Gaby et Jules

Tucked in the heart of the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, an authentic French patisserie is making visually stunning, exquisitely prepared, jaw-dropping pastries and macarons.  Its called Gaby et Jules and it is the stage upon which master pastry chef David Piquard performs his pastry magic. David inherited a passion for pastry from his grandfather Jules, whose lifelong dream of opening his own patisserie in France never materialized. David came to Pittsburgh to be the head pastry chef at the popular French bistro Paris 66. It didn't take long for owners Fred and Lori Rongier to see that David's formidable talent needed a showcase of its own. Turns out that Fred's grandfather Gabriel had the same unrealized dream as Jules Piquard.  They named the new patisserie "Gaby et Jules" after their grandfathers.

Walking into Gaby et Jules is like walking into a small corner of Europe. They are known for their macarons, the delicate egg white based cookie filled with buttercream, and this bakery boasts a macaron rainbow of exciting colors and flavors. With flavors like Earl Grey, rose, lavender and white chocolate basil, you'll never get bored sampling these delicate little treats. But even more impressive is the eye-popping display of French pastries you see when you walk through the door. I have stood there many times mesmerized by their beauty and unable to decide what I want to take home. Is it going to be a fruit tartelette, topped with perfectly arranged raspberries? Is it going to be the millefeuille layered with puff pastry and vanilla custard?  Its almost impossible to decide.

Last time I was there, my husband Jason and I stood there staring at the pastry case in awe until we finally decided on Le Royal Chocolat and a banana caramel creation.  We brought our treats home and after dinner, I decided to cut into the shiny chocolate dessert.  It was dark and mysterious with a layer of soft chocolate sponge cake and a rich chocolate mousse, covered in a dark chocolate glaze, which was so unbelievably dark it was almost black. The top of this amazing pastry was flecked with a little piece of gold leaf.

I ate half of it in tiny bites and savored each precious nibble. I went back the next evening for the rest. My husband chose the banana caramel pastry. It also had a thin layer of fluffy cake on the bottom with a rich caramel and banana mousse inside and it was bathed in caramel glaze. I had a small bite, but Jason took care of that pastry just fine without me.

I look forward to my next visit to Gaby et Jules. In fact, maybe I'll make a stop on the way home from work today.  Maybe I'll pop in at lunch. Oh, what the hell, I'm going there right now.  Gotta run!