Favorite Patisserie in Paris
Jun 14th, 2008, 10:19 AM
#21
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shelly_m,
What I liked most about MacarOn Cafe was that all the employees spoke French. Yet I chickened out-- for some reason, it feels far less intimidating to attempt a foreign language while travelling than at home.
What I liked most about MacarOn Cafe was that all the employees spoke French. Yet I chickened out-- for some reason, it feels far less intimidating to attempt a foreign language while travelling than at home.
Jun 14th, 2008, 10:36 AM
#22
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I didn't try the sea salt ones. I am so hooked on chocolate. I can't wait to get back to Paris to get more. There are no patisseries near the small town where I live. My son is going to check at a French bakery in Dallas, but I don't think they will have macaroons. If by chance they do, I can't believe they could ever be as good as Ladurees.
Jun 14th, 2008, 01:14 PM
#23
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There is a recipe for French macarons in the March/April issue of <i>Tea Time Magazine</i>, but I haven't had the nerve to try it. The pictures look like the real thing.
I loved the complete selection (except for licorice) from Laduree on the Champs Elyssee; very hard to choose a favorite. I also like them from Paul Patisserie in London, but, alas, there aren't any in my hometown either.
I loved the complete selection (except for licorice) from Laduree on the Champs Elyssee; very hard to choose a favorite. I also like them from Paul Patisserie in London, but, alas, there aren't any in my hometown either.
Jun 16th, 2008, 12:32 PM
#25
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Here's a copy of the pastry/bread section of my last Paris trip report:
Here's a report on our pastry/bread/sandwich tastings during our 11 days in Paris.
For croissant, pain au chocolate, millefuelle , chocolate éclairs, sandwiches and miscellaneous pastries we tried:
Miss Manon, Au Levain du Marais, Pierre Herme, Gerard Mulot, Pain du sucre, Julien, Kayser, BE, Secco, Dallyou, and one whose name I forgot, around the corner from Spring, where I bought a great looking millefuelle that was disgusting and thrown away after one bite. Soggy pastry and gloppy cream.
It was really hard to find that perfect millefuelle. Gerard Mulot had the best cream, very eggy, creamy and just the right sweetness with no frosting, but the pastry wasn't very crisp. Secco also had great cream but the pastry, while crisp, had a burnt butter flavor. Au Levain's pastry was excellent but the cream was not sweet enough! Julien had the best balance of sweet frosting and not too sweet eggy cream but the pastry wasn't crisp enough. Miss Mannon's millefuelle was terrible, a gloppy gelatinous filling like the horrible on in the 9th. I think if we had gotten one right after being assembled, Gerard Mulot would have been the best of the places we tried.
Kayser had the best croissants (plain and chocolate)very flaky, buttery and crisp. I was disappointed by the sandwiches there, however. I remembered from my last trip many really special choices, but this time, the two days we traveled to there to buy sandwiches, they only had a few choices of very ordinary ingredients.
The sandwiches and the ham and cheese croissants from Secco were killer. As were the chocolate eclairs. In fact, I would say that Secco was the best overall for selection, price and quality of the places we tried.
Au Levain du Marias had excellent pain au chocolate and great sandwiches too. They also had a killer almond/chocolate croissant.
Herme had a glazed croissant that was to die for, reminiscent of a Dunkin' Donut to the enth degree.
We hit BE one day after the lunch rush (2:00PM) and were disappointed by the almost empty display cases. We bought a chicken and pesto open face sandwich which they heated for us and took it to Parc Monceau and enjoyed it but wish we could have had more choices. We did have a delicious chocolate finacier from BE for dessert. Unfortunately, they were out of the passion fruit tart that Julot raves about.
I'm sad to say we didn't try any macarons (other than the ones on the dessert cart at Guy Savoy's) but we ate enough other pastry to more than make up for it, including a fabulous vanilla eclair called a Lili at Pain du sucre.
Here are some pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26819563@N02/sets/721
Here's a report on our pastry/bread/sandwich tastings during our 11 days in Paris.
For croissant, pain au chocolate, millefuelle , chocolate éclairs, sandwiches and miscellaneous pastries we tried:
Miss Manon, Au Levain du Marais, Pierre Herme, Gerard Mulot, Pain du sucre, Julien, Kayser, BE, Secco, Dallyou, and one whose name I forgot, around the corner from Spring, where I bought a great looking millefuelle that was disgusting and thrown away after one bite. Soggy pastry and gloppy cream.
It was really hard to find that perfect millefuelle. Gerard Mulot had the best cream, very eggy, creamy and just the right sweetness with no frosting, but the pastry wasn't very crisp. Secco also had great cream but the pastry, while crisp, had a burnt butter flavor. Au Levain's pastry was excellent but the cream was not sweet enough! Julien had the best balance of sweet frosting and not too sweet eggy cream but the pastry wasn't crisp enough. Miss Mannon's millefuelle was terrible, a gloppy gelatinous filling like the horrible on in the 9th. I think if we had gotten one right after being assembled, Gerard Mulot would have been the best of the places we tried.
Kayser had the best croissants (plain and chocolate)very flaky, buttery and crisp. I was disappointed by the sandwiches there, however. I remembered from my last trip many really special choices, but this time, the two days we traveled to there to buy sandwiches, they only had a few choices of very ordinary ingredients.
The sandwiches and the ham and cheese croissants from Secco were killer. As were the chocolate eclairs. In fact, I would say that Secco was the best overall for selection, price and quality of the places we tried.
Au Levain du Marias had excellent pain au chocolate and great sandwiches too. They also had a killer almond/chocolate croissant.
Herme had a glazed croissant that was to die for, reminiscent of a Dunkin' Donut to the enth degree.
We hit BE one day after the lunch rush (2:00PM) and were disappointed by the almost empty display cases. We bought a chicken and pesto open face sandwich which they heated for us and took it to Parc Monceau and enjoyed it but wish we could have had more choices. We did have a delicious chocolate finacier from BE for dessert. Unfortunately, they were out of the passion fruit tart that Julot raves about.
I'm sad to say we didn't try any macarons (other than the ones on the dessert cart at Guy Savoy's) but we ate enough other pastry to more than make up for it, including a fabulous vanilla eclair called a Lili at Pain du sucre.
Here are some pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26819563@N02/sets/721
Jun 16th, 2008, 02:17 PM
#27
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oops, here's the link:
http://tinyurl.com/4ty4br
http://tinyurl.com/4ty4br
