Un Dimanche à Paris

One Sunday in Paris, I had good reason to visit Pierre Cluizel’s new chocolate salon.

Naturally, I was expecting a lovely chocolatier; one that would do his papa proud.

But I didn’t realize it would also be a salon de thé.

With event space.

And two kitchens: one for classes…

…and the other where the patisseries and desserts are made.

Indeed, it’s the first “chocolate concept store” the clerk explained to me, as I ogled the beautiful interior design…

…the rows and boxes of bonbons…



… the shelves stocked aplenty with truffles and tablettes, mendiants and chocolate-covered orange rinds.


I didn’t have any macarons or mini éclairs...

... but of course when I saw a chocolate chip cookie—made with all three chocolates: white, milk and dark—I had to sample.

The great search for le meiux in all of Paris continues.

But I will definitely be back to Un Dimanche another day for chocolaty treats before leaving Paris.

Two scoops, please

How often do you meet an enterprising 24-year-old who's adorable, gracious and a talented ice cream maker?

Meet Ben Van Leeuwen. He used to drive a Good Humor truck, but this summer got his own wheels. Now he has two creamy-colored trucks from which to peddle his creamy-rich ice cream.

He talks in a singsong voice, with a smile, and believes in quality and sustainability as much as making you flip over dessert. His custard base is made with hormone- and antibiotic-free milk and organic eggs and sugar. The cups and spoons are made from sugar cane husk and corn husk, respectively. Perfect.

And then there are the ingredients. Most ice cream makers wouldn't invest the time to research and source the freshest, most flavorful ingredients, nor would they pay for them. But Van Leeuwen uses stuff like Michel Cluizel chocolate, Piedmont hazelnuts, fair trade Columbian coffee, and oak barrel aged vanilla.


It makes all the difference. The ice cream is dense, the flavors are pure, and the quality is unmistakable.

Behold, the macarolat

In case there was any doubt, I'm obsessed with Paris. Almost as much as I am with sweets.

When I was there in January, I had an amazing bonbon at Michel Cluizel that I haven't been able to get out of my mind. So I did a little recon at the Manhattan outpost and discovered it was a macarolat — a chocolate replica of a macaroon.

Instead of pastry, it has a chocolate shell (I love chocolate!). Inside, it's filled with almond hazelnut praline, ground coarsely so there's a little crunch (crunchy praline? Yum!). With Cluizel's quality, it's formidable.

Although it's summer, and they make summer flavors like raspberry, passion fruit and lime, they had only two winter flavors: caramel and dark chocolate.

Regardless, they were divine. Little pieces of Paris.

Dessert Studio inside ABC Home + Carpet
888 Broadway at 19th

Un chocolat

I overhear the nice guy behind the bar: “It’s like drinking melted chocolate.” Say no more; I’m in for a single shot of hot cocoa.

I’m at Michel Cluizel, world-renowned Parisian chocolatier who opened in ABC Carpet two years ago. It’s a relief to have place for top-notch chocolates that’s not Soho or midtown (and dangerously close to my apartment). Especially on a grey December afternoon when you have the day off from work and want to sit and zen out a bit.

The cocoa comes in a dainty little espresso cup. It hardly looks like enough, but it’s made with heavy cream and a blend of five different dark cocoa beans from different plantations, so drinking any more would be obscene. It’s creamy, smooth and refined; sharp, not sugary. Oui, c’est tres bon.

Michel Cluizel is better known for his bonbons than his cocoa though, so I must also indulge in a few of those. I choose a dark chocolate with a crème brulée butter ganache center, a salted butter caramel, and a milk chocolate filled with almond and hazelnut praline (always a sucker for pralines).

It’s a nice treat. But I’ll have to visit the rue Saint-Honoré boutique next week to see if, as I suspect, everything tastes better in Paris.