Story and photos by Richard Nahem for Eye Prefer ParisI thought I would give your neglected sweet-tooth a boost this week by making it Sweet Week. I recently discovered three incredible sweet outlets and have been dying to share them with you.
Cupcakes have been the craze in the states in the last few years and in New York I used to frequent Cupcake Cafe and Magnolia Bakery. With all the fantastic pastry in Paris I never missed them but when I was walking down rue Rambuteau last month, I stopped dead in my tracks. There was a new pastry shop named Berko and through the window I saw a metal cupcake tree on the counter inside. I busted through the door brimming with excitement that my favorite childhood and adulthood treat had finally arrived. With my nose pressed against the glass and trying not to drool on it, I intensely studied the 15 fabulous flavors in the case including traditional vanilla and chocolate dressed up with silver and gold beads, welcome nifty newcomers caramel, carrot cake,Oreo,coffee, and white chocolate, and some oddities that I’m not sure worked like lavender, mandarin, and pistachio.
Choosing as carefully as a death row inmate deciding on their last meal, I chose the caramel. The icing was creamy, buttery, and not too sweet and the cake moist.It was rich and satisfying and I didn’t crave another one afterwards.
Smacking my lips after after my cupcake rush, I looked to see what else the shop offered and found some interesting choices. Chocolate Moelleux came in a small black pot so that you can heat it up at home. In case you didn’t know what chocolate Moelleux was, it’s a cake that’s hard and cake like on the outside and gooey in the inside. Individual cakes of lemon meringue, caramba bar, white chocolate & raspberry, and cappuccino looked beautiful and mouthwatering.
The handsome dark wood that’s on the floors and continues up to the cases make the minimalist interior feel warm and welcoming. The friendly, helpful staff was ever so patient when I was making my monumental cupcake flavor choice.
I’m so happy I finally found a cupcake haven in Paris.
Berko
My good friend Elizabeth Topper from Los Angeles arrived in Paris in mid December to stay for a month. The first thing she wanted to do was to go to a chocolate shop in Pigalle she read about that was the only shop outside of Lyon that sold a particular kind of chocolate bar. It takes alot for me to schlep to Pigalle with my legs weary from non-stop touring for weeks, but suddenly my legs felt light and nimble enough to discover a new chocolate shop.
We arrived about 2PM and the outside of A l’Etoile d’Or looked like a typical old fashioned candy shop. Once inside we unearthed the treasures Elizabeth pined for: a table filled with over a dozen varieties of some very serious looking chocolate bars named Bernachon with a hefty price tag: 10 euros each. Just like Berko,I had the torturous task of disciplining myself to only pick one but once I decided to buy it as a stocking stuffer for Vincent instead or myself, it was double torture. Agonizing between flavors of Fondant Nature, Super amer, Fondant amer, Orange, Aveline, Noisette, Créole, Nougat, Canelle, Café, Pépito, Amandine, Brésilien, Mendiant, Nougatine, Antillais, and Pacha, I chose the Cafe. I knew it would be another two weeks until I would get a taste, so I looked to see what would satisfy my sweet tooth at that moment. Madame Acabo, the owner of the shop, a middle aged woman looking like a naughty school girl sporting blond pigtails, Tartan plaid tie with matching skirt, and black V-neck sweater said we must try the Leroux caramels from Britanny. Even though the caramels came in so many enticing flavors including orange/ginger, tarte tatin, tea, and pineapple, Madame Acabo wisely advised the salted butter flavor and we were not disappointed. The sweet, smoky smooth taste assaulted our taste buds in an amazing way and the salty aftertaste brought the experience to an orgasmic level.
Madam Acabo showed us some of the other treats in the store and grinning proudly,she showed off her scrap book of magazine articles and cookbooks that her shop had been featured in. We took our time to explore every chocolate nook and candy cranny so we wouldn’t miss a thing. Bergamot flavored hard candy from Nancy in red picturesque tins, nougat blocks in gold foil looking like they belonged in Fort Knox, a huge bowl of marron glace(candied chestnuts) squares, and gold ceramic baby shoes stuffed with sucking candy were all fighting to get my attention, screaming “Buy me! Taste me!”.
