Leslie Marshall
Google
The area was cute and the staff was very friendly. I took my pastries home with me to enjoy. The highlights were: the Almond Croissant and the Ham & Cheddar Croissant. They had a buttery, flakey, crisp exterior with a tender, well-flavored interior. They satisfied my want for something sweet and for something savory. The cheddar was melty, ooey, gooey, with little bits of caramelized ham on the ends that were SO good. And the Almond Croissant had a great thick layer of almond paste along the bottom that held its own against the layers of flakey pastry -- I wanted another one of each!
The items that were underwhelming for me were the Peach Danish, the CranAppleWalnut tart, and the MushroomLeekSausage Pithivier. The Peach Danish was lacking in cream cheese filling. Maybe it's just a preference of mine to have a good solid amount of filling, but it was a scant amount buried under canned peach slices (not a dig, just a statement -- peaches aren't in season right now so canned is the only option) on an acceptable pastry. It wasn't bad by any means, but I wasn't wow'ed.. it was just.. acceptable! The leek/sausage/mushroom pithivier needs salt and Seasoning! A dash of salt and pepper would go so far for this underseasoned morsel! And it was really sad because I wanted to enjoy it so much, but it was just.. meh. Beautiful presentation and great pastry with underseasoned filling is like a super attractive person with an ugly spouse.. you can't understand, so you just leave it alone. And finally, we have the Apple Cranberry Walnut tart. Once again, just lacking in that bit of pizzazz that makes you go, "Mmmm," when you bite into it. Just kind of bland again. Not very sweet, no discernable spice, just.. okay. I think that's a good way to sum up the last three dishes.. they just didn't have that little extra bit that made you go, "Mmm," when you took a bite. I might recommend tasting the fillings as they are being prepared (if that isn't happening) to make sure they are well seasoned and have that extra something special to them.
All in all! I would go back for the croissants because they were REALLY freaking good. I enjoyed them throughly. They more than made up for their underseasoned counterparts.
EDIT::
I have since gone back to Fresh Flours many times, and I try something new every time! Their Kouign Amonn (Sugar Croissant) and Basque Cake are TO DIE FOR. I had the KA today, and it was so crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. It is a laminated style pastry, and I think it's become my new favorite. And the Basque Cake? Oh dear God. It is so dense and rich with gently crisped edges. I highly recommend everything with a cup of rich coffee/espresso/cappuccino.