François Payard, a third generation French pastry chef, is known for his delectable pastries served at a number of locations around Manhattan. I was recently invited to his cafe on the Upper East Side to sample not only those baked goods, but the French food in his small bistro in the back of his flagship shop.

With Sauvignon Blanc my white wine preference, we ordered a bottle of their Sancerre, Réserve Durand AOC ($54) while looking over the menu. It was early September — the height of tomato season — as so we started with a luscious heirloom tomato salad with a chiffonade of fresh basil and mint, topped with arugula and garnished with cubes of feta cheese. Divine ($15).

The warm chicken salad sounded oh, so French, that I had to indulge. The plate consisted of a tall pile of endive and organic greens in a mustard vinaigrette over marinated potatoes, surrounded by warm sliced chicken breast discs in a diced tomato sauce ($21). Worth ordering.

We chose the wild mushroom version from the Croque Monsieur collection. That aromatic grilled cheese was filled with a blend of hen of the woods and champignon de Paris mushrooms, Gruyére cheese and a bechamel sauce quartered and served with some greens tossed light vinaigrette drizzled with some fragrant black truffle oil ($16).

Since Francois is known for his pastries, I couldn’t resist sampling a few ($7.75), one of the perks of being the restaurant’s guest! Chocolate lovers like me will love the chocolate crémeux, chocolate mousse with some crunchy chocolate filling and a bit of flourless chocolate cake; lemon lovers might prefer the almond tart shell filled with lemon curd and candied lemon topped with a caramelized meringue; and for those who prefer a fruit dessert that same almond tart shell is offered filled with a souçon of almond pastry cream topped with lush fresh berries and sprinkled with chopped pistachios. My friend couldn’t resist ordering one salted caramel macaron ($2.50) and savoring each and every sweet morsel.

 

– bonnie

BonnieBOTB

 

Francois Payard Bakery
Upper East Side
1293 3rd Ave (between 74 & 75th)
New York, NY 10021
212-717-5252
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