The Roll
It takes executive pastry chef Carmelo Gil three days to craft these Insta-ready golden swirls, but they usually sell out in about 90 minutes. Rotating flavors include chocolate; pistachio-raspberry; and yuzu-blueberry topped with a swoosh of torched meringue.
The Crookie
Junction Bistro, Bar & Bakery
location_on 5471 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase; 1508 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria
language Website
If Cookie Monster were French, he’d love this marvelous mash-up created by splitting open a baked croissant, packing it with cookie dough, and popping it back into the oven until its core turns gooey. C’est om nom nom nom!
The Black-and-White
Striped like a zebra, the fabulously flaky croissant conceals black-sesame paste and almond frangipane, a combination that’s nutty, sweet, and rich with umami.
The Riff on a Deli Classic
An everything bagel with cream cheese is reinvented as a Levantine-inspired croissant. It comes speckled with Palestinian za’atar and brimming with smooth housemade labneh.
The Pop-Tart
This next-level toaster pastry features croissant dough hiding Spanish chorizo, smoked Gouda, and green onions. Owner/baker Caroline Yi has offered sweeter versions, too, including a marshmallow-glazed creation with sweet-potato filling.
The Farm-to-Table
Freshly milled whole-wheat flour and plenty of butter form the dark-brown dough encasing an ever-changing combination of locally sourced greens and cheese, such as red mizuna paired with smoked mozzarella or peppery arugula with provolone.
This article appears in the May 2024 issue of Washingtonian.
Nevin Martell is a parenting, food, and travel writer whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times, Saveur, Men’s Journal, Fortune, Travel + Leisure, Runner’s World, and many other publications. He is author of eight books, including It’s So Good: 100 Real Food Recipes for Kids, Red Truck Bakery Cookbook: Gold-Standard Recipes from America’s Favorite Rural Bakery, and the small-press smash Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip. When he isn’t working, he loves spending time with his wife and their six-year-old son, who already runs faster than he does.
