Crisan

Missing the mini cakes my friends and I used to pick up for special occasions and ladies’ nights back when Crisan had its public store front, I decided to special order a dessert platter for an engagement party for one of those friends.
I placed the order five days in advance. I ordered the smallest platter (described on the menu as 8″ platter) and was told it was about 28 – 30 small treats and should serve six to eight people ($ 25). They ask for half the cost of the order as a deposit. I was also informed that what would be included in the platter would depend on what orders they got in that week. I was also asked if I needed anything gluten free or nut free, to which I responded no. I was also asked if I wanted anything written on the platter. She said short words could be added, as it was written on a cookie, so I went with «congrats!»
The website at the time was a little confusing because it had two very similar «menus». One of the menus said pick up starts at 8 am on Wednesday. That seemed perfect because my event was Wednesday and because it would be difficult for me to pick up later in the day due to my job (their usual hours for pick up are 9 am-​3 pm). When I told the woman taking my order that I’d like to pick it up at 8 am, she said that the 8 am pick up was for holiday orders and I had accidentally read the holiday menu (this was over the summer). However, she placed me on hold to ask of I could come in at 8 am anyway. I was given the A-​OK to come in at 8. I really appreciated their flexibility!
When I came in to pick up my order, it was not yet ready. However, about 5 – 8 minutes later, it was ready. It was a mix of small cakes (about 1″ x 2″), rum balls, and chocolate-​dipped strawberries. I asked the woman what was included on the tray; however, she did not know what all of the cakes were. She mentioned that a small cupcake was vanilla (turned out it was something like almond/​coconut), pointed out the rum balls, gestured that there were a couple of gluten free cakes, and mentioned that one of the cakes looked like, and might be, their «Imogen» cake, but didn’t explain what that was. By the time I took the tray to my party, I wasn’t able to explain to guests what most of the cakes were. I was surprised to learn at the party that a friend of mine was just diagnosed with Celiac’s. Because I didn’t plan on that, I didn’t know which of the cakes were gluten free (although I knew *some* were because the woman had mentioned there were some included). Although the platter looked lovely, and many of the cakes were delicious, I would really appreciate a list of the items next time, to allow guests to know what they’re trying. If you need this, I highly recommend you specify before pick up. It’s also a little tricky to pick out a cake that’s not on the edge of the tray because they’re all piled on top of each other — bit troublesome only to the germaphobes (of which I admit I am, somewhat).
Overall, a lovely and impressive platter of tasty little treats. It served about 12 people (with other snacks available), each having one to three treats, so the smallest platter is fine for a gathering where it won’t be the only treat offered! The message is written in edible marker on a French macaron. The guest of honor loved it! Consider a Crisan dessert platter as an alternative to your regular old birthday cake!
Be sure to order well in advance. A couple of weeks after getting my platter, I called four days in advance about a simple birthday cake. However, because they had a lot of weddings that coming weekend, they were unable to take my order. Definitely will be calling again for a special occasion in the future!

Absolutely beautiful and delicious cakes. Amazing customer service as well. Tell them what you want and what you want to spend and they will do everything they can to make it work. I got a Devils food cake for my sister’s birthday and it was so rich and perfect in every way!

Crisan? More like Cr (is)ack. Their pastries are so good not even the sub par employees at Stacks can mess them up. Their pastries make me want to just slide into blissful obesity and never look back. I found them literally on the last day they closed their storefront doors. Sometimes I look through the window like Charlie did at the Wonka Chocolate Factory just wondering WHO could be making such amazing delights? I have yet to see a tiny orange men but my suspicions are strong. I can’t promise a golden ticket, but if you are lucky enough to find one of their croissants out there in the world, you’ve already won.

Best cupcakes I have ever had!!! Highly recommended!

You NEED Crisan to make a cake for you. The artistry that is apparent in every glance and every bite of our wedding cake made the experience truly memorable. Working with Claudia and Iggy and their team was a complete joy– nice, smart, creative and skilled people who cared about making this an important experience for us.
From the first tasting where Claudia meticulously focussed our palette, through the design process, communication about every aspect of the cake and our event, to Iggy’s jovial delivery of the final product, we could not envision a better experience.
Our guests were BLOWN AWAY by the design and the unique, and perfectly crafted taste. The care they put into the product and making sure we were happy was very noticeable and so appreciated.
I’m only stopping the accolades to eat another slice of a piece I sequestered to worship in the privacy of my own home. Please add having a cake made for you by Crisan on your bucket list. I’m already planning my next cake for an event in July.

Although it seems weird to review a place after their storefront closed, please read on.
Let this be my version of a Unilocal PSA: We can still experience the delicious baked goods from Crisan despite not being able to walk up to their storefront!
Before they closed, we frequented Crisan not only for their delicious pastries, but their lattes could definitely «hang with the big boys» for a place whose primary focus was not coffee.
But enough about the past. The lattes are a distant memory and the storefront is no longer open. However, someone at Crisan has a heart and decided it would too cruel to cut us off cold turkey… and we appreciate that.
A couple of things you can still acquire from Crisan, include their croissants at Stacks espresso bar, pastries at other retailers (I am still in the process of finding all of these), placing a catering order or ordering a custom cake. All of which are highly palatable options. My husband ordered a beautiful and delicious cake from Crisan for my birthday. The presentation was incredible and the taste exceeded our expectations (if that was at all possible).
I guess when all is said and done, we’ve lost the convenience of walking in whenever we please, but we at least still have the option to enjoy the products they make. At the end of the day, no harm and minimal foul done after Crisan closed.