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Aduchamp1,
Finkelstajn is fine, but there is a Kosher bakery (can't remember the name) a few doors down (same side of the street) from L'As du Fallafel. It is to die for. They have the best poppy see strudel I have ever tasted. Think traditional Jewish, but made in Paris, so it's LOADED with butter. Thank God I don't live in the Marais. I still have a chance to stay fit. |
There is a paris GTG being planned for the end of March - 23rd or so - if Mamaw or Kathryn or others are there than....
I am hoping to go with my daughter... google Tedgale... gruezi |
OMG, I have been non-stop since My husband left..Here I thought I'd have 10 days to do all this re-search and drooling online about paris and it's pastries, maybe pastry is a understatement. Especially when I've seen some- stop in your tracks-whiplash-wishing for a scratch and sniff screen desserts/pastry on the web.
tod, I have my new "sugar is my drug of choice" bible right here... Paris by Pastry stalking the sweet life on the streets of Paris By; Joyce Slayton Mitchell www.jonesbooks.com some that I have found a must so far.. boulangerie patisserie putman bertrand 145, rue st. dominique au petit tonneau une cuisine de femme 20, rue surcouf closed, never, my kind of place dalloyau 63, rue de grenelle because I like the attitude no reservations, no credit cards, no toilets no coffee no questions chez germaine 30, rue pierre leroux My Husband laid around the beach in cancun all day. I was working like a dog. I was every woman today. And fed everyone but myself today. So now I have a hot bowl of pasta (palmina/meat mixed) a can of pepsi and my friends at fodor's. DH deserves a day on the beach, he got there Mondy and hasn't stopped to relax. He's been helping out at a Children's home there, He and one of the director's ran around cancun tuesday buying 39 pairs of shoes. Next is shopping for food. But I'd trade anything to be there with the Kids. My DH said they followed him around all day yesturday while he worked there. Back to Paris. The airfare has not changed, But I'm a hopeful. And if I can possibly make ther GTG, baby I'll be there with crumbs on my shirt ;)- |
Ooooh, eating one's way through Paris...what a delight. My favorite patisserie is Gerard Mulot in the 6th, an easy walk from the Metro at Odeon... but so many others.... you could easily spend a week eating in the 6th.
Don't know how you feel about chocolate as it is a step removed from pastry, but Patrick Roger is amazing. He has a shop at 108 Blvd. St. Germaine..try a citrus and herb center...remarkable. Finally, another book...David Lebovitz was pastry chef at Chez Panisse in Berkley before moving to Paris. He has a book called Chocolate and another called Ice Cream that explore those two subjects as they relate to Paris. His website will give you much of the content though... Have a little brioche bun for me.. |
A Paris GTG? Oh please, do it after march 23. That's the day I'll be leaving the US and arriving in Paris the next day, 24th. Can we come?????
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Don't starve yourself, sign for a Pastry Cooking Atelier at A World in a Pan and Escoffier at the Ritz!
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To Gruezi:
Thanks a bunch for responding! I think we will stick with D'Aubusson, as we did stay there for one night in Dec 2007. The location is really ideal and as we haven't been there beyond that 48 hour period, the 6th seems like a great spot to venture out from. We have reservations for dinner at Allard, which is right around the corner from the hotel. We ate there in 2007 and loved it- wonderful, classic, old. The picky 15 year old daughter had roast chicken. I did splurge for a reservation at Jules Verne. We will go for a late lunch and hope that it is as memorable as people say it is. Beyond that, I can't really recommend for you- it seems we will be there simultaneously with our daughters and we need to catch up with you, as you've already been with other daughter. We will do the usual- Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, although no plans to travel outside of the city. Our stay is a total of six nights. The only thing that my daughter would probably recommend is that we walked the Seine and she purchased some wonderful french magazines from the 50's and 60's and has them framed in her room- Princess Grace and Audrey Hepburn. I'm wondering if anyone has taken any tour of Paris markets combined with a cooking course? I looked at Patricia Well's sight and the Cordon Bleu, but nothing during the time we will be in the city. Any suggestions? I must add that your travel journal from your trip with other daughter made me smile- how neat is it when you are at a museum and your child suddenly sees a piece and can name it, describe it, tell the story? That happened to us in New York City several years ago. Please write back- it's been great getting excited for Paris with others that are just as passionate about this wonderful city! KathrynP |
Kathryn,
I finally finished my Paris trip report. When are you in Paris again? gruezi |
Paris by Pastry by Joyce Slayton Mitchell
