When a new bakery opens even remotely close to my neck of the woods, my wife and I typically drop what we're doing and commit to a pastry pilgrimage. No matter how far the trip, we're quick to shrug off the grocery shopping, car maintenance and other trappings of adulthood in favor of chancing upon our next favorite bake shop—we have priorities, after all. We made one such visit to Beaumont Bakery & Café (3979 S. Wasatch Blvd., 801-676-9340) not long after it opened, and it's become a guaranteed pit stop if we ever find ourselves in the Millcreek foothills.

It's owned by Jana and Jeff Whiting, whose Pizzeria Limone restaurants have expanded to six locations across the state, and it's clear that they're still fixated on the many bread-related wonders Europe has given the world. In the case of Beaumont, all eyes are on the croissant. A quick glance at the pastry display case at the front reveals several variations, from their plain butter ($3.50) to their twice-baked almond ($4.50). It's also home to several croissant-adjacent items—the cruffin ($4.50), cruller ($3) as well as the buttery Breton favorite known as kouign-amann ($4.50). Their supporting cast of cookies is solid, but it's clear that Beaumont's heart is crescent-shaped and slathered in butter.

To their credit, such dedication to this pastry and its less-conventional cousins has paid off. I'd argue that it's hard to find a bad croissant—even those found in your local supermarket's bakery have their charm—but making a truly great croissant is a balancing act of flavors and textures, which is something that Beaumont absolutely nails. Regardless of which one you choose, each layer has a perfectly crisp lamination that breaks through into a soft and chewy center that is impossible to resist.

For those inclined to deviate from the croissant selection, the lemon cruffin is a tart little pastry that offers a pleasant smack to the mouth. Before taking this ride, however, keep in mind that the cruffins at Beaumont tower over the rest of the pastry selection like a flaky metropolitan skyline—under no circumstances should you eat one of these while operating heavy machinery. The exterior layer has the same golden crunch as the croissants, but the cruffin shape unfolds into a tapestry of beautiful chewiness spiked with lemon curd.

The cruller presents the sharpest contrast to the cruffin—it's as light as a cloud and coated with just the right amount of brown butter glaze. This is also a pastry you can safely enjoy while behind the wheel.

While cruffins and crullers can be procured at many local bakeries, I must admit I've never seen a croissant loaf before. It's the same dough they use to make their trademark pastries, but it's twisted together and baked in a loaf pan, creating a delectably airy canvas. I have a sneaking suspicion that the chefs at Beaumont only developed this technique so they could completely change the game when it comes to French toast ($9.75, pictured). This right here is a Francophile's dream breakfast—croissant dough lovingly guided through the pain perdu process, served with a jar of brown butter syrup, and, just for the hell of it, a sliced banana with brûléed sugar on top. French toast isn't something that typically catches my attention on the breakfast menu, but this gooey, buttery, flaky and sugary dish is a complete revelation.

Beaumont also makes some bold choices when it comes to the humble breakfast sandwich. The Truffle Bun ($8.75) looks like an unassuming scrambled egg sandwich on the surface, but there are some fabulous surprises within its brioche superstructure. For instance, instead of arriving with unwieldy strips of bacon lolling outside the sandwich limits, Beaumont spreads bacon jam across the bottom bun. It's a great way to tone down the aggressive bacon-y flavor—and help the sandwich maintain an overall symmetrical presentation. The surprise star of this dish is the watercress layer just between the egg and melted cheddar cheese. It lends a crisp freshness to the overall package that cuts through the flavors just enough for the truffle aioli to come through. For me, the sandwich almost veers into slider territory, considering its size, but every bite was full of rich, unexpected flavor combinations.

Based on its hip interior, proximity to shopping and unadulterated appreciation of butter and sugar, Beaumont Bakery is going places. Whether you're looking to pop in for something tasty to go or planning on a late breakfast, it's time to add it to your Millcreek must-list.