66818 Fri Feb 18 18:25:34 -0800 2005 76 2 Los Angeles Area 0 361706 I've got a traveling friend from Austria staying with me now, who is lamenting the lack of really excellent bakery bread-- you know, the kind you can find baking even in European gas stations and it's still 100 times better thn the baguettes you get at the supermarket. I'm talking the kind of bread where when you bite into it, you have more crumbs on your lap than in your mouth, with a wonderful crispness to the outside and a softness on the inside, without the gumminess and chew that characterizes American attempts at European bread. Please help, fellow hounds! Mr. Taster Fri Feb 18 18:25:34 -0800 2005 0 Mr. Taster 1 361707 see mr. baguette, near rosemead in arcadia Fri Feb 18 18:38:19 -0800 2005 361706 0 x 2 361716 I agree, they are the best I've had in LA. Here's the address: 8702 E. Valley Blvd. Fri Feb 18 19:21:51 -0800 2005 361707 0 Dan-o 3 3411400 I really like to add fresh butter on these. They are very crusty outside yet airy inside. Also, Mr. baguette prices cannot be beat. If I am going to make french toast from sliced baguette bread then I get them from La Brea Bakery. These seem to be a little more dense and hold the mixture of Eggs, cream, sugar, orange juice, vanilla and cinnamon better. The more airy Mr. baguette bread does not work as well with that much moisture and other things IMO. Mon Feb 18 20:00:48 -0800 2008 361716 90917 JeetJet 4 3415351 I LOVE the la brea baguette. The ones from Costco no less. 4 bucks for 2. Tue Feb 19 20:28:51 -0800 2008 3411400 91179 ns1 1 361708 No question... Pain Du Jour (310) 399-4870 828 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica Fri Feb 18 18:39:36 -0800 2005 361706 0 D'oh 2 361710 I heard that place closed down a while back. Not the case? Fri Feb 18 18:43:43 -0800 2005 361708 0 chowchick 3 361826 They were open last week. Good as ever. French as ever. Mon Feb 21 11:35:43 -0800 2005 361710 0 Palisadesman 4 4074383 I second that emotion! They've revamped and have plans for more. FINALLY a good bakery and coffee shop in Sunset Park. Whoopee! http://lepaindujour.com/ http://www.yelp.com/biz/le-pain-du-jour-inc-santa-monica Wed Oct 01 09:26:08 -0700 2008 361826 27372 onomiko 1 361709 I have yet to find a bread in LA whose crust is both crisp and tender - whether it's the flour, the water or the kneading, it just does not seem to happen. The only baguette I've found here that I can enjoy for itself is Trader Joe's French (not the sourdough!). It's a poor imitation, but a starving man will eat bugs, won't he? Fri Feb 18 18:42:51 -0800 2005 361706 0 Will Owen 2 361789 I have yet to try a trader joes bread i could stand. I do shop there regularly, just never for bread. Sat Feb 19 21:24:48 -0800 2005 361709 0 onethatgotaway 3 361823 I agree- I love TJ's as well, but their fruit and bread are their weakest links Mr. Taster Mon Feb 21 03:38:59 -0800 2005 361789 0 Mr. Taster 4 3418769 The only bread I like from Traders is the demi pain rustica, which is basically all crust. I sure wish they would offer something better. Wed Feb 20 17:26:40 -0800 2008 361823 51111 MaryT 1 361711 It's an international chain, but I really like Le Pain Quotidien. There's one on Melrose, west of La Cienega, one in Beverly Hills on Santa Monica Blvd and I just noticed one in Santa Monica near the Promenade. Check out the website for actual addresses. www.lepainquotidien.com Fri Feb 18 18:48:37 -0800 2005 361706 0 Nick 2 361712 I agree. And their meringues are excellent. Fri Feb 18 18:53:03 -0800 2005 361711 0 David Kahn 2 361745 I second that... and the brownies are insanely delicious and decadent!! I can't make it home without finishing it in the car first. Terrible :) Fri Feb 18 22:20:10 -0800 2005 361711 0 Ash 3 3416302 And Starting Next Week, The Studio City location will began Baking the baguettes in the store. and you will be able to buy fresh and warm. Normally they are delivered every morning from the commissary. Wed Feb 20 07:45:04 -0800 2008 361745 77316 420 Reasons to eat 1 361717 Jon's Market has the best, I think. In white bags in a basket in the deli section. Just what you're talking about. Crumbs all over the place and softness inside. Light as a feather. And you gotta eat it the day you get it or it's all dried out. Around a buck for 8-12 oz. loaf. Fri Feb 18 19:26:10 -0800 2005 361706 0 2chez mike 2 3410263 Which Jon's Market? 