This “tres francais” patisserie dishes up precise French pastries in a charming atmosphere.

A few years ago I was out for a stroll in the Fillmore neighborhood of San Francisco and wandered into the Bay Bread Boulangerie on Pine. In the case were these cute little colorful sandwich cookies that came in at least a dozen flavors. I picked lemon, caramel and chocolate, and I must have bought some other stuff too -- but I don’t remember exactly what. What I do remember is how I swooned when I bit into those cookies. They were delicate, light and rich at the same time, and had incredible flavor. In an instant, I was hooked on Parisian macarons (not to be confused with the moist coconut confections by the same name.)

After returning to San Diego, I tried to mail order some to give as gifts, but it turns out Bay Bread won’t ship them, believing they are too fragile. Searching for local sources, I discovered Opera Patisserie, then a commercial outlet located on Aero Drive. For the holidays that year, I ordered several items to give as gifts, including boxes of the macarons, some truffles and flourless chocolate cakes. They were a huge hit, and I made a somewhat regular habit of picking up sweets for parties and gifts.

Driving down 6th Avenue on my way to work a few months ago, I was thrilled to see the awning announcing Opera Patisserie’s new café downtown. Located dangerously close to my office, the café offers breakfast pastries, coffee and light lunch entrees, as well as the company’s fabulous desserts. Everything I have tried has been good -- but the caramel mousse, lemon tart and raspberry mirror desserts are particular standouts. For lunch they offer quiches, salads and sandwiches, many with a rich combination of ham and cheese. Most lunch offerings are served with a green salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette.

The café itself is sweetly decorated with pastel colors and white wrought iron. A door opens into the European antique store next door -- where the gregarious owner will be more than happy to sell you a French-Provincial dining table that seats twenty, a set of 18th Century church pews, or perhaps a Rathskeller beer barrel bar. (He wanted to put that one on a truck and deliver it to my co-worker’s house that very afternoon!)

The menu is posted on a large board behind the counter where you order, and the food is brought out on china plates with silverware. Prices are in the $8.00 to $10.00 range for lunch, and $3.00 to $5.00 for pastries and desserts. Everything is also available to go. I have a hard time leaving without some macarons, packaged in a charming pink box with a picture of the Eiffel Tower. They don’t make a caramel flavor (yet), but the flavors they do have are delicious, with a rich cream filling sandwiched between two airy meringue domes. They also often have boxes of assorted tiny pastries which would make great dinner party hostess gifts. Note though, that they are only open during the day, until 4pm –- hopefully after-dinner coffee and dessert will be available soon.

They use top quality ingredients -- no ersatz shortcuts here -- and you can taste the butter, chocolate and authentic fruit flavors in the finished products. Their classic French style has won them a number of commercial catering gigs, so you might recognize the products in the case as something you have seen at a local hotel or restaurant. Though they don’t generally have whole cakes available for purchase at the restaurant, they can handle orders for sheet cakes or round cakes for special occasions. The cakes are decorated in classic French patisserie style, so don’t expect buttercream or gum paste flowers. They will even make you a croquembouche, the classic French wedding “cake” made up of a tower of cream puffs tied together with spun sugar. (I’m still waiting for the perfect occasion to order that one -- seeing as how I eloped!)

Thierry, the owner, is lovely and charming (and very French) and his Opera Patisserie brings a welcome sophisticated touch to the downtown dining scene.

I do not have any connections with this business. I've been here five to ten times.