The Best Baguette in Paris 2010
Today marked the 17th “Grand Prix de la Baguette de Tradition Française de la Ville de Paris” which translates to the “Best Baguette in Paris” contest. By luck of the draw, I managed to be selected as one of the jury members and spent an incredible 4 hours sitting next to Ghislaine Arabian tasting close to 150 baguettes.
It may seem hard to believe, but a lot of mediocre bread can be found in France. Walk into your average corner bakery and if you don’t know what to look for, or to ask for, you risk walking away with a very average, and at times inedible, baguette.
Bread has a long and intricate history in France and was once the main sustenance for a large part of the population. Bread consumption began to rapidly dwindle in the 20th century falling from 620 grams per person in the early 1900s to just 150 grams in the early 1990s. Unfortunately quality began to suffer as well. Bread quality plummeted during the two World Wars when rations and conditions made bread making particularly difficult.
Modernisation of the industry in the 1960s didn’t help. The thirst for “white” bread made from flour enhanced with additives like ascorbic acid and fava bean flour, over kneaded and quickly churned-out without long fermentation, produced a white, but tasteless crumb, and almost spelled the end of a century’s old tradition.
Thankfully, a handful of artisan bakers, millers and experts fought to preserve the integrity of French bread and insure that truly good bread remained a part of French heritage. The State had a hand as well and in 1993 enacted a “French bread law” which stated that “baguettes de tradition” must be mixed, kneaded, leavened and baked on premises, without ever being frozen. They must also be additive-free and can contain only four precious ingredients–wheat flour, water, salt and yeast. So, if you are going to buy a baguette, make sure it’s a baguette de tradition.
But even the “baguette de tradition” label doesn’t guarantee a superior product. So how does one judge good bread? According to Steven Kaplan, an American who is considered the world’s authority on bread, there are several things to look for[1]: appearance, aroma, a dense yet aerated cream-colored crumb, and of course the taste.
Ever since the 1993 decree, Paris has held a competition for the best baguette, which brings together some of the city’s best bakers all vying to win the coveted prize which brings not only prestige and 4000 Euros but the chance to supply the French Presidential palace with bread for the year. This year’s competition boasted a record 163 entries. 22 were eliminated off the bat, which left 141 baguettes to judge by the 15 member jury, which included several prestigious bakers (Franck Tombarel, last year’s big winner, and the runner up, Benjamin Turquier); a big name chef (Ghislaine Arabian), a Englishman (Stephen Clark), a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (butcher Thierry Michaud who has some of the best lamb in Paris), other notable members of the food community, and five lucky winners, myself included, who entered a contest sponsored by the Mairie de Paris.
It was an absolutely incredible experience and for now I can’t imagine looking at another baguette. Mound after mound of baguettes were brought as we noted 4 points each for: appearance, baking, aroma, the crumb, and of course, the taste. Panel members argued, for some certain baguettes were “trop cuite!” or too cooked, while for others it was just right. On and on it went until the last baguette was tasted and the Mayor’s office went to tally the vote. Surprisingly only a handful of us stayed on to hear the final results. I had tasted an ungodly amount of bread and wasn’t going to leave until I heard the winner’s name pronounced.
At last it was made known that number 86 had the best overall score and the sealed envelop revealed that it was Djibril Bodian of Le Grenier à Pain Abbesses in the 18th arrondissement, who incidentally placed 5th last year. Minutes later a phone call from the mayor’s office announced the news to which a very moved and surprised Mr. Bodian replied “Vous êtes sur de que vous dîtes?” “Are you sure of what you are saying?”.
I can’t say if Mr. Bodian’s bread was indeed the very best because we tasted many wonderful baguettes today. I can say however that the top ten chosen all produce a very fine baguette and are worthy of a visit.
And the top scores for 2010 are:
1) Djibril Bodian (Le Grenier à Pain Abbesses), 38 rue des Abbesses, 75018
2) Daniel Pouphary, (La Parisienne) 28 rue Monge, 75005
3) Dominique Saibron, 77 Avenue du Général Leclerc, 75014
4) Yves Desgranges, 6 Rue de Passy, 75016,
5) Philippe Gosselin, 258 Boulevard Saint-Germain,75007
6) Xavier Doué, 163 avenue de versaillais, 75016
7) Boulangerie Lohézic (Sébastien and Sylvie Lohézic) 31, rue Guersant, 75017
8) Boulangerie d’Isa (Michel Chorin, Retrodore) 127 Rue de Charenton 75012
9) Mohamed Zerzour, 50 rue de l’Amiral Roussin 75015
10) SARL Zerzour II, 324, rue Lecourbe, 75014 (SARL can be roughly translated as incorporated)
[1] Watch Kaplan’s hysterical, yet informative, appearance on Conan O’Brien, instructing what to look out for (http://www.noob.us/humor/conan-obrien-and-the-bread-professor)
Steven Laurence Kaplan, “Good Bread Is Back: A Contemporary History of French Bread, the Way It Is Made, and the People Who Make It
Macarons at MacDo?
