Blé Sucre’s madeleine: best in the city?

Before I went to Blé Sucre, I trolled through the blogs to figure out what was a must-order. I had a big eating agenda before me and had to make every pastry bite count.

I arrived with a short-list: pain au chocolat, madeleine or financier. I figured I’d eyeball them and then place my order according to what looked most irresistible. Logical, right? Silly girl, logic doesn’t work in a Parisian patisserie.

Of course the pain au chocolat, madeleines and financiers all looked divine. But then so did the pain aux raisins, raspberry bressons and chaussons de pommes.

And so did the chocolates and other bite-sized treats.


And so did all the sweet little cakes.



After such decadent displays, would a modest madeleine suffice in sating my sweet tooth? Would it be enough? In a word, oui.

The cake was moist, light and airy. Dense with just enough crispness along the ridge. And, with a thin layer of sugar glacage on top, it was indeed sweetly satisfying.

New pastries to dream about

Six months after Philippe Conticini opened his exquisite and inspiring Patisserie des Reves in the posh seventh arrondisement, there’s a new kid on the block. Two, actually.

Hugo & Victor, a mere two-weeks old, was opened by Guy Savoy alum, Hugues Pouget, and Sylvain Blanc. And while Conticini’s conceit of displaying his modern-twist-on-the-classics cakes and pastries under glass domes was a PR dream, expect no less at this swanky new patisserie.

With its deep blue and gold facade, the storefront appears very contemporary and British, with clean, well-lit displays of chocolate, macarons and raw ingredients. I literally stopped in my tracks when I saw it. The treats inside are equally mesmerizing.


On one wall, desserts made with seasonal ingredients—pineapple, litchi, blood orange—are displayed. On another, the classics: chocolate, vanilla, caramel. With both, the raw ingredients are loaded up in glass cylindrical vases—clever in this day and age where we want to better understand where our food is coming from.

Then the real fun begins. Each ingredient is incorporated in three treats. “Victor” is the traditional character; “Hugo” is more avant-garde. So if you have a hankering for pineapple, you might opt for a classic millefeuille with chunks of pineapple nestled between the creamy layers.

Or you can get a contemporary combination of roasted and diced pineapple jelly with lime zest in a glass. Or you can get the irresistible looking pineapple-flavored bonbons. And, if you want to go all the way with your decadent tendencies, they offer a wine or champagne accompaniment. Genius.

How long before you’re hearing about Hugo & Victor everywhere you turn? Start counting sheep backwards. It will be before you reach…

40, boulevard Raspail 7eme

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.