French Riviera Bakery

Well, when an eatery wins First Place, it has to be tried!  So, off I went to the French Riviera Bakery and Cafe, which won the Houston Culinary Awards Best Bakery.   I have driven passed this little establishment hundreds of times over the years and never so much as noticed this little unassuming place.  Until now.

The place was fairly well packed at 9:30 AM on a Thursday.  For a small cafe, there is actually quite a bit of seating and most tables were full.  There is also some seating outside, which is perfect for this beautiful October weather.  Back inside, the place is cheerful, with a happy yellow color on the walls and saltillo tile on the floor.  Light and bright.  And, clean.

I tried the Spinach Quiche ($4.25) first.  The crust was light, but not particularly flaky.  The temperature wasn't really hot or cold, sort of tepid.  The quiche was dense, not light and fluffy.  Good spinach flavor, though. 

Moving on...to the Apricot Croissant ($2.50).  I tried this pastry simply because I had never before had an apricot croissant, and it sounded yummy.  It was okay.  Although I was a little disappointed, it was acceptable.  Fear not, though, the best is yet to come....

The Chocolate-Almond Croissant. ($2.75) Oh yeah baby....this is why they won Favorite Bakery.  I had heard about their chocolate-almond croissants.  And, with good reason.  It was simply delish! 

Lightly toasted slivered almonds on top, as well, as a dusting of powered sugar.  The outside was not especially flaky, but that perfect crunch was there that you'd expect from a croissant.  The inside was soft with the semi-sweet chocolate being the perfect consistency, all melted yummy inside.  The croissant was buttery, but not greasy.

I liked the French Riviera Bakery and Cafe.  It was very much like a Cafe in Paris -- I heard several different languages spoken at different tables where diners were chit chatting over their Cafe au Laits and Espresso.

French Riviera Bakery & Cafe
3032 Chimney Rock
Houston, Texas 77056
713-783-3264