Aroma of fresh bread is right around the corner

The arrondisement of Lawrenceville has a treat in store. A new bakery is about to open at 4605 avenue Butler.

La Gourmandine will soon be rolled out by owner and pastry-maker Fabien Moreau, who trained at Lenôtre, the premier school of patisserie arts in Paris.

"We plan to serve traditional French baked goods. Different types of bread, the famous baguette of course, what we call 'Viennoiseries' (danishes) like croissants, brioches, pain au chocolat, pain au raisins," said Lisanne Lorin-Moreau, Fabien's wife. "Also pastries, chocolat éclairs, fruit tartes," anything you would expect at a French bakery, she added.

Patisserie is truly an art form. If I can measure out my life in espresso spoons, the experiences were made memorable by the perfect brioche in the morning or a lovely éclair in the afternoon.

Lawrenceville has longed for a bread bakery, but real brioches a few blocks away from me? A dream come true.

I now hike all the way to Enrico Biscotti in the Strip District to get a loaf of bread. No doubt Lawrenceville soon will become the destination for god's-honest patisseries.