Patisserie

Patisserie No. 8

Laurent Duchêne

2, Rue Wurtz, 13th Arr.

I stumbled upon this place while walking to a park not too far from my apartment. The storefront had earthy, christmas colored goodies arranged in the window and thought it would be a sin not to give into the holiday spirit and buy a mini bûche de noël.

Patisserie Purchased: Bûche de Noël Marron Glacé

Cost: 4€80

For those who aren't hip to the cuisinier game, a bûche de noël is a spongey sheet cake that has been layered with a buttercream frosting, rolled up like a rug, and cut into pieces to shove in yo' mouf! 

And excusez-moi? Marrons glacés? Ya, those are chestnuts glazed and candied in sugar syrup. You will either love em or spit it out in the hand of the person who gave them to you. I just happen to like the heavy, gritty texture and earthy/nutty flavor of them candied. And thankfully I do, because this patisserie was jam packed with the stuff!

 These little bûches are the thicker, haute-couturer, French versions of the Twinkie. The cake casing was a tinge dry but the chestnut cream drizzled on top and and marron glacé paste filling compensated for it- leaving my mouth in a well balanced creamy chestnut nirvana. 

Scale from ONE to TEN:

SEVEN

Parisian Exploration

Shakespeare and Company

37 Rue de la Bûcherie, 5th Arr.

This bookstore was the mecca for Anglo-American writers in Paris during the 1920's. Writers such as Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce and later Henry Miller spent a fair amount of their time here. Shakespeare and Company is mentioned in a lot of their publishings due to the boutique's stature in the literary world at the time. 

Needing a swank (english) read while in Paris, I decided to take a gander at this famed bookstore situated just a few feet from the Seine. Cramped, constricted, and narrow, my roommate Emma and I shuffled our way through the entrance and started searching for books. Daniel told me Tropics of Cancer by Henry Miller was a novel worth checking out. The book is almost in journal-jotting form. Miller, a struggling writer from New York living in 1940's Paris describes all his sexual ventures with hookers and hardships as he wonders the City of Light. It goes without saying, I was down. As I went to the cashier to pay, the American woman at the counter branded the inside of my book with the legendary Shakespeare and Company stamp and bid me ourvoir. Tropics of Cancer is now one of my favorite tokens of Paris. 

Patisserie

Patisserie No. 7

Arnaud Delmontel

39, Rue des Martyrs, 9th Arr.

Situated towards the top of the hill of Rue des Martyrs, Arnaud Delmontel is a hidden little gem. They have  baked goods of all kind scattered throughout the store and near impossible to choose what you want before you get to the front of the line. House special is the financiers. Therefore, a snagged me a raisin, anise and fig one as well as a lemon tart.

Patisserie Purchased: Tarte au Citron

Cost: 5€50

Patisserie Purchased: Financier aux Raisin

Cost: 2€30

I couldn't help but bust out the raisin financier before I got home. It was so delish! It was the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Crunchy yet pliable outside with a delicate raisin and fig studded inside. But unfortunately by the time I got back to the apartment my tarte au citron was smushed. QUEL DOMMAGE! The tarte was average at best. But I would definitely come back her to stock up on those 'raisin bread sticks'

Scale from ONE to TEN:

SIX

Patisserie No. 6

Au Panetier

10, Place des Petits Freres, 2nd Arr.

Au Panetier is a quaint Art Nouveau'd-out boulangerie tucked behind a tiny little Parisian square in the second arrondissement. The star of this show is the pain au chocolat blanc. Mind you, this is not a 'pain au chocolat' which is the fraternal twin of the chocolate croissant. Naw, son. This was a different breed. This had the thick exterior of a large glazed dinner roll and the warm, fluffy and porous interior of a madeleine sprinkled with bits and pieces of oozing white chocolate morsels. I accompanied the bad boy with a nice cup of cafe creme. 

Patisserie Purchased: Pain au Chocolat Blanc

Cost: 2€50

I've come to terms that you don't go out to eat in Paris for the service but for the atmosphere. And that is exactly what Au Panetier is- good food and good vibes. Cute for what it is but no need for a special trip.

Scale from ONE to TEN:

SIX

Patisserie

Patisserie No. 5

Angelina

226, Rue de Rivoli, 1st Arr.

