Les Madeleines Patisserie

Where: Les Madeleines Patisserie, 216 E 500 S, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen & Grandma

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Chocolate Éclair, Mango Jasmine Pâté de Fruit, Peach Charlotte, Meyer Lemon Tart, Hazelnut Buttons, Craquelin, 2 Mint Limeades


What It Cost: ~$15 for half of that...


What We Thought:


Dear Eliane Bakery,

I hate to say it, but I think I may have found a new favorite French bakery. Don't hate me, I'll still come visit you since it's all the way in Salt Lake, but they are just so cute and delicious!

My sister's roommate was getting married in Salt Lake, so after we dropped off her and my mother at the reception, we had an hour or so to kill in Salt Lake with my grandma. Where better to take her than a bakery? Nowhere, let me tell you. We got a little sampling of treats and then sat outside under the maple trees and enjoyed the lovely weather.

First up, the Peach Charlotte, which is made with peaches from the Salt Lake Farmers Market just down the road. Wow. This little fruit delight was absolutely heavenly. The light spongy cake was a little basket for a wonderful whipped and chilled peach filling. The peach flavor was so real and fresh and was absolutely divine with the soft cake exterior.

And as if that wasn't enough, we also partook of the most incredible Meyer Lemon Tart. I surely have mentioned this before, but I am a huge sucker for anything lemon flavored, and Meyer Lemons contribute this wonderfully unique and sweet lemon flavor that I. Die. For. It has a sweet and sturdy crust, and the filling tastes like real lemons, not weird pudding or something. It has a cool and creamy texture, and the meringue on time is indescribable. I love how it is lightly toasted and the whole thing together is officially my new favorite dessert.

Chocolate éclairs that actually taste like chocolate are always a favorite of ours, and this one did not disappoint. Although, of all the pastries we tried, I have to say that I think I actually prefer Eliane's chocolate éclair to this one. But there is absolutely no competition with that Meyer Lemon Tart!!

I've always been a macaron lover - the super cute double foot, the meringue-like texture, and the thin crisp crust on the exterior - and Les Madeleines does not disappoint here. These cookies are so delicate and hard to make, but I love them so much! It is hard to find a place that will sell you one for under $2, so when I saw these for $1.75 each, I had to get two. The hazelnut flavor was light and enjoyable, and they are just so dang cute...I can't help but loving them!

The craquelin was a unique buttery brioche pastry, with loads of crystalline sugar on top and a brown sugar & orange chewy center. Of all of the desserts we got, I probably would never order this one again, but Owen absolutely inhaled it, so to each his own, I guess!

We each got a refreshing fresh squeezed limeade, which was delightfully tart and a little fizzy - a perfect beverage for sitting outside and enjoying a nice spring day.

What You Should Do: You have to check it out! They have pretty limited hours - closed at 6 on most weekdays and at 4 on Saturdays, but they are absolutely worth the trip! I haven't even tried a majority of their desserts, but they each looked as amazing as the next. I think that for my birthday, I am just going to requests 5 of those little Meyer Lemon Tarts, and be happier than I can even explain. They also have a large lunch menu with a variety of sandwiches and other items, but really, how was I supposed to get something healthy with all of those cute little desserts staring me down?

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Bruges Waffles & Frites

Where: Bruges Waffles and Frites, 336 W Broadway, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey and Devynne

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: 1 small order of Frites with Brasil mayo, Torpedo Waffle, Waffle Monster

What It Cost: $20.49

What We Thought:


I have to admit -- I was skeptical about this place. I've never really been a huge waffle person, only spent $2.50 on a crappy waffle maker from Walmart on Black Friday to satisfy my husband's repeated requests, and definitely don't want to spend lots of money on what I viewed as a glorified breakfast food. When I heard about Bruges Waffles and Frites, I thought -- "Really? They just serve waffles and fries?" I had looked at pictures of different orders on Urbanspoon, thought that the portion sizes looked totally dinky and overpriced, and figured it was just a fad thing. What's the big deal about Belgian waffles anyway?

