At 10:30 in the evening, I didn't expect the bakery to still be open, but figured that since the French don't place temporal limits on pastry-eating, I wouldn't either. While we carefully studied the selection, a bald man whom I presumed was an intoxicated customer began singing along to "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" on the stereo. He was un-self-conscious, pleasantly so, and not a bad singer. As the cashier rang up my three quarter-sized macaroons (pistachio, raspberry, and dark chocolate -- at $1 each!) 
and a sliver of cheesecake (after telling me that the bakery had actually closed at 7:30 pm), my companion complimented the bald man on his singing. We turned to leave, $8 dollars of pastries in hand, when much to our surprise the bald singing man asked if we wanted bread. Without really waiting for a response (it's more of a rhetorical question), he grabbed one loaf, then another, of gorgeous artisan bread out of the baskets and thrusted them into our bag, thanking us for the compliment on his singing.
and a sliver of cheesecake (after telling me that the bakery had actually closed at 7:30 pm), my companion complimented the bald man on his singing. We turned to leave, $8 dollars of pastries in hand, when much to our surprise the bald singing man asked if we wanted bread. Without really waiting for a response (it's more of a rhetorical question), he grabbed one loaf, then another, of gorgeous artisan bread out of the baskets and thrusted them into our bag, thanking us for the compliment on his singing.
I was completely stuffed from the delectable dinner at Mai House (duck fried rice with duck confit; roasted black cod with pickled watermelons), but it is a well known fact that I have no discipline when it comes to fresh bread (or cookies or ice cream -- fresh anything, really). That night, for my second dessert, I had macaroons and hearty, wonderfully crusty bread with havarti cheese. How sweet redemption is. Bouley really is the best.
I heard the food at Bouley Upstairs is really good.
ReplyDeleteyeah, bouley rules!
ReplyDeletebouley's bread is good, but comida's homemade bread is also pretty incredible. the recipe used by comida for her bread is supposedly pretty well known and often discussed on the food blog circuit, but a good recipe is useless without a baker's attention to detail and proper execution. all i can say is that comida pulls this recipe off perfectly. the crust was crisp while the inside had a great chewy texture. when you broke into the crust it made that beautiful crackling sound that can only come from a perfect freshly baked loaf. if you are lucky enough to try it, comida's homemade bread is absolutely delicious!
ReplyDelete