Q. What could be better than a book about pastries in Paris? A. Every other travel book I have ever read. This is by far the most misguided, poorly organized, poorly written, misleading, worst edited travel book I have ever purchased. The cover looks like a stock photo issued by the Vichy government. OK, that can be quaint, but as I thumbed through it, I noticed many pages regarding the top tourist sights in Paris, a slew of recipes, rambling and inapplicable analogies, sleep-inducing asides and memoirs, and recitations of overheard conversations. There are simplistic graphics and poor quality black and white photos including one that appeared to be a colorfully decorated cake. This evoked a fond childhood memory. Do you remember when color TV sets first came out and they ran ads for them on your black and white set for you only to imagine what color images may look like. Oh yeah, there were some reviews of boulangeries and patisseries buried among the muck. Not one of which made me think, man does that sound delicious or I must go there. The reviews are as enticing as a sidewalk cafe next to a bus stop. So, I decided to google the author, to see what she written and the publisher to ascertain if this was a vanity press publication. It is not. Amazon enumerates the following books for the author: (I swear I did not make up these titles): Tractor-Trailer Trucker: A Powerful Truck Book Crashed, Smashed and Mashed: A Trip to Junkyard Heaven Knuckleboom Loaders Load Logs Her credentials clearly qualify her for Paris by Pastry. So I prepare for my trip to Paris, I never thought I would consider Rick Steves' advice regarding eating the discarded food of others at cafeterias as brilliant. |
toupary6 - I think I know what kosher bakery you're talking about in the Marais. I also don't know the name, but is this it: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenandgreg/2075945534/ I LOVED their pastries with almond paste! I've never had a pastry as good! I had also tried Finkelstajn and it was good, but not AS delicious! |
Aduchamp, I tend to agree, unfortunately. I bought and read this based on discussions here and it really is poorly written and not terribly informative. I cross-referenced many of the patisseries with Pudlo's Paris (an absolute gem, IMHO) and only 3 that I could find made it.
In concept, this had the potential to be awesome. But the writing is no-so-great (the authors, there are two refer to themselves in the third person the entire time) and they really don't add much in the way of more than the very basics of sightseeing or describing patisseries so that I might actually want to go out of my way to try them. I was thoroughly annoyed reading it and decided it won't be making its way with me and Pudlo's Paris next month. I wish I'd read Amazon first to see its reviews there....sigh. |
I loved the book and the way the authors referred to themselves as Jeannette et Georgette, even though their names are something else (Joyce and ?). The book is not meant to be a sightseeing guide; patisseries are the focus and the authors will mention a nearby sight so you can kill two birds with one stone. I thought the book was light and frivolous and useful, which suits me. The authors provide maps and by-arrondissement lists. We weren't even going to Paris but I xeroxed pages from the index & took them along just in case. The Amazon reviewer took quite a sour view of the book, but I thought it was great fun. I am extremely patisserie-centric, which is probably why I enjoyed the book so much. I wish Michelin reviewed boulangeries and patisseries.
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Well, part of my point was that I didn't find it extremely helpful in making the patisseries worth visiting. Almost everything is rated an 8 or better, which makes them all equal in my eyes. Only a very few said something like "best croissant in Paris", which I might go out of my way for.
I think if you attempt to work an angle like this, and include both patisserie AND sight information, you should do both well, or not at all. Unfortunately for me it didn't deliver on either count. |
chocalaterie Pierre Hermé and Pierre Marcolini are two amazing little shops that are not to be missed.
For patisseries, La Durée remains and institution for macarons and other french delights. For teas, le mariage de freres is the best. i think all of these places can be found in or around the 6th arrondisement. there is also another La Durée on the Champs. bon apetite. www.traveldynamicsgroup.biz |
By the way, the review on Amazon was mine. It was the first time I submitted a review.
The reviews of the patiiseries are useless and lack an understanding and knowkledge of French pastry. Even as a piffle this book fails. I am under the odd assumption, that if you are a book, you should actually know something about the subject matter. |
If you want to learn more about European pastry, you should really check out our new book Pastry in Europe 2009. You'll find more information on our website: http://www.PastryInEurope.com
with the sweetets regards, Joost |
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