Redemption at La Grenier A Pain, failure at Pierre Herme

So, I came across a croissant enthusiast's blog, stating that the croissant from La Grenier A Pain is one of the best in the city. If you recall, this was a place in my hood where I was treated rather rudely. Well, having determined that rudeness should not be a deterrent to croissant nirvana, I thought maybe I should give it a shot.

THEN, I read a post by another great Chowhound, Delucacheesemonger, who declared the kouign amann at La Grenier A Pain the best in FRANCE. Kouign Amann is a pastry from Brittany (say "koo-ween ah-mahn) that is rustic but looked amazing. So, it was clear that I had to make a return visit.

This time, a different young woman greeted me, and was nothing less than delightful. She complimented my poor French. And she sold me what turned out to be the #2 croissant of the trip. And she sold me the paradigm-shifting, life-changing glory that is kouign amann.

I can't find the words to describe how insanely delicious this thing was. Crispy, chewy, tender and flaky. Crunchy caramelized sugar  - but as a whole, not too sweet. This is what I will be pining for. Amazing.

What Pierre Herme and I seem to have, apparently, is a failure to communicate. When I got my macarons after the Orangerie visit, I was actually in search of a special croissant they make - filled and flavored with ispahan. Ispahan is a rose flavor, mixed with raspberries and lychees. Intriguing? It has filled my fantasies for weeks now. But, that store only sold macarons and chocolates, and no ispahan anything. They told me to try the Rue Bonaparte location.

Which I did, today, but not without calling first (last night, actually) and asking them to hold three of the croissants aside for me to pick up at 1PM. Boy, was I proud of myself.

Lovely LH and I stopped by after our trip to the Catacombs (report is coming) and voila - they had my little bag ready to go. I saw some in the bakery basket - they looked amazing, and LH got herself one too. I was SO excited to try this.

But when I got home and tore open the bag....

bwah...bwah...bwah...

three regular, plain, ordinary, croissants.

And I leave tomorrow.

Wah!

Here is what I missed: Ispahan croissant