Chocolat: Michel Cluziel

I rewarded myself after finishing a giant, terrible project at work with CHOCOLATE! This time I visited Michel Cluizel near work on my lunch hour. It's amazing that I haven't been inside yet because this is the closest chocolate boutique to my office and I've managed to avoid it for over a month! Inside, I found the usual display of ganaches, truffles, and chocolate desserts. Some interesting finds: honey, chamomile chocolates, green tea chocolate, chocolate golf balls, and chocolate mushrooms (no actual mushrooms are in these). I ordered a Feuillette Noir, translates to "puff up" in pastry terms, but looked like a chocolate covered graham cracker. Inside was a crunchy paste of almonds, hazelnuts, and pralines. *Pralines in Europe are not the same as pecan praline ice cream at home. Wiki describes the difference (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pralines)* DELICIOUS! The texture was totally new! I also ordered Chocolate covered lemon peels, they are the new orange peel and also very yummy.

Nearest Michel Cluizel:
Paris
201 Rue St. Honore, 75001
10 minutes, 850m

New York
888 Broadway, New York, NY
8h50, 26.5 miles

http://www.chocolatmichelcluizel.com/mc.php

Chocolat: L'Atelier du Chocolat

On my way home from Le Marais, I spotted a little chocolate shop, Ateliers du Chocolat, to duck into and out of the rain. They specialize in chocolate bouquets. They make their chocolate in sheets and then break them up and wrap them like a bouquet of flowers. I was tempted by the sheets of nutty chocolates, but I decided to go with a chocolat noir epice. They combined African spices with the dark chocolate to give it a kick. It was my first experience with spicy chocolate, but I am definitely a fan! I love spicy and, as you all know, chocolate, so it’s really just a match made in chocolat heaven for me!

Chocolat: Chocolat Glace

Italien Gelato, watch out! I was strolling around Notre Dame one evening and I got a bit of a sweet tooth. Knowing that the Ile-Saint-Louis was just behind Notre Dame, I decided to head back that way. A friend had told me that Bertillon on Ile-Saint-Louis was known for having the best ice cream in all of Paris so, naturally, I was dying to go back. I ordered a simple (1) scoop of Chocolat Noir (Dark Chocolate). OH my goodness! It tastes like dark chocolate fudge-cake-brownie-batter-melting-in-your-mouth. I literally enjoyed it too much to take a picture. As I was crossing Le Petit Pont, a woman came up to me and asked if I was Parsienne. "Non, désolé, je suis Americaine," I replied but I told her that I had a map if she needed. She explained that was looking for Notre Dame. I laughed and pointed at the buildings ahead. "It's right there," I replied, "behind those buildings. Continue to cross the bridge." (Of course this conversation was in French.) But, its the first time that I helped a tourist! In French! I guess that I've learned a lot in my first month here!

To avoid the Tourist Trap in the summer months-- Bertillon supplies most of the ice cream to the other cafes on the island. To skip the lines, just walk up to another window to order your treat-- it'll taste just as delicious.