Paris sucks...

[Cary]

...because after traipsing around Paris for a week sampling many baguettes and breads from countless cafes, restaurants, and boulangers, I've come to find that there is no good baguette to be found in the SF Bay Area now. Yes, I know about Acme. I used to think Acme was great too. Now, it's just pretty good.

One local bakery has a great looking and textured crust, but the crumb will be very very airy and light and not much flavor. Another has a thick and soft crust, dense crumb, but good flavor. Another has a soft crust, and soft crumb of the almost-par-baked style which seems popular. *sigh* Acme will have to do...

Paris sucks...

[rockfish42]

You could always try making your own, a lot of home bakers have had good success using the general method of the baker who won best baguettes in Paris in 2008 Anis Bouabsa. King Arthur Flour sells a flour very similar to the French T55. The hardest part of course is shaping
Shaping video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP-E8qXuIQ4
Formula: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/9839/ficelles-made-anis-bouabsa039s-baguette-formula”
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/8242...

[Cary]

Thanks for the link. I've tried making baguettes in the past, but I ended up with dense rocks.
A patissier or boulanger I'll never be.

[PhilD]

Simply different flour. Technique may be as good in SF (maybe better) but without real French flour it will never be the same (so says my great baker in the UK who uses local flour i.e. low food miles)

[kfed]

just so i understand, you say paris sucks because, they have good bakeries when compared to SF Bay. Am i Right?
i was confused beacuse you posted in the paris discussion thread and not the SF thread.
where was the best bagutte in Pars?

[Cary]

My post was written rather tongue in cheek.

There were a lot of good contenders, but I enjoyed the "baguette royale" from Pain d'Epis in the 7eme. (63 ave. Bosquet.) the most. Aside from the good texture of the crust and crumb, I really liked the flavor and aroma of the crumb (due in part to the mix of flours used).

[kfed]

ok thanks for the clarification. as mentioned, the main reason is the ingredients(i.e.flour)

[souphie]

I like the cheese board in Berkeley.

[Leely2]

I think the Cheese Board has good baguettes too. They are connected (same collective?) to Arizmendi bakery in Oakland on Grand Lake and on 7th and Irving in SF. Same breads, not nearly as wide a cheese selection.

[Delucacheesemonger]

Been going to a different boulangerie in Paris every day of the 3-4 months l am in Paris yearly. Agree with you re: SF, however, Sullivan Street Bakery, Amy's, Tomcat, and miche from Balthazar all in NY give up very little to Paris, yes a bit, but still happy there.