Jeudi - 24 septembre 2009

I have taken much advice for this trip on both food related interests and on being an American in Paris from the wise and witty David Lebovitz.  His style of writing – both via blog and in his recent book The Sweet Life in Paris is very honest and funny.  At mention on his blog, he pointed to his version of the best croissant in Paris.  Of course, I had to seek out and try, right?

Well, I did on Thursday morning (before 11am just as David recommends).  I took myself to the Bastille neighborhood to find Au Levain du Marais or what is possibly also known as Boulangerie Patisserie Beaumarchais.  The storefront was adorable, but most unassuming.  Sitting along a main street in a heavily residential area, there was nothing flashy, no long lines of tourists and nothing that would have otherwise drawn me in had I not known better. 

(note:  this is the only picture of the croissant taken before I devoured it!)

This croissant was perhaps the most delicious piece of pastry EVER.  It was a good thing I ordered my two pastries and then walked out because I could have easily eaten 2 or 3 in one sitting!  The simplicity of the pasty was really what made is so good.  The plain croissant du beurre was even better than the pain du chocolat.  Maybe this makes me a purist, but the simple won me over. 

I will be back again during my stay, possibly more than once just to enjoy a few more. 

That same morning, post-life-changing pastry time, I ventured into my first marché or outdoor market at the Marché Bastille, one of Paris’ largest.  I won’t try to play it off like this was an easy experience.  I am in no way a French speaker and though I did my best to take as many audio lessons from Pimselur before the trip, it just doesn’t really cross over enough to make me feel fully comfortable in a setting like a market.  Back in Oakland, I shop at farmer’s markets weekly and never have in-depth conversations with the farmers or vendors, but enough to ask about a product or ask for recommendations.  Now I am saddled with that not being an option and in this market the stand vendors are very vocal! 

I’m happy to report that despite my communication difficulties, I did make several purchases and got away without any major hitches. 

So tomorrow (Saturday) I’ll be venturing into two new markets to see what there is to see and hopefully to make a purchase or two.