Tucked away in a corner of the Pal-Do store at 96th and South Tacoma Way in Tacoma is a French patisserie, or bakery. Racks and cases and holders overflow with creme horns, sweet cakes, layer cakes, filled cookies, macarons, and sweets of every description. We were lucky and went early in the day so we could see the largest number of goodies available.

This was a surprise walk down memory lane for me, because my maternal grandfather was a production baker in the 1940s and he would bring home delicious cream-filled pastry horns, and the ones we bought at the Boulangerie were very good and a sweet reminder. We also bought slices of red velvet and Black Forest cake, which are not my favorites but beautiful, and enjoyed by others.  Double dark chocolate “financiers” were rich and delicious.

French pastries vary in sweetness. Some are very sweet and loaded with cream filling and frosted with whipped cream. Others are dense and flavored with fruit or honey. The Black Forest cake was an example. It had rich dark layers of dark chocolate cake, each with a thin spread of cherry jam on the chocolate frosting between layers. A small dense chestnut cake was also less sweet but very enjoyable.

Tables and chairs provide a nice cafe setting for coffee and soft drinks to enjoy with the baked goods.

We bought 19 different treats, ranging from seven macarons at $1.99 to two slices of cake at $4.99 each. Macarons are meringue sandwich cookies and range in flavor from passion fruit and strawberry to chocolate.

Each item came in an individual celophane bag, except for the slices of cake, which were presented in plastic boxes.

Boulangerie is worth a visit if you have a sweet tooth that loves things baked with skill and presented with a flair.

IF YOU GO

Boulangerie Bakery and Cafe

9701 S. Tacoma Way, Lakewood (in the large Pal-Do store). Casual seating. Plenty of parking, but the earlier you go, the more selection is available.

253-682-3488

Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday

(Editor’s note: After more than 70 articles about places to eat, Carolyn Augustine is writing her final Senior Eats column. “I loved doing them,” she said, adding, “Hiatus — that’s what they call it when you can’t continue for whatever reason,” which in this case is personal. Senior Scene thanks Carolyn for her always interesting contributions and wishes her all the best – in food and otherwise.

Carolyn Augustine is a freelance restaurant writer from Lakewood.