Rosallie ‘Le French Café’
Almond Croissant
Butter Croissant
Pain au Chocolate
Praline Cake
Red Velvet Cake
Chocolate Cake
Goat Cheese, Cherry Tomato, Red Pepper, Olive Oil Tartine
Apple Pie Smoothie
Palmier
Walnut Pie
Nutella Almond Pie
Apple Pie
Soft Roll
Country Peach and Fresh Basil Jam
Fresh off a trip to New York, the first in four years and one that featured 48 eateries including almost two-dozen bakeries, it was straight to Rosallie ‘Le French Café’ for Breakfast, the Big Apple’s move away from classic French Pastry in favor of Instagram-friendly everything sometimes offering a tasty bite, though little of it seems likely to stand the test of time.
Owned and operated by Jonathan Pluvinet, his first twenty-one months of business largely successful despite chronic construction on South Rainbow Boulevard that obstructed the storefront and likely turned away many potential first-time visitors, June 2017 sees the youthful Chef soon to launch a second location across-continent in Orlando Florida, though the first store has in no way showed signs of slowing down with a half-dozen new items added since April.
At this point a place with more regulars than fresh faces, Chef Pluvinet greeting many guests by name with a hug or handshake, it is finally with the Wine Cellar well stocked and private room fully decorated that the interior of Rosallie has matured to match the quality of its menu items, the space formerly harboring a 7-11 exuding European charm even though a Sushi Burrito shop sits next to it, the offering of Smoothies to meet Las Vegas’ hot summer yet another smart idea with the Apple Pie version tasted a bit icy but still delicious with bold Cinnamon notes carried high by Milk, roasted Fruit, Whipped Cream and more.
Additionally ordering a Double Iced Americano, Pluvinet’s excellent hand-mixed blend of Beans potentially soon to see an upgrade as he looks to add a Roaster to the new location, it seems redundant to reiterate the fact that Rosallie’s Butter Croissant and Almond version remain the best in Las Vegas by a substantial margin, Jonathan’s housemade Roasted Peach and Basil Jam a great addition to the former and just as good on one of his toasted Soft Rolls, though it could just as easily be added to a summer grilling project as the sweetness comes across up front before slowly dissipating in an clean, herbal finish.
Always impressive by way of their Pies and Quiches, the all-Butter crust with razor sharp edges rarely less than picture perfect, Summer has seen Jonathan add a Nutella-Almond version to the already great line-up including Walnut and Apple, the Hazelnut-Chocolate Spread forming a light layer beneath the glazed Nuts that comes across mostly as an accent, the same to be said of the light heat of roasted Red Peppers amidst Tomatoes on the soon-to-be-released Tartine with French Goat Cheese.
Still looking to increase the daytime pastry offerings, particularly as popular items like the Almond or Nutella Croissants occasionally sell out before noon, Rosallie’s final new addition is a trio of Cakes offered in individual portions, the Chocolate and Praline previously offered as Buche de Noel at Christmas here served in layers with light Frosting while the Red Velvet is admittedly not remotely “French,” but also not American as Chef Pluvinet has replaced the sometimes-heavy Cream Cheese Frosting with a light Buttercream accented by curls of White Chocolate.
FIVE STARS: Not slowing down, not even a bit, one does wonder just how well Rosallie will fare as ownership focuses on a new market over 2,000 miles away, but if the past year and a half is any indication there is almost no doubt Orlando is in for a treat while the Las Vegas location continues to thrive, the only one likely to suffer being Jonathan as he racks up frequent-flier miles and advice for minimizing Jetlag.
RECOMMENDED: Almond Croissant, Chocolate Cake, Walnut Pie, Country Peach and Fresh Basil Jam, Nutella-Almond Pie, Apple Pie.
AVOID: N/A.
TIP: South Rainbow construction has finally moved on…and there was much rejoicing. Yay.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
