Instead of my usual breakfast (a banana, a bowl of cereals with warm milk, and a slice of bread with Nutella), I went to the Boulangerie Nantaise to taste their baguettes and croissants and go on with my review of French bakeries in Seattle.
The decoration of this place makes it—well, I’m puzzled about it. Posters and signs on the walls make it clear that you are in a French place. Pictures of Paris, box made of fer-blanc, maps, drawings, they all refer to France. It looks different from the rest of this country, covered with Star-Spangled Banners and pictures of Uncle Sam. I really wonder why you feel so patriotic. Does your loyalty go to your state or to the Union? Do states have anthems too? On YouTube, I saw Jen Hudson performing your national anthem during your big-sports-event-I-don’t-currently-remember-the-name, and I asked myself if you had local celebrities singing the local anthem during local big-sports-events.
Let’s go back to the bakery with all that Froggie stuff on the walls. There’s a lot of it, and it’s a relief if you want to spend a short time outside of this US-patriotic-propaganda around you. But all this decoration may be perceived as too much. In fact, that’s what I thought at first. I believed this French bakery was a fake one trying to look genuine and dissimulating its fakeness behind the French-style posters.
Once you’ve tasted the croissant ($2), you know there’s no fake here. If you are lucky, you may also have the chance to meet Alexandre (that’s also a name you may have trouble pronouncing), the French baker of the place, along with David (yeah, you have this name in English too, but try to say it in a French way so I can laugh at you). (In fact, it’s delightful to see you trying to say things in a French manner, which must be so hard since you don’t use the same sounds in English. Make an attempt with “une tuerie a eu lieu dans l’Ain”. Hahahahaha.)
The particularity of this bakery lies in its use of organic ingredients. It explains why prices are a bit high ($2.60 for a baguette). But when you finish the croissant and wonder how many pounds it’s gonna cost you, you just smile. It’s organic. It must be healthy. Too much healthy can do no harm, for sure.
According to me, this place earns a B.
Good points:
• The taste of the croissant, not wonderfully orgasismic (yeah, orgasismic) but correct
• The decoration because collecting all these things must have taken a long time
Bad points:
• Not a lot of choice in the vitrine
• Too much Frenchie-style decoration, it could have been more subtle
Like the bakery I am unsure if this post (and poster) is real or fake French. Regardless, I find it very amusing.
The only croissants I eat these days are from the Asian donut shop on the way to work – buttery crap, mmmm, just like a job.
daVEED.
“I really wonder why you feel so patriotic.”
Because we are not a bunch of cheese-eating surrender monkeys.
@4 Side of Freedom Fries with that comment??
Personally, I’d like to see Julien trying Amurican food, you know, see of he eats his hamburger with a knife and fork like one of my neighbours…oy.
If this is the Boulangerie Nantaise that I am thinking of, it’s actually part of some sort of organic French food chain, Bio-Fournil, maybe?
French food reviews old now.
Go to Dick’s Drive In on Broadway for dinner. Order the following:
Dick’s Deluxe burger
Fries
Chocolate shake
Report back on that patriotic American goodness.
@5 Yes, please.
I was going to tell the intern to go seek out a bakery near that fictional french-speaking Seattle community that the Stranger once wrote about. But now I can’t find that piece of writing at all. Someone help me?
Can these end now? Seriously not all that entertaining. Even *I* can get down with a good bit o’ America bashing, but I could care less about French bakeries that are all too far away from Cap. Hill to get to in the morning.
Okay, last week’s amusing spoof has gotten tedious with repetition.
The idea that there are four bakeries in Seattle, never mind four French bakeries (are there four French people in Seattle?) is preposterous.
Hey, go to Besalu in Ballard and let us know what you think about the pain au chocolat there. Hmmmmmmm.
@9 – I remember that one too, it was a pretty long time ago (maybe 20th century) and the community was allegedly called “north park” and located just to the west of those big cemetaries on Aurora.
One-trick pony. Zzzzzzz.
@6 — it used to be called Bio-Fournil, but I’m not sure if it still has any affiliation.
Their croissants are most definitely not their best feature. I would heartily recommend their baguette as one of the better ones in town.
We’ll be able to tell if this intern knows anything or is French when he gets to comparing Honore with Besalu in Ballard. If myballard is anything to go by, that’ll bring out a good cadre of trolls as well…..
