Poilane, one of Paris’s most famous bakeries, is a must-stop when visiting the City of Lights. For me, it’s a destination in itself, right up there with Laduree and Chanel. In the cozy little bakery in the Saint-Germain, you point to which loaf, or portion of a loaf, you’d like, and the no-nonsense woman guarding the shelves (should clueless tourists, ahem, attempt to grab their own) will wrap it up for you. Go early. Note: it has an excellent proximity to Le Bon Marche, Sabbia Rosa, Yves Saint Laurent, and a plethora of other great boutiques.
Happily, you can also buy these loaves online, and ship them overnight. This makes a GREAT gift for a food- or Paris-lover. Via Fedex comes a 4-pound loaf of sourdough (they also offer rye, raisin, or a variety pack). While not cheap (about 50 USD with shipping), it’s a lovely, thoughtful surprise, or a great alternative to flowers. And for the next week (or longer, if freezing), the recipient will think of you every time they make a sandwich, tartine, toast, french toast, bread pudding, or any other bread-centric invention.
Comments 5
As a recipient of one of these loaves (the sourdough) I can vouch for the fact that the make a excellent, and unexpected, gift. Despite the length of their journey, they arrive surprisingly fresh.
Posted 29 Jul 2007 at 4:52 pm ¶Maria is searching high and low for a dessert made of 100% icing. Any suggestions? The site looks great. Keep it up.
Posted 29 Jul 2007 at 5:36 pm ¶Fairway on the UWS imports Poilane’s bread once a week. I think it’s good, but it’s comparable to a lot of the good NY breads.
Posted 12 Sep 2007 at 9:57 pm ¶I don’t think Poilane is good bread at all. Maybe fresh at the bakery in France. But there is no need to import bread with bakeries in the neighborhood. I used to sell this bread at a gourmet food store. It’s a stupid extravagance that suckers buy so they can say to their friends look at this lovely dried up bread from France. It’s beyond expensive too. If you live in New York with all thousands of delicatessens, specialty shops, and bakeries. I would say skip it.
Posted 18 Sep 2007 at 5:19 pm ¶Don’t be fooled! That Poilane bread that you order online and have shipped is not baked in any of the two Poilane bakeries in Paris, but are manufactured in Bievres! The only way to truly taste their bread is to travel to Paris and go to the bakery yourself.
Posted 25 Nov 2007 at 2:20 pm ¶Trackbacks & Pingbacks 1
[...] New York chef rooting around for inspiration. My favorite find was a book in French from Poilane bakery in Paris–definitely not something you will find at the local book [...]
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