'Cause the one at Hollywood and Vermont has a wretched bread section. Mon Feb 18 14:23:38 -0800 2008 361717 85884 maxzook 3 3412973 The best baguettes i've seen are at the Jons on Roscoe and Winnetka and _occasionally_ at Bristol farms. It's the ones that are crunchy on the outside and soft inside. They do become completely dry the next day, so you have to eat it right away. It's excellent bread though. Can't stand TJ's baguettes - dry and tasteless. Try em with butter and red caviar - now that's good breakfast :) Tue Feb 19 09:55:11 -0800 2008 3410263 102873 karamazov 1 361720 The baguettes at Bristol Farms are reliably good Fri Feb 18 19:28:33 -0800 2005 361706 0 Ernie 1 361721 I like the baguette's at the French Market Cafe on Abbot Kinney in Venice. Fri Feb 18 19:31:10 -0800 2005 361706 0 JurisDog 2 361809 I like the baguettes at French Market also, and they are just half a block from me. I pick them up when I buy Roquefort cheese there, and sometimes duck mousse. However, Pioneer Bakery is still good IMO, and I shop there on a regular basis. Sun Feb 20 16:58:25 -0800 2005 361721 0 Lars 1 361730 No. I don't know why. Could it be the water? The best I've found is Le Pain Du Jour on the corner of Pico and Lincoln in Santa Monica. You need to get there early because they close when they run out of bread. -Adlai Fri Feb 18 20:15:01 -0800 2005 361706 0 Adlai Stevenson 2 361734 they're also closed on mondays and tuesdays. Fri Feb 18 20:40:49 -0800 2005 361730 0 petradish 2 361738 Pain Du Jour in Santa Monica is definitely the only place in the greater LA area where I've gotten a fully baked basic Parisian style baguette (not for want of looking). As Mr. Taster describes above, these are not rustic, artisinal, or even interesting (most of the recomendations in this thread have been for good, but essentially _interesting_ baguettes, these are terrific, but they're all wrong). A real Parisian baguette is impossibly light with an almost explosive crust that snaps like spun sugar. The crust is crumbly to the point of near inedibility, and the center can be compressed into a ball the size of a pea between the fingers. Pan Du Jour also makes a staggeringly authentic croissant... again, not particularly interesting... just arrestingly authentic. Fri Feb 18 20:51:22 -0800 2005 361730 0 Absintheuse 3 3411545 I could not agree with you more. I often think that when people ask for a baguette a ficille, a batard, etc. they are thinking of something rustic. These breads are not. There are plenty of rustic breads in Paris, Pain du Jour has some of them, but a baguette is not pain de campagne, pain paysanne. Pain du Jour is a real boulangerie. No cakes, nothing fancy...just bread, and an few viennoise, or Danish. They even make a Gateau des Rois in January. Mon Feb 18 20:52:18 -0800 2008 361738 17305 Paliman 4 3414623 Every time I go buy Pain Du Jour its closed. Am I missing something, what are their hours because I have tried several times to no avail. Tue Feb 19 16:10:06 -0800 2008 3411545 157831 ldodb 5 3415345 Closed Mon andTues. And they open at 7:30 and close at either 12 or 3. And if they run out of bread, they go home. They have the biggest selections on Sunday morning. Tue Feb 19 20:25:03 -0800 2008 3414623 17305 Paliman 6 3426098 Thanks for the help, ill definitely try and make it over there again soon. Fri Feb 22 18:54:40 -0800 2008 3415345 157831 ldodb 1 361732 i like le pain quotidien as well - great bread and lattes - also their french donut, jams and hazlenut spread the best versions of the bread you describe I've found at Joan's on Third (try spreading their epoisses berthaut stinky cheese on it - the best) & Beverly Hills Cheese shop I'm not sure of either of their sources but it's just simple, good bread Fri Feb 18 20:20:21 -0800 2005 361706 0 big head 1 361740 Normandie Bakery and Coffee 3022 S Cochran Ave. Just north of Jefferson Blvd. between La Brea and Hauser 323-939-5528 Fri Feb 18 21:32:02 -0800 2005 361706 0 gj 1 361742 Yes. My vote: Figaro Cafe Restaurant (323) 662-1587 1802 N Vermont Ave (in Los Feliz) Fri Feb 18 21:49:08 -0800 2005 361706 0 D. Tochs 1 361748 sorry but there is a reason parisians looked to the countryside to remember what good bread was. when the crust shatters into your lap thats