Updated on February 26th 2012 (see at the end of this post).
It has been a long time my wife and I were talking about the need for a nice French bakery in Hoboken. And finally, it opened! Beginning of 2012, Cho-O-Pain opened!
For sure, the location is off Washington street, the main street of Hoboken and hopefully, there will be enough buzz so they attract many people to try their breads, viennoiseries (croissants, chocolate croissants, brioches, etc...).
The place is not that small and you can either order to go or to eat there. The service was very nice and polite and I was please to talk to some fellow French people!
They have plenty of breads, even some epis ones! Luckily, they had some samples and what I tried was pretty good and authentic. They also sell sandwiches like the traditional ham and cheese!
Of course, they had quiches and pizza (French ones)! They also serve croque monsieur, that I am sure are good.
On our side, we tried first the brioche: although it looked burnt on the top, it was delicious! Buttery, but not too much.
Then, we tried the lemon tart (tarte au citron) with meringue on top. This was awesome! Although I would have preferred a more buttery crust (a pate sablee would have been perfect). The meringue was addictive. Definitely a great pastry.
I definitely have to try the breads, pizza, quiches and sandwiches from Choc-O-Pain! In fact I have to try everything! I am so excited that a French bakery opened finally in Hoboken! Bonne chance!
Update February 26th 2012:
So we went back for brunch today to Choc-O-Pain. I was very excited to try something different.
When we arrived, it was packed! I explored a bit the restaurant: first, the main floor is where the kitchen is. You can see what is going on there by looking through a glass. You can order to go or to stay. If you stay, you can either sit in one of the tables or at the communal table, or go upstairs where there are few tables and seats. The entire place, especially upstairs has a very rustic feel.
We went for the ham & cheese sandwich: I thought I was in France! The bread was so good, so crispy. A perfect baguette!
Then we had the Tarte aux poireaux (leeks tart): I did not have this for years and loved it.
We finished with a fantastic Tarte aux poires (pear tart). It was made with almond paste and was sublimely buttery.
I have to say that it was great! Same quality as what you would find in a good boulangerie (bakery) in France. So if you do not have the luxury to travel, go there for a bit of France!
Enjoy (I did)!
And remember: I just want to eat!
|
|
* Restaurant Name |
|---|---|
| Choc O Pain | |
| * Overall | |
| ★★★☆☆ | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| New Jersey / French | |
| * Street Address | |
| 157 1st St., Hoboken, NJ 07030 | |
| * Phone | |
| (201) 710-5175 |
