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My Favorite Chocolate in Paris


Ah chocolate!  So delectable, sinfully delicious, exquisite, and divine, when made by skillful hands.  So meh, when mass produced by machines using third-rate ingredients.
While I enjoy the heck out of the terrific cultural institutions and other attractions that Paris has to offer; the museums, the galleries, the fantastic parks, the played out-but charming sites, I perk up at the thought of a good chocolate or pastry shop, a restaurant with a solid menu, or a freshly baked baguette eaten in the Luxembourg Garden.  I spend good chunks of any Parisian vacation either drooling over sweet creations, mapping out patisseries, buying pastries, or enjoying them, slowly.  I have a difficult time parting with their boxes or pretty bags, so my collection of these little cardboard mementos grows and grows.  Shopping at some of the high-end chocolate boutiques in Paris is akin to shopping at Tiffany's; refined product, glamorous environment, and a high sticker price.

I love pastries, but they don't last, they are eaten within hours, can't be transported home or given as a gift upon returning to the USA.  But chocolate! Now that is a wonderful gift, and a lovely treat that can be enjoyed after the vacation is but a memory.  There are three chocolate shops in Paris that I visit each time I am in the city of deliciousness: Jacques Genin, Patric Roger, and the new kid on the block - Alain Ducasse.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post on the wonders of Jacques Genin, a chocolatier and patissier who has mastered the field without any formal training.
His chocolate is magnificent and well worth a stroll to one of his boutiques.






Alain Ducasse, a very successful, and well-known chef, restauranteur, and author, is fairly new to the world of chocolate.  He opened his chocolate lab in 2013, and along with Nicolas Berger, a chocolate chef, turns out some spectacular tasting and high quality product.


Ducasse, Berger and their team are involved in the total process of creating chocolate, from selecting the cocoa beans to harvesting, fermenting, drying, roasting etc.  Their cocoa beans are sourced from  locations like Columbia, Vietnam, Peru, Madagascar, and others, which results in an array of appealing flavors and complexities.




These are just a few bars that I usually come home with.


While the chocolate bars are fantastic, we particularly love the candied orange, grapefruit, lemon or ginger pieces dipped in rich dark chocolate.   I notice that these little bags are the first to disappear out of my fridge.


This dark chocolate bar with muesli was delicious and bursting with lovely flavors of fruits and oats.





I saved my most favorite chocolate for last.  While I love Monsieur Genin, and find Monsieur Ducasse's chocolate to be fantastic, I have a soft spot for Patrick Roger.  His was the first chocolate shop I have "discovered" many years ago, his beautiful turquoise boxes have been present in our home since my kids were little, and he is a character which I really appreciate.  Patrick Roger, winner of the title Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman of France), is a chocolate artist who uses honey, which he harvests, and herbs and almonds which he grows, in his product.  His twenty year long presence in the chocolate arena, has earned him somewhat of a chocolate-making-Ducatti bike- riding-rock star status.  He also creates spectacular sculptures using chocolate as his clay.



Roger sources his cocoa from Honduras, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Cuba, Madagascar, Columbia, Ghana, etc.


The delicious chocolates are sold in pretty turquoise cardboard or black metal boxes.






His boutiques, which are spread out throughout Paris, are sleek and pristine.






Cool chocolate sculptures decorate the windows of each Patrick Roger boutique.







I usually come home with an assortment of chocolates that can satisfy every member of my family.  Some of the products offered by Patrick Roger are: ganache with caramelized almonds, pralines with roasted almonds, truffles, 35%-100% cocoa bars, spheres with a crisp shell and a fantastic fruity filling, chocolates with peppermint, lemongrass, oats, orange or ginger confit, etc.   What is really neat about this particular assortment is that the bottom of the box is lined with a large sheet of chocolate.



My favorite locations for all three:

Jacques Genin
133 rue de Turenne

Alain Ducasse
26 rue Saint Benoit

Patrick Roger
2-4, place St. Sulpice

Joanna


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