My first memories of Fauchon weren't of the shop with all the lovely pastries, but of the insane…read moregift baskets my dad would receive from either his employer or colleagues around the holidays in the 90s. I wanted nothing to do with the jars of foie gras or champagne, but I used one of the trunks to store craft supplies. 25+ years later and it still stores craft supplies.
So, of course on my last trip back to Paris I had to finally stop back in as an adult who can appreciate things that little kid me would have just said "oh, neat" about. Spoiler alert: I still don't want anything to do with foie gras or champagne. This visit coincided with a belated birthday adventure after having a mini meltdown about getting old and missing home.
Fauchon is the quintessential picture of Parisian chic. The store is elegantly simple, with clean lines and bold color. The cases have a huge variety of pastries and indulgent treats. And what they have to offer is so beautiful and so meticulous that you start to wonder how the tart or éclair that caught your eye isn't unaffordable. Yes, it's pricy for pastries in France when you consider Carrefour sells éclairs for like one Euro (and that cheap ass éclair is somehow better than 99% of éclairs in the US). When you compare it to the "gourmet" pastry scene in the US the prices aren't insane though. Would I make this my regular stop for pastries? No, but for special occasions or if you're visiting and want a beautiful experience this is absolutely worth the small indulgence.
We selected an éclair with some bold graphics printed on it, two different macarons, a lemon tart (tarte aux citron), a chocolate moussey cakey piece of art, a slice of pâté en croûte, and some hot teas. Because of the artistic elements it was a less traditional texture for the éclair but the flavor was delicate and pleasant. The macarons were perfect, which I'm sure they always will be, and it's probably one of the reasons they do well as an edible souvenir. P.S. Americans, do NOT call them macaroons, those are completely different. The tart was the right amount of sour and sweet with great texture. I opted out of the chocolate and the pâté but included them in the photos so you can be jealous. The commentary on those can be summarized with, "OMG amazing."
Oh, Paris, tu me manques. Je dois retourner tout de suite!