Paris? Where Can I Find the "Best" Baguette?
 

Gonna be in gay Paree in a few months and one question please:

Where can I find the best - not just good but the very very best baguette?

The one place whose baguettes are tops - no second best but only the most bestest of the best?

There is a yearly contest in Paris for the <i>"meilleure baguette de Paris"</i> -- but only about 10% of the bakers in Paris enter the contest. For something like 3 out of the last 4 years, boulangeries in the 18th arrondissement have won the award. The winner supplies the bread to the Elysée palace for a year.

You can find this year's winner on Google.

this is not a euphemism right?

If it were a euphemism the answer would be Bois de Vincennes or Bois de Boulogne. ;)

maybe check out David Leibovitz' site/blog to find his favorite..

LOL, FMT!

Love it, FMT!

What the heck is "the best baguete" anyway? There are thousands upon thousands of baguettes in Paris, and everyone has his/her own definition of what defines "best": crunchiest, airiest, and so on and so on. Silly question. And would you really traipse all over Paris to get a particular loaf of bread? Why? It's all good.

But of course the euphemism in French is "pipe" not baguette.

It's worse than St Cirq suggests.

To be "best" means being different from the average. I don't want a non-average baguette. I want a bog standard loaf, bought warm early in the morning and eaten - smarmed in Normandy butter and dunked in coffee or chocolate - a few minutes later.

The idea of eating instead some damnfool self-styled artisan's "best" example is like listening to an opera prima donna singing rock music.

By all means steer clear of the worst: we used to sell stuff in our Paris convenience stores even the flannerpooch might have turned his snout up at, and I've found a growing number of provincial boulangeries going that way.

But if there's one thing in this world where dull conformity rules supreme, it has to be a freshly baked baguette.

Here's a link to a review on yelp of Au levain du marais. http://www.yelp.com/biz/au-levain-du-marais-paris Many trips back we happened upon this place, not having read anything about it. The baguettes were delicious. The other replies are correct that you don't need a list of best baguettes, you can find great baguettes everywhere in Paris.

Just buy baguettes (or demi-baguettes) at different bakeries at every opportunity (or stop at the first place you try if you like it). As StCirq says, everyone's idea of the best is different. I always ask for "pas trop cuite" because I like it soft on the outside and quite dense in the middle, whereas many people would think that's heresy.

I bet some people would cross town if there were a place selling baguettes with with pink and blue candy sprinkles on them.

But I agree with flanneruk on this one -- the best baguette is the one from the boulangerie across the street, just out of the oven.

Look for the bakery with a long line at 11;45 AM.

I agree with St Cirq (who I thought may have said "why don't you ask your French son?") completely and I thought my query was dripping with satire, which however, me lacking flanneruk's august education background, failed to show through.

I often see these posts about 'the best pizza' in Rome - the 'best high tea' in London, the 'best Yorkshire pud in London", the 'best cannabis in Amsterdam', etc and always think why 'the best' - best is so so subjective - to me the best baguette is indeed and I agree with kerouac that the 'best baguette' comes fresh from a boulangerie - cannot be better - oh you could have a bio baguette as my ex-wife foolishly IMO wastes her little money on or whole-wheat and non-traditional varieties but I have never met a fresh ordinary baguette that was not scrumptious to eat.

Sorry about not making my initial satire most obvious and thank the folks that seriously responded - good and a good discussion anyways.

You forgot the emoticon Pal. ;)

In Paris now, my best daily baguette is from a nearby boulangerie that scared me the first morning by having none on display. They had not been out of the oven long enough! And under 1 euro, heaven. I'm always up at the same time so have become a 'early regular' already. I'm really going to miss this morning ritual.

Baguettes are going for 0.80 or 0.85 in my local boulangeries at the moment.

Of course, a "tradition" costs 1.00 or 1.05 but that is generally over my budget.

" I thought my query was dripping with satire"

It was so good it quite went over us.

Now it's explained, you're quite forgiven. You really has me thinking you were going to ask whether you'd look like a tourist in tennis shoes next.

Good to hear that there's really no "best". ☺

For me it the multi-grain baguette, still warm from the oven, from the bakery a block and a half away instead of across the street from our apartment in the last couple of visits.

St cirq did't ask but I will.
What did your French son Spell answer your question?

What did your French son answer your question?>

well of course did not ask my French born and bred son because it is obvious he knows very little of French culture and the French language as St Cirq has pointed out many times!

Hey Kerouac, asked for a 'tradition' baguette today - it brought the price up to precisey 1 euro but we thought it a tad better - me mostly because it was quite a bit smaller so easier for 2 to finish in a day. Thanks for the tip.