In Paris, Pastry Goes Haute Couture
On the publication of his latest book, Hungry for France: Adventures for the Cook & Food Lover, we asked longtime Paris resident (and frequent Bon Appétit contributor) Alexander Lobrano for his take on the pastry shops in Paris.
Paris has always been one of the world’s most tempting destinations, and now a new generation of pâtissiers (pastry chefs, but sounds better in French, non?) are making the city even more irresistible with pastries displayed with all the lavish edible jewelry. So calories be damned, maybe Marie Antoinette was on to something after all when she said, “Let them eat cake!” Or éclairs, or lemon tarts, or mille-feuilles, for that matter. Take a look at six of the most stunning—and tasty—pastries in Paris.
Damien Lafargue1/6Carl Marletti
Pastry chef Carl Marletti’s bijou of a shop, with exposed stone walls and fresh flower arrangements in the Latin Quarter, is the stuff of seriously sweet dreams. Don’t miss his dome noir, a chocolate-glazed miniature cupola of chocolate mousse filled with vanilla cream on a hazelnut biscuit. His olive-oil-seasoned madeleines are great for picnics and plane or train rides. Sidewalk tables, too, for on- the-spot indulging.
51 rue Censier, 5th Arrondissement; (33) 01-43-31-68-12, carlmarletti.com.
Damien Lafargue2/6Des Gateaux et du Pain
Done up in marble and ebony-stained wood, pastry chef Claire Damon and baker David Granger’s two Left Bank shops have a modern elegance that makes a perfect backdrop for her sublime pastries—she’s one of the most creative pastry chefs in Paris today, and he churns out terrific bread. Damon, who trained with Pierre Herme, the granddaddy of the new haute patisserie movement in Paris, describes her style as “sensitive.” But signature treats like her “lipstick solaire”—lime mousse and pineapple compote on a crust of brown sugar and ground almonds—are also witty and very pretty, to say nothing of drop-dead good.
63 boulevard Pasteur, 15th Arrondissement; (33) 01-45-38-94-16; also at 89 rue du Bac, 7th Arrondissement; (33) 01-45-48-30-74 www.desgateauxetdupain.com
Damien Lafargue3/6Gateaux Thoumieux
Two-star Michelin chef Jean-François drafted pastry chef Ludovic Chaussard to be the sweet star of his elegant new pâtisserie with white marble counters and hand-blown glass cake stands just across the street from his two restaurants (Brasserie Thoumieux and Restaurant Jean-Francois Piege). Go homey with a gateau Saint-Dominique, a sugared brioche cake that’s perfect with tea. Or go fanciful with his chou-chou—choux pastries filled with salted-butter caramel cream; they’re one reason why this place just might become as popular a Left Bank attraction as the Eiffel Tower.
58 rue Saint Dominique, 7th Arrondissement; (33) 01-45-51-12-12 www.gateauxthoumieux.com
Damien Lafargue4/6Hugo & Victor
With pastries displayed behind glass in built-in cabinets, Sylvain Blanc and Hugues Pouget’s pastry boutique is as carefully curated as any art gallery. Pâtissier Pouget’s exquisite post-modern pastries wouldn’t look out of place in one either, which makes a lot of sense when you know that his boyhood friend and business partner Sylvain Blanc created the sleek Luxury & Accessories space at Paris’s Printemps department store. These guys share a great aesthetic—and Pouget’s pastries taste sublime— especially the mille-feuille with roasted pineapple and a pink grapefruit tart. If you’re not heading to Paris anytime soon, they also have a branch at The Webster boutique in Miami Beach.
40 boulevard Raspail, 7th Arrondissement; (33) 01-44-39-97-73; 7 rue Gomboust, 1st Arrondissement; (33) 01-42-96-10-20 www.hugovictor.com
Damien Lafargue5/6La Pâtisserie des Rêves Pâtissier
Philippe Conticini’s chic boutique, where pastries are spot lit and displayed under suspended glass bell jars, has made the stylish rue du Bac the epicenter of the new haute pâtisserie movement in Paris. It makes good on its name, too—the Pastry Shop of Dreams—with brilliant modern renditions of such Gallic classics as the Saint-Honoré, the composition of sugar-glazed *pâte à choux (*cream puffs), filled with crème chiboust and daintily decorated with piped whipped cream on a flat flakey crust that was named for the French patron saint of French pastry chefs and bakers. Amazing coffee eclairs, too.
93 rue du Bac, 7th Arrondissement; (33) 01-42-84-00 82, also 111 Rue de Longchamp, 16th Arrondissement; (33) 01-47-04-00-24, and 19 Rue Poncelet, 17th Arrondissement; (33) 01-42-67-71-79. www.lapatisseriedesreves.com
<a href="http://instagram.com/sarahkahn">Instagram: sarahkahn</a>6/6Sébastien Gaudard Pâtisserie des Martyrs
The retro glamour of pâtissier Sébastien Gaudard’s shop on the trendy rue des Martyrs may be Bobo bait—think black-and-white tiled floors, marble counters, and glass hurricane lamps overhead, but the main reason the locals love it is that he makes what just may be the best lemon tart in town. The curdy lemon filling has just the right pucker factor, and the crunchy cup it comes in boasts a beautifully buttery shortbread. Gaudard’s chocolate tarts are excellent, too.
22 rue des Martyrs, 9th Arrondissement; (33) 01-71-18-24-70. www.sebastiengaudard.fr
