Thierry André Tellier Cafe & Pastry Shop

I had breakfast at André's early on a Saturday morning. They have great pancakes, croissants and coffee. They also had a Napoleon, Eclairs as well as an almond croissant that we took home for later.

The Napoleon was very small, less than 2" x 2", it was cute with orange and brown on top instead of the usual white...for Halloween. It was OK, but the pastry cream filling was very airy and overly whipped, it was almost like they added a bunch of whipped cream to the custard, which just didn't taste the way it was supposed to. So, the search continues...

French Gourmet Bakery, Houston, TX

Last weekend I stopped by French Gourmet Bakery on Westheimer in Houston. You'd think that having French in the name would lead to amazing pastries, and of course a Napoleon. But, with great disappointment, I had to settle for some inferior pastries and go on my merry way! Apparently they used to have Napoleons, but for some reason discontinued them. How sad. Unfortunately didn't have many other French pastries to pick from, but I had to get something.

I got a slice of something called the Espresso, it had chocolate and coffee mousse between layers of cake. It looked great and the mousse was OK, but the cake was very dray and disappointing. I did however have a gingerbread ghost cookie that was awesome! The baguettes were also good.

It is too much to ask?

Is it too much to ask to walk into a pastry shop that claims to be French and buy a Napoleon? It is after all one of the most basic French pastries around. La Madeleine used to have a pretty good one, but now they only have one with mushy strawberries in it! I am not asking much, just a simple little slice of yummy deliciousness!

I am going to try every French bakery in the Houston area in hopes of finding one that stacks up to what you would find in a Paris cafe. I'll do some reviews on the ones I have found and would really appreciate anyone's input as to where to find a Napoleon, not just in Houston, but the whole of Texas and beyond!