Isabelle Briens French Pastry Cafe Menu

Viennoiserie

Laminated and enriched morning pastries, baked first thing and best before noon.

• Chausson aux PommesVegetarianPuff pastry turnover filled with chunky apple compote, scored on top and glazed to a lacquered finish.
• Kouign-AmannVegetarianA Breton pastry of laminated dough layered with sugar and salted butter, baked until the outside caramelizes into a toffee-like shell.
• Brioche à TêteVegetarianFluted brioche with a little topknot, rich with eggs and butter, yielding a golden, faintly sweet crumb.
• Croissant au BeurreVegetarian · Popular pickAn all-butter croissant with a honeycombed interior, shattering crust, and deep caramelized color from a long, slow proof.
• Pain au ChocolatVegetarianCroissant dough rolled around two batons of dark chocolate, flaky and buttery with bittersweet pockets.
• Croissant aux AmandesVegetarian · Contains nutsDay-old croissant soaked in syrup, filled and topped with almond cream and sliced almonds, then rebaked; dense, sweet, and crisp-edged.
• Pain aux RaisinsVegetarianA spiral of croissant dough spread with crème pâtissière and rum-soaked raisins, soft in the middle and crisp at the edges.

Pain

Long-fermented loaves with crackling crusts, sold whole, halved, or sliced to order.

• Pain de CampagneVegan · Dairy-freeA rustic country loaf blending white and whole-grain flours, leavened with levain for a thick crust and mild tang.
• Pain aux NoixVegan · Dairy-freeHearty whole wheat loaf packed with walnuts, earthy and faintly bitter, a natural partner for a cheese board.
• FougasseVegan · Dairy-freeProvençal leaf-shaped flatbread slashed with openings, brushed with olive oil and studded with olives or herbs.
• Brioche NanterreVegetarianA loaf of buttery brioche baked in a pan from several dough balls, ideal for toast or pain perdu.
• Pain de SeigleVegan · Dairy-freeRye bread with a dense, moist crumb and earthy sourness, traditionally served with oysters and salted butter.
• Baguette TraditionVegan · Dairy-freeMade only from flour, water, salt, and leaven, with a crackly crust, irregular holes, and a creamy, wheaty crumb.

Pâtisserie

Individual pastries and tarts from the glass case, built on classic French components.

• Tarte au CitronVegetarianSweet shortcrust shell filled with sharp, satiny lemon curd, sometimes crowned with torched Italian meringue.
• Mille-FeuilleVegetarianThree layers of caramelized puff pastry with vanilla pastry cream, iced with marbled fondant; crisp, creamy, and messy to eat.
• Paris-BrestVegetarian · Contains nutsA wheel of choux pastry split and filled with hazelnut praliné mousseline cream, scattered with toasted almonds.
• Tarte aux FraisesVegetarian · SeasonalCrisp pâte sucrée with vanilla crème pâtissière and glazed fresh strawberries arranged in tight rows.
• OpéraVegetarian · Contains nutsThin almond sponge layers soaked in coffee syrup, alternated with coffee buttercream and ganache under a glossy chocolate glaze.
• Tarte TatinVegetarianUpside-down apple tart of butter-caramelized apples on a pastry base, deeply amber and soft-set, often served with crème fraîche.
• Éclair au ChocolatVegetarian · Popular pickLong choux pastry filled with dark chocolate pastry cream and topped with glossy chocolate fondant, crisp-shelled and creamy within.

Petits Gâteaux & Biscuits

Small cakes and cookies sold by the piece or boxed as gifts.

• CaneléVegetarianA Bordeaux specialty baked in fluted copper molds, with a dark caramelized, almost crunchy crust and a custardy, rum-and-vanilla interior.
• Sablé BretonVegetarianThick salted-butter shortbread from Brittany, sandy and crumbly with a golden, crosshatched top and rich dairy flavor.
• PalmierVegetarianPuff pastry rolled in sugar and folded into elephant-ear shapes, baked until glassy and caramel-crisp.
• MacaronVegetarian · Contains nutsAlmond meringue shells with smooth tops and ruffled feet, sandwiching ganache or buttercream in flavors like pistachio, raspberry, and salted caramel.
• MadeleineVegetarianShell-shaped butter sponge cakes with a characteristic hump, lemon-scented and tender, best eaten fresh from the oven.
• FinancierVegetarian · Contains nutsSmall bar-shaped cakes of browned butter, almond flour, and egg whites, crisp at the edges and moist in the center.