McCafés are popping up all over France, serving 25 different specialty hot drinks and macarons, those chic, bite-sized, cream-filled cakes which are apparently taking the US by storm.
Photo Credit: McDonalds
They’re no Pierre Hermé or Ladurée you might say, but rumor has it that all of the macarons and cakes are provided by Holder, the same company that owns Ladurée. I stopped by the McCafé at the Louvre today and tried the caramel; it wasn’t bad, but a bit too heavy and sweet for my taste. The cheesecake and café con panna, however, were pretty good.
La Tête dans Les Olives
Tucked into a funky street in a seldomly visited part of the 10th, not too far from the Canal, you’ll find La Tête dans Les Olives, where Cédric Casanova, a former tight-rope walker, sells amazing hand-picked Sicilian olive oil and other seasonal products.
The shop itself is miniscule, with shiny metal vats lining the walls, tagged with names like Angelo, Bianca and Nunzio, evoking the artisans who produced these fragrant, delicious olive oils, each with their own distinctive taste. Depending on the season you might also find organic lemons, wild oregano, fennel seeds, pink peppercorns, heads of garlic, divine sun-dried tomatoes, salted capers, ricotta salata, bresaola and bottarga of tuna, and—not surprisingly—olives. Each product has a story and name behind it and you get the sense that Casanova knows each producer well.
Happily, the store has begun doubling as a table d’hôte during lunch and dinner with one—yes one—lone table of five squeezed into the middle of the shop. The 30€ menu takes you through most, if not all, the offerings Casanova has on hand. If you want to try the tuna and anchovies, it will cost a bit more, but not much.
On the day that I visited, Marco presented us with an antipasti of olives, tomatoes, tapenade, cucunci, and oil-soaked bread infused with salt, oregano and fennel seed. Next up was minted carrots and ricotta salta, stuffed mushrooms, and a truly incredible Sicilian sweet and sour pumpkin. We opted to try the fish plate with anchovies, and two types of tuna–bresaola and a tuna “saucisson” –all caught by Captain Cangemi, a fisherman Casanova met in Italy. Then, miraculously, our host Marco whipped up some buccoli pasta with tomatoes, eggplant, pesto and ricotta salata, all this with no real kitchen in sight and only a hot plate to cook on. We lingered a bit with espresso and almond cookies, taking in the unique experience.
I was a bit worried that with one single table it might be impossible to get in, but at least for now it didn’t seem too difficult. Perhaps the fact that you need to have a party of five in order to book is a detterent.
To reserve send an email to casagumi@gmail.com.
La Tête dans Les Olives
Lunch served from 12-13h30 (the shop opens at 14h00)
Dinner from 20h00
Closed: Sunday and Monday
2 rue Sainte Marthe, Paris 10th.
Avant Comptoir, Yves Camdeborde’s latest
This tiny “bar à hors-d’oeuvres” recently opened by Yves Camdeborde, one of Paris’s most coveted chefs and proprietor of the impossible-to-book Comptoir du Relais, is certainly one of the best places to open in Paris this year.
Anyone knowledgeable of the Parisian food scene will easily recognize Camdeborde, the jovial chef who unintentionally started the bistronomique food trend in 1992 when he gave up the world of Michelin stars by leaving the two-starred Les Ambassadeurs to open La Régalade, a modestly-priced bistro in the outmost corner of the 14th arrondissement. Other chefs soon followed suit and the Paris restaurant scene was transformed. Much to the dismay of foodies around the world, he turned over la Régalade to Bruno Doucet to open Le Comptoir du Relais, which soon became one of Paris’s most talked about tables.
His latest endeavor, in a narrow non-descript space which adjoins the Comptoir, turns out delicious, affordable small plates of the highest quality along with interesting small-production wines. Steamed Camus artichokes dipped in olive oil, piping-hot, addictive croquettes filled with Eric Ospital’s Ibaïona ham, delicious chipolatas fried in duck fat with garlic, pig’s feet croquettes, plates of excellent charcuterie, and wonderful seared cêpes are only some of the tasty offerings on hand. Claustrophobics might want to abstain as it’s standing room only at the zinc bar laden with a communal bread basket, a tub of Bordier butter, white jars of pickles and peppers meant to be shared amongst your neighbors.
Rumor has it that Inaki Aizpitarte is contemplating a tapas-style annex to his Chateaubriand, so hopefully Chef Camdeborde will have started the next new Parisian restaurant trend…à suivre
L’Avant Comptoir
3, carrefour de l’Odéon, 6th.
