Brunch, baguettes, and a cute French guy — this is not how I expected my Saturday to start, but hey… I’m not mad about it.
Mornings, but Make It New York
I had one of those New York mornings that starts with the best intentions: an oat milk latté from my favorite little café in SoHo, a quick scan through the window of Reformation (just a “browse” because rent), and maybe a quiet hour to catch up on emails, aka delete all the ones I subscribed to during a retail therapy spiral. You know, the usual.
But then the croissant happened.
Technically, it wasn’t the croissant. It was the man buying the croissant. More on him later.
The Brunch That Was Not a Brunch (Yet)
So I stop into this cute little French place on Prince Street because, frankly, my latte turned out to be lukewarm and I needed something real. I order a pain au chocolat and just as I’m turning around… BAM — I bump into someone and nearly wear my pastry like a hat.
“I’m so sorry,” I blurt, looking up… and up. (He’s tall. With scruffy hair and that kind of effortless outfit that looks like he just rolled out of a Vogue editorial called ‘Sundays in Saint-Germain.’)
He smiles, and in the most charming French accent says, “Only if you are willing to share.”
Okay. Bonjour, Jacques.
Meet Jacques (Yes, That’s Really His Name)
Jacques is in town for “inspiration” — which, in New York terms, means he’s either a musician, a poet, or a man who just dumped his ex and is self-soothing via cobblestone sidewalks and espresso. Turns out, he’s a chef. A literal French chef spending two months in the city because “the energy makes him want to create.”
I die.
We ended up chatting for 45 minutes over cappuccinos and flaky pastries that didn’t survive long enough for an Instagram story. He told me about growing up in Lyon, how he learned to cook from his grandmother (I know), and how he finds New Yorkers fascinating because “you all walk so fast, as if love might be hiding around the next corner.”
I mean — put that on a t-shirt and sell it on Canal Street.
Unexpected Moments: A Short List of What Made Me Smile Today
- Jacques asking if “the Friends café is a real thing” (I may have blushed)
- The woman on the next table sketching her dog with charcoal — in a baby Björn
- Finding a vintage Hermès scarf at a flea market table for $40 (conflicted, because it was most likely a dupe, but… she cute)
- Random saxophone player under a fire escape playing “La Vie En Rose”
- The idea that New York — for better or worse — keeps surprising me
The Takeaway? Let the Plan Go.
I almost didn’t stop for that croissant. I almost didn’t say anything after colliding with Jacques. I almost stuck to my plan — the slow Saturday with to-do lists and inbox zero.
But sometimes, the best mornings don’t come with checkboxes. They come with buttery crumbs on your sleeve and a sudden crush on a man who calls sprigs of thyme “tiny sticks of perfume.”
“New York doesn’t deliver what you want. It delivers what you didn’t know you needed.” — Me. Literally just now. Quote me.
So here’s to pastries, poets, and people who make your heart do that weird flippy thing for no rational reason. I have no idea if I’ll ever see Jacques again. I didn’t get his last name. But I did get a second date. Next Thursday. He’s cooking. (I KNOW.)
Until then, I’ll be here — brunching, wandering, and letting this city surprise me.
xo Rach 🥐
#BrunchIsMyLoveLanguage
#FrenchBoysAndFloorLengthCoats
#SoHoSerendipity
