Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
like strolling through an art gallery—no
wonder
Vogue
dubbed him “the Picasso
of the pastry world.”
Which begs the question: Whose pas-
tries would you rather eat—Lenôtre's clas-
sic flaky delicacies or Hermés' inventive,
modern take on patisserie? Why not try
both and judge for yourself?
Lenôtre,
44 rue d-Auteuil (metro:
Michel-Ange-D'Auteuil), 16e (
&
33/1/45
24 52 52;
www.lenotre.fr).
Hermé,
72
Rue Bonaparte (metro: St.-Germain-des-
Près), 6e (
&
33/1/354 47 77;
www.pierre
herme.fr).
(
De Gaulle (23km/14 miles); Orly (14km/
8
2
⁄
3
miles).
L
$$$
Hôtel Luxembourg Parc,
42
rue de Vaugirard, 6e (
&
33/1/53-10-36-
50;
www.luxembourg-paris-hotel.com).
$$
Hôtel Saintonge,
16 rue Saintonge, 3e
(
&
44/1/42-77-91-13;
www.saintonge
marais.com).
Macarons from Hermé in Paris.
The Baker's Best
476
Espai Sucre
Where Afters Are No Afterthought
Barcelona, Spain
It's billed as the “first dessert restaurant in
the world”—a grand claim, perhaps, but
Espai Sucre does take its sweets very seri-
ously. It's the brainchild of chef Jordi
Butrón and confectioner Xano Saguer I
Gregori, two men fired with passion about
show-stopper restaurant pastries. Their
adjacent cooking school acknowledges
the reality that pastry-making is its own
discipline; most pastry chefs follow an
entirely separate track in culinary school,
and many top restaurants promote their
pastry chefs as stars in their own right. At
Espai Sucre, they're the only stars that
count.
Located in the heart of Barcelona's
medieval historic core, this chic modern
cafe stands out with its smoked-glass-and-
marble entrance, polished wood floor,
slick black tables, and taupe leather chairs,
the sophisticated antithesis of a cutesy
sweet shop or ice-cream parlor. More than
just the school's calling card, it's quite a
classy operation on its own. It's only open
in the evenings (so much for those of us
who'd like to gorge on sweets midafter-
noon), with specific seatings at 8:30 and
11pm on weekend nights (midweek, the
flow's a little more casual). They offer sev-
eral set menus, including an all-chocolate
