Paris Guide: Poilâne and Berthillon Glacier
Address | Poilâne 8 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006 Paris, France | Bethillon Glacier 29-31 Rue Saint-Louis en l'Île, 75004 Paris, France
As we exited La Grande Epicerie, our arms loaded with bags of goodies and gifts to bring back to NYC, we decided there was no time to drop our haul off at the hotel if we wanted to make it to Poilâne for their famous bread and baked goods and Berthillon Glacier, for the best ice cream in Paris, before their closing hours. So, we quickly ducked underground and hopped a train to the original boulangerie Poilâne in the Latin Quarter.
In operation since 1923 Poilâne is famous for its country breads. Recently Poilâne had a pop up in NYC as part of the promotion of third generation baker and owner Apollonia Poilâne's newly released book Poilâne: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery. As we entered the front of the small bakery we stood shoulder to shoulder with other customers eager to grab baked goods as workers were one by one pulling the last loaves from the shelves. We ordered a few slices of their country bread and a rustic apple tart. Stepping outside into the cool November air, we pressed out bodies against a building and eagerly unwrapped our goods. The bread was perfect, it had a rich, grainy smell. The crust had a perfect crisp and the center of the bread was airy. The tart likewise was perfect in its simplicity. Not too sweet with a buttery crust.
Having devoured our baked goods it was time to move on to Île Saint-Louis for Berthillon Glacier to have Paris' most famous ice cream. We made it by the skin of our teeth and were the last customers who would be served that evening. There were two large boards listing all the ice cream options. Upon entering we wasted time reviewing the first and larger board with over 70 flavors of sorbet and ice creams only to be told by an eager to go home employee that the board next to her register were the only flavors available that day. Both Lynette and I wanted the passion fruit vanilla ice cream so we each ordered a scoop and Lynette added a scoop of salted caramel to her order. When I tried to pay with a credit card I learned there was a 15 euro minimum. I went on to order three additional scoops. Bring cash unless you want a good excuse to indulge. The ice cream is very rich, made from fresh milk and eggs. In addition to salted caramel and passionfruit we had the Armagnac and prunes, gingerbread, and speculoos.
Satisfied that we had made our foodie bucket list in time we called a car to take us back to the hotel. We decided we would enjoy the pool, steam, and sauna at the hotel and then have a late dinner. Little did we know, we would end up eating dinner at 1:00 a.m. with a room full of wide awake Parisians doing the same. More on that next time.
