Photograph by Kathy De La Torre

Mimi Tran, daughter of owner, Michelle Tran, prepares a sandwich during the lunch rush at La Maison du Croissant.

Croissant shop also known for its hot, nutritious soup

By Suzanne Cristallo

Jewish mamas have always known that a steaming bowl of chicken soup is good for what ails you. They are not alone in this knowledge. Michelle Tran, owner of La Maison du Croissant in Los Gatos, says the elders in her family have always prescribed it for anyone a little out of sorts. The Vietnamese, however, call the nourishing liquid pho, and Tran cooks up lots of it for fans of her Vietnamese food.

La Maison du Croissant is known first for the fresh-baked croissants that hotels such as the Pruneyard and Campbell Inns buy from Tran each morning and walk-in customers relish. Tran has gradually introduced her native country's food to customers by offering a little taste here and a sample there. Now the demand she has created for her pho, spring rolls and lemon grass chicken has made the items standards along with the beef on sourdough sandwiches on the luncheon menu.

Tran is in her little shop with the hardwood floors and the familiar fireplace mantle by 5 a.m., popping the trays of croissants her night crew has proofed into the ovens for the over-the-counter trade that wait for the doors to open at 6:30 a.m.

She's there seven days a week. "I love it, because my customers love my croissants!" she exclaims, undaunted by the lack of free days in her life.

There are 15 kinds of croissants--fruits and nuts, chocolate, cinnamon, raisin, ham and cheese--which run $2.15-$2.50 each. Meat and chicken sandwiches on baguettes and a variety of breads run $4-$5. But a hefty segment of Tran's customers call for her special chicken sandwiches with the Vietnamese touch: honey-glazed with soy, ginger sauce and lemon grass, and rotisseried. All have been marinated overnight in her "grandma's secret sauce" of five herbs.

The pho is a hot mixture of rice noodles, green onions and slices of either chicken or beef in a stock made from simmering beef and chicken bones for five hours. Customers manage the deep bowl of liquid with the help of a large spoon or chopsticks. "It is simple, healthy and easy to eat," she says, marveling at how well her mainly American-born customers handle chopsticks. She also sells smoothies along with espresso coffee, and says the combo of an orange smoothie and lemon grass chicken is not unusual.

The spring rolls--so named because they are traditionally served on the first day of the Chinese New Year--consist of four layers: first of paper-thin rice paper soaked in hot water until it becomes soft and transparent; then soft lettuce with cilantro (optional); then skinny rice noodles and finally fine slices of chicken breast, vegetables or shrimp. All are rolled together and deep fried. Sauces of peanuts, plums and lemon sugar are for dipping. Tran asks her catering customers to order the rolls, as well as the croissants, a day in advance so they may be delivered within a half hour of cooking in order to maintain their delicate freshness.

Now a Monte Sereno resident, Tran, 40, went first to Texas with her family from her home in Saigon, Vietnam, in 1975. The family ran a restaurant there where Tran learned to cook. Later she moved to San Francisco to attend the California Culinary Academy's baking school. Upon graduation, she was ready to realize her ambition of owning her own baking shop. A chance visit to Los Gatos put her in contact with her shop's former owners, who wanted to sell.

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La Maison du Croissant, 303 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos. Open Mon.-Sat. 6:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m.-3 p.m. 408.395.4441.

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