Rosallie
Crème Brulee Latte
Sourdough
Quiche Lorraine, Quiche Chevre
Pain au Chocolat
Pain au Raisin
Butter Croissant
Almond Croissant
Madeline
Palmier
Walnut Pie
Paris Brest
Profiteroles
Raspberry Frangipane Tart
Recently returning from Belgium, several incredible patisseries and boulangeries experienced from Brussels to Bruges to Gent, it was on the suggestion of a local Chef/Friend that Saturday breakfast was planned to show one talented young man the work of another – Rosallie Le French Café on South Rainbow, owned by Jonathan Pluvinet.
Already a fan of the Frenchman, even having met his family during a great dinner at Bardot Brasserie, those who know me and my fondness for pastry are well aware that I consider Chef Pluvinet’s baked goods to be not only the best in Las Vegas, but also a reference standard Stateside, and treated to no less than a dozen items ranging sweet to savory the results were not diminished at all by recent experiences, rather they were validated to a significant degree.
At this point upgraded a lot from humble beginnings, the brickwork along the bar and wine-room coming along nicely, Rosallie still sports a “Now Open” banner hanging over an outside patio and with several ‘post-morning-rush’ diners still present and lingering over coffee the temptations have expanded to match the interior, favorites like the Nutella or Almond Croissant already sold out by as early as 11:30.
Beginning with warm viennoiserie, our arrival actually timed to when Jonathan was due to have a fresh batch of croissants, suffice it to say when it comes to laminated pastry there is no better place in Sin City than Rosallie and whether one chooses the Raisin Snail, Pain Au Chocolat, Almond Croissant or Butter version the shattering shell is guaranteed to make a flaky mess of everything surrounding, the Palmier equally prone to doing so by way of Sugar while the Madeline is a buttery textbook example that is unmatched aside from those served warm from the pan at restaurants where the cost is escalated dramatically.
Impressed by Pluvinet’s “Crème Brulee” Latte, Instagram photos unable to do justice for smooth coffee tinged in cream beneath a lightly caramelized cloud, a taste of Pluvinet’s Quiche furthers Rosallie’s legacy as heads and tails above places like Baguette Café or even Bouchon in terms of texture, the clean edges of crust commented on by the Chef at the table while I personally was impressed by just how light the eggy pie ate despite the very obvious use of quite a bit of cheese.
Moving to more “dessert-like” options, Jonathan’s Choux previously only seen in Éclairs now featured in a textbook Paris Brest that breaks to fork pressure without disrupting the cream, Profitteroles prove equally competent when paired to airy whipped cream and housemade Chocolate Sauce, the most impressive fact being that each half still maintained its crisp texture even as the ice cream slowly continued to melt.
FIVE STARS: Adding a few Frangipane Tarts to a Walnut Pie that is not only delicious, but rarely seen anywhere else in America, any who have not visited Chef Pluvinet are doing themselves a serious disservice unless they really have no appreciation for great food from a local restaurant going above and beyond what is necessary to raise the bar for a city that has been waiting a long time for this sort of Café to come along.
RECOMMENDED: Quiche Chevre, Crème Brulee Latte, Almond Croissant, Palmier, Paris Brest, Walnut Pie.
AVOID: Arriving too late, if you want to be assured that all the good stuff is still there.
TIP: Soon to be offering later hours, a liquor license and extended menu it seems like Rosallie’s best days are yet to come. Stay tuned.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
