Hello:<BR>Aside from croissants what other pastries ( to die for) have you tried while in Paris. We will be in the Latin Quarter area in December and would like know - also if you can remember the name of the place, location.<BR>Thank you.

I had a more detailed response to a lady last week. Here's what I mentioned:<BR>I recommend: 1) Chez Angelina:<BR> Metro Tuileries. This is THE Paris salon to have the famous hot chocolate. Not<BR> only is it so rich you won't finish, but if you get the Mont Blanc pastry (hazelnut)<BR> and the hot chocolate, you will definitely be able to wait until 8pm for dinner. It's<BR> very famous and the salon is nicely decorated in Louis XV and frescoes on the<BR> walls. Kind of like the Boucher room at the Frick Collection in NYC. Also, you<BR> may want to try Laduree, on the rue Royale at the intersection of rue<BR> Saint-Honore between Concorde and Madeleine (around the corner from the<BR> American consulate -- the Embassy is on the other side behind l'Hotel de<BR> Crillon and almost next to Ralph Lauren). Lots of charm, old Parisian ladies in their jackets and hats. Go around<BR> 3-3:30pm. You may have a short wait, but not long. Try to have seating<BR> downstairs at both. Enjoy.

Laduree, 16 Rue Royale. Opens around 8:30 am, closes before 7.<BR>Try anything. They are famous for maccaroons (not at all like those we have in the US), and other pastries like<BR>mille feuille (in the US we call them<BR>Napoleons, for some reason), religieuse<BR>(&quot;nuns&quot;, because their shapes looks like a nun's wimple), meringues, tarte tatin, eclairs, etc.<BR>(upside down apple tarte).<BR><BR>La Grand Epicerie, the grocery store part of the Bon Marche department store (across from the Lutetia Hotel) has excellent pastries and croissants.<BR><BR>Gerard Mulot is a pasisserie (pastry shop) and boulangerie (bread bakery) at 76 rue de Seine in the 6th, 01 43 26 85 77. Pastries look and taste gorgeous, all-star crowd.<BR><BR>In the Jewish quarter of the Marais section, Sacha Finkelsztajn offers traditional strudels, cheesecakes, and nut cakes.<BR><BR>an article on Pierre Herme, master chocolatier and patisserier<BR>http://www.bparis.com/newsletter1464/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=94453<BR>

macroons from laudree.........don't leave paris without getting them.

1. Laduree, for sure (they are on the Left Bank now, Rue Bonaparte)<BR>2. Gerard Mulot (for sandwiches and eclairs)<BR>3. Jean-Paul Hevin (for chocolates)<BR>4. Any &quot;old-fashioned&quot; neighbourhood boulangerie (for lemon tarts)<BR>

The Mont Blanc at Angelina is a confection of meringue, chestnut puree (not hazelnut), and whipped cream--magnfique!

Laduree--absolutely. I believe they're on the corner of Rue Bonaparte and Rue Seine in St. Germain. Macaroons to die for--praline, raspberry, chocolate...

Here are a couple of my favorites:<BR><BR>Millefeuille (pronounced Mill-foy)-- we call it a Napoleon--only try this at a famously fine patisserie;<BR>Paris-Brest--a puff pastry ring filled with buttercream, pastry cream, almond praline, and hazelnut paste and topped with almond shards and confectioners' sugar--this is to die for! There's a wonderful patisserie on the Rue de Buci market street--I think it's called Carton. I recommend buying a few pastries and bringing them back to your hotel room for a real treat.<BR>

Mont Blanc with chestnut puree. Of course. I'm getting senile. Thanks for the correction.

I really enjoy Pain au Chocolat and/or Pain au Fromage (all spellings approximate). They aren't fancy, but a nice twist on the croissant.

Although I cannot remember the name of the shop, there is a patisserie right down the hill from Le Pantheon on Rue Mouffetard that makes the most delicious and beautiful pastries and tarts. When you get to Rue Moufettard, make a right turn and it will be on that first street on your right.

Just bought Patricia Wells book on Paris food and was ready the chapter on pastry shops last night. I'm trying to determine if I'm going to bring this book with me to France. It may end up being the most important one to bring. I was getting soooo excited.

Thank you all for responding.<BR>I guess I'm going to take an extra suitcase just for the goodies and pray that the custom oficials will not stop me!

To pastryholic: customs won't stop you-really. Just tell them you're bringing back some pastries and bread-it's okay. I just did that too.

Most of the pastries are really best when eaten fresh and many many Parisians take a pastry break at around 4 P.m. You'll notice that quite a few of the patisseries have a few tables in the back just for such an occasion. Make sure you ask which goodies travel well and tell the vendor you'd like to bring some home to the US!

Regarding telling the vendor that you're bringing back pastries to the US and would like it boxed, I tried to communicate this at Laduree on rue Bonaparte. I cannot speak French and the lady couldn't understand English; however, there was another clerk who understood some English and tried to help. But in the end I still did not get my croissants into a box but it's okay, even though they got flattened, it's better than what I get where I live!

Andre Cleret at 4, rue des Lavandieres-Sainte-Opportune in the 1st arrondissement near Place du Chatelet. They had different foods here and called themselves a caafeteria, however they have the best pastries we tasted. They have a dark, dense chocolate pastry called malagache. Had it with a hot chocolate! We just happened upon it, however on a subsequent visit we noticed a Patricia Wells sticker on the door and read in Food Lover's Guide to Paris that she recommended it as a favorite boulangerie for the many tasty varied sandwiches, which we can also vouch for.

If you go to the Laduree on rue Royale be sure to have reservations. They took us upstairs in Sept. but there we were told, &quot;No reservations, no table&quot;.

Only customs officials to worry about would be the large ones that like pastries too!

There's not a pain au chocolat in Paris that doesn't call my name when I'm there. Just pick a patisserie.<BR>Enjoy!