Until recently, the chance of finding a truly good croissant or brioche in this country was as unlikely as that of finding a diamond on the beaches of Eilat. Happily, that situation has changed Following is a collection of places, mostly in the Gush Dan region where you can have a morning feast on one or the other of these delicacies. All are open on Friday but many are closed on Saturday mornings.

Arcaffe: Shenkar 5 and Maskit 32, Herziliya Pituach; Rothschild 31, Tel Aviv; and in The new Ramat Aviv shopping center (Canion Ramat Aviv). Self-service is the modus-operandi at these comfortable and friendly, somewhat-Italian, somewhat American style cafes where the coffee is always excellent and the croissants are fresh and marvelously full of the flavor of real butter. Also worth trying are the good and sometimes imaginative sandwiches and the excellent Italian cookies.

Ayala Bar: HaBarzel 1, Ramat ha Chayal and Merkaz Schuster, Ramat Aviv. My nominees for the very best croissants in the country. Good coffee, a tempting environment, friendly and competent service, and an excellent selection of cakes and sandwiches make either of these places well worth visiting. Kosher.

Comme Il Faut: . Dizengoff 215, Tel Aviv. Probably the smallest cafe-restaurant in Tel Aviv but
one of the most charming and the brioches offered here during the morning hours are excellent. At other hours, the sandwiches, cookies and cakes are highly tempting.

Bistro Dalia Renaud: Agrippas 10 (in the alley), Jerusalem. Because this charming little place has become the par excellence home of choucroute garni, quiches and others of the foods of Alsace, some have forgotten that owner Dalia Renaud is one of the very best pastry chefs in the country. Simply stated, her brioches are not good - they are superb. For dining on the premises or for taking them home, brioches must be ordered in advance by telephoning 02 6257647. Worth
whatever effort it takes.

© Daniel Rogov