what's called crappy bread. Fri Feb 18 22:30:57 -0800 2005 361706 0 what 2 361750 and dont tell me parisians or euros for that matter eat that crap all the time. i don't care. it's not good. Fri Feb 18 22:35:00 -0800 2005 361748 0 what 2 361770 When bread doesn't crumble, I call it Wonder Bread. Mr. Taster Sat Feb 19 03:50:21 -0800 2005 361748 0 Mr. Taster 1 361768 I'm shocked only one post on this so far...best baguettes I've had in LA are at the Banh Mi joints along Valley blvd. The best ones are the places with prominent ovens that ensure a supply of fresh loaves. I especially like (from East to West) Mr. Baguette, Baguette Express, and Ba Le. Also the Vietnamese coffee is a damn nice treat for the drive back home. Sat Feb 19 03:15:06 -0800 2005 361706 0 gastronomike 1 361786 Well, there is no accounting for taste, is there? The divergence of opinion expressed here reminds me of pleasant months spent in Strasbourg. Some bakeries there made the light variety of baguette, like Vietnamese rolls, while others made baguettes with a more dense and pliable interior, due to the use of high gluten flour. Both types of bakery seemed to be equally populated, but I populated the latter. Now I prefer sourdough baguettes made by Panera, which remind me of the sour yardsticks produced by Pioneer Bakery in Santa Monica 30 years ago. To further reveal my prejudices, my Scandinavian wife and I thought that the French pastries were too sweet, so we would drive across the border to buy desserts in Germany. Sat Feb 19 17:22:50 -0800 2005 361706 0 TCUJoe 1 3410231 Good baguettes are hard to come by in Los Angeles. I have not tried all bakeries in Los Angeles, but these are places where you get very good baguettes by french standards: any Jons Marketplace http://www.jonsmarketplace.com/locations.aspx (they sell out by 5 PM), Figaro on Vermont, any Champagne Bakery http://www.champagnebakery.com/. Mon Feb 18 14:13:57 -0800 2008 361706 167273 Jorge en Los Angeles 1 3410262 Bristol Farms! Mon Feb 18 14:23:37 -0800 2008 361706 131591 Rimilian 1 3410274 Being French, I lament the absence of truly good bread in LA, not only baguettes. My daily staple is the ficelle from La Maison du Pain (not their baguettes) which is closer to the light, fluffy kind. The size is right for that type of texture, but the bigger baguettes are close to the Vietnamese type, which is OK but I'm not a huge fan. I'm not a huge fan of Bread Bar for the baguettes, nor Le Pain Quotidien, but I do like their crusty loaves. Le Pain Quotidien does a good walnut loaf, for example. Now, when the former French baker at La Maison du Pain, Charles, was still there he told me the reason why it was next to impossible to make good baguettes here is because the flours are different (and I'd surmise the water too, as it has a higher chlorine content but that affect taste, not texture). A zillion years ago I had good enough baguettes at Say Cheese in Silverlake but it's not my hood and I haven't had their bread since, hmm, 1999. This being said, like Mr. Taster above I'm anxiously waiting for tips. Mon Feb 18 14:27:36 -0800 2008 361706 19949 bad nono 2 3411549 What is your opinion of Pain du Jour in Santa Monica? Mon Feb 18 20:55:08 -0800 2008 3410274 17305 Paliman 3 3411766 I've never been, so I cannot report. Mon Feb 18 22:49:29 -0800 2008 3411549 19949 bad nono 4 4056091 Have you been now? :) Mr Taster Tue Sep 23 15:04:54 -0700 2008 3411766 17579 Mr Taster 5 4057142 I was actually at Pain du Jour on Saturday. While the crust is excellent for some reason the baguette was missing something.. in terms of flavor. It was rather bland tasting. I find some baguettes rather tasty and some rather bland. Does anyone know what the cause is. Is it the yeast, flour or a combination.. In any event the crust was really good.. Wed Sep 24 04:05:49 -0700 2008 4056091 97161 Foodandwine 6 4381841 imho, probably a shortage of salt. I used to get these really tasty baguettes and every so often they tasted completely bland. I finally figured out---from my own experimental home baking--that the problem was salt. Mon Feb 02 17:13:31 -0800 2009 4057142 10505 jenn 5 4061217 Oops, sorry, hadn't seen your post. Now, I still haven't been , it's not in my neck of the woods. But I promise if I ever taste it, I'll let you know! Thu Sep 25 11:38:06 -0700 2008 4056091 19949 bad nono 1 3410560 Maison du Pain on Pico. Their baguettes are soft as a cloud inside with a crunchy outer crust. 