Well the raving reviews haven't stopped, and I decided that during a recent trip to Salt Lake, I needed to find out for myself what the big deal was after all.

Let's start with the shop itself. There really is only one word to describe this place -- TINY. There is only a 6-seat bar for people to sit, approximately 2 feet away from the register. Luckily we came on a weekday at 11, so it was pretty empty, but rumor has it that this place fills up quick and can have crazy lines. Go during the off-hours! The owner has a delightful accent and is very friendly - apparently he and I have the same car, so we chatted about gas mileage and snow capabilities for a while. He also encouraged us to taste of the store's crunchy Specaloos spread. I also have been skeptical of this supposedly imported spread, since I can find it at my local grocery store (the brand name is Biscoff spread), but I've only ever been able to buy the smooth variety -- this crunchy kind took it to a whole new level for me! We ordered 2 waffles and some frites of course, though they do have a couple other options (the intimidating Machine Gun sandwich and some stew?), and got our food pretty quickly.

The fries were good. They were served hot, were nice and crispy, and were just the right width and consistency. I liked them with the fun flavored mayo we got (the Brasil mayo had flavors of pineapple, curry, and more!) and ate every last crumb. But would I make a 45-minute drive just for these fries? Probably not.

Now, the waffles...these are a totally different story. 

As I was reading up about this place, I learned that there are actually two different kinds of Belgian waffles - Brussels waffles (which are thinner, crisper, with deeper holes and rectangular shape), and Liège waffles (made with a thick dough more like bread, with chunks of pearl sugar that melt and caramelize on the outside of the waffle and form a crispy coating). Bruges serves Liège waffles, and they were one of the most heavenly things I have ever partaken of.

The imported pearl sugar forms the most delicious crispy exterior of the waffles, and is still melty and amazing when they serge it to you. The waffles are thick, but not overwhelming, and perfectly sweet. The Torpedo waffle, which was stuffed with Belgian chocolate bars, was wonderfully indulgent. The crème fraîche on top was the best I've ever had, and helped counterbalance the intense sweetness of the chocolate and waffle. This waffle was so mind-blowing that it inspired me to make my own crème fraîche for an apple pie I made, following this recipe -- it is so much better than regular whipped cream!

The Waffle Monster, shown above, was a waffle split in half, with warm crunchy Specaloos spread inside, along with sliced strawberries and vanilla bean ice cream. Wow. Wow. Wow. I don't think that there are words that can sufficiently how breathtaking the combination of sweet Specaloos, tart fresh strawberries, and creamy delicious vanilla bean ice cream were inside this perfect little waffle sandwich. All I can say, is you gotta try it. And I totally get what the big deal about Belgian waffles is now!


Waffle Sources: 

- A woman's experience in Belgium with both types of waffles
- An authentic Liège waffle recipe
- Wikipedia's input
- Another traveler's experiences


What You Should Do: 


Get in the car, and drive there right this minute! Seriously. Your life is not complete until you have tried this incredible Belgian treat. If you're feeling extra carb-hungry, then you can get the frites too, but definitely be sure to get a waffle. Or two. Or three. Or more... If you're daring, try the machine gun sandwich -- I think that when I get up there again with my husband, I'll try to convince him to get it. Some love it, and some say it's WAY too heavy. All I know is that these were the most life-changing waffles I've ever had, and you know, I think I may be a waffle person now.

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Eliane French Bakery

Where: Eliane French Bakery, 1750 S State Street, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey & my friend Katie, then Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Way too many little pastries...

What It Cost: $13.83

What We Thought:


I think this little French bakery has changed my life here in Provo.

Let me just preface this by saying I have never been to France, and am not really the expert on true authentic French cuisine. But I would say that I am an expert on what tastes good, and this my friends, is not a place to miss out on!

Eliane French Bakery is tucked away next to a little dance studio and a couple other shops on State Street, and has hours that are sometimes hard to accomodate (10-6 according to their Facebook, but when I got there, the sign said 12-7?). But once you step inside and inhale that incredibly scent of freshly baked bread, all those inconveniences melt away, and you are transported to a land of pastries and wonder.

