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When pastry whiz Dominique Ansel opens Dominique Ansel Kitchen, his new West Village bakery, he won't just be serving made-to-order mousses and butter-laden sweets. He will also turn the imagination that brought us such things as the Cronut and the cookie shot to savory items, including but probably not limited to, toast.
Of course, savory items are nothing new for Ansel. He currently serves some very good, simple sandwiches and salads at his Soho bakery. But these are limited to things like a grilled cheese, avocado toast, and a turkey sandwich with cranberry chutney. In contrast, he's really letting loose in the lunch category at his upcoming bakery. Here's one item, posted to Instagram today:
Let's break this down: Above is a slice of squid ink brioche topped with mashed potatoes, confit egg yolks, and parmesan. A mushroom bechamel has been injected into the center.
Is this the Cronut of the toast world? Is Dominique Ansel approaching the limits of reason? Will there be other toasts? The bakery opens next month, so we should find out soon enough.