Sunday, April 29, 2012

La Galerie des Gobelins

You should.
 Louise Chauchard/Raids-Patisserie is the best Parisian pastry expert par excellence I know. Her analysis of Paris pastries are some of the most interesting and most creative. Her photos are delectable.
 Our plan tea at La Galerie des Gobelins at posh Plaza Athenee.
 Louise arrives and I'm instantly smitten with lust for her velvet Repetto ballet bag.
 Getting in La Galerie des Gobelins is not a piece of cake. Even for cake bloggers par excellence. You need to reserve a room(€750) to take tea the salon. Outsiders have a snowball's chance in hell. The pastries by top chef Christolphe Michalak look divine in the case but. We're told we can wait (and pray) for a non-reserved seat for non-residents.
Louise is not best pleased and suggests we go elsewhere.
(I would have waited forever but nevermind).We head to Champs-Elysees to
 Bar Le Lucien in Hotel Fouquet
 Louise shoots our amuse bouche/little mignardises starters.
 The tray of pastries arrives!
 Louise chooses.
 While we wait Louise digs into her exquisite ballet bag.(maim miam)
 And proudly shows me her point shoes, which hurt like Hell she mentions in passing. One must dance if one is to eat pastries all day long.
My only thoughts are, how I can grab the bag, abscond with it and race for the door? But this isn't an option. Louise lets me know I can come and take a free first ballet class if I'd like.
(Hahahaha)
 Louise's violette-framboise macaron 'sandwich' arrives. She thinks the raspberries are too big and doesn't care for the way they are 'spitting out the jam', ahem.
It tastes better than it looks...not too sweet.
 My choice is not so successful.
 It's a knock-off of Pierre Herme's superb Montebello but more to come later.
 Perhaps the most delicious desserts lurk in the ladies loo at Bar Le Lucien.
 I instantly fall in love with this drawing by Maxim's artist SEM.
 Will we ever be allowed into La Galerie des Gobelins to taste Michelak's FAB desserts?
This is the question that haunts.
I've considered going daily and hanging out in the lobby till midnight and making a general pest of myself.
What do you think?
Do you know someone who can get us in?
Do tell.
Meanwhile the teddybear lollies will sadly go unlicked by us experts :(
Please visit Louise at Raids-Patisserie and explore.
You do NOT have to reserve a room first.
You're allowed to PIN too!
Pin It

23 comments:

  1. Lucinda4:00 AM

    EVERYTHING looks DIVINE
    though it would have been nice to get into Le Galerie des Gobelins...le sigh
    I say keep on trying.
    What do you have to lose except your pride?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hmmmm...
    don't they know WHO U R?
    How dare they!
    HMPH
    soon they will come begging no doubt..
    Louise's blog is drop-dead gorgeous!
    merci LF

    ReplyDelete
  3. she looks like a ballet dancer...
    how can she eat all those desserts?
    Oh she's French. I forgot for a moment.
    Very in depth her opinions
    a change from many others.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jan in Austen4:25 AM

    Enjoyed today's post.
    I wanted to agree that the Plaza tearoom was a
    Little hard, but not impossible, as my friend from stockholm and I did it and shared the most expensive pastry in the world!
    I just asked her how much and what we ate.
    I will always remember another older couple there never spoke to each other and had the most boring look on their faces, worst I have seen.
    Loaded with money I could tell.
    Don't give up.
    Jan

    ReplyDelete
  5. ... sounds fun ... nothing like having a "mission is Paris" ... thanks for the pics ... Karen in CT

    ReplyDelete
  6. I don't know who can get you into the Les Gobelins, but your visit to Fouquet didn't look too shabby! What gorgeous interiors and cakes. Eat up, mon amie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unfortunately looks can be deceiving...
      It's what's inside that counts Amy.
      Finally gorgeous weather today.
      Perfection every minute!

      Delete
  7. Hate to indulge in sounding like a
    male-chauvinist-oik-oink...but if I were sitting across from your friend Louise, having tea, I would also feel as though I was having dessert, pastries or not.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks fun--do they really taste good, though--sometimes the fanciest-looking things don't taste so great.

    ReplyDelete
  9. wonderful post PB!
    The tearoom was W.O.W. (we only walked past the Plaza Athenee with all the RR,BMW,etc with chaffeurs standing at their side.)
    Your friend Louise was a great "subject". I too loved the velvet Repetto bag at first sight.
    Eat all those luscious pastries....you deserve it!
    ~suzanne

    ReplyDelete
  10. Photos to die for :)
    Everything looks so elegant and flawless.
    I love those prints in the loo!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow I'm very honored to be part of your posts ! I feel sorry we didn't go to the Galerie des Gobelins, I hope you'll be able to try their pastries very soon...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Marie-Noel in Montreal4:33 PM

    Dear Carole

    Your love for pâtisseries, gâteaux et chocolat worries me! Dont become "diabétique"!
    Merci pour votre charmant Parisbreakfast...
    Marie-Noël (Montréal)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Marie-Noel!

      I may take LOTs of pictures of sweets
      But I don't eat that many...
      I'm very careful...
      Eating a hunk of bread or one cookie puts me to sleep.
      Also French pastry has way less sugar (but maybe more fat) than US pastry.
      Unfortunately when Fr pastry chefs come to the US they start pilling on the sucre :(

      Delete
  13. Carol such delicious and artful looking sweets!!

    Delish!

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

    ReplyDelete
  14. HI Carol, lucky you with the lovely Louise. What a chic pair you must have made and all those delish desserts.. Carla xx

    ReplyDelete
  15. Merci, Carol and Louise, I am sure I cannot even begin to imagine the fun you two were having! :-)

    P.S.: Tried to comment on Louise's blog, tried to get past the captcha thingie, but they kept showing me new words which apparently I was unable to spell correctly. At the end, the comment disappeared into cyberspace.

    I have done away with the captcha a year or so ago and have had not problem with spammers. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Bonjour Paris Breakfasts!

    I always enjoy reading your posts and living in Paris through your blog.

    While we're on the subject, how about a post on a French ballet? I would love to know what ballets they perform there that we don't get to see in the states.

    If you would like, it would be an honor for you to check out my blog, I've just celebrated ma première année! http://onclouddivine.blogspot.com/

    Amour & petits gâteaux

    xox Flowerbomber xox

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to be a balletomane way back when...
      Now it's just Repettos for me
      AND Louise's velvet red bag!

      Delete
  17. As you know, I go there quite often. I think the secret is to get there at 3pm, avoid weekends and fashion week and be willing to wait 10 minutes. Now, as it is summer, try again because you can enjoy La cour jardin as well. Let me know how it goes :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the excellent tip.
      I will try again Milla

      Delete
  18. Chezlindy1:57 PM

    Adorable post!!

    ReplyDelete

Love hearing from you