Spoiled Rotten Weekend Part I

This last weekend I escaped to my old stomping grounds to have a mother/daughter weekend. It was a weekend of firsts for me. First weekend away since my kids were born that I got away without them and my husband. First time at IKEA which was a five hour experience and very fun, not to mention hectic. And it was the first time I partook of the most perfect French pastry.

Which brings me to the subject of the day: French pastry

On Saturday morning, before driving up to Portland, my mom and I started the day at Le Patissier, a charming pastry shop with everything from swan shaped puff pastries to les pain au chocolat. My mom and I ordered three things to share, both finding it difficult to choose from the two cases of unspeakably delicious looking treats. We settled on a blueberry cream cheese danish, a fruit tarte and an almond cream croissant.

I managed to snap a photo of the fruit tarte we enjoyed. The berries were perfect and the crust ... made of butter of course!

Can I just say that the almond croissant was eye-rollingly good. I don't think I have ever truly fell in love with a piece of food until that moment. When I first dug into the flaky layers, it made a sound that I am convinced sounds like the word Frreeennnnchchchch (say it out loud slowly and you'll know what I mean). Then with the first bite, I tasted the butter. Ah better, there is nothing better. It was sweet, it was crispy, it was light, it was heaven. The fruit tarte and danish were heavenly as well and I enjoyed every bite.

Then there was the coffee. Not wanting an upset stomach from espresso, I chose a cafe au lait. Coffee and milk. In my past experiences in ordering this drink, I had been handed a cup of coffee and was directed to the carafe of milk where I could serve myself. Le Patissier does things a little different in this department. I was handed a cup of regular coffee, but with a snowy white cap of steamed milk, floating on the top. It was gorgeous!

My coffee, served in a real mug. All I can say is ... perfection!

I don't have to guess that this place is popular among Corvallis residents. A blogging friend even mentioned it on her blog and the place was hopping when we were there. I especially enjoyed listening to a male patron speaking French with the pastry chef. And then there was this woman sitting a couple of tables away. She was probably in her 80s and it was a true pleasure to see a huge grin appear on her face as she cut into her pastry. A simple thing to do, but that provided a pure moment of joy.

It was quite moment of joy for me too.