Eric Kayser Brings His Fantastic Baked Goods to the Upper West Side!
A little over a year ago Eric Kayser opened the first American outpost of his hugely-popular, Paris-based bakery and cafe chain Maison Kayser here in Manhattan, on the Upper East Side. His formula consists of amazing breads, pastries, and other sweet treats up front, and a slightly old-world, slightly expensive cafe in the back. This has proven to be a hit!
The newish Maison Kayser in the Flatiron is busy all day long, the Bryant Park location seems about ready to go, and, great news for Upper West Siders, Kayser's Columbus Circle bakery finally opened its doors! Sorry, area carb-avoiders. This guy's baked goodies are almost impossible to resist.
Kayser Classics in Columbus Circle
I stopped by the Maison Kayser Columbus Circle for a quick bite and a big pile of cookies just a few days after the grand opening, and am pleased to report that, so far, the Kayser team is handling its expansion plans just fine. First came an early supper in the Maison Kayser cafe, a table-service spot, decked out like the other Kaysers with non-trendy furnishings and lighting, and featuring a menu of simple French classics. Everything's about $5 more than you want it to be, but a generous, complimentary bread basket eases the sting a bit (though the ice-cold packaged pats of generic butter could use a little love, Kayser). My favorite part of the meal, and the best thing I've ever had while dining in at a Maison Kayser cafe, was the Croque Monsieur, which is wonderfully rich and creamy though, because it's served open-faced tartine-style, feels a tad stingy at $13.
The Best Baked Good in NYC
The best way to enjoy Maison Kayser, however, is to load up on all of the goodness in the take-out bakery area. I've tried most of Kayer's baguettes and loaves of bread at this point, and each time I bring one home I get to be a brunch-time hero all over again. Really: they are all first-rate; choose according to your mood. If you're more in the market for a coffee-and-a-little-something, the croissants, the madeleines, the brioches, the pain de chocolates are all excellent, and there's ample outdoor seating in the pedestrian plaza right out front as well as in Columbus Circle proper.
Maison Kayser's Winning Cookies
But as far as I'm concerned the biggest winners at any Maison Kayser are the cookies, which have become my favorite in all of NYC, buttery-chewy division. Triple Chocolate, Cranberry Oatmeal, Citrus, Pistachio, that other chocolate-y one… we can't get enough of these in my household. There seems to be something of a golden age happening right now for high-end bakeries in NYC (think Dominique Ansel and cronut-mania, and the great Tel Aviv import Breads in Union Square), of which Maison Kayser has been a major contributor.
More Information: Maison Kayser
The Columbus Circle Maison Kayser is located on the east side of Broadway, just south of 59th Street. Like all his bakery-cafes, it is open every day from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. You can find a sample Maison Keyser menu!
Posted in NYC Dining, Westside | Tagged best baked goods nyc • columbus circle bakery nyc • Eric Kayser bakery • maison kayser columbus circle • maison kayser menu • Maison Kayser NYC
