Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Cacao Bar

#165 Little Bear Hearts Hot Chocolate
Little Bear Hearts Hot Chocolate, 9" x 11" Original Watercolor...

Little Bear loves hot chocolate first thing in the morning...
I guess it's from hanging around me!?
hot chocolate If you walk down any rue in Paris hot chocolate practically falls on your head or you'll trip over tins of it. But here in New York ya gotta search for GOOD HOT CHOCOLATE! Not the stuff that's all sugary and comes in packets called Swiss Miss by the way...Ahem I go down to 484 Broom street in Soho to get my supply from Marie Belle.HOT CHOCOLATEShe has chocolate bonbons in beautiful boxes but it's the hot chockie I come for...HOT CHOCOLATEMore pretty boxes...HOT CHOCOLATEThere's even a delightful CACAO BAR where you can relax over your freshly brewed cuppa...
But I came to get my "Dark" and off I go... I will take a cup next visit I promise so I can report back to you. It does look very sweet.
HOT CHOCOLATEMarie Belle sells real French chocolatiers tooHOT CHOCOLATEAnd even silvery ones...
HOT CHOCOLATEPre-Valentines, Marie Belle's windows were full of this lovely hodge-podge of boxes...
And more boxes...
HOT CHOCOLATE And chandleliers and crystals and...
HOT CHOCOLATE Other flea market treasures...
FABULOUS non?!
HOT CHOCOLATEI'm big on the "Dark" though there is Aztec and a multitude of other flavors at Marie Belle - this one is in chips of chocolate and I've even seen it in shops in FRANCE!!! Wooee
HOT CHOCOLATEHmmm...I'm much better at drawing bears and chocolates than I am at drawing arrows, so please excuse, but here is our morning brew. I add Marie Belle to a scoop of Les Confitures a l'Ancienne (from France) and if I can find it some really good cacao powder from Michel Cluizel or La Maison du Chocolat if I'm feeling flush.. Oh and a cup of hot milk!
Et Voila!
Bonne Breakfast!

19 comments:

  1. that's a beautiful shop. I love the tiered pastry stands. NY is so romantic...

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  2. Anonymous9:55 AM

    Boy I really HEART hot chocolate too and it is soo hard to find any quality brand here.
    Even the better brands are too, too sweet.
    They just do not get it!
    We want the FRENCH STUFFF!!!

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  3. Anonymous9:58 AM

    Sweet, Carol!!!

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  4. Love the blues and brown tins and the crystal & candles & Silver all together. Pretty as well as a yummmy post this morning. Guess I will go have my 'weak. tea now & pretend it is yummy dark rich hot chocolate. :)

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  5. I love the blended mix you cook up...in chocolate for breakfast and in excursions to wonderful places.
    Drooling here and not so oddly craving a cuppa. :)
    All best, Jan

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  6. Aw! Little Bear and his little cup!

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  7. Thanks for the tip about Mariebelle's....can't wait to check it out! :) and your watercolours are charming indeed. Isn't it nice that something so good as chocolate is good for us?!
    Have a great day

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  8. Anonymous1:24 PM

    Lucky Little Bear- you must be SHARING your chocolate. How else could he have developed that taste?
    I am a fan of the Aztec, but my most favorite is the Dark Chocolate. I am surprised that Marie Belle is actually served in France. Thought it might be like Hagen Dazs Ice Cream - foreign name for a domestic product!
    Starbucks did a decent hot chocolate (they called it Drinking chocolate) 2 years ago, but apparently, the American coffee drinkers weren't biting. It's been diconstinued.
    But, lucky me! We have a local chocolatier who serves drinking chocolate to die for!!! Made from chunks of chocolate just like Marie Belle. And the store is an architectural gem! Don't get there nearly enough.
    You will be foregiven for your sports commentator arrows. Just paint more!

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  9. Anonymous1:30 PM

    Hey- One little typo and my comment got posted without my name! J is me!

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  10. MERCI JEANETTE! for your sports commentator comment!
    Who knew?
    Little Bear has had an adjustment because South jersey Boy said the petit four was leaning over like the Tower of Pisa...I hope it looks better now SJB!
    HMPH
    Some people can not leave well enough alone!

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  11. really beautiful :)

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  12. Anonymous4:47 PM

    OK; my comments.
    Kevin MacPherson describes a nice concept in his latest book on painting.
    Consider doing a painting where all the detail (to whatever degree ) is just in the shade and shadow areas, leaving the lights simply stated.
    Then, do a painting reversing that idea, with all the shadows kept simple, and whatever detail that exists, it's in the lights.
    In looking at that painting, perhaps the shade side of that piece of cake, on the right, could have just been mostly depicted with one of your juicy, Dewey-like gutsy washes, and the merest hint of linear texture, implied.
    You did kinda' put "texture" everywhere, don' ya' think?
    That's the comment for the day from this Dummy.
    Love ya'...and yer art.

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  13. Anonymous4:56 PM

    Is Little Bear getting just a little bit heft around the jowls..?
    Seems to me I see those Valentine candies on his love handles too...
    Hmmm...
    Does he EVER go to the pool ?

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  14. Anonymous5:01 PM

    I gave up today. There is NO WAY I can turn away from chocolate all through Lent.

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  15. Wooow Carol!
    You give me too much credit!(but I'll take it) I just figured your petit was leaning just a bit four a reason. I was imagining Little Bear, in the middle of the night, sneaking around behind to climb into the roomy hole he'd nibbled out, just so he could be snug, until morning...and more hot chocolate.

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  16. Anonymous6:57 PM

    Oooo, I heart that cake.
    I'm imagining it is raspberry. Yum!

    So, I was thinking about buying some re-ment from NRFB Queen and guess who was mentioned on her website...YOU!
    She had a link to your parisbreakfast.com site.
    Very nice!
    Are you in New York City? If so, I am going to be super jealous.
    I HEART NYC!

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  17. a lesson in hot chocolate...i loved finding out about it...merci, rebecca

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  18. I love the Spicy hot chocolate!

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  19. This is all way too tempting. I have chocolate in the fridge so I'm off to get a square or two.

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