Yawn.
French Intern is amusing and lovely, but it is time to broaden his horizons. One more french bakery review and this will become truly tedious.
I say send him off to Dicks. Or someone else suggested the Puyallup Fair, which would be hilarious. Or send him up to the Chateau Ste Mechelle Winery so he can bash local wines compared to French wine. Get creative. Have fun.
French Intern is delightful, but surely you can find more for him to do than send him from one French bakery to another, day after day after day.
Everybody stop recommending bakeries; you’re only encouraging him.
I saw Julien last night at a choral rehearsal. For a minute, I thought he might talk about something other than bread. I was relieved, even if I was sure he’d complain about how we don’t smell as good as the choirs in France.
faux est faux
The place is great, has primo whole wheat bread and will slice it, and great freshly prepared sandwiches …. about the best in the city. Check it out.
the writer is fresh out of l’ecole ordinnaire, n’estpas?
The point of organic isn’t that it’s healthier, it’s that it’s not poisonous.
The reason there is so much “Frenchy” stuff in a French bakery in the U.S. is that everything in the U.S. is over-the-top and obnoxious. It’s not enough to just have a French flag and leave it at that, there’s gotta be little Eiffel towers and Arc de Triomphes and Napoleons plastered all over the place in order to keep up with the Joneses.
I think the intern is trying to be funny the way he thinks Jerry Lewis is the best comedian ever.
boring
“It looks different from the rest of this country, covered with Star-Spangled Banners and pictures of Uncle Sam.”
did you know anything at all about Seattle before you came here? or is that irony?
Okay okay… let me understand… Who comes to Seattle to eat french food? WTF.
God, this guy is douche. Hate this place, go back to France. At least we try to embrace all cultures (and girls can wear headscarves to school and gasp!they even let Muslims pray in school – go figure). This kind of “I’ll review French stuff in America but it’ll all be crap” is not worthy of anyone’s time.
I’ll put up Wild Wheat in Kent against any Seattle bakery.
Their Pain Au Levain is crazy koo-koo great bread!
You can eat at the cafe, or buy the bread and pastries direct at the register.
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/1/662604/res…
Your French Intern needs some more interesting assignments.
For example, how does Seattle’s weed compares with French buds? How about a review of our women?
this is getting really old.
You’re not an intern, you’re already a tired gimmick.
Mudede! Caught!!
il n’ya pas de «s» dans les céréales en anglais
We’re not known for vitrine here.
I blame Chihulhy.
try the french onion soup at applebees its really authentic. mm and the garlic taost and a side of fried mozzarella.
Julien, I’ll save you some time (both writing and on the bus):
There is no bakery in seattle that makes ANYTHING as good as in Paris. Nor any bakery that makes anything as good as in rural Germany. Not sure why or what makes our baked goods so much less delicious, but facts are facts. Sorry you travelled here in vain.
A few years back I got to stay at the Centennial Tower apartments for a couple weeks and I remember going next door to le Boulangerie practically every day for croissants or baguette sandwiches at lunch. Thanks for bringing back some delicious memories.
Your ways are different from mine, thus I reject your opinions.
I think he’s funny. I like these. Not too crazy about the amount of xenophobic trolls on slog, though.
Ugh, this is getting ready stupid now. Every French bakery in Seattle will be a FAKE French bakery because Seattle is not in France. Also, I lived in Seattle for 6 years. I not once saw an Uncle Sam sign plastered anywhere. What the hell are you talking about?
P.S. German breads are much tastier, more varied and satisfying than that airy, crusty Froschfresser crap. I’ll take boring old Kamps over the best French bakery any day. Move on.
I’m with Peter F, Fifty-Two Eighty and others… this has gotten old super quick.
I like his reviews of French bakeries (French restaurants should be included). But I could do without the snark, which is getting old. I value the review part, though!
I’m just surprised that nobody has answered the question of whether states have anthems. Actually, yes they do. No, we do not sing them at baseball games, and come to think of it, I don’t know why. States also have representative flowers, trees, minerals, and birds. The official dirt of California, for example, is the dirt of San Joaquin.
“it’s delightful to see you trying to say things in a French manner, which must be so hard since you don’t use the same sounds in English” – sigh – c’est trop vrai!
Try this link and click on “Listen” to hear what he’s talking about.