No longer living in Paris, we are lucky that making chocolates gives us an excuse to go back. When we travel, we stay close to where we can easily get good chocolate, so we almost always stay at a small hotel off behind the Place de la Madeleine. There we can easily reach several of the best quickly.
First and closest stop is Fauchon, right on the corner of the Place Madeleine. Fauchon is always good for a treat any time of day. We usually either start the day or end the day here. The selection is extremely broad, with everything from fresh bread and pastry to chocolate indulgences. Our version of an American convenience store in Paris.
Then, if we are going towards the Opera, we turn into the outpost of La Maison du Chocolate at 8 Boulevard de la Madeleine. This conveniently located shop can be counted on just for browsing — always a visual and sensory experience, but it’s impossible to leave without buying something for later. While not the original shop in Paris (that is on the upper end of Rue St. Honoré), it was a true model for the other shops that came later to multiple locations such as Rockefeller Center and Madison Avenue, as well as others in Paris.
If instead we are heading down towards Rue St. Honore, we might stop in the morning at Ladurée at 16 Rue Royale for some pain perdu, or in the afternoon for macarons.
Then it’s on to Rue St. Honore, and if we are feeling very ambitious and it is a nice day, we’ll hike all the way up to the 1e to drop in at the original Maison at number 225, or stop by the Michel Cluizel shop at number 201. Not as well known in the US as La Maison and Robert Linxe, we find the chocolate from Cluizel to be beyond outstanding.
As Island Chocolates goes forward, we will be inviting some of you to join us on our trips behind the scenes of chocolate, not only in Paris, but other destinations. If you want to join us in mid-2009 on a chocolate adventure, please contact us via email for more information.