Tony Perrottet in the New York Times takes a 200-year-old tour of gastronomic Paris, stopping off at two of our locals on Rue Montorgueil, right around the corner from where we stay:

I did track down the oldest remaining pâtisserie of Paris, Stohrer, whose 1730 shop a few blocks from the Palais Royal is an irresistible palace of sweet delicacies, with original lead mirrors reflecting a multicolored array of pastries and glazed fruits. . . .

I was delighted to find Au Rocher de Cancale still going strong as a lively lunchtime bistro. The florid exterior was unmistakably of the period, although a plaque noted that the establishment had moved from one side of the street to the other in 1846. No matter! It was lunchtime, I was famished, and the fixed-price menu was a decent 20 euros. In the upstairs dining room, I instantly spied a series of unique frescoes salvaged from the 1846 restaurant and preserved under plexiglass like archaeological finds from Pompeii. They had been discovered, the waitress told me, when the room was renovated in the 1980s.

Stohrer’s baba au rhum is the one by which all others are measured. Not too sweet (which is the usual problem) but still moist with rum. The Wife wasn’t too sure about this dessert, but one bite convinced her . . . and convinced her only to try it from Stohrer. Everything we’ve eaten from Stohrer, actually, has been fantastic, be it sweet or savoury.

And though we never ate at Au Rocher De Cancale, every late afternoon you could find us sitting outside, sipping wine, and people watching.

I can’t wait to get back to Paris next May.