In Search of a Paris-Worthy Baguette

I should have known better. In fact, I told myself months ago not to go there. But with Paris now 5+ months in the rear view mirror, I was craving a baguette and started asking around for recommendations from people who should know. Americans who'd lived in Paris. Even French folks living in DC. And the result? Well read on.

My first stop was the Saint Michel French Bakery. Their main store is in Rockville near the Twinbrook metro, way too far from where I live to even consider a visit. But it turns out, they have a stand in the Montgomery Farm Women's Cooperative Market in Bethesda that's open twice a week, a location considerably closer to me and even closer to my office. Their baguettes beat the supermarket variety (which to be honest are just barely a step up from the bread they "bake on the premises" at Subway) but not by much. I may go back someday to try the tarts which were both pretty and well-priced.

The next option was Paul in Georgetown, the newest offering of this bakery with outlets everywhere in Paris. There it was the kind of place I could count on for a reliably good quality baguette even if I usually preferred to buy from the independent boulangerie in my neighborhood. My kids were with me when we stopped in at Paul and my youngest was desperate to break off the top for a little snack. Taking the baguette from me, she stopped to take a deep whiff. Expecting yeasty goodness, she got nothing. On balance, the Paul baguette was better than the one from Saint Michel but still nothing to write home about.

After that, I tried La Madeleine in Bethesda, a restaurant and bakery that French friends living in DC used to love when they craved a little bit of home. In one word: horrible. We actually ended up throwing it out since no one wanted to eat it after the first try.

My final stop was Patisserie Poupon in upper Georgetown. Walking into the shop which was bustling with customers, I was optimistic. Glistening fruit tarts and viennoiserie were beckoning, and the buches de noel lovingly decorated with meringue mushrooms. We waited in line for a good 10 minutes (just like Paris!) and in the end, came home with a baguette like the one from Paul, no aroma and only moderately tasty.

Then last night, I stopped in at our local supermarket to pick up fixings for a last minute salad for dinner. Still craving good bread, I bought a loaf of what was labeled "Tuscan bread" from the store's specialty bakery. And you know what? It was better than any one of the baguettes we'd tested.

So I'm giving up on baguettes. Hearty whole grain and sourdough loaves will be my bread of choice while in Washington. Some day, I'll get the chance again to bite into a freshly baked Parisian baguette and I'm sure the experience will be all the sweeter for the wait.

Wine for the Teetotaler

What would I do without the supermarket?  At home and away, I can always find something amusing.  Today's feature is an array of premium grape juices; if you can't read the labels, the purple is merlot and the red is cabernet.  I could have taken pictures of the chardonnay and syrah as well but I think you get the picture.  Top billing is for antioxidant properties, secondary billing for the snob factor.  I can hear the French clucking all the way from here.

Deal or No Deal

I couldn't resist snapping a photo (albeit one slightly out of focus) of this ridiculous sign in the supermarket.  If it's normally $2.99, how is getting two for $6 a deal?  You actually pay for the privilege, it seems to me.

The forecast for the rest of the week is amazing; we will finally be getting the weather we normally get in September, last month getting kudos only for sogginess.  (Apparently mold spores were up 75 percent.)  As I have little on my plate for the next few days, I plan to be out and about, poking around Washington neighborhoods for tidbits to share here.  Since I will be starting a full time job next week, I'm hoping to stock up enough photos and stories to keep this blog going while I adjust to my new schedule.

On the Newstand

Call me a cheap date but I find the covers of the magazines in the supermarket endlessly amusing.  It's best not to peek inside because the articles themselves are never as interesting as the teaser headlines suggest.  What caught my eye in this display was the ramen noodle cookbook.  Having eaten my share of ramen noodles in my student days, I can't say that there is anything very fun about them.  After all, if you are going to dress up ramen noodles, you might as well cook for real.

Summer's Bounty

It used to be that you needed a crowd to enjoy a watermelon.  But someone finally figured out that a small watermelon might be just the ticket for those of us who don't have plans to invite the neighborhood over for dinner.  And kudos to the genius in the marketing department who decided to christen these "personal" watermelons.  It's still a lot for one person; in fact, it's just about perfect for a family of four.

