It’s definitely no supermarket bakery (you won’t find glazed donuts anywhere near this Orem establishment), and it’s not your usual fast food restaurant or even a “slow food” deli, either.

It markets a few delicious sandwiches and a lot of pretty pastries with pizzazz.

Seeing the outdoor tables and a cute yellow awning brandishing the name of the boulangerie/pâtisserie, we had a bit of a shock when we walked into the very simply decorated (bordering on barren) bakery.

But none of that mattered when we locked our eyes on the sandwiches smothered in melted cheesy goodness, spinach and bacon quiche and rows of pretty pastries and chocolates.

Enticed on one visit by the sandwich options advertised on the front window, we looked forward to tasting the ham and cheese croissant or a croque monsieur (which is basically a ham and cheese sandwich — only made better by the layer of deliciously foreign cheese melted on top of the bread).

But to our dismay, the chefs had not prepared any of the hot sandwiches or quiche that day, something that happens every so often when the cooks get too busy, one employee told us.

We were left, a little disheartened, to build our own cold sandwiches, but we were pleased with the results.

The choices for sandwich meats include crab, tuna and chicken and also ham, turkey and roast beef cold cuts. For toppings, we could choose lettuce, tomatoes, onions, boiled eggs, pickles, and the most un-Americanized Swiss cheese we’ve ever tasted.

The sandwiches were served on half of a baguette (which means two skinny six-inch sandwiches) with the choice of a tasty in-house French mayonnaise, mustard or avocado spread.

The perfect marriage of crusty and soft, the baguette will remind French food lovers that authentic French bread isn’t what they sell in the grocery store.

For true French pastry connoisseurs, Eliane’s is the place … in Utah County, anyway.

The best part about the more than 20 pastries on display, with some topped in generous amounts of whipped cream or wrapped in ribbon, is that they tasted as good as they looked.

You can fill your eyes and your stomachs with madeleines, meringues, fruit tarts, apricot-glazed mini cheesecakes, flan, eclairs, cream puffs, black forest cake and almond croissants — none of which were too sweet.

Hands down, our favorite dessert was the Raspberry Charlotte, which won for both taste and prettiness. Layers of raspberry and lemon mousse were surrounded by a wall of ladyfingers and topped with a raspberry glaze.

The chocolate walnut cake, with a smooth texture comparable to cheesecake, and the strawberry cake, with layers of cake, whipped cream, shaved chocolate and strawberries, were also delicious.

So cross your fingers and hope that you’ll visit the bakery on a day that the chefs do prepare the hot food. But even if they don’t, the cold build-your-own sandwiches are just as tasty.

And if you sit outside under the awning with your baguette and pastries in hand — and face away from State Street — you can almost imagine yourself sitting outside a Paris café. Almost.

Eliane’s French Bakery

Where: 1750 S. State St., Orem

Hours: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday

Price range: $3-$4.60 for sandwiches, $1-$3 for pastries and $1.45-$2 for chocolates

Info: 764-9800, elianefrbakery@quest.net