As you walk in, the oven and some of the best looking bread I've ever laid eyes on are staring back…read moreat you. For the industrialized wheat sensitive people that my partner and I are, we have absolutely no issues with this glorious, sourdough, ancient grain bread. I just hope they add more hours at some point.

Very nice traditional bakery and patisserie in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. Most of the time…read moreyou have to stand in line to be served ... but as you may know, that in general is a good sign. Also in the case of Au Bec Sucré there is a reason for the long lines ... the quality of the breads and patisseries is very good and the staff is very helpful and friendly.

I went to Ferrandi for their introductory pastry program and our chefs praised claire damon so much…read morefor her work and one was raving about the rhubarb chausson. This place has become my favorite bakery in paris and I thought about it for months after my return and eventually made a return the next year to try everything I could! Out of all the stuff I've tried my favorite is the apricot tart and rhubarb chausson. The rhubarb choux was also very special and tasty. I like her famous rose grapefruit entremet as well. Her lemon tart was also very good, very interesting to put the meringue inside. I didn't like the orange tart that much. Their sable I also thought was just ok(i got the rose grapefruit one). Her desserts might not look as eye catching as those instagram bakeries but they are so unique and delicious. You can totally taste the quality of her ingredients and she's a true genius in creating unique flavors.

I'm always interested in the way women see, and leave their mark on, the world. Lately, one of my…read morebiggest thrills has been to see more female film directors and patissiers shape my biggest passions: cinema and pastry, and so I was really looking forward to Claire Damon's Des Gateaux et Du Pain. Sure there are lots of talented pastry chefs that are women, but sadly too few still run large, successful patisseries. Claire has impeccable credentials working with Pierre Herme, at Fauchon, Laduree, and then joining Bristol, Plaza Athenee, before charting her own path in the world of gateaux (with David Granger, who handles the "Du Pain" side of the equation). I never took up art in college, so it's hard for me to spell out how everyone can use the same basics (base, pastry cream), ganaches, mousses, flourishes, garnishes and decorations - and yet, have very different products. It's not that you've not seen generous use of flowers or nuts or berries in presentation at other patisseries, but one look at the Pamplemousse Rosa, Lipstick apricot, Baton De Rhubarbe, J'adore La Fraise - even if your eye is untrained like mine - you can pick up a very different vision, and design, at work here. I went with four different pastries here to see the range of her work: Le Gateau au Chocolat: soft cocoa biscuit, bitter chocolate ganache, chocolate mousse. Vert Absinthe: Shortbread pastry, lime cream and mint leaves, green tomato jelly and candied angelica. Le Calisson: almond biscuit, almond and apricot paste jelly, apricot compote, candied melon cubes. Baton De Rhubarbe: almond biscuit, vanilla cream, cream with rhubarb. They were all thoughtfully designed with the ingredients complementing each other well. I did not expect the Vert Absinthe to be my favorite, but the intense lime cream and the aroma of the mint leaves was intoxicating. Substantively different. Memorable. For some reason, the other sharply etched memory while observing the pastry was the translucence of the gelee... Des Gateaux et Du Pain: Imaginative. Original. Delicious. (4.5 stars. Rounding down because I really didn't like either the caramel fleur de sel sables or the speculous cookies)

A quick stop for some macarons and chocolate on a food tour…read moreThis place has won awards for being the best chocolatier Everything we sampled was perfection!

Look for a small gold plaque…read more The store is actually in a small courtyard and not directly on Saint Honore, so very easy to miss. I wandered the small shop for several minutes, taking in the large selection in individual pieces, prepackaged boxes and macaroons. I settled on two bars. Thrilled to discover Jean-Paul makes a 100% chocolate bar. The staff warns me, "it will be bitter". No, it's heaven. Luscious. I never thought I was s big macaroon fan, but I did purchase one chocolate one for the road. Wow, the pillow soft outer cookie and the creamy chocolate center. Glad I didn't buy more, they would have been gone in a couple of hours.

Went there once. I recommend to avoid this place: Mache greens were slimy and spoiled within 1 day…read more Chickpea salad had hard bits (nut shells?) in it which were painful when chewing

Stumbled across this boulangerie walking through the neighborhood. The pastries here are so…read moredelicious. Got a pain au chocolat, Nutella filled madeline, and a ham and cheese sandwich. The employees were kind and helpful. There are a couple benches outside to enjoy your pastries. I would come back here again!

At home I generally stick to a breakfast regimen of scrambled eggs, rice, chorizo, veggies, &…read morefruit. However, my adventurous wife suggested that I break my habit and eat like the French. Conveniently located five minutes away from our hotel, we made the trek to Liberté for coffee and breakfast. During a previous visit, my wife and I ordered coffees and she ordered a baguette (at the time I had a yogurt parfait in our room). However, during our second visit I promised her that I would venture out and try one of their delicacies. Similar to our first visit, the establishment did not have a line; however, as the friendly employee behind the counter greeted us, a line began forming behind us (look at us being trendsetters). We proceeded to order the following: two cafe lattes, danish (wife), and I ordered the Cheesecake au citron. The Cheesecake au citron was chef's kiss (I do not use this phrase lightly). So delicious, my wife (who is very picky when it comes to sweets) found it to be scrumptious and suggested that we should return so that she could order one for herself (I hope you didn't think that I would share all of my cheesecake with her...lol). Thank you Liberté!

Upon coming here again two more times in two days, I realized that when it comes to pâtisseries, it…read moreis a little overpriced. (On par with Pierre Hermé and Angelina, I think). I got the religieuse au caramel buerre salée, which was incredible. However, it's difficult to finish a whole pâtisserie by yourself. I think I'll have to go back to Aux Péchés Normandes, which also has really good pâtisseries and compare the taste, because it's definitely cheaper there. I don't know if it's just me, but the selection seems a little worse for wear this time around. The pastries don't look as delectable as they did before. =/ Today, I got a baguette aux sesames (1.70€), since it is also for bread. I've never had a baguette aux sesames before, but I couldn't resist because it smelled so good. :) It also tasted pretty great.

We loved this place! Locals and tourist are part of the everyday experience. The boulangerie is…read moresmall but typical for most places. They have a nice variety and everything looks so yummmy! My girlfriend got the pistachio roll and she lived it! Highly recommend. I got the traditional croissant and a pan du chocalat. Love that they have coffee to serve and seating area.