"If you had a French friend visiting, and you took them to get a croissant—which, why would you do this, but stick with us here—we’d tell you to bring them to Simple Loaf. The Park Slope bakery’s plain version hits every note: it’s equal parts flaky and buttery, with just a little chew, and we’d consider it a perfect specimen. We’ve even heard that the person who makes them learned to do so in France. Go find out for yourself." - willa moore, bryan kim, sonal shah, will hartman