Fancy seeing you here, Eric Kayser

It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?

All those rows and rows of pretty, petite gateaux.

I was thrilled to hear Eric Kayser arrived in New York last week. I have les souvenirs heureux of his bread, chocolate chip cookies, viennoiserie and cakes.

I don't if all these people do too, but it sure seems the rest of New York is excited for the boulangerie's arrival.

The selection is smaller here than in Paris. They do have cookies, financiers, croissants, pain au chocolat and pain aux raisins. Plus a whole restaurant.

But for now they seem to be focusing on les gateaux individuels.

So, in addition to a pistachio brioche with an airy center...

... we tried a Paris-Brest. 

The créme praliné was plentiful, oozing from the pastry ring.

Some golden almond slivers and a wee tile of dark chocolate stamped with his initials.

It could be that my memories are better than reality will ever live up to. Or that things taste different 3600 miles away. All I know is that I'm going to have to return to see if I can experience that over-the-moon feeling I used to have in Paris because I didn't taste yet here in New York.