Beautiful French Pastries
Written: Jan 27 '01 (Updated Feb 11 '03)
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Pros: The pastries.
Cons: Sometimes brusque service.
The Bottom Line: The selection, presentation and quality of the pastries is impressive.
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| soothsayer's Full Review: Payard Patisserie and Bistro |
Fresh, beautifully made French pastries are hard to find in New York, but one place, Payard, recreates them like the top patisseries in Paris.
Passing through the Payard's wood and glass doors of this upscale looking shop gives you a taste of what you can expect to find inside. The opulent wood and tile exterior gives way to more wood and tile inside. Immediately inside the restaurant is the salon area where there are mini cafe tables and seating for tea and coffee. Also located here are the sleek pastry, bread, cake and cookie display cases where one can pick and choose, as well as take out. If nothing else is noticable, then the pastries will certainly attract your attention.
Like beautiful flowers, the pastries are a showcase of what the patisserie can create. All authentic, Francois Payard was a pastry chef at many of the top restaurants in Paris and New York. It was only recently he had opened his own bistro and patisserie here in New York. At $3.75-$4.50+ a piece, the pastries are also attractively priced.
Payard has all your traditional favorites, lemon tarts, banana and rum tarts, fruit tarts, Fountainebleau, Notre Dame, Napoleons, creme brulee, etc. There are so many types to choose from. Each pastry is skillfully decorated and beautifully presented. The raspberry napoleon ($3.75), for example, was delicious. Fresh and fragrant raspberry creme enclosed by layers of crisp buttery wafers. The lemon tart ($4.50) was fresh, lemony sharp, and not sugary sweet.
Payard's also features bread, and viennoiserie. Of special note is the craquelin. These are brioche bread with some orange rind inside (like orange marmelade), the crusty top is dusted with powdered sugar and blanched almonds. This type of bread is normally served with tea because it is a bit more extravagant than regular bread. The larger 9 inch craquelin is $9.00, the smaller 3 inch mini-craquelin is only $2.25, a bargain which sells fast. There are also croissants, baguettes and other breads available. Payard, being a pastry chef, also specializes in wedding cakes, and handmade chocolates too.
For sit down service at the salon, there is a waitperson who comes around every so often. The service is ok though. The staff is a bit brusque which may or may not be surprising considering some of the waitstaff are French. On the weekends the place is crowded with a lot of foot traffic in and out of the salon area.
For the home cook, recipes are available from Payard's website at http://www.payard.com and from his cookbook " Simply Sensational Desserts: 140 Classic for the Home Baker from New York's Famous Patisserie and Bistro". The book is filled with many recipes tested, and adapted for the home kitchen. Payard confesses that some of the adapted recipes, such as the lemon tart, not only taste better, but require far less work than the versions served at the bistro.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations excellent pastries. tea service available.
Best Suited For: Friends
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