10 Miles + Dominique Ansel Bakery

Today, I decided to fly solo and explore downtown. My means of transportation – my legs. I ended up walking over 10 miles today. I’m glad I didn’t check the weather forecast because if I saw it would be a high of 97, I definitely would have thought twice about being outdoors for so long.

I had a very eventful day. I passed by two parades, countless street fairs, and almost got run over by a bicycle on the sidewalk. If you were any bit curious, I am the girl who j-walks, sprints across the street when the light is changing against me, but I promise you the bike incident was not my fault.

On a happier note, I came across Dominique Ansel Bakery about halfway through my journey. Dominique Ansel was the executive pastry chef at Daniel, a three-star Michelin restaurant owned by Daniel Boulud. If you are ever downtown, you really should check out this bakery. All of the pastries looked beautiful.

I ordered the little egg sandwich which came on a brioche roll and a little melted cheese. For dessert, I wanted to break out of my chocolate shell, so I tried the honey grapefruit tart with lavender. The juicy grapefruit tasted so good on this hot day, and the honey custard was smooth and slightly sweet. I usually don’t like custard, but this one won me over. Well done, Dominique! I also really liked the mellow note of lavender. It was not overpowering, and it merely enhanced the grapefruit flavor.

I ate outside in their little garden around 11:30AM, so I guess this was brunch, right?