Bonjour, La Madeleine

One of my more shameful secrets? I took French classes for FIFTEEN consecutive years… and I still can’t carry on a conversation. I can, however, tell you how to say “grapefruit” (pamplemousse) and ask to reserve a hotel room for the week after next (Je voudrais reservez une chambre pour la semaine prochaine.).Very useful.

Throughout all those years and years and years of French classes, French club meetings (PRESIDENT!), field trips, etc., I enjoyed countless meals at La Madeleine. For those of you not fortunate enough to live near one of their 60 locations, La Madeleine is a cafe featuring traditional French dishes and pastries.

Oh, the pastries.

As a kid I felt very mature ordering the Petit Caesar Salade and a cup of the Tomato Basil Soup. Along with lots of bread slathered with butter and blackberry jam. Although I haven’t dined there often since high school, it still holds a special place in my heart- which is why I was excited to receive an invitation to preview the revamped Preston-Forest location. I arrived early Friday morning and was happy to see that, despite the makeover, most of the cozy touches remained:

There were, however, quite a few changes. Electronic menu board and central ordering station:

Open kitchen:

Contemporary decor:

I have to admit, now that Jack’s here, La Madeleine would not have been at the top of my list for places to dine. The former ordering system would have been a nightmare to navigate with a stroller. Now, instead of having to drag your tray down a line, you just order at the counter and they actually bring you your food. And I love the open kitchen; apparently they’ve always prepped the pastries in-house, which you never would have known in the “old” cafes. Maybe I’m just a food nerd but I love to watch other people cook. Oh, speaking of- we were given a croissant demonstration! Almond and chocolate. Oui oui.

Breakfast was delicious and the staff was beyond gracious. I was thrilled to meet the founder of La Madeleine, Patrick Esquerre, and the current COO, Phil Costner (a CIA grad!).

That’s fellow blogger Debra next to me. You can check her out at A Frugal Friend.

It was fascinating to hear Mr. Esquerre discuss the founding of his restaurant. Apparently he stood in front of the original Mockingbird location and polled passerby on what they believed was necessary for an authentic French cafe. He also recounted how his mother traveled from France to help perfect the recipes (though he declined to let us in on the Tomato Basil Soup recipe).

And they sent us home with some wonderful treats. I’ve already dug into the Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves.

(I got to take this baguette, too.)

So thank you to everyone at La Madeleine! I’d encourage anyone who hasn’t been in a while to check out the revamped Preston-Forest location. OH, and anyone who wears pink or makes a monetary donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure will receive a 10% discount on their order this Tuesday, March 16. So go have a chocolate croissant for me.