So, I’ve been pretty positive in my blog thus far (save for one passionate expression of disgust). In fact, for those of you who remember Alec Baldwin’s guest appearance on Friends, at one point I feared I was starting to sound like Parker. The truth is that not everything is wine and roses, and it was never my plan to only talk about the good-tasting.
This evening, as I was scrolling through some of the working photos/posts I have in queue, I came across this muffin photo - unviewed, ignored, and evoking feelings of mild irritation from the lackluster impact it left on me when I ate it for breakfast almost 2 months ago. I haven’t had any desire to write about it because there wasn’t anything great to say - and then it dawned on me that I had adopted some strange, unintentional pattern of optimism in my posts. I made the decision right there to feature more objective evaluations moving forward - and I’d begin with Le Pain Quotidien’s Blueberry Muffin.
I was interested in this muffin from the start - I pass by Le Pain Quotidien pretty often and every time I would see those craggly, blueberry-studded mountain caps I was captivated. And to be fair, the rustic, sugar-crusted tops did have a pretty cool texture - but everything else fell flat. There was no life to the taste at all - the blueberries were just there, trapped in a dry batter, deceptively promising in their giant size…but they were deflated, un-punchy…kind of like poor, sagging, day-after-your-birthday balloons.
The crumb had a strange damp-stale texture. Though there was no crumbling - when I broke off chunks they held together fine - it was not moist in a way that yielded any sort of satisfaction. With the whole grains, I knew it was meant to be and taste of a “healthy” sort of muffin - which is fine, I am all for “healthy” - but it so lacked the fresh, sprightly taste that one expects from wholesome, healthy ingredients that I just found myself feeling annoyed at the thought of all the delicious muffins in this city that I could be eating instead. When it comes to baked goods, the opportunity cost can be high.
Though I was disappointed that they didn’t deliver, in my own sick way I was slightly relieved because the last thing I need is another baked good to get hooked on.
Le Pain Quotidien 124 7th Avenue (between 17th & 18th) New York, NY 10011
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged blueberry muffin, chelsea bakeries, le pain quotidien, muffin tops | 2 Comments »












