La Cuisine Quotidienne et Les Délices

"Voulez-vous goûter?"

I have recently learned that this three word combination quickens my heart rate and sends endorphins throughout my entire body. It is Saturday night and yes, I have spent another week eating Paris alive. Les pommes, les poires, & les raisons blancs are in season, breakfast is still and will remain the best meal of the day, and I probably have more chocolate in my bloodstream than anything else.


Tucked away in a little street alley perpendicular to Rue de Rennes in the 6th arrondissement is quite possibly the yummiest breakfast I've partook thus far. At Coco & Co, for only 12 euro you can order a traditional French coquette (cream, egg, and other ingredients of choice cooked in a mini-pot), with a side of salad and roasted rustic potatoes with crème fraîche or a variety of other delicious choices on the menu that I fully intend on returning to, as this godsend is but 5 minutes away from my university.


You also have the option of choosing the brunch special, which, if I was a burly man who could consume large amounts at a time, I would have gotten...or I would have dined with a burly man and picked a little bit of each. For 22 euro, a tea or coffee, orange juice, eggs of your choice (scrambled, coquette, omelette), baked apple, pancakes, and a fruit salad. Merde. Oui, avec plaisir!


However, it wouldn't be a real Parisian find if it was only delicious food, the atmosphere was of course lovely. The facade seems narrow and cramped, but inside, there were two floors, the top with two dining rooms, decorated with a provincial quaintness, and the bottom with the kitchen and an order counter as well as a couple of "bar" style seats available. The service was friendly and amiable, with the charming chef manning each table with confidence and pride.

Table full of fresh goodies.

Coquette avec champignons

oeufs benedicte

My second discovery is equally, if not more life-changing. Just a few more blocks down near Rue du Bac also in the 6th...or was it the 7th? Is a glorious pâtisserie justly named "La pâtisserie des rêves" who have a set number of delicate pastries prepared, storing them in individual domed glasses and displayed like precious jewelry. The prices are high, that's not argued, but whether or not it's worth it? A lost argument indeed.

My choice: L'éclair chocolat

A chocolate eclair filled with chocolate ganache, covered with a shell of dark chocolate, and sprinkled with edible gold dust.

Oh my God, this thing was so rich that I couldn't finish it all in one sitting. But oh my God.

Last but not least, of course, there is the Salon du Chocolat, an annual exposition in Paris, Tokyo, and New York, at which hundreds of chocolate vendors and big names in the chocolate industry set up to display their exceptional chocolate artisanal skill. Luckily (or maybe unluckily for my tummy) for me, this year's exposition was held about 5 minutes from my apartment at Porte de Versailles. I don't think that I have ever, ever eaten so much free chocolate in my entire life. It was overwhelming how delicious everything looked, and after about an hour, I never wanted to see another chocolate bar again. Dark, milk, white, nougat, fruit, nut, caramel, marzipan, ganache, mint, ice cream, anything and everything -- I tried. There was also a chocolate fashion show, but I was unimpressed, as the garments were not made ENTIRELY of chocolate, but it was still interesting. After a good afternoon of perusing the overwhelmingly numerous booths, I purchased a few goodies and headed on home.

Display made of chocolate! Entirely! Even the paper sheet music!

Yummy organic chocolate with flowers and seeds in it. Bought a bar for my mommy. She would like it.

All chocolate, again.

Free Baileys samples. Mmm.

Tea!

Adorable chocolate bouquets

Oui, je veux bien goûter!!!!