Un Je Ne Sais Quois
Madeline
Financier
Canele
Butter Croissant
Almond Croissant
Croissant Bread Pudding
While it can safely be said that every Restaurant has a bad day now and then there was little that could have prepared three guests visiting Un Je Ne Sais Quois for just how bad their Pastries would be, a cumulative score of 4.5 on Tripadvisor and Yelp! from 400+ reviews suggesting the shop at Dupont Circle as one of D.C.’s best in no way validated on Friday morning just past 8am.
Located just off the Metro stop on Connecticut Avenue Northwest, a tidy white space decorated in sketches of animals including a bespoke Deer on the outdoor sign, it was after briefly perusing options that the counter was approached and making a request for seven items only to be informed that Sugar Choux is only sold in orders of four it was instead that only a half-dozen Pastries that were received for $17.95, first bites of a light and flaky Butter Croissant offering a glimmer of hope before things deteriorated into an Almond version both topped and stuffed with Almond Paste that was so thick and cloying that no one could manage more than a bite.
Moving next to a Canele that better resembled a Gum Drop, the interior actually wet without much of a sponge and the shell lacking any semblance of crunch, things got only slightly better with a Madeline that was over-baked brown, the Financier similarly tanned but holding up better thanks to Almond Flour and more Sugar while the Croissant Bread Pudding could have been good were it served warm instead of refrigerator cold as the Custard helped mellow the Frangipane.
