Chantelle D.
Yelp
I ordered the Le Pierre 2, a baguette sandwich with ham, tomato, cheese and mayo which they were out of the pre-made ones at the counter so I had to wait for it to be made in the back room where they bake the baguettes. I didn't mind waiting since I prefer a freshly made sandwich to order.
I waited longer than the 5 minutes I was told to expect so I went to the seating area where there was a view into the baking and assembling area. I was surprised to see that the person cutting the baguette was struggling to cut it open, thinking that was strange. After a 15 min. wait and with great anticipation, I got my order and here's what I experienced: there was a single slice of boiled ham (not even folded over) that fit into the narrow baguette, a single slice of cheese, a single piece of wilted lettuce and slices of tomatoes spread across the sandwich and mayo on the bread. I bit into the sandwich and I couldn't believe how HARD the crust was; ¼" of the crust was dried out, crunched and crumbled in the mouth like biting a dried hard pretzel. I believe the staff might have left the baguettes sitting in the oven after they finished baking and the outside crust just dried up; without proper training and over-sight, customers are left paying hefty prices for a baguette that should have been thrown out for being not measuring up to a baguette standard of quality!
I'm sorry to admit that this was the absolute worse baguette I have ever had, given how much anticipation I had for this place. I've had wonderful baguettes in Paris, even Parisian street vendors have wonderful jambon baguette sandwiches where the outside of the baguette is crispy and flakey, the inside soft, chewy, full of holes big and small (evidence that the dough has proofed and risen properly) and the wonderful aromas are so heady. In NYC, Maison Kayser, Épicerie Boulud have wonderful baguettes; even the baguettes at the Au Bon Pain chain are way better than those at L'Ami Pierre!!!
If L'Ami Pierre cannot make a proper baguette, then what is their "raison d'être" ???
On another note, I saw the proprietor using his bare hands to brush some crumbs off from the work spaces behind the counter. Then he walked over to a basket of croissants and re-stacked them with his bare hands; he didn't even bother to wash his hands before handling the food or wear gloves!