When I calmed down from my mental and physical sweet rush, I noticed how quaint and colorful the shop was with ornate Belle Epoque style wood counters,marvelous mosaic floors of teal, rose, and citron colored tiles, and white marble counter tops. All the candy and chocolates looked so festive packaged in red and gold foil, red and hunter green satin ribbons, and pewter ballotins.
After about an hour of being sweet heaven, we forced ourselves to leave, even though we seriously thought of hiding somewhere in the store so we could be locked in overnight. I could just see it now, Madame Acabo would find us passed out on the floor in a sugar coma with chocolate dripping from the sides of our mouths and a chocolate bar that the paramedics couldn’t pry from our fingers.
A L’Etoile d’Or
30 rue Fontaine, 9th arr.
Metro: Blanche
Tel. 01 4 74 59 55
Open daily except Sunday and sometimes Monday morning
Just in case I wasn’t high enough on chocolate and caramel from visiting l’Etoile D’Or, I got wind of a brand new chocolate & pastry shop/cafe in the Marais and had to visit the same day.
I walked to the northernmost tip of rue de Turenne to the last store on the street and came upon a gleaming white stucco building with a series of elaborate Christmas decorations festooned across the top and windows that had bold white block letters spelling out nougat, chocolat, caramel, and eclair. I already knew I was in trouble.
If there was ever an official Temple of chocolate and pastry, Jacques Genin would be it. It truly is one of the most beautiful, pristine spaces devoted to the art of chocolate and pastry I have ever been in, and believe me I’ve seen them all. Even before I tasted anything I was knocked out by the stunning interior of blond hardwood floors, handsome elephant gray leather armchairs, milk glass vases filled with impeccable orchid arrangements, a white stone archway dating back from the 9th century, rose stems embedded in the walls and most striking of all, the spectacular winding steel staircase.
Once I absorbed the gorgeous interior, I got down to the business of the chocolate and pastries. The first case had a stainless steel tray with flawless pastries including a pecan tart, Paris Brest with chocolate cream, and seven layer chocolate cake. Next up were the chocolates which were small squares prettily embossed with delicate patterns and colors of orange, mint green,mango, pink, and raspberry. The affable man behind the counter asked if I wanted to sample a chocolate and I emphatically said OUI! He described the exotic flavor combinations in detail which included Tiarei, a ganache with Tahitian vanilla, Tonka Teck, another ganache with tonka beans, Bergame, with bergamot, Passionement, with passion fruit, and Thé Toi, with Wu long tea. I chose the Hesperides, milk chocolate with grapefruit. It was light and refreshing but still solid chocolate. I bought yet another chocolate stocking stuffer for Vincent and purchased an assortment that came in a smart brushed steel square tin, which I knew he would love since he’s a packaging nut.
At one point I was introduced the Jacques Genin, the chef and the architect Guilluame Leclerc and I congratulated them on their beautiful shop, wishing them much success.Guillame asked me if I wanted to see the kitchen upstairs.I learned Jacques was one of the best chocolatiers in Paris but never had a storefront before. I was thrilled beyond belief and we climbed the stairway to heaven to see where they made the glorious goodies. Just as we entered one room a man was stirring hazelnuts into a bowl of caramel and I then watched him pour the hot,molten liquid it into a tray to cool. I can’t even describe the smell but let’s say it was enough to make me almost faint. Another room which was temperature controlled was the ganache room. I think every house should now have one. I was offered a sample from every room we visited, never wanting this dream to end.
Seeming to have fulfilled a chocoholics dream day I went home with a big smile on my face and my sweet tooth never happier.
Jacques Genin
133 rue de Turenne, 3 arr.
Metro: Files Calvaire
Tel. 01 45 777 29 01
Open daily 11AM-7PM except Monday
