Pastry chefs like Cedric Grolet trending on social media have gotten everyone craving already-popular French patisseries worldwide. Though it is easy to find bakeries, it may be difficult to find a true, authentic French patisserie in the northern part of Queens. However, rest assured that The French Workshop lives up to its hype.
Located on Bell Boulevard, this patisserie is easily accessible to Harrisites via the LIRR or the Q28. You’ll walk into a bustling environment filled with pastries served on silver platters and busy bakers at their craft visible through the open-window kitchen. The French signs and delightful aroma of baked goods truly make a customer feel like they’re in Paris. This popular artisan bakery offers an extensive selection of sweet and savory pastries made in-house, along with drinks and parfaits. Many desserts and other selections in this patisserie not only taste luxurious and phenomenal, but are crafted beautifully. From wraps and baguettes to cupcakes and tarts, there is a choice fit for every taste.
Item: Coffee Macaron
Cost: $2.95
Rating: 9/10
French Workshop’s macaron display table surely does not disappoint. Their wide variety of flavors ranges from raspberry to salted caramel. We opted for the coffee macaron, which had a perfect balance of flavors. The coffee was definitely present and powerful, but not overwhelming to the palate. I would argue that the most important element of the macaron would be its consistency. Oftentimes, you find yourself biting into an over-whipped and battered puree — definitely not something I experienced at the Workshop. My one qualm with the pastry is its size-to-price ratio. Though it truly is airy, light, refreshing and bold, $2.95 might be a bit too much.
Item: Raspberry Macaron
Cost: $2.95
Rating: 9/10
The raspberry macaron is the epitome of an ideal macaron. Its crisp, delicate shell is sweet, and the soft interior with tart raspberry puree truly brings together a sweet and sour combination that is not too sweet or artificial-tasting. However, for its price, the small macaron is not a necessity when coming here.
Item: Peanut Butter Cookie Bite
Cost: $1.95/oz
Rating: 7.5/10
On top of The French Workshop’s enormous cookies, they also offer cookie bites. For me, the price of this pastry was actually reasonable, as it ended up lowering the overall bill. The peanut butter flavor was definitely there and left a very sweet taste lingering in my mouth — truly every sweet tooth’s dream. The defining factor that ultimately lowered my rating was the consistency. The flavors in this bite-sized cookie worked perfectly for its size; however, it did not have the right balance of soft chewiness and brittleness. Instead, it was overwhelmingly hard. Normally, you expect some crunch on the outside, and make your way to the chewiness in the middle. This was all hard. The likely explanation for this is the size of the cookies. Because these cookies are truly so small, it is tough to get a good temperature in the middle.
Item: Raspberry Cookie Bite
Cost: $1.95/ounce
Rating: 6/10
You would expect such an exquisite boulangerie to excel in the cookie department. Well, for my raspberry cookie bite, this expectation unfortunately fell short. Don’t get me wrong — the cookie was not terrible. The tart puree filling, the same puree as in the macaron, was once again delicious. It was the perfect raspberry flavor. However, with the cookie bread, things went downhill. The texture of the cookie was a bit too soft for my liking, which would have been overlooked had the taste of the shortbread not disappointed. It had a subtle plastic taste. I could not finish the cookie.
Item: Absolute Vanilla
Cost: $7.50
Rating: 10/10
As a pastry entirely vanilla bean flavored, along with a white chocolate shell, I thought this dessert would be too sweet to completely finish, even as a vanilla and white chocolate enthusiast. I was so gladly proven wrong. The Absolute Vanilla looked heavy, but the mousse was delicately light — I literally felt like I was eating a cloud. The white chocolate shell and spritz of rainbow sprinkles provided the ideal crisp to go with the airy mousse and cake, and the flavors themselves were exactly on point, making the dessert exceptional in both texture and taste. Don’t even get me started on the visual elements. The pastry chefs made a subtle tie-dye on the white chocolate shell, so altogether, eating the dessert not only delights the palate, but immerses the enjoyer in a wonderful, bright joy.
Item: Chocolate Tart
Cost: $8.50
Rating: 10/10
As you dig your spoon into the chocolate tart and break into that crispy, pure-chocolate shell, you really are in awe of this pastry. From its appearance and decor (which includes gold sparkles) down to the texture of the ganache, this really exceeded my expectations. Before you even take a bite, you smell the rich, decadent chocolate. The creamy, luscious texture works well in contrasting the outer shell. As you dive further into the center, the chocolate intensifies and begins to melt in your mouth. The most iconic mouthful for me was the final bite in which the remainder of the ganache is paired with the chocolate shell, acting like a plate. This truly was a match made in heaven.
Overall, The French Workshop is truly a force to be reckoned with. You feel the authenticity even through the French toque of the employees. The three-course dessert was a true success. Though there were some consistency problems in the cookie course, we forgot all about it by the time we finished the main pastry. We would wholeheartedly recommend The French Workshop to anyone — especially a fellow sweet tooth enthusiast — because of its consistent choices, flavors and the exquisite experience it provides.
