Suzuya Pastries & Crepes
Kabocha Squash Cream Puff
Anko Bean Cream Puff
Fuji Apple Pie
Mille Feuille
Rocky Road Crepe – Slivered Almonds, Pocky, Chocolate, Kinako Marshmallow, Whipped Cream
A relative newcomer to the diverse Las Vegas pastry scene I’d originally been made aware of Suzuya by a friend suggesting the small southwestern store produced the best crepes in town; not particularly a dish I go out of my way for…at least until he also mentioned the phrase mille-feuille and caused me to dig deeper, my research quickly mandating a Saturday visit when already in the area for lunch with a colleague from at Born and Raised. Small and neat, a simple pastry case and a crepe stone at the front of the restaurant with the kitchen in back and a few stools and chairs for dining in it was just after 10:15 when I arrived at Suzuya and with a couple picking up a custom cake while another woman, clearly a regular, stopped in for two-dozen apple pies I spent some time chatting with the employees about what was best, eventually allowing them to talk me into a crepe to go with a quartet from the case. Clearly focused on fusion but well-versed in French techniques my tasting of Suzuya started with a pair of crisp and buttery choux puffs filled with traditional Japanese accoutrements and although I’d have personally preferred the squash to be more sweetened the red bean version was exquisite and the pasty textbook, a trend that would continue onward to the buttery lattice of the subtly sweet apple pie and a crisp mille feuille filled to order and garnished with Chantilly cream and fresh fruit – both every bit on par with versions from b.patisserie during my June visit to the Bay and as such amongst the best I’ve experienced stateside. Clearly not leaving without at least doing due diligence to the crepe it can only be said that as far as crepes go this was about as good as it gets, the batter light and airy with a silken mouthfeel just robust enough to hold up to the equally light ingredients and a veritable deal at $4.75 which will see me back sooner rather than later to enjoy the mille-crepe cake or whatever Chef Misuzu and Plourde think of next.
