A first-rate croissant isn't easy to find, and while we can almost take it for granted in Houston, it wasn't always so. La Madeleine has good ones, and the French-speaking pastry chef at Auchan Hypermarket made amazing ones, until Auchan left the city in 2003.
The croissants at Central Market were forgettable until the chain staged their Passport France promotion a few years back. When CM puts on international events, they call in experts from the highlighted nation to train their employees. The result is that their croissants are now buttery, flaky and consistently good. They're a benchmark for supermarket croissants. The almond croissants are also delicious -- a pastry that's not too sweet to enjoy with a morning cup of coffee.
Nonetheless, an acquaintance, Charles, was raving about the almond croissant at Belden's Supermarket in Meyerland. I've been in the store many times, but I'd never noticed the bakery in the corner, so I went to check out the croissant. I was not alone, however, because I first stopped by Central Market and picked up a benchmark almond croissant for comparison, then brought both of them home.
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