Eliane, the store owner who actually hails from Tahiti, not France (but he assured me that they speak French and eat French cuisine there), is a bit reserved and is hesitant to give specific recommendations (he said that they all are his favorite!), but is more than willing to give advice on where to get the best cheese to go with his freshly made baguettes (WinCo), and was fortunately very patient with me as I took my own sweet time trying to make up my mind about what to try. But I got to say - he was right! They are pretty much all delicious!

Both Katie and I got a mouse -- I ordered the blueberry mousse, and Katie got the lemon cheesecake one (adorned here with a delicious selection of fresh, ripe fruit). Biting into the mousse was unlike anything I've ever experienced. It had such a true, rich blueberry taste, and the consistency was heavenly. Katie didn't really love her lemon cheesecake one as much, but we decided that it was because it didn't have the typical cheesecake-like texture she was expecting. If you go into it knowing that it will have the texture of a mousse, you will be more than satisfied.

Katie ordered some real food (unlike the desserts-only me...), and got the Croque Monsieur. This sandwich is on two thick slices of French bread, baked with ham and cheese and a rich sauce. I know this will probably offend all French people everywhere, but the closest thing that it reminded me of flavor-wise was scalloped potatoes. We decided that it was definitely enough to fill 2 people, and for its low price of ~$5, it was definitely a great deal. Next time I will certainly try one of his promising quiches...if I save any room after dessert!

I am a lemon fanatic, so this lemon tart immediately stole my heart. Eliane's tart crusts were unlike any I've ever tasted before. They were perfectly buttery and crumbly, a fantastic support with even better flavor. I must learn his secrets!

Another great thing about this place is that you can try even more varieties with his options for mini desserts. Since my goal in life is basically to try everything he sells in this place, I took advantage of this and got the mini pear-almond tart and mini chocolate eclair. The pear-almond tart was actually the biggest disappointment to me. I couldn't really tell what kind of nut accompanied the scanty amount of pear, but this was probably my own fault because I ordered the mini version, and there was a much smaller filling to crust ratio.

But I totally cursed myself for only ordering the mini version of this chocolate eclair...it was AMAZING! The chocolate filling was so rich and well, chocolately, and I loved the crisp golden pastry that surrounded it. Wow. I don't even know how else to describe it, besides you better go there and get one right now.

Next I tried the Strawberry Napoleon. The cream filling was so real, rich and decadent, and the strawberries were fresh and flavorful. The whole thing was put together by the delicious cake-y inside, and I had the hardest time restraining myself from eating the whole thing, so I could bring some home to my husband. It was like the most perfect strawberry shortcake you have ever imagined. Times ten.

The baguettes. Oh the baguettes. So crisp and crackly on the outside, and soft and wonderful on the inside. For some bizarre reason I only got a demi-baguette the first time I went...and the second time we went, I got two full ones! They are the best fresh bread I have ever partaken of, and I am pretty sure that picking up a baguette here will become a weekly habit for me. A little warning though - these baguettes are a little messy. I haven't figured out the best way to break the bread without getting little crackly crumbs everywhere, but I don't care! It's so good!

Just look at that. Do I even need to describe it? Chocolate mousse, so decadent and rich and amazing. The ultimate indulgence, right here people.

These photos are just from the first trip I took there. After that fateful Saturday afternoon, I dragged Owen there the next week and we picked up 2 full baguettes, a mini fruit tart, a full size chocolate eclair, and this slice of brioche layered cake with cream filling and a dusting of powdered sugar...all for $10! Some people complain that this place is expensive, but if they are selling little old cupcakes for $2.50, I totally think that this unique, hand-crafted pastries are definitely worth it!

What You Should Do: Go right now! Make it a weekly habit like I will be doing to pick up some fresh bread every week, and possibly a little treat or two! I love this rare little bakery gem right here in Provo, and I hope you will be able to enjoy it too!

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