U R not in Paris

U R not in Paris yet...
U R in Bel Ami, just a stone's throw away on 30 East 68th Street - their macarons are quite handsome...
Shut tight - no pretty renovation signs outside like Parisien shops normally do.
If you have an unusual animal you'd like to send to Paris in a watercolor portrait (like these Nigerian Dwarf Dairy goats or say a boa constrictor) you'll get a break on the price. Three boas for the price of one etc.

U can pretend you're in Paris and get macarons up the street at La Maison du Chocolat at 1018 Madison ave and 78th street.They are flown in once a week direct. I wish they would put their porte-etiquette/little signs up in French...

Dean & Deluca would like to fool you with REAL French beurre but at $10 bucks a pop, one is not so easily fooled...

NO WAY are these French chocolats! If you bite into this artwork you could break your tooth...

Darling little ballerinas may make you dream of Paris, but U R in NYC.

American lingerie has a long way to go to come close to Parisian lingerie so No, U R not in Paris yet...

La Perla, a French company does the 'covered-up' look with so much more panache, classe et luxe on 810 Madison avenue.

Who knew Ralphie Lauren on 79th & Madison ave. would be chock-a-block with Frenchies grabbing up the goods? Is it cheaper than the Paris branch?

Only in NEW YORK will you find a proliferation of food carts and food trucks. Paris is sadly behind us on this...

Menteurs!(Liars) This bistro is NOT IN PARIS!

Nor are these Yellow cabs. c'est la vie.

BONJOUR PARIS/NEW YORK!

MILLE-FEUILLE!

Jar O' Macarons, watercolor, 9" x 11"
Having a jar packed to the brim with macarons in your vitrine/ window is an essential in any French patisserie...
If your facade looks typically French this is a plus factor. Mille-Feuille has been open just a month but they're hitting their marks again and again.

All the little details of a French patisserie are there, like this ardoise/blackboard are present...

Handwriting/ecriture on the wall is tres correct.

Les porte-etiquettes/little pastry signs are plentiful...

I've read les bon reports on their viennoisserie...

As well as their namesake, the mille-feuille - this one loaded with vanilla beans. They sell the beans as well one by one...

They even have those little Frenchie stickers/auto-collant and pretty boxes...

It's always a delight to see the macarons in the case, freshly made, rather than boxed up and pre-packed. These sell for $1.90 each and come tres pres/very close to the Parisian version. For some reason New York altitude does not encourage the shiny meringue shells you find in Paris...

But the taste and range of flavors is excellent. Chef Olivier Dessyn earned his pastry bones at The Paris Ritz cooking school, The Meurice Hotel and Pierre Herme(!)

Triple Vanilla, Espresso, Pistachio, Rose, Raspberry,Chocolate Praline, Coconut, Chocolate, Passion fruit etc.

I prided myself on getting through last week almost pastry-free (except for les 2 croissants). Then I read about Mille-Feuille and ran out the door to tell you about it this morning. You can find Mille-Feuille in Greenwich Village at 552 LaGuardia Place (Bleecker Street). I suggest you run (literally) home and eat a HUGE salad like this. My eco-friendly petite niece, Louisa Shafia will show you how to make it here.

New York is overflowing with 'REAL' French patisseries but it's still New York.

BONJOUR MILLE-FEUILLE