My newest book:
PAYARD: closed?
How can this be? But I read it in the newspaper this morning: Payard closed last weekend, due to the recession. This bakery/patisserie and bistro has always been a little oasis of Frenchness. When I walked through the door I would feel like I was walking into Paris. I don't go over to the Upper East Side very often but when I did I enjoyed stopping by Payard for a croissant aux amandes or an eclair or a special treat of a little fancy cake. I really did think that they had the most excellent French-style pastries in all of New York. In the paper it said that on the final Saturday, June 29th, the owner Francoise Payard wept behind the the counter of macaroons. Here is a selection of patisseries I had two years ago with friends on my birthday. I have many fond memories of Payard and I am sad about this news.
The last time I was there, just a few weeks ago, I had such a delicious
strawberry tart with little pieces of rhubarb tucked into the custard
underneath. I had been looking forward to getting that again - their
patisseries are incomparable. I hope we will hear that Payard will spring
up again somehow.
i used to work with francois, like 10 years ago, when he was Pastry chef at
Daniel '
restaurant. Sad to hear the bad New. Reason ?
I don't know anything more about it than what was in the newspaper. It
sounds like the crunch of the recession. Perhaps not as many people were
going to eat out? But surely people weren't cutting back on those divine
pastries from the bakery? Was it yet another story of rents going up? I'm
hoping there will be news of a reopening!
I ' m pretty sure that Francois didn't want to pay the rent too high
requested by the owner. I hope he will reopen the new place. He is the Best
of .