The glass case was nearly empty. Gone were the Danish, bread, croissants, and a good portion of the cakes I’d read about only an hour ago. Disappointment set in quickly and the clerk at the counter noticed right away.
“I’m sorry,” he said with a polite shrug. “We had a pretty busy day and went through just about everything. I would suggest the Monte-Cristo Croissant, though. We have a couple of those left.”
Photo Courtesy: The Rolling Pin Bake Shop
What was I going to do? Say no? Sure we made the mistake of showing up at 2:30 in the afternoon on a Saturday but I wasn’t going away on an empty stomach. The Rolling Pin Bakeshop is supposed to be the place to go for authentic French pastries in Denver.
“I’ll take one.”
My wife decided on one of the last raisin rolls, warmed to perfection just as she likes it.
“I better try one of those iced mochas, too,” I added. “I’m a sucker for caffeine.”
In between making the coffee, plating my Monte-Cristo, and handing the raisin roll directly to my wife, the clerk mentioned we should definitely come back tomorrow morning.
“Our croissants are made from scratch,” he said very matter of fact. “They have 81 layers and take three days to make right here in the shop. They’re worth coming back for.”
I have to admit, this was my first Monte-Cristo and everything from the flaky crust and tender ham to the swiss cheese, raspberry preserves, and powdered sugar held its flavor so late in the day. I even managed to get a small bite of the raisin roll before it was devoured. Delicious. All of it. Iced mocha included. So if you’re in Five Points, head straight into The Rolling Pin because they’ve definitely managed to bring the taste of France to this historic streetcorner. In fact, I’ll be heading there this weekend and likely trying one of everything, especially the key lime pie. I’ll never turn that down.
