Eclair-Only Eatery on the Waterfront
First there was the frozen yogurt craze (Pinkberry, Red Mango, Menchie's) followed by cupcakes (Cupcake Royale - now with a total of 6 shops), donuts (Mighty-Os, General Porpoise, Top Pot) and of course macarons (practically every pastry shop); but who ever thought of opening an eclair-only shop?
Choukettes. That's right. I stumbled across this gem as I was walking (or rather, rushing) to get to an oyster happy hour at Elliott's Oyster House down by the waterfront. Choukettes is located in a nondescript area, nestled between the waterfront on Western and the elevators and stairs that take you up to Pike Place. A small and simple shop specializing in one thing and one thing only: eclairs. But these are not your traditional eclairs with vanilla filling and a dry chocolate puff pastry exterior - these are the most beautiful and delicate eclairs I have ever seen or tasted. Most of the time, eclairs are sold alongside other more popular pastries such as croissants, tarts, cookies and macarons, but here at Choukettes, Eclairs are the only thing on the menu.
The flavors range from salted caramel, pistachio, piña colada, huckleberry, and black sesame to your more traditional flavors like raspberry and chocolate. I am typically not a fan of creamy fillings and never normally like anything resembling a cream-puff, but the taste of the eclair was just as delicious as it looked, if not better. I was pleasantly surprised as the creamy filling tasted more like ice cream - smooth, sweet and cool. The silky texture was decadent yet not cloying. The dough was the star of the show - perfectly raised providing an airy outer shell to the filling. The crunchy exterior of the chocolate crisp with sprinkled pistachios provided the perfect texture to balance out the softness of the cream and dough.
At almost $6 a pop, these beauties are not cheap, but if you're looking for an alternative dessert to the usuals, Choukettes is definitely worth a try!
Located at 1500 Western Avenue in Seattle.