Quintin Coppola

Review of Rene's Bakery

Rene's Bakery is another gem to add to your list o...

Rene's Bakery is another gem to add to your list of places in the Indianapolis area. The only other bakery in Indy that holds a candle to this place is Amelia's off of Virginia Ave. I purchased a few different items to sample...especially to compare against of the baselines I developed while living in France. In this review I'll cover the lemon meringue tart, the croissant pan au raisin, apple cinnamon scone, and the raspberry-chocolate macaron (not pictured).



The lemon meringue tart is up next. First, let me say, I'm not much a meringue fan. In fact, I would have bought this without it, if it was an option. But I will say this, the meringue was on point...not too sweet, which is usually why I have them in the first place. The tart's crust was firm, as it should be, and had its own buttery richness. The lemon filling...now that was the star!!! A natural lemon taste that was slightly sweet, yet still retained its zip of tartness and acid. I can't stress how hard it is to find a balanced lemon tart/bar in the states. This is the first one I can say I'm pleased with since my time in France.

Now on to the croissant pan au raisin. Buttery, rich, a touch of raisin, a touch of rum?, and a light glaze. All of the flavors worked together to balance eachither out. Now, I came at the end of the day...so it wasn't as fresh as it could be. By that point it was a bit dry and not as flaky as I would have liked. However, I'm certain that if I had warmed it up, it would have been much better. I guess that means I need to make an early morning run to verify.

Last up is the apple cinnamon scone. There was a touch of apple, a touch of cinnamon, and again the richness of the butter coming through. In general, I think scones need some sort moisture to accompany them...jam and the like. This scone was not dry by any means...in fact, I think if they were pulled out any earlier they wouldn't have been slightly under baked; now that's some skill. I could imagine this being slightly warm and being served with butter or in a dish of cream...mmmm, makes my mouth drool.

Overall, I'll say this place is a must visit while in the Indy. Bravo, there is some true talent here. Keep up the great work, you've made yourself a new customer.