rev:text
| - Authentic Parisian patisserie? Can't say for sure. But Gaby et Jules certainly wouldn't be out of place if it were transported to Manhattan. Overall, I feel mixed about this shop. On the plus side, the food tastes pretty good and looks beautiful. On the down side, the shop is rather pretentious, and, arguably, overpriced.
I braved the line on its soft opening this past Friday and got: one croissant, one dessert, and four macarons. The croissant was very nice -- flaky, buttery, not doughy at all. It is, however, Americanized in its size: probably twice as large as the breakfast croissants in France. Gaby et Jules offers an amazing array of jewel-like macarons. Although I have not been fanatic about this confection, G&J's alluring display still got me to try some. And they are very very good. Not too sweet, and the favors generally shine through -- if it's a coffee flavored one, expect strong espresso; if it's raspberry flavored, expect intense summer berry.
While the pastries at G&J may be easy on the eyes, they are not so easy on the wallet. A croissant is $3, the dessert is about $7, and each tiny macaron is $2. One can get similarly tasty treats at Jean Marc Chatellier's for half the price (G&J's macarons are probably a little more sophisticated, but JMC's food has an authentic rustic charm). To me, the main differences are: JMC's Millevale storefront is a great deal humbler; the shop is much harder to get to; their servers, while friendly, are not cute girls who speak with a charming French accent, and your pastries won't be as prettily packaged.
|