Explore SLC: Gourmandies, the Bakery

I think I mentioned a few weeks ago about trying to explore a new place in SLC once every week or so (about as often as I can with 3 kids in tow), something I hope will make life more interesting. So far so good. This past week I headed to Gourmandies, per Salt Lake magazine's recommendation (hit or miss I've found). A few years ago when I discovered Les Madeleines via SLC mag, it was a hit and still is. Last year when I tried Thai Garden (supposedly the best Thai in the SL area) I was sorely disappointed. I found Gourmandies to be somewhere in between.

One thing I immediately loved was the outdoor seating. It's so nice to sit outside in the summer. I made a mental note to go back on a warm day and enjoy some of their lemonade. For lunch I ordered a quiche, salad, roll & rice pudding for dessert. The quiche was pretty good but would've tasted better had they used Gruyere cheese instead of Swiss. The salad was out of a bag so nothing special and the roll okay. P.S. this is not the place to buy a French baguette. Like most American eateries that advertise themselves as "French", this was not authentic at all. However, the rice pudding was very good, if you like rice pudding, and the tart was beautiful but lacked the pure ingredients you find in treats at Les Madeleines (Romina uses very high quality ingredients). You can tell when a crust is made with shortening and a crust made with butter. Gourmandies uses shortening I am sure, and Les Madeleines, butter. Gourmandies wasn't very expensive (definitely cheaper than Les Madeleines) but as with most things, you do get what you pay for. However, I would definitely consider giving it another try if the following conditions were met: 1. I ate a sandwich instead this time 2. I tried the fresh lemonade 3. they had their rice pudding again and 4. it was warm enough to sit outside. Admittedly, the downtown location is convenient and they are open late (11 p.m.) so if you want a little treat late at night--this is a good place to hit.