Pompon

Where can you get a good slice in the Riquier neighborhood? At the windowed counter of Pompon, surrounded by sourdough loaves shaped by Déborah Bailet and Jonathan André, two newly-minted bakers (she used to work at Refettorio, he used to work at La Blogothèque) who take their inspiration from baker Apollonia Poilâne, and enrolled in the École Internationale de Boulangerie before opening up their wood- and tile-clad bakery. Prepared using organic heirloom flours (primarily a semi-whole wheat variety) from Le Moulin Pichard in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, their loaves really hit the mark: country bread, rustic focaccia glistening with olive oil, Kalamata olive fougasse… And for the sweets, buttery brioche flavored with Vallauris orange blossom water, cinnamon rolls, plump donuts stuffed with apple compote or other seasonal preparations – lemon curd the day we went, for example, made with lemons grown on the Mediterranean Coast! // Lenny Vega 

THE HIDDEN GEM: The moist pompe à l’huile cake, dotted with dark chocolate chips from the Drôme (€3.50 each).