See the map here
Wines from 2 € a glass
Plates: 3-6 €
Open daily 9h-24h
Urban Honey
Strangely, it appears that honey bees the world over are suffering from a mysterious illness named Colony Collapse Disorder and are disappearing at a rather alarming rate. Bee keepers are finding their bee hives disserted and speculate that pesticides may be destroying the bee’s natural homing powers leaving them unable to find their way home. You may wonder why this is such a big deal, but bees are a pretty big part of the food chain and play a major role in agriculture by pollinating crops. In other words–no bees, no crops. Interestingly, at the same time country bees are disappearing, their urban neighbors seem to be thriving and more and more city dwellers are getting into apiculture.
Paris, with all of its magnificent parks, turns out to be a perfect place to be a bee and hives are being found throughout the city. In fact, there are said to be some 300 registered hives in Paris. I had already heard of the glamorous honey bees found on the rooftops of the Paris Opera and Grand Palais, but was delighted to find an even closer producer in my own backyard thanks to Spring Boutique who carries Remy Vanbremeersch’s honey.
Vanbremeersch’s honey is produced in hives found in the 19th and 20th arrondissements of Paris and, in addition to Spring Boutique, it can be found on certain days at his stand at the marché aux Place des Fêtes. Thanks to the thousands of species of plants and flowers which can be found in Paris parks, the honey has a delicious fragrant taste, which is unlike the honey of bees who often feast on mono-culture crops.
If you insist on the more chic honey from the Opéra de Paris, it can be bought at the Opera’s boutique and also from Fauchon. You can also find Parisian honey at Les Abeilles a shop devoted to all things bee related in the charming Buttes aux Cailles. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until autumn of 2010 to taste the “miel de Grand Palais” whose hives were only installed this past May.
Fauchon
Place de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris
Les Abeilles
21, rue de la Butte-aux-Cailles, 75013 Paris
Spring Boutique
Daniel Rose’s latest endeavour “Spring Boutique” opened earlier this month just a few steps from the Seine on the rue de l’Arbre Sec.
Opening night was mobbed and so I decided to go back this weekend to get a better look at the products Daniel and Marie-Aude have on hand. As you might imagine, its shelves are lined with hard-to-find, top-of-the-line products. I came away with Soluna Peruvian coffee, organic flour, D.O.P. San Marzano tomatoes, which are grown in the Agro Sarnese Nocerino region of Italy and are said to be the world’s best tomatoes for sauce, Valrhona Araguani chocolate disks for soon-to-be-made chocolate chip cookies, haricots de soissons and some very local honey. They also stock Spanish olive oil, mustard, an assortment of vinegars, several varieties of fleur de sel, organic local vegetables, and a very nice selection of wines with a focus on small producers chosen by Josh Adler.
I will definitely be back to try more of Daniel and Marie-Aude’s finds.
Spring Boutique
52 Rue de l’Arbre Sec
75001 Paris
01 58 62 44 30
Tuesday-Saturday: 10h30-21h00
Zinc Caius
It’s too bad that every neighbourhood doesn’t have a restaurant like Jean Marc Notelet’s recently-opened, pocket-sized bistro, Zinc Caius, which is just a few minutes walk from Etoile. The décor, like the food, is simple yet soignée with steel grey tones and a hip, industrial feeling.
Notelet, who once worked at the three-star Boyer Les Crayeres before opening the since closed “Le Troyon” in the 17th and the more grown-up Caius up the street, is known for his judicious use of unusual spices and original take on traditional French cuisine.
The food here is simple, yet very good. I am not really a boudin fanatic, but this house-made boudin noir Bernais with Bordier’s beurre au sel fumé was delicious, as was the warm salad of Puy lentils garnished with Lardo di Colonnata, walnuts and tarragon and the Piquillos peppers with creamy goat cheese, basil and yellow pepper coulis. Mains were equally good with a perfectly seared Simmental strip steak and hand-cut steak tartar served with crisp, fat polenta fries. Desserts didn’t disappoint either with a crème caramel, nage de rhubarb with fromage blanc ice cream and mint, and chantilly de semoule with Amarena cherries.
A lot has been written lately about the demise of French cooking and how it’s not all that easy to find exceptional cooking in France these days, but thankfully inexpensive neighbourhood bistros like this, with high-quality products and cooking at affordable prices, continue to pop up and prove the naysayers wrong.
Entrees: 7€-12 €
Plats: 13€-16€
Desserts: 5€-8 €
Zinc Caius
11 rue d’Armaillé
75017 PARIS
Telephone: 01 44 09 05 10
Métro Argentine
See the map here
Open daily for lunch and dinner, except Sunday.
Paris Notebook 
