Guess what just opened a few blocks from work?

That’s right!  Sure, it’s a chain — just one of many in Europe, though the first in the U.S. — but it’s French.  Which means that my diet during the workday now consists primarily of pains au chocolat. 

Pain au chocolat

Of course, man cannot live on pain au chocolat alone, so I usually add in a sandwich on a baguette and a San Pellegrino (which, of course, is not French and comes from the stock I keep in the mini-fridge in my office).

I do have one bit of criticism for our friends at Paul, though:  If you’re going to hold yourself out as a French bakery — to the point of having French labels on your pastries and encouraging your employees to greet customers with a cheery “Bonjour” — then you had better be able to play the part.  More specifically, when I ask for a “chausson aux pommes,” I shouldn’t be met with a blank stare until I translate it into “apple turnover.”

Chausson aux pommes