"It was scary because Bee Cave was kind of dead then," Chi-minh said.
When the Pham-dinh's unlocked the doors of their current location just outside of the Uplands neighborhood, only a bank and dry cleaners were operating out of the small strip center. A close friend told Chi-minh about the West Austin neighborhood's future growth potential. In 2009, Anne-lise and Chi-minh took a chance on a new shopping area in Bee Cave. "It's green, affordable and everyone is nice." "From the drive out of the airport, I fell in love with Austin," Chi-minh said of his first visit to the Lone Star State. The couple ultimately chose Austin as their home. and accepted positions with a French bakery in Colorado. After visiting Austin and Chicago, the two became enamored with America and in 2008, moved to the U.S. "When I was a little boy in France, my grandmother told me, 'One day you're going to be a cook, a pastry chef.' I realized that I love too much-I had to do it."Ĭhi-minh learned the art of pastry making and French cooking while Anne-lise worked as a lawyer to support the two of them. "I've always loved cooking and being around kitchens," Chi-minh said. In France, cooking and baking are not admirable professions, reserved for students who were not good at school, Chi-minh said.īefore working in the culinary department of a store, Chi-minh spent years at a stressful job as an insurance agent before deciding to follow his lifelong dream of becoming a cook and baker in his own restaurant kitchen, he said. "What I love about this country is that you have the freedom to do what you want," Chi-minh said. Once inside, diners are greeted by French music, colorful sweets and the aroma of fresh brioche, the exact ambience owners Anne-lise and Chi-minh Pham-dinh sought to create when they moved from their native Paris to the U.S. 71 sits an authentic French bakery and pastry cafe-the real thing but without the jet lag. And has just the right amount of brininess.Restaurant offers a slice of Paris in Bee CaveĪt the end of the small Uplands Shopping Center on Bee Caves Road near the intersection of West Hwy. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the olive batard. It has two different types of olive slices gently nestled inbetween layers of chewy baked dough. From a traditional baguette to a new 6-Seed sourdough batard there are many to choose from. My favorite to take home and toast is the sourdough batard crusty on the outside, chewy and airy on the inside. It could be any one of these things.īut my guess is it’s the bread, pastry, macaroon and the traditional French dishes like salty and sweet crepes, quiche, salads and baguette sandwiches.
BAGUETTE ET CHOCOLAT FULL
Why? Maybe it’s little touches that the patrons love an area for the wee ones with their very own flat screen TV not having to wait long for a seat even in the busiest times adding new items but not changing the core menu a huge ladies lavatory full of natural light. Perhaps Paris?!? And like any good Parisian cafe this one is bustling and very well patronized. It lends itself to feeling as if you’re somewhere else. Walking into the cafe you would never know. On any given day you can count at least 2 to 3 different languages including French. It’s right smack dab in the middle one of Austin’s newer suburban landscapes the City of Bee Cave.
This was my first experience at what was then a quickly becoming known French cafe named, Baguette et Chocolat.Īn authentic French bakery and cafe it stands alone in the small Uplands Shopping Center just off Bee Cave Road and is a stones throw from HWY 71.
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