Cupcakes take over Paris

First it was New York. Every new storefront seemed to feature pastel-colored, floral-decorated little pieces of cake. Some mini, some oversized, in flavors ranging from chocolate to banana, marble to red velvet. Then the creep spread westward. To Brown Betty in Philly to Holy Cow Cupcakes in Indiana to Sprinkles in sunny So-Cal.

In fall of 2008, cupcakes arrived in Paris when sisters Rebecca and Maggy opened their 11th arrondisement Cupcakes & Co, an absolute gem of a bakery specializing in only cupcakes, made from top-notch natural ingredients (vanilla bourbon with glazed figs and pine nuts, anyone?) And now, just like New York nearly 10 years ago, cupcakes are taking over Paris.



From biggies Berko and Le Bon Marché, to neighborhood patisseries like Moulin de la Vierge—pop, pop, pop—the cute little creations are becoming ubiquitous. I walked by Il Gelato, an artisanal gelateria on the Boulevard Saint-Germain that features fountains of chocolate and pistachio fondant and low-sugar ice cream, and what was in the window?




Bien sur, cupcakes.

February Tour: In the heart of chocolate darkness

Before I moved to Paris, I had only a vague understanding of the city’s layout and, more important, its sweet spots. Now I can feel (and taste) my way around. And whenever I have to do an errand in the first arrondisement, I prepare myself for lusting after things I can’t afford on rue St-Honoré, but taking solace in the fact that I can at least splurge on something sumptuous: chocolate—in solid or liquid form—at one of city’s, nay country’s, best chocolatiers.

Let’s start with the old master. Nestled between the luxury boutiques flaunting fine lingerie and crazy haute talons, Michel Cluizel (201, rue St.-Honoré) has been making chocolate since 1948, though his daughter Catherine now manages the store. Among the delights for you to discover: a wall-mounted fountain spewing molten chocolate, giant bowls filled with truffles and macarolats (a chocolate version of the macaron) and 99% cacao chocolate bars. Pas mal!

Further up the street is Jean-Paul Hévin’s modern and refined tea salon/chocolate shop (231, rue St-Honoré)—top 3, if not my very favorite, chocolatier. Dainty macarons and pretty cakes welcome you along one wall (or you can indulge upstairs in the tranquil salon de thé), but the bonbons are hidden in the back. With cocoa sourced from Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia and Madagascar, and ingredients like cinnamon, caramel and champagne whipped into the dark chocolate ganache, they’re nothing if not sublime.

The selection at Pierre Hermé’s 4 rue Cambon boutique is more limited than at rue Bonaparte, but don’t despair. While you won’t find towering cakes like the Plenitude or Isaphan, you will find all the incredible macarons and chocolates your heart might desire.

Finish off the decadence by sitting firmly on your butt at Angelina’s (226, rue de Rivoli). You might have to battle some tourists and none-too-friendly waitresses for a seat, but a pitcher of their chocolat Africain more than makes up for it. It’s rich and chocolaty, smooth and velvety, thick enough to coat your tongue, and almost thick enough to stand a spoon up in it. It’s, oh what’s the word… heaven?

Chocolate heaven

Whose pies would you rather stick your finger in?

La Maison du Chocolat?



Or Michel Cluizel?


Until I do proper recon and share my undoubtedly gushing opinion, weigh in yourselves to the right.

Pssst, Cupid

Send me a little love.

Happy New Food de la Grande Epicerie

If I could snap my fingers and have two store-bought American treats appear before me, they would be Entenmann’s glazed pop’ems and Twizzlers. (So gross, right??)

But not far behind on the list of so-bad-they’re-good are these imports, newly available at Le Bon Marché:







I mean, a strawberry milkshake-flavored Pop-Tart?! How awesomely American is that?

Oh cruel day of missing City Bakery

Lemon, chili pepper, ginger and even cinnamon… I can accept that I’ve missed the first few days and flavors of City Bakery’s annual hot chocolate festival.

But missing today’s flavor? Banana peel? It’s like gently dying somewhere deep inside.

January Tour: A hop, skip and a cupcake

One street, three must-eat sweet spots. But since three seems a bit of a gyp compared to the gluttony of other months (well, it is January my friends, the month of great, big healthy intentions), all you have to do is pop around the corner for one last take-home indulgence—the icing on the cake, if you will.

Start at 35, rue Rambuteau. If you know your chocolate makers, you’ll know this is Pralus not by the claret red storefront but by the rainbow of colors of the chocolate pyramids (why they’re called pyramids instead of blocks, I’m not sure, seeing as they consist of 10 squares) and pink-spotted brioche (the famous “praluline”) in the window. The chocolate bars’ colored wrappings correspond to the origin of the cocoa beans. Aqua is from Cuba, violet, from Ghana, mustard yellow is from Indonesia. The pink in the brioche is from the (dyed) Piémont hazelnuts and Valencia almonds that are roasted, crushed and then baked into the sweet, buttery brioche. With either treat, it’s not the colors but the taste that matters (duh), and the flavors are indeed vibrant and delicious.

Speaking of color, a few doors down (23, rue Rambuteau) is the brash cupcake maker, Berko. They weren’t the first to seize the American trend in Paris, but they’re certainly the loudest. Crimson red, hot pink, florescent green, polka dots, gumdrops, chocolate swirls, cookie chunks—these cupcakes cause strollers to suffer from whiplash on the sidewalks every day. Other treats are equally colorful (and sinful), including cheesecake, custardy tarts and caramel-doused shortbread bars.

Jump to the other side of rue Rambuteau, where another patisserie creates sidewalk bottlenecks. Pain de Sucre, which was opened in 2004 by two pastry chefs, is the haute patisserie of the street. Great big, square tarts of rhubarb and raspberry are accented with rosemary; tablettes of chocolate are studded with wild strawberries or whole hazelnuts; and the perfect rows of macarons include flavors like elderflower, lime, chocolate mint and cherry-pistachio.

To bookend this short but sweet tour in chocolate, turn right onto rue des Archives for a visit to Jadis et Gourmande (39 rue des Archives). More gimmicky fun than serious artistry, this Parisian chocolate shop (one of five in the city) has chocolate Eiffel Towers, chocolate plaques that spell out P-A-R-I-S as well as delicious disks of milk and dark chocolate that are topped with dried fruit or nuts.

The incredible, all-too-edible, cakes of Lille, France (part II)

Yes, between Meert’s window dressings and the dangerous, seductive visit to Patisserie Charle, there were other sweet diversions in Lille.

Aux Merveilleux was perhaps the most unique. Rustic, I’d call it. Borderline dated in a Renaissance Fair sort of way, but still charming and delightful.


These are cakes you’re more likely to see in America than France: meringue-coated chocolate whipped cream, rolled in chocolate chips sprinkled with icing and sugar and topped with whipped cream. (I mean, seriously??)

Nearby at Luc Olivier, the dazzling jellies and macarons stood out louder than the pastries.



But what I was most excited about were the chocolates.

Valrhona bonbons in flavors like Tahitian vanilla, Cointreau, lavender, pear and praliné.



I stopped short of buying myself a box of 25, the smallest offered, and instead took a modest 10 home in a cellophane bag.

But it was Patrick Hermand who took the cake. Right?

These little cakes were arresting.


Absolutely exquisite.


Stunning.


Too pretty to eat, almost?


I’d eat one though. Hell, I'd probably eat eight.