Debauve & Gallais to the rescue

Michel Cluizel. Jean-Paul Hevin. A la Mere de la Famille. Closed, closed, closed.

What’s a chocoholic in Paris to do the month of August??

Get to Saint-Germain, tout de suite!

Debauve & Gallais, the city’s oldest chocolatier, is (thank the chocolate gods) still open.


And it’s not like the bonbons are second-rate. There’s no need to cry or count the days until the other chocolate masters come back to town. I mean, look at these things…

Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, creamy ganache…

…truffles, cordials, pralinés…

by the petite bonbon or—pourquoi pas?—une grande boite. It’s August after all.

The sweet, many splendors of London

While it’s undoubtedly fun to window-shop, cocktail-sip and gallery-hop with my brother in London, next time I’ll have to save a little more time for sweet-touring.

All over town, I was astounded by the variety…

The artistry…


The oh-my-god-get-in-my-belly-now impulses.

At Daylesford Organic Market, I was tempted by the rustic tarts.

But I succumbed to the chocolate chip cookie. (How predictable.)

William Curley’s tropical and chocolate cakes made my knees tremble.

The remedy? I took home a box of 12 bonbons. Heavenly.

At Tom’s Deli, the cake display would do any American bakery proud.

I liked what passed as “mini” cupcakes.

But, next to the juggernaut muffins, it’s all relative.

Hummingbird Bakery? Sigh. Another time, I’m afraid, when there isn’t a line snaking out the door.

And lastly, there was this little place named Ottolenghi.

Carol had instructed me to get the passionfruit meringue tart.

She said it would change my life.

And sadly, incredibly, inexcusably, I didn’t. Who wants to go with me next time??

Four bonbons from heaven

So it's not a light and creamy Paris-Brest from La Patisserie de Reves. Or a dense but flaky almond croissant from Boulangerie Julien.

But sitting on a park bench, along the Seine, with a few select bonbons from Michel Chaudun could very well be as close to heaven as you'll get.

The best brest in Paris

They say here in France that a patisserier’s skills can be judged by just one dessert: the Paris-Brest. Which puts Philippe Conticini at the top of the choux-filled heap.

Six months ago, Conticini—who opened La Patisserie de Reves last year—was awarded the best Paris-Brest in the city. Two months ago, he opened a gorgeous salon de thé in the 16eme (Bon Marché shoppers arent’ the only ladies who lunch). The man is on a roll.

Of course it’s not all about the Paris-Brest (even if it is a little ring of heaven, with liquid praliné piped inside the hazelnut cream).

Beneath each individual glass-domed frigo is a mouth-watering, stomach-rumbling visual masterpiece.

Raspberry and lemon meringue tartes…


…chocolate and coffee éclairs….

…strawberries and cream.

His daring Saint-Honoré and dazzling Alliance.


Even his wee cookies are arresting.

Some of the delights dare not even be covered by casings.

Like this—the biggest brioche ever.

Rivaled only by the enormous madeleines.

And if you’re worried that you will put away an entire tarte or cake yourself, don’t worry. Individuels!


And a lovely tearoom and terrace in which to indulge.


Best of Paris? You bet.

Sprinkles to hit NYC

Not that New York needs any more cupcake bakeries, but, if an out-of-towner were going to infiltrate, Sprinkles would get my vote!

Straight from LA to Lexington Avenue, across from Bloomie's, the bakery and its 20 cupcake varieties is slated to open in January.

Cakes a'plenty at Rose Bakery

How does one even begin to decide?

For eight years now, Rose Bakery has been sating Anglo Sweet Freaks in Paris. They’re most celebrated for their scones and carrot cake. The former, I’m not a fan of; but the latter, I can definitely see why these tin-can portions of carrot cake topped with cuh-reamy cream cheese frosting are a hit.

But what of the brownies and muffins?


And the many different cake varieties? Really? How does one decide between…

...lemon-polenta and marble?

Chocolate-polenta and raspberry-green tea?


Pistachio and lemon-lemon?

My strategy: a cake taste a week to solve this perplexing problem.

46, rue des Martyrs, 9eme
30, rue Debelleyme, 3eme

Heart to heart

For a year now, I’ve been a sucker for Coquelicot’s strawberry heart. It’s dense, sweet, spongy, and perfectly portioned.

But now my own heart is aflutter for a new cake: Merce and the Muse’s carrot-apple heart.

Same “love”ly shape. Another beautifully portioned and flavored creation. A new habit that I’ll need to control.

Cupcake carnage in Paris

Well, Cat, I’d say your Cupcake Camp was a success down to the very last crumb, n’est pas??

At 4:30, the line was already creeping down the block.


It wasn’t much better inside.


Why? Ten euros and for a drink and as many! cupcakes! as! you! want! (Mercy. How many stomachaches out there tonight??)

The flavors ran the gamut: cookies and cream, fig, rose champagne, peanut butter, strawberry, chocolate fudge, watermelon wasabi (you heard me)…

Served up by the pros—Little Miss Cupcake, of course, plus Synie’s, Berko, Chloé S, Cupcakes & Co., Il Gelatario—as well as a gazillion amateurs.

Everyone could help themselves and then “camped” out in the Passage Vivienne.



Yep. That’s what I’d call cupcake carnage—bravo, Cat!