Patisserie Delanghe reopens; summertime blues end

All's well with the world, again.

The glass and chrome cases are filled with freshly made blueberry scones, almond and chocolate croissants, fruit tarts and other delicious offerings at Dominique Delanghe's eponymous Patisserie Delanghe in San Francisco.

Four long weeks of summer holiday ended Tuesday with the return of Dominique and his staff. Asked about his time off, spent in his native France, Dominique replied: "One could get used to it."

But his customers couldn't. Starting at 7 a.m. Tuesday and continuing all day, a steady stream of smiling pastry lovers, mostly from the neighborhood around the shop at Fillmore and Bush streets, made its way through the door, clutching little white bags of heavenly delight on the way out.

Besides the textures, aromas and tastes of the pastries, I missed seeing the crew busily preparing the day's fare as I walked past each morning.

Now comes the hard part: trying not to make up for the last four weeks of abstinence all at once.

It's gonna be a long four weeks

The owner of Patisserie Delanghe at Fillmore and Bush streets, a few doors from my house, has gone to France for his summer holiday. The shop is closed until Sept. 15.

More's the pity. While I don't often partake of his delicious pastries, I delight in walking past the window two, three or more times a day. I always walk slowly to take in the marvels of his magic as he creates cakes, fruit tarts, custard-filled puffs, cookies and other edible decadence.

In fact, one of his popular pastries is boldly called La Decadence. It's dark with chocolate and bright with a fresh strawberry on top. Decadent, indeed.

Haven't partaken of La Decadence -- yet. For my money, his chocolate croissant still hits the sweet spot, literally.

Is it Sept. 15 yet?