The Paris Patisserie Tour, Stop #2: Pain de Sucre.

On the heels of a very succesful first stop on the tour at La Chocolaterie de Jacques Genin, I forged ahead with a skip in my step and a truffle in my hand to:

Stop #2: Pain de Sucre.

Although only a mere 15 minute walk separated them, Pain de Sucre could not have been more different from Jacques Genin. There was no inside seating first of all – this was an order at the counter and go kinda place, although they did have a few tables right outside facing the street. This was something I’ve never seen anywhere but Paris, and just adore the concept – every shop, cafe, restaurant, etc, sets up seating outside along the street, FACING the street, encouraging you to people watch. People love watching people and people love being watched. It’s a win-win.

Anyway, Pain de Sucre was like the pastry shop from outer space. It was super modern inside – stark white with splashes of red, and a simple, clean display. The rainbow of macarons were like a beacon against the otherwise white background, and I was instantly drawn to them. The flavors sounded astronomically delicious, and it was very difficult to choose which ones to get! So, when in doubt, go with the prettiest colors, I always say.

stack of macs.

I wound up with (from top to bottom): chocolate, walnut, caramel, and pistachio. I was sitting outside at one of the little people watching tables, when I took this photo. It took about four tries, as every time I got them to stand and was about to snap the photo, they tipped over. The people next to me were not speaking english, but I could tell by their tone that they were giggling at my photography fails. Finally, I got a good stack shot, and was able to eat them. They were all better than any macaron I’ve had in the states, but the clear winner of the group in both the looks and taste category was the walnut,. Sometimes it’s what’s on the outside and the inside that counts.

walnut tops chocolate.

I liked the fact that Pain de Sucre was different – it retained its title of  “most unique” of all the shops I visited throughout the tour. It also was the only one with the sweet outside people-watching seats. And now I’m on a quest to recreate that walnut macaron.

To be continued in the next post: Stop #3: La Boulangerie Jean-Noël Julien. When one shop closes, another is still open nearby and should have been on the list to begin with.