Gaston's Bakery — Restaurant in Idaho

Me: monthly traveler to cities small and large, always make a point to stop into 1 or 2 French pastry shops. Loved Le Cafe de Paris back in the day because it was so ahead of its time for little ol' Boise. Here is my OPINION on Gaston's. Excellent parking, incredibly nice and helpful staff, prices are a breath of fresh air in today's economy, and arguably the best bread in town along with ACME. The bread is worth the drive across town, an easy A+!! But as a French pastry shop it's lacking. I'd give this aspect of Gaston's a solid C. If you go Saturday morning the inventory is minimal because the Farmers' Market gets most of Gaston's goods. Easy solution is drive a few minutes to the FM, but if you're like me and would rather have a root canal than go to another FM the sparse selection is a bummer. I've only been to Gaston's twice, and each time my baked good was dry and flaky. Not flaky in the best sense where it's buttery/light/airy yet heavy and substantial; eating my way deeper with each bite there's no climax. Pardon my overtness in attempt to describe what tasted almost like day-old bread. The brioche and KA were not available even an hour after opening otherwise I'd grab a bag to go. If I wouldn't have known the owner was of de Paris fame or that reviews have marketed this place as "French" it wouldn't be obvious to me. My friends told me "that's not a French bakery, it's 'just a bakery'." Whatever it truly is doesn't matter. You should go. Boise is lucky to have Gaston's. All of my OPINIONS regarding Gaston's positives would be worth another visit (for the bread), but I'll get my French pastry itch scratched during travel or head to Janjou (much higher prices/not always friendly/often sold out early) or Sunshine Spice Cafe (much higher prices, bad parking, friendly, I won't deal with their new downtown...

Gaston's Bakery Entrance on Pacific, at 3651 West Overland Road and open 9am-2pm everyday I would give Gaston's Bakery five stars, just because of the wonderful job they have done in supplying great sandwich rolls, breads and other pastries to restaurant and grocery operations. This week I took a photo of one of the delivery trucks at Kahootz in Meridian, and previously raved about the Bahn Mi with Gaston's bread at Basquenese Food Truck. Unfortunately, we live out in a rural area so the easiest to get to dining options are to go close by or end up doing take out with the dog in the back seat. Sure miss working in downtown Boise and being able to make lunch trips in a small circle that would have most certainly included stops here. Last Sunday, my wife had a desire for a “jelly filled donut” and searching nearby, Gaston’s Bakery popped up. Got there late, so instead of finding a filled choice she'd like, I selected a Raisin Danish and Butter Croissant, and a Ham & Cheese Croissant plus a Marionberry scone for me. And, for both, Olive Bread. The Croissant was extra flakey, light and airy. I wished for more filling in the ham and cheese version. Still, very good and would order again. The star of our visit was warming up the olive bread at home and dipping slices in basil infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I had been searching off and on for an olive loaf that actually had olives scattered throughout, with a little of the brine flavor and a dense texture to hold up to dipping. Finally found it here! And, did you know that the owner Mathiew Choux was the pastry chef at Le Café de Paris in downtown...

It saddens me to provide such a low-ranking review for a well-established and usually high-rated Boise business. But the variety of pastries I purchased to impress a visiting VIP miserably missed the mark. Except for the Ham&Swiss, all other pastries were unacceptable, over-cooked, dried out, and weak in flavor. What a huge disappointment not to mention the inflated price gouge (considering the poor product quality). I was happy to pay a higher price to impress my visiting VIP, but this product was a disappointing representation of not only Gaston's, but also Boise and yours truly the "Host"! FYI the unsatisfactory pastries included: Kouign-amann; Almond croissants; Cinnamon rolls; Chocolate croissants; Jalapeno-cheddar twists; Pesto & parmesan croissants. I didn't get a chance to try the Apple Bear Claw - it looked delicious, so maybe that was OK (but they other's looked pretty good too - except for the top-burnt Kouign-amann). The only saving grace is that I stopped and picked up a few dozen glazed donut holes at DK Donuts which my guests loved at a tiny fraction of the whopping cost of...