5373 W. Pico. Mon Feb 18 16:06:54 -0800 2008 361706 127157 jessicak 2 3411061 I think the vietnamese breads in LA far surpass traditional french baguettes. They've improved upon it. They put a bit of rice flour in the mixture, so they're shatteringly crisp and web-like inside, almost extraordinarly delicate. It's even more neutral than regular french bread, so they're excellent with good quality cheese. Mon Feb 18 18:28:27 -0800 2008 3410560 23909 david t. 1 3411229 I have found no better baguette since my days living in France than those made by Thierry Warnier of La Boulangerie, he sells at various farmers markets throughout the Southland. I find him each Monday morning at the WeHo market at Plummers Park. I hesitate recommending, since this morning, he sold the last baguettes just as I arrived (holiday crowds!). He is so sweet, he gave me three loaves of pain de campagne for free so that I could make it through the week. He is one of my staples, I don't know how I would live without him! There is a picture of his stand in this link: http://www.wehonews.com/z/wehonews/archive/page.php?articleID=1782 Anyone with better contact information, please post. Thierry also makes wonderful brioche, pain aux noix et raisins, aux olives, etc., etc., etc., ! It is the real French boulanger deal in LA. Mon Feb 18 19:11:51 -0800 2008 361706 14859 George 1 3411512 I think freshly baked baguettes from Bay Cities in Santa Monica are excellent. Mon Feb 18 20:39:58 -0800 2008 361706 161870 Cinemaverite1 2 3411569 Please don't get me wrong. I love the bread at Bay Cities. But it is too big to be a baguette, and way too chewy, and the inside is all wrong. It is more like a San Francisco sourdough, like Boudin used to make. A baguette is defined as five or six centimeters wide and three or four centimeters tall, but can be up to a meter in length. It typically weighs 250 grammes (8.8 oz). Mon Feb 18 21:01:58 -0800 2008 3411512 17305 Paliman 1 3411547 Whisper Cafe (formerly L'Artiste Patisserie) in Encino has great baguettes. Also the Artisan Cheese Gallery in Studio City. Mon Feb 18 20:52:51 -0800 2008 361706 124390 LMelba 2 3422802 I was at Artisan Cheese Gallery earlier today and noticed that the baguettes are from Breadbar. Thu Feb 21 19:43:16 -0800 2008 3411547 124390 LMelba 1 3411777 You may want to try the bread at the cheese store in beverly hills. Mon Feb 18 22:56:55 -0800 2008 361706 15114 epop 1 3413890 hmmm, forty some posts and no mention of breadbar. Since thats my favorite baguette in Paris, i'll have to throw them into the mix for LA as well. I know the crust shattering type of baguette---i still remember being told by an annoyed Parisian that THOSE baguettes were mass produced dreck from factories outside Paris. Then he sent me to a bunch of bakeries that really baked their own bread. Baguettes are a matter of taste. You cannot get the exact same type of baguette in LA as in Paris--not just the question of water but also the flour and the salt and the humidity and the yeast in the walls of the bakery. Vietnamese places do make a certain type of baguette very well--suppose thats a "plus" of colonial occupation. But for just eatting in the car and making a mess, for munching down with nothing on it or for smearing with some nice pate, my vote is for the baguettes of Eric Keyser at Breadbar. You may Commence bashing my vote with baguettes at 20 paces. Tue Feb 19 13:09:50 -0800 2008 361706 10505 jenn 1 3414576 I had the same struggle until i discovered the baguettes at Mr. Marcel Gourmet Market in the Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax sweet or sourdough Stall # 150 (323) 935-9451 www.mrmarcel.com if you slip the baguette in the paper bag then in a plastic bag it will stay moist for several days. Tue Feb 19 15:56:27 -0800 2008 361706 148550 oxygenozone 1 3414876 I've found baguettes that fit the OP's description at my local farm market at Plummer Park in West Hollywood (on Mondays). Just inside the entrance is a Frenchman with a table full of breads. I keep meaning to try others but can't get past the baguettes! Tue Feb 19 17:30:55 -0800 2008 361706 113437 katydid13 2 3418931 see above, Thierry Warnier, La Boulangerie. Wed Feb 20 18:19:35 -0800 