Tucked into a strip mall in a sea of busy roads, surrounded by a mega-gym and a KFC, is La Baguette, a French bakery and sandwich shop, is an unlikely and surprisingly delightful escape from its high-paced environment. Located on the far West side of Madison, La Baguette is about a half-hour drive from Stoughton.
The place is unmistakably authentic. If the people speaking French behind the counter don’t give it away, then the food’s fresh-baked quality and rich flavors certainly will.
When Norse Starians Travis Ryan and Miles Heritsch arrived at the bakery, it was obvious to them that the food would be good before they even ordered, based on vibes alone.
Even though he had mistakenly been expecting an Italian restaurant throughout the entire time the trip had been planned, the French flavor was clearly not disappointing.
“Everything about the menu, staff, and atmosphere reflected French culture well. I felt like I was eating authentic French baked foods instead of some cheap store-bought oven goods,” Ryan said.
We stopped by the shop at noon on a Saturday, meaning that there were a few other customers there, but not enough for there to be a wait. The server taking our order was very polite despite being confronted with two customers who clearly had no idea what to order nor how to pronounce half of the menu. Eventually, Ryan decided on the buttered croissant, vanilla macaron, and raspberry macaron (and later decided to buy a whole baguette). Heritsch decided on the cherry brioche, cookies & creme macarons, and raspberry macarons. The food arrived quickly, and the Norse Starians were eager to give it a try.
“While the croissant was admittedly plain, the macarons were the best macarons I’ve had (by a mile), and the baguette was fresh and the star of the show. Best bread I’ve ever eaten,” Ryan said.
Heritsch concedes the quality of the macarons – the raspberry ones especially had the perfect taste and texture. The cookies & cream ones were slightly thicker than expected and were more reminiscent of an ice cream sandwich than a macaron, but were good nonetheless. There were absolutely no complaints to be made about the cherry brioche; it was perfectly baked, balanced between fruit and bread, and tasted amazing.
While the two were eating, they enjoyed a combination of French-themed and Christmas-themed decorations within the restaurant, which was nice because the alternative of looking out the windows into a dull concrete landscape was not preferable.
“They had tons of decor, advertising the store and presenting customers with a good sense of their French culture. It was well-lit, had comfortable tables, and was very digestible,” Ryan said.
After the two were ready to head out, they could both agree that they would come back here again if they were already in the area, but it’s a bit of a far journey from Stoughton. The food was wonderful, and the building itself was enjoyable to be in, so the only thing taking points off from this location is the distance, earning it a solid 4.5/5 stars.
