The northeast corner of Peruvian Ave. and Cocoanut Row has a new food market offering a luxurious selection of savory meals, sweet treats and high-end grocery products.
Le Bilboquet Market is the latest from the restaurant brand’s founder-owner Philippe Delgrange. It’s a grocery and takeout food establishment he hopes will serve as a convenient stop for residents and employees from nearby businesses looking for a quick bite or that rare charcuterie board addition.
The restaurant’s interior refelcts the marketplace’s mixed European and Palm Beach pedigree. Its central display table and main counter have pink, gold and red Italian tiles inspired by the colors common throughout the island’s historic architecture, and marble detailing. Both countertops are centered with gold palm tree shaped installations, complimented by gold Mario Lopez Torres rattan chandeliers.
The kitchen in Delgrange’s newest project is led by his good friend, acclaimed French pastry chef François Payard, who serves as the market’s culinary director.
“In the beginning of the spring I called him and said ‘come with me, you’re not doing anything right now; come with me and let’s do something great,’” Delgrange recounted in an interview with the Palm Beach Daily News.
A James Beard-winning chef, Payard has worked for numerous three-star Michelin restaurants including New York City’s Le Bernadin as well as France’s La Tour d’Argent and Lucas Carton. He also has opened patisseries and bakeries across the globe from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to locations in Japan.
Those decades of experience are represented in Le Bilboquet Market wide-ranging lineup of savory and sweet treats, including classic European pastries like caramel glazed canelé, mini-Basque cheesecakes, macarons, croissants and flaky Napoleons.
For meals and savory options, the market has a selection of quiches, salads and sandwiches, including the decadently cheesy Croque Monsieur.
Those can be paired with Le Bilboquet Market’s selection of cafe-style drinks, including lattes, cortados, espresso, chai lattes, matcha lattes, black tea, and other coffee and tea drinks.
Payard also has crafted a series of unique bakery treats in honor of Palm Beach’s famed streets. They include the Worth Avenue Cake; a chocolate dacquoise cake filled with hazelnut mouse, topped with chocolate ganache and adorned with macarons; and the Peruvian Avenue Cake, a dome cake with chocolate mousse and hazelnut dacquoise.
Le Bilboquet Market’s central display case features an impressive selection of prosciutto di Parma, smoked salmon, caviar, Morbier cheese, goat cheese and Camembert cheese and other luxury deli options.
Along the market’s walls, guests can peruse a selection of grocery items including premium Italian dried pasta, teas, honeys, fruit spreads and the Le Bilboquet’s line of coffee beans.
Also on offer are premium chocolates and hard-to-find European candies and packaged treats.
The market had its soft opening on Oct. 20, and customers have poured in since, Payard said. So much so, the market had to close early on Oct. 25 because they sold out most of their takeout selection, he said.
Delgrange said reception has been nothing short of positive.
“It’s been really nice, I truly can’t complain,” he said.
Delgrange, who first opened a local Le Bilboquet restaurant in 2021, said Palm Beach’s community-minded atmosphere is why he chose to the town as the location for Le Bilboquet Market.
“I love that people are there for you, that they want you to be happy, and you want them to be happy. It’s a great vibe,” Delgrange said. “It’s very civilized here. “
In that vein, Delgrange said he will slowly be rolling out a program to give employees for the town and Palm Beach-based businesses a 20% discount.
“It’s a complicated process, but I’m working on that little by little,” he said.
Le Bilboquet Market, 353 Peruvian Ave., is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Le Bilboquet Market, a new food market led by acclaimed pastry chef François Payard
Reporting by Diego Diaz Lasa, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
