The Suburban Times

A community bulletin board for Western Pierce County.

French Pastry: A Fancy Delight

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I don’t want to know their names. I don’t want to know them intimately. I try not to dream of their fancy delights. They are an occasion of sin. Oh, please . . . keep thee behind me, Satan. Of course I’m talking about French pastries.

Here in the Tacoma area I know of no authentic French pastry shops.

A friend stopped in several days ago with a gift box of goodies from Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle – bakerynouveau.com. To soften the blow of gluttony, she included a container of fresh strawberries. Needless to say, the strawberries were the last thing to be consumed. Last summer Peg and I had a long weekend in West Seattle and we enjoyed ourselves investigating new places to dine and shop. I’m just so thankful we never found this bakery. The box contained this ugly something or other with multiple layers of flaky crusts and ribbons that melted in our mouths. The deeper we got into the creation the sweeter the layers now containing almond paste became.

The deeper we got into the creation the sweeter the layers now containing almond paste became.

A few years ago we stayed in downtown Seattle. I went exploring one morning and returned to our room at the Hotel Monaco with a bag of goodies from Belle Epicurean a French bakery less than a block away (www.nwadventures.us/925Monaco.html). I purchased by pointing and musing of the pleasure to come. Back in the room with my bag of treasures Peg remained asleep. What could I do? When she awoke the precious prizes were diminished in number. I could tell Peg was disappointed in my weakness. How many times can you say you’re sorry. The two of us returned only to find the morning crowd had reduced the selections. Even when we stay on Capitol Hill, we visit “la Belle.”

Here in the Tacoma area I know of no authentic French pastry shops . . . if you know of bakeries that have trained bakery chefs from Le Cordon Bleu Paris, please do not tell me, do not comment, and above all do not send me an email with their name and address.

Comments

  2. Jean,
    Thank you for reading and for writing even though I asked my readers to not tell me where I could get excellent pastries . . . I should have been more specific and mentioned especially not in the Capitol Hill area when we have several B&Bs that we love.Kidding aside, even if we are just driving from the north to Tacoma, we sometimes swing through downtown Seattle and stop at the Tom Douglas’s Dahlia Bakery for pastries and bread. Sometimes we get home and finish the crumbs.
    Thanks for the suggestion . . . darn your hide! 🙂
    Don

  3. I really like the bakery inside H-Mart – great quality, and cool selection. Hess’ german bakery has really good European pastries too.

  4. Steve,
    Thanks for reading and commenting. I’m having lunch in DuPont tomorrow. I’ll try to stop in at the Hess Bakery and try a few things. Thanks for writing and suggesting!!!!
    Don

  5. Many years ago when I was 21, I hitchhiked thru Europe from London to Istanbul and back to Amsterdam via Yugoslavia over 3 months with a budget of $450. I wore out my Europe on $5 a day book. When I was in Paris my budget room was over a pastry shop. I would buy a baguette and a hunk of cheese in the morning and head for a Museum or the French Quarter to look for traces of the things Hemingway wrote about. But in the evening dinner was a pastry. I alternated with cherry tops and raspberry tops for nutrition. Ha! I could spend $4 a day elsewhere. Ps I got home with 25 cents in my pocket!

  6. Lindy,
    Thanks for reading and commenting. Did you keep a journal on your trip? On our next visit you should recount your saga . . . with some of our grandkids around, perhaps. So, when you returned, and had 25 cents to your name, was it a French Quarter?

    I have lunch with a friend today and taking in a Taiwanese restaurant and then stopping by a German deli for some White Wurst, rye bread, and perhaps a German pastry to share with Peg.
    Don

    • What an idea! I didn’t keep a journal but have have vivid recollections. I’ll try putting things in writing for your grands and have them at the ready for mine. Hedda’s having 2nd child, baby boy, this July.