With an adorable Belle Epoque interior and reputation to boot, Angelina's has become a new favorite cliche. Rarely does one hear or see a native Parisian dining at this establishment- it is as if this little cafe was meant strictly for tourists alike. At first, I hesitated to give in. I want to patisserie as the Parisians patisserie- not as the vacationers do! And being that I'm not a chocoholic, their speciality Mont Blanc and Le Chocolat Africain was not an enticing factor. Then I reconsidered. After all, this joint has been open since 1903. They've got to be doing something right. Thank the lord I did. The cream and meringue mont blanc piped with mounds of not too sweet chestnut cream is now my new craving. They deserve every little bit of hype. It was so good I had to make an additional trip to try something new.

Patisserie Purchase: Mont Blanc

Cost: 5€50

Patisserie Purchase: Ghiza Natsu

Cost: 6€

The mont blanc- delish. The cherry/green tea roulade- heavenly. The African hot chocolate- thick enough you could eat it with a spoon (but worth trying). Do the tourist thing and grab a table here.

Scale from ONE to TEN:

EIGHT

Patisserie

Patisserie No. 4

Fauchon

24-26-30, Place de la Madeleine, 8th Arr.

Taking a full block to house it's pastries, snacks and goodies, Fauchon has one of the most extensive bar a madeleines! They give you 14 flavors to choose from ranging from hazelnut to saffron. Being the oh so modest person I am, I only purchased four. Raspberry, caramel, orange and chocolate were the flavors calling my name. And because I don't feel madeleines are a true patisserie item, more so a nibble you'd find at a boulangerie, I also grabbed their famous Baba du Rhum.

Patisserie Purchased: Madeleines

   Cost: 1€50 (x4)

     Patisserie Purchased: Baba du Rhum
Cost: 6€50

The madeleines were comme ci comme ça; the orange and chocolate were great, the caramel and raspberry not so much. The Baba du Rhum was absolutely disgusting. I took one bite and had to throw the rest away. I like alcohol-y sweets. But this little spongey cupcake-thing was completely saturated in dark rum (so much so they give you a straw with it), then topped with a thick layer of dense whipping cream. The kind of whipped cream that leaves a heavy film on the roof of your mouth. My friend Emma couldn't even stomach it. However, don't let this scare you. They obviously have an outstanding reputation for a reason. Go there, just stay clear of the Baba du Rhum.

Scale from ONE to TEN:

SIX

Patisserie

Patisserie No. 3

Le Loir dans la Theiere

3, Rue Des Rosiers, 4th Arr.

Packed to the rim with Parisians alike, Dena, Julia and myself managed to snag one of the few remaining tables left in this happenin' joint in the Marais one rainy weekday. After throwing down our bags, coats and umbrellas by our chairs some bitch waitress (who never forgot once to leave our table without an extremely exaggerated, overly-dramatic eye roll) asked us what we wanted to eat. Easy as pie. The tart over there with the mile high mound of torched meringue. Yeah, that one. Sure, this place has a few goodies they are known for. Didn't care. I wanted that huge sucker that looked like something out of a cartoon. Yeah, it was good. The meringue topping wasn't too airy as many meringues do. The lemon layer was very very tart- which perfectly balanced the sweet, crumbly, buttery crust. No matter how bad my tummy hurt from how full I was, I still could not put the spoon down. Just too good. 

Patisserie Purchased: Tarte au Citron

Cost: 6€50

Warning: These people hate Americans. You could have found the cure to AIDS and they would still be the biggest condescending jerks to you. Get your slice of pie à-porter and get the hell out. 

Scale from ONE to TEN:

SEVEN

Patiserie

Patisserie No. 2

Ble Sucre

7, Rue Antoine Vollon, 12th Arr.

Although this place has a reputation for their madeleines and croissants, I decided to go for something a little different that I have yet to see at other patisseries which was the Poires Jasmin. This extremely delicate patisserie had a subtle yet penetrating jasmine tea flavor enveloping a soft airy pear compote center. Then finally topped off with a mild white chocolate ganache. It was far from heavy and rich, which made it the best patisserie yet!

Patisserie Purchased: Poires Jasmin

Cost: 4€80

P.S. That is the view from my Parisian apartment window.

The prices at Ble Sucre are extremely reasonable, especially for the quality of their pastries. Not to mention the adorable little park situated across the way!

Scale from ONE to TEN:

TEN