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Choukette Eclairs

This new place opened last Summer and is not easy to find! It is located under Pike Market on Western Avenue. You need to walk down the small alley along the newspaper shop and take the stairs next to the Gum Wall. Check the map with the link below.

This bakery is specialized in éclairs and only éclairs. Eclair is a pâte à choux filled with cream. They offer a large variety of flavors but since I am a big fan of hazelnuts, my favorite was Hazelnut Praline.

They are very elegant but also pretty pricey at $5 a piece.

Choukette éclair’art 1500 Western Ave

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Le Pichet

I like this cozy nice little place, which really looks like a French Bistro. Le Pichet is a few blocks from Pike Market on First avenue. If you want to escape the touristy crowds of the Market, this is the place to go.

The lunch menu is quite short but you can start with some good baguette and butter.

Tuna Salad: House-made albacore tuna conserve, baby romaine, marinated Orca beans, red onion, oregano and spice-roasted Delicata squash. The tuna conserve was delicious, and the beans and squash were comforting.

The heavy French onion soup (caramelised onion soup with crouton and gruyère cheese): a perfect dish for a cold windy day.

Otherwise the Assiette de fromages or the Assiette de charcuterie is always a goo choice!

They have a good by the glass or pichet French wine list. Pichet is a small pitcher (pictured below).

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And last but not least, service was super nice.

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Le Pichet   1933 1st Avenue

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Amandine’s Macarons

Don’t expect the classic typical flavors we usually think of when we think of macarons. At Amandine Bakeshop, they don’t bake plain chocolate, vanilla or strawberry but instead opt for really original unique flavor combination. Imagine: Strawberry Lavender Verbana, Matcha with Shaved Dark Chocolate, Orange blossom Thyme, Roasted Mixed Nuts and Praline Macaron, …

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The consistency of Amandine’s macaron is really the way I like it. I don’t know if it is supposed to be like this but I like a macaron not when it is chewy all over but when it is soft inside and crispy outside with the right amount of creamy filling.

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So today I went back to the little bakeshop on Capitol Hill (on the 11th avenue between Pike and Union). I was there with a friend and we enjoyed the outdoor seating (4 chairs to be accurate) on this sunny first day of fall.

It was lunch time but whatever… Here is what my lunch looked like today: a very balanced and healthy combination of… a latte and two huge macarons!

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I have to go back to taste the other pastries.  The croissants and madeleines looked delicious though.

The Brownie Macaron is really different. It has a strong and delicious chocolate flavor but I don’t really like the chewy texture but… my daughter loves it!

I brought back a box for my gourmands at home.

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Amandine 1424 11th Avenue