(Credit: AP)
Paris in Town French Bakery Cafe
Address: 11460 U.S. 1, North Palm Beach; 561-626-6017
Type of food: French sandwiches, quiches and pastries
Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
Service: Helpful, courteous
Dining facility: It's strictly counter service with a wine bar, small dining area and two outdoor tables. Undeniably charming space where one could easily spend a quiet afternoon.
Delivery: None
The Dish
Open since 1974, Paris in Town French Bakery Cafe was bought by Beni and Diane Himmich last October. They are a husband-and-wife team who met in Paris while Beni was studying culinary arts.
Everything is prepared to order, and it's only a few minutes before it's ready to go.
The cafe offers homemade quiches ($6.25), including tomato and basil, spinach, and six veggies. But we opted for the traditional quiche Lorraine ($6.65). We enjoyed every bite of salty ham, eggs and melted Swiss cheese in the savory crust. It's complemented by a side of mesclun with homemade balsamic vinaigrette, one of the best side salads I've tried.
We also sampled the Le Bon Voyage sandwich ($7.25), thick slices of creamy, melt-in-your-mouth brie and thin-sliced roast turkey breast on a flaky croissant that gleams from the butter baked into it. Initially, we were perplexed to find no spread on the sandwich. But after one bite it was clear it isn't needed. The sandwich comes with potato chips, but if you wish you can request the same mesclun mixed greens that comes with the quiche.
I can't leave a French bakery without trying an eclair ($3.25), and we were glad we did. Stuffed with fluffy chocolate crème pâtissière, the puffy pastry is coated with chocolate that's pleasantly hardened for a nice contrast. It is love at first bite.
Heather C. McCalla is a freelance writer for the Sun-Sentinel.
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