From the way the tubes ran, Nell guessed that Miss Matheson was plugged into the Feed in two or three different ways, though everything had been discreetly hidden under many afghans, piled up on top of her body like the airy layers of a French pastry.

The cake has two airy layers of meringue with hazelnuts, chocolate glaze, and a buttercream-like filling.

The ham-and-cheese crepe is wonderful, a huge, thin layer of dough grilled and folded into a broad rectangle, leaving layer upon airy layer of ham and melted cheese.

Just occasionally you could still see glimpses of that for summer 1996 on the runways, as in the airy layers with delicate handwork from Alberta Ferretti or in Max Mara's sensible suits.

Whether hair is cut short into airy layers, slicked into waves or swept back, the look this season is close to the head.

Strew the mushrooms over the fennel, covering the fennel with an airy layer of mushrooms.

Croissants and brioche, the bagels of Paris, are disappointingly droopy here, but the ham-and-cheese crepe ($5.50) was wonderful, a huge, thin layer of dough grilled and folded into a broad rectangle, leaving layer upon airy layer of ham and melted cheese.

The menu includes les salades and les sandwiches, but les crepes, both sweet and savory, are best, particularly the ham and cheese crepe, layer upon airy layer of ham and melted cheese, and the lemon crepe, a conical fold of dough drizzled with lemon juice and sugar.

And like biscuits, they have a distinctly flaky texture, created when the cold butter used to cut the dough melts in the oven, creating airy layers, not unlike a croissant's.