Review by Emily Monaco for Eye Prefer ParisWalking down rue de Rivoli in mid-afternoon around this time of year, you may be surprised to see a lineup outside one of the many upscale cafés that dot the street: this is most certainly Angelina, and you should most definitely join the queue… don’t worry, it moves quickly, and you’re standing in line to await the hot chocolate experience of your life.
As soon as you make it inside, you’ll be able to press your nose against the glass case containing the various pastries made and sold by Angelina: try not to drool all over it, as the classic French waiters dressed in black tie tend to frown upon this sort of behavior. The most famous is the Mont Blanc, a confection of crème de marrons, or sweet chestnut cream, squeezed through a small pastry bag to make a pile of threadlike cream upon which is sprinkled powdered sugar “snow.” As delicious as it is, I recommend veering more towards something fruitlike, like a black cherry-pistachio Napoleon (millefeuille) or strawberry tart: trust me, with the chocolate you’re about to order, you won’t be able to handle anything sweeter.
Of the chocolate choices, I give you permission to choose between two: the African hot chocolate is the obvious forerunner, but if you have someone at your table who is willing to share, then order one hot white chocolate as well, which is served with chocolate whipped cream and is just as decadent. When the chocolate arrives at your table, you will understand the hype: what you will receive is essentially a pitcher of high-quality chocolate melted into cream, rich and heavy enough to be eaten like pudding with a spoon, but better when poured into a cup and topped with a ridiculous amount of unsweetened whipped cream which, inexplicably, considering the fact that you just shoveled more cream onto your dessert, cuts the richness. Chased with a few bitefuls of whatever fruity confection you chose, this is chocolate Heaven.
Many of the people in this café are American: it’s made its way into most guidebooks toted around by tourists. This may deter you—it would me, always on the lookout for the “genuine” experience, but please, for once, put such thoughts out of your mind and just sit down with the rest of your countrymen: they know what they’re doing.
What no tourist guidebook mentions, however, is the fact that the croque monsieurs (I’m partial to a croque madame, with an egg on top) are also incredible, especially when eaten with bites of green salad tossed with perfect vinaigrette. If there was a time to eat your lunch backwards, this is it: sweet and dark chocolate can only coat your mouth for so long before your stomach will be begging for gruyère cheese and a fried egg, and who are you to say no to what the stomach wants?
Angelina
224 rue de Rivoli, 1st. arr.
Metro: Tuileries
