Tartes, Tartare, Croissants and more at Chaumont

Saumon Tartare:

Salmon tartar with mango, chopped jalepeño and an avocado purée

Pain aux amandes et chocolat:

Chocolate and Almond Croissant 

(My favorite!!)

Pain aux amandes et chocolat:

Chocolate and Almond Croissant

 Chausson au pomme:

Apple turnover

Tarte aux fraises:

Strawberry tart

Place: Chaumont Bakery and Café

          143 South Beverly Drive

          Beverly Hills, CA

Genre: French - patisserie/café

Hit or miss? Hit!

$$

My opinion:

I'm a francophile, so I'm always on the look out for outstanding French cuisine or simply the most delectable croissant/pain au chocolat. Luckily, I found the place that caters to all my French cravings. Chaumont is the perfect place to have lunch with a friend/friends or quickly grab some coffee and a croissant. The ambiance is serene and beautiful. The tall ceilings, white walls and patisserie display is very reminiscent of the setting at Botegga Louie (but much smaller). It's absolutely stunning and pristine. The owners are so gracious and, my favorite part, native French speakers. So let's get to the good stuff...Saumon Tartare. The tartar was divine. The mélange of flavors was very well done: the subtle salmon, sweet mango, neutral avocado purée and the kick from the jalepeños really complimented one another. Neither ingredient over-powered the other flavors. I think that the mango gave the tartare a fresh taste. Without it, it would've been overpowered by the jalepeños. The three slices of bread were absolutely perfect and helped make a subtler flavor when it served as a vehicle for the tartar. If you like salmon, I highly recommend their Saumon Tartare. Now moving onto my absolute favorite treat...pain aux amandes ET chocolat! They really out did themselves with the almond/chocolate croissant. It's decadent, delicious, mouth-watering, flakey and moist. I think the almond paste is what really ties the bow. Each bite melts in your mouth and I love how the chocolate didn't take away from the natural almond flavor. Chocolate has a tendency to overshadow subtler flavors, like that of almonds, but Chaumont has masterfully combined the two in equilibrium in this "chef d'œuvre" of a croissant. If you get anything from behind the patisserie display, you best be getting an almond pain au chocolat! I love everything about this place. It's beautiful, calm, pristine, and serves exquisite food and pastries.