Two Great Bakeries in Astoria, Queens

Sadly... neither seem to have a web site.

The first is "Le Petit Prince" at 33-09 Broadway in Astoria, Queens (near 33rd on Broadway; 718-777-3040). The quaint shopfront drew me in (OK, maybe sentimental connotations related its name were also at play) but once in... I didn't see any of my favorite desserts in the cases. The selection was great - - - madeleines, macaroons, napoleans, eclaires, etc; I just have simple tastes - - - vanilla cupcakes, plain cheesecake, etc. Well, not a lot more etcetera but you get the point. However, the desserts were too pretty (and I love dessert in spite of my simple, anti-chocolate preferences) to walk out without buying one. So... I randomly chose some pistachio pear dome mousse thing decorated with a handmade white chocolate star and a spun sugar ladder. I don't know exactly what it was but it tasted phenominal! I will make the two train trip back out to try their other selections.

I was able to indulge my more purist bakery inclinations at Parisi Bros. Bakery located at 30-17 Broadway (the corner of 31st and Broadway under the N/W tracks; 718-728-5282) in Astoria, Queens. I smelled the bakery a block before I saw it. The Italian bread had a perfect crusty exterior and a light but chewy interior. The sugar cookies that I bought were also excellent. The extra that I purchased and took into the office disappeared in seconds. Parisi also had a great selection of other breads, biscotti and other traditional Italian cookies. I still hope to find a good Italian bakery closer to my home in Park Slope but all my future visits to Astoria will definitely include a stop at Parisi's.