Straight from France, Paul had its ribbon-cutting ceremony today of their flagship bakery in Penn Quarter.  Mayor Vincent C. Gray and French Ambassador François Delattre were present.  I believe Paul actually opens this Friday.

Several other locations will open in DC including one in Georgetown…they had to have one near the embassy. 🙂

Everything I sampled was very good including the best macarons I’ve had.  I don’t even know what half the pastries I tried were but they were phenomenal.   They also had some very tasty hors d’oeuvres such as salmon or salami or ham on buttered bread.  The baguettes were fresh from the over and they have several kinds.  Even the ham and cheese sandwich was very good!  I took a flan and a pan de chocolat to go but the flan seems more like a tart than the (Spanish) flan I’m used to.

They tried various US flours until finding the (organic Wisconsin) flour they liked for their breads.  They definitely made a good choice. (I’m getting baguette crumbs in my keyboard.)

Jack Evans (Ward 2 Councilman), Mayor Vincent Gray, Maxime Holder (Chairman of Groupe PAUL and grandson of the founder), Philippe Sanchez (Pres and CEO of PAUL USA).

Oh and they use pearl sugar in some items — an ingredient I’m familiar with from Liege waffles (from a Bobby Flay waffle throw down episode on TVFN and locally from Belgian bakery/cafe Le Pain Quotidien).  Pearl sugar is shaped like little spheres and melts on your tongue as you eat it.

This is one of those cases where pictures tell the story. 🙂

PAUL is at 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004.

-JAY