The lost meals entries consist of meals that occurred at various times throughout 2012 which, for any number of reasons, escaped my documentation – some due to a cross country move and a new job, some due to the Los Angeles Kings run to the Stanley Cup, and some simply as a result of too much travel. Having enjoyed many of these meals with friends or family and with some of them amongst the year’s very best the reality is that with time my memory has deteriorated and as life moves forward I’ve realized there is little hope to ever “catch up” or document these experiences as well as I’d hope, yet in order to preserve them I present these pictures, notes, and thoughts on the experience.
Almond Croissant
Cherry Croissant
Pistachio Croissant
Belgian Chocolate Croissant
Ham and Swiss Croissant
White Chocolate Brioche
Mille Feuille
An adamant proponent of bakeries before proper breakfasts I’d long targeted Hendrickx for an early morning in Chicago but given its location in Streeterville had never made the trek until my November visit and going well out of my way to visit the small shop I finally found the answer of where to find a good croissant in Chicago and even got to meet the man behind them, a convivial gentleman who invited my sister and I into the kitchen to watch and even gifted us a superlative Mille Feuille that, although not made ‘a la minute’ like so many in France, held up beautifully to the fork with shattering layers giving way to creamy custard.
Moving on to the croissants a quintet were shared amongst the table and with each buttery, well layered, and cavernous thanks to what we were told is a long proofing process and high temperatures it would be difficult for me to decide which was best, though the uniqueness of the pistachio most certainly stands out.
Last but not least – the white chocolate brioche – pulled directly from the oven and presented to us warm on the table would prove to be quite unlike anything I’ve tasted previously or since – a sort of sourdough note to the dense and eggy bread that was balanced by ample chunks of sweet white chocolate at Belgian sugar crystals intermingled adding a light crunch; at $14 certainly not an everyday indulgence but one well worth getting out of bed early for – much like everything else we tasted at Hendrickx.