Sweet Week: A l'Etoile d'Or

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 the cupcake store,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!".

Madame Acabo proudly showing off her rave reviews

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.

P.S. Vincent loved the cafe chocolate bar and of course I got a taste. Sinsational!

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

Eye Prefer Paris Contest

One of my goals for 2009 is to at least double my subscriptions and I am enlisting you to help me achieve that. Many of you have turned your friends, families, and colleagues on to EPP but now I'm looking to up the ante. So I decided to have a contest to see who will register to most new subscribers. The prize? A copy of the wonderful book We've Always had Paris and Provence, the fascinating and highly entertaining story of Patricia & Walter Wells life here. It also includes some of Patricia's classic recipes.

The best way to go about subscribing people is to go to my homepage www.eyepreferparis.com and on the right hand sidebar you will see a box where it says enter email address. Enter each email separately. A confirmation message will appear that says "Please check your inbox for a verification message from FeedBurner’s “confirmations@emailenfuego.com,” the service address that delivers email subscriptions for I Prefer Paris. You will need to click a link listed in this message to activate your subscription." Please cut and paste that and send it to the person you subscribed so they can confirm their subscription. Please email me at r.nahem@gmail.com to let me know how many people you have subscribed.

I will announce the winner this Thursday, so start subscribing now.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Comments

[Claudia]

Mme. Acabo needs to bag the braids and the outfit. Dear god...The candy looks great, but she looks like roadkill! Oh dear me... Happy New Year!

[Eponine]

I walked past the Bernachon shop every day going back and forth to the metro when I lived in Lyon. For months, I wasn't brave enough to go in (probably something to do with the salesladies in matching pastel blazers) but their chocolates and pastries were AWESOME.

[holy land tours]

In my first visit in Lyon i discovered the shop by accident, oh Pigalle! What a chocolate! exquisit taste of heaven. This is one of my favorite places in that lovely city.