The front window of Androuët fromagerie in the 7th

By Stefanie Payne

The culinary horizon in Paris is just different than that which is found in the rest of the world—the grey rooftops might as well be illustrations from the pages of the most beautifully illustrated book of Hansel and Gretel ever penned.  In no time or place was that fact more evident to me than when I walked on to a culinary walking tour on Paris’ Rive Gauche (Left Bank) as an afterthought on one drizzly afternoon.

This part of Paris is where the uber-fashionable shop for gourmet specialties to serve at their dinner parties.  This is where culinary dreams are realized.  This is where my palate would be cleansed with treats so indulgently pure, that I understood—again, and for the umpteenth time—why Paris is regarded as food mecca.

Le Comptoir des Saints Pères, formerly Michaud

The experience was four hours long—and four legendary specialty shops wide.  We began at Le Comptoir des Saints Pères, formerly Michaud, a tiny cafe with a long history.  A favorite of Hemingway and Fitzgerald who spent long days and nights writing here because it was less expensive than other cafés in the area.  In the time it took to get and sugar my café (espresso) and down it in one glug, the rest of the group of eight people were there.  And then our guide showed, emerging from the corner with a skip in her step and a smile on her face.  Each of us shook hands and walked on while she began to describe the significance of having a food tour in the 7^th arrondissement.  It is, after all, considered the chicest neighborhood in all of Paris.

Kayser Artisan Boulangerie (Bakery) in St. Germaine, Paris

Not five minutes later we passed one of my favorite cafés on earth, (La Palette next to L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts where I once studied,) and found ourselves wiping the rain from our feet on the welcome mat of Kayser: boulangerie extraordinaire. Kayser was relatively normal by American standards.  Plenty of pre-packed salads, sandwiches and the like for busy Parisians to pick up on their “lunch hour” (any hour, really) and to the right, a counter designated solely to bread sales.  We learned that Kayser had (more than once) earned the honor of creating the “Best Baguette” in Paris.  Our guide snatched up two baguettes, one standard, one artisan, and we stepped out of the door and walked on down the street.  She stopped and pulled one baguette out of her bag and cracked it at the center, like you might do to a Dungeness crab leg before slurping the meat from the cavity.  We looked on, as she cracked the second (the “real”) baguette.  It bent slowly like hardened caramel being pulled apart instead of snapping abruptly like the first.  She explained the difference between them (outlined in my separate article, “Good Baguette, Bad Baguette,”) and we each tore off a section to taste.  The “good” baguette was gone in an instant, the “bad” baguette quickly became pigeon food.

Our guide works with Androuët fromager to set up a store-front tasting for our group

We walked on excitedly to sample another favorite food to all, also expertly crafted by the French—cheese.  We were at Androuët.  To be honest, I am not sure what set this fromageri apart from her competitors.  For what I saw was like most other cheese shops—miles and miles (okay, just fifteen feet) of cheese, individually wrapped and lining the refrigerated shelves.  We gave our requests. Soft, hard, aged, mild, brie…  and my request, cheese with Périgord truffles.  Apparently, that was a decadent choice, for one of her eyebrows raised and I quickly understood that this may have been beyond the budget for the walking tour.  “I’ll pay for it,” I said.  I didn’t care, I was desperate for my favorite food laced with earthy truffle.  She arranged for it.  They paid for it.  And later, the other guests said that this was not only the best cheese of the day, but the best cheese they had ever had. Ever.  I thanked our guide.  We tasted the most classic French cheese, Comte.  Young, 5 Year, 10 year… all distinctly different from the last. We could have stayed there for hours.  In actuality, we stayed just one.  Then on to the next.

La Pâtisserie des Rêves, the “Pastry Shop of Dreams”

La Pâtisserie des Rêves, the “Pastry Shop of Dreams.” It was. The pastries were decidedly French, while the ambiance was almost sci-fi.  It reminded me a bit of Tokyo.  Clean architecture and crystalline bubbles that dropped from the sky protected these bright and shiny desserts that looked like baubles from a Tiffany store window at spring time. These heavenly, colorful, inedible things I thought!  I can’t even recall what we ordered or ate because the experience of seeking and selecting desserts from the glass cases almost out-shined to food. But in review, I recall the pastries just fine, and they are among the most delicious desserts I have ever been lucky enough to feast upon…. apple fritter something or other, and flaky chocolate heaven in a cup.

Chocolate Mousse from Chapon

Our last stop was at Chapon Chocolatier.  To begin, we learned that Patrice Chapon got his start in his father’s attic, and then soared on to make ice cream for the Queen of England.  Not bad for a handsome young strap from old Paris. His chocolates stood out most notably because of his use of innovative ingredients—wasabi, rosemary, and some spice I had, I think, never heard of.  I swallowed each bite as I viewed a large photo on the wall of dress made entirely of chocolate that I had heard of, showing at the 16th annual Salon du Chocolat in Paris.  Ruminating in the room was the impact of food on fashion, on the neighborhood, and the history of Parisian culinary pursuits and how they effected the forward launch of things to come.  We were sent off on foot with a paper cone filled with chocolate mousse.  We walked to a corner and entered a locked courtyard where we ate it under a beautiful oak tree that shrouded us from the rain.

Model Irene Salvador wears dress constructed entirely of chocolate made by Chapon, for the 16th Salon du Chocolat in Paris

As we said our goodbyes, something occurred to me.  I rarely join guided tours, absurdly thinking that it takes away from the “authentic” finds that strike someone on travels abroad.  But I am so glad I went… not only did it really enhance my trip, but also taught me my tour style: demure and informative, small groups, inspired guides, pockets of a city, and a desire to learn about secret treasures from people who really know—and want to teach—the qualities that make their region so special. I still think about that day often. And always think of how special Paris really is in all of her mind-blowing ways, and above all, insanely delicious is the food that almost personifies a region.

The Tour Operator: Context

Context Walking Tours (Multi-City)  |  Context Travel on Facebook

The Places

Tel: 01 40 20 09 39

Boulangerie Kayser‎

La Pâtisserie des Rêves
93 Rue du Bac
75007 Paris, France

Chocolat Chapon‎