I have been on a French kick lately. Right now, anything French is cool. I have this grandiose idea of living in Paris, I want to learn to speak French, I want to eat French food, I want to bake French pastries, I am currently reading My Life in France by Julia Child – the list goes on and on. Not sure where all this originated, though I have a suspicion it started after watching Midnight in Paris, which now reminds me of the time I had a very strong desire to live in Spain after watching Vicki Cristina Barcelona… don’t put shiny objects in front of me, I will follow them.
So I was quite excited to go to La Boite, the French eatery on South Lamar that is housed in a shipping container. Boite is a French word that literally means box and that is exactly what the place is – a rectangular box. I love that they have taken the “Reuse Reduce Recycle” motto to heart and used an object that was built for such a specific purpose and repurposed it into something quirky and fun. Sometimes my imagination can go in all kinds of silly directions and I started wondering: Where has this shipping container been? What exotic places has it traveled to and how did it arrive here? By boat? By rail? What precious cargo did it contain?
Well I can tell you what it contains now – a whole lot of yumminess! And will someone please tell me how I have been alive for 40 years and just now have tasted my first macaron??? Oh my, those little French cookies are like fluffy pillows filled with pure sweetness. I tried two flavors – Pistachio with chocolate ganache and salted caramel. If my life depended on it, I still couldn’t tell you which one I liked more. They were both divine. I also enjoyed the almond croissant, which was crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and absolutely wonderful. In fact, while I was there a person called in to ask if there were any of those croissants left. Since they only had two, the caller asked to please please please hold them – they would be over immediately to grab them! So they must be in high demand.
La Boite also serves great coffee, teas and sandwiches, so I plan on making a trip over there during lunch. Since the box is tight on space (though so cute), the seating is located outside under a shade canopy. If you’d rather just pick up something to go, the parking is convenient and easy. They open at 7:30 am on the weekdays, 8 am on the weekends and close at 4:30(ish). They have also just opened up a second location at 1006 Congress Ave.
So my French obsession has been reinforced, thanks to La Boite. Hopefully I will one day find myself in France but until then, I intend on eating every macaron flavor they make. Bon appétit!
Get Happy Austin 
Their Americano is one of the best I’ve had in town. It’s a neat location, far enough back from the main road and high enough up to see downtown off in the distance. Worth checking out!
Sounds great! Can’t wait to try it!
Being French is cool, so I like to repeat to myself.