C: Croissants at Le Croissant

A croissant as big as the Ritz? Almost.

The croissants at Le Croissant on Bellam Boulevard have been a specialty since the breakfast and lunch restaurant opened 30 years ago under its original owner, a French baker.

Made on the premises from scratch, all natural and with a pure butter base, today’s croissants are flaky, crusty, tender and impressively huge. An average plain one measures eight inches long and five inches wide, depending on the day. Sometimes they’re even bigger. They dwarf a cup of coffee.

“People who eat here for the first time go ‘wow, I’ve never seen anything like that’,” says Deanna Buckle, a server at this comfortable little restaurant for nine years.

The giant crescent-shaped pastries are generally dished up warm, so their golden surfaces crisp while their fluffy interiors become flaky and tender. Jam rides sidekick.

Plain ones make good sandwiches. Buckle says Le Croissant’s most popular item is a savory breakfast confection built on a croissant layered with eggs any style, choice of bacon, ham or sausage and choice of cheese, for $7.95. One of these would easily serve two.

Sandwiches also include a popular lunchtime item of a croissant packed with sautéed mushrooms, avocado and Swiss cheese for $8.95.

Want to live even more dangerously? Try the almond version bristling with powdered sugar-dusted almonds and lined with finely chopped nuts and melted butter, as well as the 9-inch-long chocolate variety bursting at the seams with milk chocolate.

Le Croissant, 150 Bellam Blvd., Suite 210, 456-0164. Open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday; 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday & Sunday.