BBC has a nice article on the annual best baguette competition in Paris:

I have tried the Boulangerie Maison M’Seddi in the 14th arrondissement and it is definitely top notch! But even you aren't going to Paris anytime soon the article is very interesting from a cultural point of view.

BBC - Travel - The perfect French baguette

The winner of the "best baguette" competition is undoubtedly excellent, but it should be pointed out that maybe only about 5% of the boulangeries in Paris participate, so the winner is kind of a laugh for most of us, although we totally support fanatical bakers who want to do their best.

We fell upon the boulangerie in our walk through the public gardens of Paris last year. It proudly advertised that it won first prize. We purchased a baguette and felt that it was below par--not croustillant and too doughy on the inside (possibly undercooked).

Baguette preferences vary considerably and many customers say when they ask for one "bien cuite" or "pas trop cuite."

The baguettes that I've had that have been proclaimed excellent have always made a bloody mess of the roof of my mouth. I do like crunchy, but I prefer not to have to see a doctor after eating bread.

And that one was pas assez cuite for our taste. They also used to come as moulée and non-moulée, but I think that that distinction has disappeared.

I am a bit amused by the idea of someone going to Paris and later telling all of their friends "I went to a bakery and bought the best baguette in Paris:"

It's true that moulée or non moulée used to be a standard question. Thank god that has disappeared. I never understood the point, and frankly the visual difference was so minimal that the idea was rather ridiculous. I kind of feel the same way about "baguette tradition," an invention from about 25 years ago, so nothing to do with tradition. There is a slight difference, mostly about getting flour dust on your clothes, but the main difference is paying 20%-30% more for the same item. The French love to do this, but also many foreign visitors, based on the idea that if you pay more, the product is better.

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kerouac-I thought your comment " I kind of feel the same way about "baguette tradition," an invention from about 25 years ago, so nothing to do with tradition" was right on. The first time I tried a tradition baguette was in 1983 because the first Poil ne bakery was near where I lived. I will say that even aside from a "tradition" baguette, Poil ne's use of alternative grains like spelt was a revelation to me at the time since up until then I really only saw "ordinaire" baguettes in most bakeries. Now of course most all bakeries-including some of our very tiny ones near the beach have a wide array of choices both in style and grains-not so much the case back in the 80's

If the Lebovita article is correct, there is a basic distinction between the ordinary baguette and the baguette tradition: one uses yeast and the other sourdough.