what's new

​Recently, a new bakery opened in the next town over from me in Spring Lake, NJ, Nick + Sons, from Brooklyn, NY. Owned by Nicholas Heavican, who became baker by chance after vising Reykjavik, Iceland. In Reykjavik he came across Braud & Co. where the aroma of fresh sour dough bread and golden croissants permeated the air. Looking for a career change, Nick was smitten with the idea of baking bread. 

​Nick was fortunate that the owner of Braud & Co. was willing to take him on as an intern learning both the front and back of bakery life. Fast forward, upon returning to Brooklyn and a brief period baking at home and rented space during off hours at a local pizzeria, a permanent space was found close to his home.
 
Earlier this year I read that Nick+Sons was opening a store in Spring Lake. Once I located its new home at 304 Morris Avenue (between Third and Fourth Avenue), I patiently waited for the opening. Their current hours are Thursday through Sunday, opening at 7:30 AM, closing time is TBD, but I think is will be indicative of how long their baked goods hold out.  On Sunday morning I queued up at 7:45 AM and waited 45 minutes to make my selection. While not an extensive menu, it ranges from sweet croissants and pastries to savory croissants and pizza. Also available are eight varieties of bread. Although, I was dying to try their almond croissant, they were already gone by the time I got inside the door. I did select several items, a chocolate croissant, cinnamon roll and Sal’s bread.
 
The pastries are rich with butter, light, flakey and crisp. I enjoyed the chocolate croissant; however, my husband would have preferred a bit more chocolate. The cinnamon roll was soft and delicious. I detected a bit of almond in the center of the pastry. For lunch, I sliced Sal’s Bread for tomato sandwiches, which I lightly toasted. The bread must be a form of croissant dough as the crust was buttery and crisp after a few minutes in the toaster. The crumb was soft and had a slight chewiness; it was heavenly schmeared with Duke’s Mayonnaise and first of the season Jersey tomatoes seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground pepper…. mmm!