As the warm spring breeze looms around April’s corner, students need places to venture that accommodate a relaxing and studious environment while also being the perfect hotspot for friendly get-togethers. On the quaint street of Kercheval in Grosse Pointe Park, the French bakery, LeRouge Boulangerie encompasses these necessities. Alongside selling freshly-baked bread, gourmet sandwiches, and delightful drinks, LeRouge Boulangerie offers its customers transportation into a cafe in Paris.

Upon first glance, the unique tone of red envelops the outside of the building, easily drawing the attention of any individual passing by. With the sun shining, it was enjoyable to see the accommodation of outdoor marble stone tables and French bistro chairs, while a beautiful red and yellow striped awning outstretched its services to allow customers to enjoy their delectable food or drink in the comfort of the shade.

Walking through the door, the aroma of freshly baked bread envelops the senses of any hungry customer, while an array of different seating styles welcomes parties ranging from one to six people. The earthy color tones of the bakery create a peaceful ambiance while the superb cleanliness adds to the freshness of the atmosphere. A cozy lounge area with a beautiful chandelier to overlook a couch and two soft chairs is an inviting place for a Saturday morning study session. Adding a Parisian touch, an array of baguettes, croissants, and other delightful freshly baked items are showcased right alongside the ordering station.

When placing my order, the staff showed genuine kindness while also being greatly efficient in completing my order in a timely fashion. With my arrival being 20 minutes before closing time, they generously provided me with two delicious croissants free of charge. This kind gesture is rooted in the fact that all of their bakery products are freshly made every day and, therefore the extra items left over are generously given to customers, at times free of charge.
It is important to note for future customers, that 15 minutes before the bakery’s closing at 3:00 PM, all items that have not been purchased are selectively all that are available.

As the gentle sunlight and spring breeze passed through the bakery’s large screen windows, I sat to enjoy my order of a spinach feta croissant and a blueberry cream croissant paired with an iced matcha tea latte with oat milk. For the iced matcha tea latte, I thought it was visually pleasing and overall great for a warm day, however, I felt the consistency of oat milk to matcha was slightly off as the oat milk was a bit overpowering. The croissants were a beautiful golden-brown color, perfectly flaky and possessed a generous amount of filling in the middle allowing for the perfect bite ratio of filling to croissant. With the spinach feta croissant, the butteriness from the croissant crust and the savoriness from the filling paired well together. The blueberry cream croissant had delightful nodes of fresh blueberry that balanced perfectly well with the slight sweetness of the cream. I do wish there was a way the croissants could have been warmed up so that the filling could have eaten softer on the palate.

Throughout the bakery, a noticeable feature is the meticulously placed French roosters that appear on the walls and on the sign of LeRouge Boulangerie, ultimately a symbolic ode to hope and faith. I am hopeful that LeRouge Boulangerie will remain a place where individuals from all walks of life can enjoy the inviting atmosphere and the delicious freshly- baked items given by this lovely bakery.