Chaumont - Stunning French Pastries In Beverly Hills

Call it the Tweet that launched a thousand Francophiles.

Back in late January, chef Ludo Lefebvre took to Twitter to call out his favorite new croissant in Los Angeles, found at the Beverly Hills boulangerie Chaumont Bakery.

The croissant ($2.50), flaky and rich with a buttery, supple interior, has quickly become one of our favorites in town too.

Husband-and-wife owners Laski and Laila Abddaim, along with pastry chef Nicolas Rançon and baker Denis Bocq, have already developed a neighborhood reputation for their delicate French pastries.

An all-star lineup of colorful desserts lines the display case every morning, including a supple praline-cream-filled Paris-Brest, crumbly chocolate éclairs, and one of the best slices of tarte Tatin we've ever tasted.

In the afternoon, there are Niçoise salads ($16) with seared tuna, and sandwiches served on Chaumont's heavenly house-made baguettes, like one layered with smoked salmon ($12) and capers, or a banh mi made with marinated beef ($11).

In fact, while you may enter the shop with a sweet tooth, you'll probably head out with a bag of fresh baguettes tucked under one arm.

Among a selection of intricate and dainty pastry creations, we were surprised that our favorite breakfast was a simple length of baguette, spread with creamy European butter and strawberry jam.

How very French.