If you were to visit the San Francisco Bay Area and ask me for a pastry recommendation, I would direct you to sample the croissants at Pâtisserie Rotha in Albany. Croissants are my favorite pastry. I once spent a week in Bordeaux in search of the best croissant. I have tried those on offer from many Bay Area bakeries. Fournée’s are very good. Tartine’s are, frankly, overrated. None of them come close to Rotha, where the innumerable layers of flaky dough speak to a painstaking labor of love. They are super duper duper delicious. They will transport you to buttery, glutinous heaven.