It may be September 1 but it's technically still summer.  So get out there and get you a watermelon, personal or family sized depending upon your mood.  That is some crisp, sweet summer deliciousness.  And by all mean, eat it outside and see just how far you can spit those seeds. 

Clipping Coupons

Although I've been fortunate in my life to have never worried where my next meal was coming from or whether I'd have enough money to pay the rent,  I still know how to pinch a penny.  After all, if I don't over pay for groceries or clothes, there's more left over for fun things like travel, theater tickets, and a really nice dinner out.

I used to be pretty good at scouring the weekly grocery circulars, menu planning around the loss leaders, and maximizing my savings with manufacturer's coupons.  All that went out the window when we went to France where there were rarely promotions in the supermarket and the coupons were mostly for stuff I didn't want to buy anyway.  But now that we're back, I'm having a hard time getting back into the groove.  For starters, I have no idea what anything is supposed to cost anymore.  Is $3.99 a gallon a good price to pay for milk?  It's hard to know when you've gotten used to 2.75 euros for two liters.  (The math for the currency and volume conversions kind of breaks my brain.)  What does a steak go for?  A pound of zucchini?  A half gallon of ice cream?  What should I buy in the full service market and what's worth a trip to Trader Joe's or even Costco (which we recently joined to get some major savings on a new TV)?  And just how much time do I want to spend grocery shopping anyway?!!

So for the moment, I'm taking things slowly, one meal at a time.  Come to think of it, our grill comes out of storage on Friday and we could do burgers.  Excuse me while I go cross check the prices on ground beef.

Cupholders Trump All

Many people^[who?], particularly in the United States, consider the design, location and number of cup holders in a vehicle to be one of the most important attributes influencing their vehicle purchase^{[citation needed]}. Others take the contrary view; that they are irrelevant, and encourage a dangerous practice which distracts drivers from their primary task. Cars designed primarily for the North American market have tended to have larger cupholders, while those for which the primary market is outside of North America tend to have smaller ones^{[citation needed]}.

And that, in a nutshell, is the problem with Wikipedia.  You go to find out some basic facts only to find them mixed in with a bunch of specious information.

So while I can't tell you whether Americans actually buy their cars due to the number and locations of cupholders, I have to say that it certainly seems that way.  The car dealer who sold us our new Toyota Prius made sure to point out the four (!) cupholders in the front seat and did so with the same reverence as he explained how to work the GPS.

Cupholders in cars make sense, particularly if you have a long commute or a road trip in mind.  And cupholders in movie theaters?  Well, while I never buy refreshments at the movies myself, I can see the logic in having a place to stow your Coke while balancing your tub of popcorn.  But a cupholder on your grocery cart?  That one took me by surprise.

The icing on the cake?  The warning label:  Do not place hot beverage in holder when child is in seat.  Whew.  Good thing my kids are way too big to ride in the cart.  Otherwise I might have had a sad story to tell.

Score!

I wasn't sure whether the movers who packed up our Paris apartment would touch the cabinet with my French food finds so I restrained myself from buying too much lest we needed to carry it all in our suitcases.  Happily, they didn't bat an eye when it came to the kilo jar of mustard, the tins of creme de marron, boxes of sea salt, and a couple jars of Speculoos spread.  My kids, however, insisted that two jars of the latter would not be enough to sustain us upon our return and made a last minute run to the market for two more that got tucked in with the t-shirts, bathing suits, and socks.

So imagine their delight when we spied this display, not at some fancy schmancy gourmet food shop, but in the local Giant supermarket.  Same product, same manufacturer, albeit a different name.  As for the price?  It's pretty similar to what we paid in Franprix and Casino.   Now if I can just summon up the self control not to buy it too frequently!

By the way, that recipe for Speculoos Chicken in Dorie Greenspan's otherwise wonderful cookbook, Around My French Table?  You should save the cookies to have with your coffee.  Just saying.