NY Mag: atisserie Claude for the best croissants in le tout New York. Greet the endearingly grumpy Claude with a brisk Bonjour as you push past the line of glaring customers and order one of his flaky-yet-fluffy pastries and a café-crème. The newsstand at the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 4th Street sells Le Monde (France’s Gray Lady) and the fabulous weekly French Elle, excellent companions for a leisurely petit déjeuner in Washington Square Park.