Sadaharu Aoki

Sado Tea Cup, Watercolor, 5" x 7"

Recently I leaned down to pick up a piece of paper off the floor. My floor is a lot like my closet , full of unexpected oddments.

I found a crumpled receipt from Sadaharu Aoki on 35, rue Vaugirard, dated 05/16/2006. The day before my birthday, so I stopped in to celebrate early.

Choosing what to eat in any Parisian pâtisserie is never easy. I regret I didn't pig out. It's much easier when your taking things away, pretending you're buying for others even when you mange sur place.

You tell yourself, "How many times am I in Paris"? And "I would never do this at home" blablabla. No one is fooled.

Certainly not the vendeuse, who is only too happy to let you pig out all you want.

You see Japanese tetsubin tea pots all over Paris, but no where more appropriately than at Sadaharu Aoki.When you sit down in a place like Sadaharu you want to be reserved and bien-élevé. I wish I’d tasted all the lovely things La Tartine Gourmande tasted. At last my thé verte and chocolate Opera cake arrived! This teapot is not so easy to paint BTW... that's why I covered up the unhappy results with more Opera cake above. I'll be off to Paris in about 19 days, 7 minutes, 16 seconds and I promise to bring back more dessert pictures and less decor.