Chuck has a thing for motorcycles and french food. He shares these passions with Jon Pierre of Cafe Jon Pierre. Through this friendship, Chuck met the owner of
La Quiche Parisienne Bistro (who's name escapes me right now). Of course, we had to visit! We went on a Friday; early - around 11. This little gem is located in the the heart of downtown Albuquerque, on Copper and 4th.
They are famous for fresh baked pastries that are made every morning beginning at 3 am. There is an offering of tarts, bread, eclairs, croissants, etc., and to grab one of these delectable delights one must get here early. When we arrived, there was only a small assortment available. Meredith snagged 4 of the 5 fruit tarts that were left, and a gentleman waiting in line behind her left in a tizzy. "C'est la vie," as the French would say or more specifically the French lady at the counter.
In addition to the wonderful pastries, breakfast and lunch are also served. Breakfast is only served from 7:00am until 10:00am, and one can chose from several different omelets or a croissant sandwich. For lunch, there is a nice variety of quiches and hot or cold sandwiches to chose from. The day we visited, we all opted for sandwiches.
Meredith had a sandwich combo with a cold Paris sandwich - cracker pepper, turkey, muentster cheese, cucumbers, avocado, tomato, lettuce, mayo, on a half baguette - and a cup of tomato soup. She said that the sandwich was great, but the soup was just ok; to her, it wasn't very flavorful and was not as thick as she would have preferred.
I had the hot Provencal sandwich - chicken breast, pesto basil, caesar dressing, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, lettuce, tomato, on foccacia bread - with chips. I think I finished the whole sandwich within seconds. The chicken was so moist, and it had the perfect amount of pesto. The bread was toasted brilliantly to have a crunchy outside, but soft inside.
Chuck ordered the hot Frenchy - roast beef, provolone cheese, horseradish mustard on a baguette, and served with au jus. This was my second choice, and I wish I would've ordered it instead. It looked amazing, and like me Chuck ate it in about a minute. He didn't share, but bragged about how good it was.
The meal was fantastic, albeit a bit pricey. I didn't mind though. Before I left, I hit up up the almost barren pastry shelves to get a lemon tart, a baguette, a couple of mini croissants, and a chocolate croissant with me.
My expanding waistline was not pleased, however my taste buds were!
