Ran S.
Google
Wonderful bakery.
It is rather rare to find bakeries that are truly prolific, still maintain fine quality, and specialize in scarcely-found French pastries.
Prolific is the word. Bonjour has one of the most overwhelming displays and varieties across the state. The presentation is slick and awe-inspiring. The setting is on the colder, blander side, as its the service. But the lines are generally long and the sounds of life vibrant and overjoyed.
It all comes down to the offerings, though I wish it presented as a quaint, rustic Parisian bakery, rather than modern, sterile, austere and institutional.
With that said, the barometer for any such bakery are the kouign-amanns and caneles. It is challenging to find sublime kouign amanns, and merely challenging finding caneles at all. While I am generally a greater fan of the blooming, flower-shaped kouign-amann [rather than the circular disk] (though nothing touches the kouing-amann de douarnenez; these are solid and well crisped and caramelized. The caneles are tender, sweet and delicate, even if lacking beeswax, but recrisping them in the oven is an absolute must for optimal experience. A light brush of fine butter and a generous sprinkle of demerara beforehand adds a layer of fresh caramelization that mimicks that fresh-out-of-the-oven break through the firmed shell and onto the custard. A quick pop in the oven also emboldens all the sweet notes.
This bakery is a culinary gallery, and all the offerings are very good. Every one. Most notably, it is one of the most fairly, reasonably priced bakeries in the state. Analogous to Palm Beach's Aioli, they operate on an abundance business model, rather than overpriced scarcity.
Although I far prefer pickup from here over dining in, because of the sanitary, prosaic feel and loud crowds; I have and will continue to frequent this fine establishment. It is worth it.