New bakery coming to the Maison Kayser space

It takes a lot of gumption to open a restaurant in this climate, but if you can do it anywhere, it is here in Tribeca and in one of the prettier spaces in the neighborhood. Patisserie Chanson, which has its one and only other outlet in Flatiron, is opening in the former Harrison space at 355 Greenwich, of course more recently the Maison Kayser space, which closed its doors here last September. (I say this with some confidence since I knew there was a bakery coming and since a Chanson is on the agenda at CB1, but I could be wrong. From Chanson: “It’s the same Chanson, correct, but we’ll be running different concepts.”)

The Infatuation puts it on its dessert list, right after Maman, saying: “Unless you’re living with a French pastry chef (if this is the case, well done), you probably won’t be able to make anything that even closely resembles the desserts at Patisserie Chanson in Flatiron.”

And Eater put it on a list of 15 essential New York bakeries: “Rory MacDonald spent time in the kitchens at Spain’s Restaurant Arzak and London’s Pearl before moving to the U.S. This, his first solo venture, is a European bakery that also happens to serve a dessert tasting menu. Go for the baked goods: Cranberry walnut loaves, hazelnut kouign amann, tall croissants, eclairs, and British-style scones all stand out.”

And their dessert bar, which they opened in the basement in 2017, got a lot of attention, including some from the Times.

 

18 Comments

  1. Great, just what we need, another place selling sweets and carbs. A chain couldn’t make it in this space but a place with one location and higher prices with no indoor seating and maybe two months of reasonably warm weather for outdoor seating will? Okay. Good luck.

    Why are so many people afraid of opening a bonafide grocery store with meat, fish, dairy, produce, and whole grains down here? No one cooks around here anymore? The three Markets (Amish, Hudson, and Morgan’s) are glorified bodegas – NONE of them sell beef, chicken, or fish. Target is Middle America food. Whole Foods is the only real bigger supermarket below Canal Street besides Key Food on Fulton Street. If Whole Foods closed this area is screwed since idiot ION ownership doesn’t want a new supermarket in the Food Emporium/Best Market.

    Spare me Fresh Direct etc. They don’t have the foods Food Emporium when it was good (to me before 2010) or the long gone Bazzinni had. FD is total generic supermarket crap. So is Amazon.

    • Keto rage much? Have a muffin – you’ll feel better…

    • While a chain has operating leverage and scale advantages, a business owned by individuals (rather than managed by employees) can have more focus, drive, and responsiveness. Franchisee owned McDonald’s restaurants typically outperform corporate owned McDonald’s restaurants, for example.

    • Have you tried the prepared foods at Home Made By Miriam on West Broadway?

    • OMG. Are you seriously angry that someone is opening up a business in Tribeca…. where there are far too many for rent signs on commercial spaces?!?

      Geez! Get it together and go to Whole Foods.

      I can’t believe this is your ‘go-to’ reaction when hearing of someone willing to take a risk in Tribeca. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re in the middle of a pandemic, people are leaving NYC, and the economy is tanking. I welcome them with open arms and am thrilled to have this choice in my neighborhood.

    • I fully understand your exasperation, and recommend Brooklyn Fare as an antidote. It’s a great grocery store/food market, and for real! If you’re near the northern end of Tribeca, it’s an easy reach. No further than Whole Foods. 666 Greenwich St. at Barrow.

    • I agree that an organic, health-minded grocery store like Erewhon in Los Angeles would be an amazing addition to the neighborhood!

  2. What a comment.

    – Yes, I totally agree that “if you can do it anywhere, it is here in Tribeca and in one of the prettier spaces in the neighborhood.” is completely a fantasy at this point. That corner, especially with Citi maybe not at 100% capacity for years (ever?) is a tough sell that this the best spot in the City to open a bakery. Throwing in all of the uncertainty, I am dubious of that statement, as compared to other parts of the city, our foot traffic low and amount of people who have the ability to flee is high. Definitely rooting for them though! Hope they got a good price on the lease.

    – I don’t really even know where to begin on the grocery store rant. First, no way WF is closing. They use this store as a hub for their delivery service for a very large swath of downtown. You may have seen their delivery guys EVERYWHERE but if not, open your eyes. They have the yellow boxes.

    – I guess you’re looking for a butcher as you trend back to meat as the main point? If so, expand a little beyond Greenwich St. and check out Eataly or Gourmet Garage on Broadway if you’re in a hurry. Eataly’s meat selection is in my opinion better than WF even. You also have Le District over in BPC.

    Look I agree we could use another large grocery store option that isn’t WF, but I am not ready to call Tribeca a food desert like some other parts of the City. Overall, we have plenty of choices within a 5-10min walk from basically anywhere (maybe not the tip top NW Tribeca).

  3. I’m excited for this bakery bc we actually don’t have anything like this in the neighborhood. Maman is good for sweets for the most part but their croissants are very mediocre. Maison Kaiser wasn’t good – became too much of a chain

  4. I’m thrilled there will be a bakery opening here. I’ve been hoping for one since Arcade Bakery closed. What a great addition to the neighborhood. Kudos (and thank you!) to the owner for having the courage to take a chance and come to our ‘hood. These businesses help build Back NYC. I’m confused and disappointed sometimes to see the snippy, negative attitudes that pop up here in comments. Be accepting, be kind, be welcoming – chill out.

    • Arcade Bakery is coming back…as a side project of Frenchette.
      Menu and prices yet to be seen, but you can at least be sure the quality will be top-notch.

  5. For anyone who loves top-notch pastries, try Sweet Rehab on Sullivan just above Prince. Their stuff is truly outstanding.

    https://sweetrehabny.com

  6. I’m surprised there’s been no mention of Grandaisy or Duane Park Patisserie, both incredible bakeries who valiantly stayed open throughout this challenging time. Owned by smart women they’ll be around long after the trendy “top ten etc” places are long gone. Maman is lovely and groovy enough for the new Tribeca crowd who have all pretty much disappeared. As for the goods: The lemon tart at DPP is better than any other I’ve tried in the world; the sandwiches and sweets at Grandaisy AMAZING, unique and yummy! The staffs are also great.

  7. I miss Maison Kayser, disparagingly referred to by someone here as “a chain,” which it is technically, but please — it’s not McDonalds! MK had reasonably priced baguettes and fairly priced breads in general. Took a look at the menu of Patisserie Chanson (they already have a location on 23rd St. (query: when they open in Tribeca will they become “a chain”?) The prices are through the roof. $4.5 for a single plain croissant? With coffee, a drink and a main course, brunch will amount to $50. MK had gorgeous pastries at a fair price. I particularly miss their plie au chocolate.

    • Mmmm… the plié! And their baguette. Even their cookies … I miss them too …

      It will be nice to have a place to meet a friend for coffee. And a place to get a special treat for the husband after he’s had a rough day.

  8. Arcade Bakery is coming back…as a side project of Frenchette.
    Menu and prices yet to be seen, but you can at least be sure the quality will be top-notch.

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