2008 3414876 14859 George 1 3415361 Breadbar 8718 W. 3rd Street Los Angeles, CA, 90048 (310) 205-0124 http://www.breadbar.net/ Tue Feb 19 20:33:47 -0800 2008 361706 151099 la tache burger 1 3415602 Grateful Bread on Montana Via Dolce on Montana Both are worth checking out! Tue Feb 19 22:34:07 -0800 2008 361706 15572 Emme 1 3416433 I'm very partial to the baguettes from Porto's in Glendale. I was in line last night just as the baker was restocking the baguette basket fresh from the oven. By this morning, what was left was already getting a little stale. But for $1.50, who can complain? What I've had of the rest of Porto's breads are variable -- I like the Cuban varieties but I'm meh with the whole wheat variants. La Brea Bakery is very good (the store next to Campanile, not the supermarket stuff), but I live alone and their loaves are so big they turn to rocks before I can get halfway through them. Overall my favorite L. A. bread bakery is EuroPane (not even sure if they have baguettes, I can never get past the rosemary currant bread). Wed Feb 20 08:22:32 -0800 2008 361706 85884 maxzook 2 3416882 Linking ... Wed Feb 20 09:51:33 -0800 2008 3416433 85884 maxzook 1 3416485 OMG don't forget about this place. The sandwiches are what they are known for AND they sell the baguettes. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Larchmont+Village+Wine+Spirits+%26+Cheese+Los+Angeles,+ca&sll=40.92703,-73.75106&sspn=0.554069,1.304626&ie=UTF8&view=text# Wed Feb 20 08:33:28 -0800 2008 361706 153350 superladymaku 1 3416573 The owner/baker of Amandine is a Japanese woman who learned her skill in France. I like her baguettes, and her croissants (almond and cinnamon) are fantastic, too. Wed Feb 20 08:49:40 -0800 2008 361706 15633 fdb 1 3418652 Nicole's Gourment in South Pas has a good baguette - crusty and light with just enough soft inside without being dense - the only complication is that they typically sell out by early afternoon. Wed Feb 20 16:48:26 -0800 2008 361706 157565 srnka 2 3418923 more links Wed Feb 20 18:16:43 -0800 2008 3418652 85884 maxzook 1 3426366 anyone ever try Le Bon Bakery in Woodland Hills? It's on Ventura just east of Topanga. I've bought their bread twice, and it was pretty good. I've never been to France, but the person who recommended Le Bon to me is a friend who lived there for several years and she said it was authentic. They also have pies and tarts and pastries. Fri Feb 22 20:58:49 -0800 2008 361706 19283 gsw 1 3904427 I like Gelsons baguettes the best, and they must bake them all day, because they're usually warm. Sat Jul 26 17:50:09 -0700 2008 361706 212582 schrutefarms 2 3905120 Funny you should mention it. I was at Gelsons yesterday and they had one "baguette" left. Twice the width and two-thirds the length of any baguette digne du nom, and when I asked they said it had been baked at 9 AM (this was 5 PM). Even Albertsons manages to have hot bread at 5 PM. I gave up and bought a La Brea baguette. Sun Jul 27 06:36:14 -0700 2008 3904427 10811 Das Ubergeek 1 3904528 One more vote for Bristol Farms! Sat Jul 26 18:42:32 -0700 2008 361706 178692 gado_gado 1 3904886 nicely said! Sat Jul 26 23:49:03 -0700 2008 3904875 163107 cincyn 2 4061312 Boule on La Cienega has the best hand made baguette. This is the closest to Parisian baguette I came across. It has nice crunch crust, soft middle and perfect crust to middle percentage. Thu Sep 25 12:01:14 -0700 2008 3904886 194299 Eastcoast foods nob 3 4075329 Boule has a very good baguette. I like the milk bread too. I don't at all like their current crossiants. Wed Oct 01 15:38:13 -0700 2008 4061312 10099 JudiAU 2 4061313 I second david t's comment. My favorite baguette is found at a Vietnamese restaurant in Orange County - Cali Restaurant & Bakery in Westminster. I don't like their banh mi but their baguettes are incredibly crusty, light and buttery (possibly a bit too buttery). They keep well in the freezer so I'll buy two or three and put them in zip loc bags in my freezer. Thu Sep 25 12:01:21 -0700 2008 3904886 186109 tdo 1 4381623 The Baker in Woodland Hills has authentic French Baguettes. The breadmaker there has been well-trained and along with the baguettes, there are european pastries and other bread varieties. (They serve full breakfast & lunch as well.) Mon Feb 02 16:05:57 -0800 2009 361706 189329 ruth allen