Paul Bakery

I had the pleasure of visiting Paul Bakery at the corner of Connecticut and K Street in DC this week with my dad.  Paul bakery comes from Europe.  The moment you step in, it is like a piece of France brought to the hurry and hustle of DC.  The aroma of freshly baked bread and the sound of soothing music immediately bring you out of DC and into a French café.  The café was immaculate.  The customer service was excellent except for when they gave me a chocolate filled beignet (a French version of our donut as the menu states) instead of the red fruit purée that I ordered.  I bit into it, realized it was wrong and my dad took it back to the counter to tell them it was the wrong one.  When he told the lady, she said it was the right one and that it was fruit filled.  He turned the donut to her and said it looked like chocolate to him.  She agreed that it was chocolate and then said the kitchen must have made a mistake by powdering the top of the chocolate donuts when they were only supposed to powder the fruit ones.  That is why she thought it was fruit filled.  I was just happy to get my fruit filled beignet by then.  The pastry case is constantly being straightened up and restocked.  I noticed that when the new pastries are put in, instead of the older ones being sold to customers first like normal, they are taken away completely.  I wonder where they go? Do they donate them? Eat them? Make us think they are getting rid of them but bring them back later? I should have asked.  Baguettes are shown off in wonderful baskets on top of the case.  I had a strawberry tartlet, a chocolate éclair, a chocolate croissant and a red fruit purée beignet.  The strawberry tartlet was out of this world.  The pastry shell was made in their bakery, the light pastry cream was spread inside the shell and perfect strawberries stand high on top of the cream.  The berries were at the perfect ripeness and they were glazed with that clear glaze they use at Whole Foods on the fruit tarts and it makes me think of a compote flavor.  It is delicious.  The tartlet is also available in raspberry and mixed fruit.  Paul Bakery is supposed to have amazing éclairs.  I was not a fan of it.  The chocolate cream inside, I did not like.  If it wasn’t for that I would have loved it.  My red fruit filled beignet was great and would beat out any American donut at Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts any day.  Too bad there is a Krispy Kreme 1 mile from where I live and Paul Bakery is 23 miles away.  The beignet was so fresh and soft, the purée filling outrageously delicious, I could eat it by the bowl.  The chocolate croissant did not disappoint either.  It tasted like it had just cooled and was perfect.  I am already looking to return as soon as possible.