
Where you first see the black flecked, sugar coated bun on display, you notice its size. It’s quite small. But upon picking up the perfectly round dome, you discover that it is hefty! So hefty that it might win the “don’t judge a book by its cover” award. Don’t be fooled by its small stature because this sweet bun packs quite a punch. At the first bite, you notice the tangy and fruity lemon and blackberry sugar hitting your tongue. This stimulates the taste buds and prepares you for what’s coming next: the fantastic texture of the bun itself. It’s dense, but in a great way. The chewiness of the bun is almost gooey but incredibly homey, intensely satisfying and super comforting. Every single bite feels closer to putting on your most comfortable hoodie and sinking deeper into your couch.
The heavier-than-it-looks Sweet Bun at La Cabra. Coated in a lemon and blackberry sugar.
And if that wasn’t enough, the rich flavor of the vanilla whipped ganache hits you next and perks you right up with interest. Then the grape jam surprises you with a concentrated power punch of fresh and complex Concord grape flavor. Imagine concentrating the flavor of 50 grapes into one small bun. The deep purple color of the jam is beautiful with a taste to match. The ganache is whipped so perfectly airy and light that it disappears as soon as it hits your tongue, but the flavor of the cocoa butter lingers for a moment more. Together, these strong fillings match the heartiness of the bun and provide a truly satisfying experience.
The Sweet Bun at La Cabra, filled with a decadent vanilla ganache and a refreshing Concord grape jam.
In its opening weeks, La Cabra has already proven very popular with New Yorkers. Throngs of people lined up for the delectable pastries and delicious coffee. La Cabra was so busy during their opening that they had to close for a day to rest and restock! The wonderful thing is that the pastries are baked throughout the day so what you’re ordering is likely to be fresh. And what you are getting here is already the best of what you can get in New York City. This Danish import is here to stay. So come to La Cabra, sit for a hand brewed coffee, grab a croissant (or ten), and enjoy life to its finest.
Don’t you just want to gobble up the rest of this perfect, flaky, buttery, crisp croissant?
Seriously... go eat here and let me know what you end up getting. You’ll thank me later.