Salé

Lunch-hour savories from the boulangerie, from quiches to pressed sandwiches.

• GougèresVegetarian · SavoryCheese puffs of choux pastry and Comté or Gruyère, hollow, crisp, and savory, ideal with a glass of wine.
• Quiche LorraineSavory · Popular pickDeep, buttery crust filled with a wobbly egg-and-cream custard, smoky lardons, and nutty Gruyère, served warm by the slice.
• Quiche aux ÉpinardsVegetarian · SavorySpinach and goat cheese quiche with a silky custard and flaky crust, tangy and verdant.
• Croque MonsieurSavoryHam and Gruyère on pain de mie, covered in béchamel and broiled until browned and bubbling.
• Jambon-BeurreSavoryThe Parisian lunch standard: a split baguette spread with salted butter and layered with thin slices of ham.
• Croissant Jambon-FromageSavoryA croissant filled with ham and Swiss cheese and baked again until the cheese melts into the flaky layers.

Saisonnier

Holiday specialties that appear around Christmas, Epiphany, Carnival, and the autumn months.

• BugnesVegetarian · SeasonalLight, crisp fried dough ribbons dusted with powdered sugar, made in Lyon around Mardi Gras.
• Pain d'ÉpicesVegetarian · SeasonalHoney spice loaf with anise, cinnamon, and ginger, dense and moist, popular around the winter holidays.
• Mont-BlancVegetarian · Contains nutsAutumn pastry of meringue topped with whipped cream and piped vermicelli-like strands of sweetened chestnut purée.
• Bûche de NoëlVegetarian · SeasonalYule log cake of rolled sponge filled and covered in chocolate or chestnut buttercream, decorated with meringue mushrooms.
• Galette des RoisVegetarian · Contains nutsEpiphany puff pastry pie filled with almond frangipane, with a small fève hidden inside and a paper crown on top.

Desserts & sweets

Pastry-case desserts to finish lunch or take home.

• Lemon tartVegetarianShort, buttery crust holding a smooth, sharply tart lemon cream, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.
• Classic cheesecake sliceVegetarianDense, creamy vanilla cheesecake on a graham cracker crust, topped with berry compote or served plain.
• Double chocolate brownieVegetarianChewy, deep-chocolate brownie with a paper-thin crackly top and chunks of melted dark chocolate scattered throughout the square.
• French macaronsVegetarian · Contains nutsDelicate almond meringue cookies with crisp shells and chewy centers, sandwiched with ganache or buttercream in assorted flavors.
• Carrot cake sliceVegetarian · Contains nutsTall slice of moist spiced carrot cake with walnuts and layers of thick, tangy cream cheese frosting.
• Seasonal fruit tartVegetarian · SeasonalCrisp sweet pastry shell filled with vanilla pastry cream and arranged with glazed fresh fruit that changes through the year.

Drinks

• CappuccinoVegetarianEqual-ish parts espresso, steamed milk, and airy foam cap, giving a drier, stronger-tasting drink than a latte with a velvety top layer.
• Caffè latteVegetarianEspresso with plenty of steamed milk and a thin microfoam layer; mellow and creamy, often finished with latte art and offered with oat or almond milk.
• Flat whiteVegetarianA smaller, stronger cousin of the latte: a double ristretto under silky, barely-foamed milk for a dense texture and pronounced coffee flavor.
• MochaVegetarianEspresso, chocolate sauce, and steamed milk, sometimes crowned with whipped cream; a dessert-leaning drink balancing cocoa richness with coffee bite.
• EspressoVeganA concentrated one- or two-ounce shot pulled under pressure, topped with tawny crema and carrying bittersweet, roasty notes with a short, syrupy finish.
• AmericanoVeganEspresso stretched with hot water into a full-size cup; lighter in body than drip yet keeps the toasty edge of the shot.