Beard Papa - Beard WHAT? Where? You WILL WANT TO KNOW!

Time Out Chicago REALLY Hit it on the Head! Beard Papa is the 'light as air' delicacy unlike anything you have EVER had stateside unless you have found a true Frenchman behind the dough at the local bakery. Didn't someone think to tell the Japanese that this isn't necessarily a great translation - Beard Papa. A WHAT? One try and you WILL KNOW! Luscious, light, a hint of sweet, smooth, creamy, some even with Chocolate. You just thought you loved red velvet cupcakes! This is your new addiction! Good thing they are open early and late and serve coffee too!

A cream puff is not a cookie. It is not a cake, a pie or a doughnut. I say this because those of you who think you know the pain of craving your favorite dessert can’t begin to understand the plight of the cream-puff lover. Because even gas stations sell cookies. Walgreens sells cake by the slice. Pie is in every diner in Chicago, and thanks to Dunkin’, doughnuts have saturated our landscape. You people can get your fix anywhere. Us cream-puff freaks? We’re stuck sneaking éclairs from grocery-store bakeries, making do with cream puff’s kissing cousin with its instant-pudding filling and gritty chocolate frosting (I’m looking at you, Jewel).

But no longer. Beard Papa’s, the ten-year-old Japanese chain that has nailed this French staple, first brought its puffs to the States via Manhattan’s Upper West Side, and now Chicago has one. It’s conveniently located between the El’s Red and Blue Lines in the Block 37 pedway, but make no mistake: These puffs are not portable. The outer layer of the fist-sized puff is as flaky as your Grandma’s best pie crust, with a dusting of powdered sugar to add to the assault on dark clothing. Beyond the brilliantly airy cocoon of choux pastry lies vanilla custard cream, enough that once the shell is broken, walking and eating is out of the question. A bag of travel-friendly mini puffs could suffice, but you’ll lose the proper pastry-to-cream ratio. Chocoholics will swoon over the “éclair” version of the minis, each puff entirely enrobed in a dark-chocolate shell, but for us diehard cream-puff fans, the chocolate overpowers; ditto for options like strawberry or chocolate custard filling. When you’ve waited this long, it’s the classic or nothing—unless BP sends out a tweet that green-tea filling is on tap, in which case get out of my way.

108 N State St (312-960-9000). El: Blue to Washington; Red to Lake; Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple (rush hrs) to Randolph/Wabash. Mon–Fri 6:30am–8pm; Sat–Sun 9am–6pm. Average cream puff: $2.