Dominique Ansel Bakery

Dominique Ansel Bakery, at 189 Spring Street in SoHo, became a global media sensation in 2013 when chef Dominique Ansel invented the Cronut — a croissant-doughnut hybrid that required laminating croissant dough, cutting it in the shape of a doughnut, frying it in a specially formulated grape seed oil, rolling it in flavored sugar, filling it with a flavored cream, and glazing the top. The Cronut became the defining pastry phenomenon of the decade, generating lines that wrapped around the block in SoHo, earning coverage in the New York Times and international press, and spawning thousands of imitators worldwide that never quite achieved the original's quality. The monthly Cronut flavors — which change with the season using two ingredients that rotate together — remain available in limited quantities each day. But the bakery's offering is much wider than the Cronut. Ansel, who trained at Fauchon in Paris before moving to New York, produces a daily-changing pastry menu of remarkable creativity: the frozen s'more (a vanilla custard ice cream coated in honey marshmallow and torched to order), the DKA (Dominique's Kouign Amann, a caramelized Breton pastry that may be his most technically perfect creation), the Cookie Shot (a warm chocolate chip cookie glass filled with cold vanilla milk), and seasonal preparations that range from spring flower-shaped cream puffs to winter snow globe cakes. The bakery also hosts a monthly Workshop series for small groups. Arrive early — the Cronut sells out daily and other items go quickly.