My Tour du Chocolat

Paris Ritz Teddy,watercolor on Etsy,sold 5.5" x 7.5

Last weekend the New York Times had an article on taking a tour of Paris' high-end chocolatiers, though there were quite a few they left out....

For example, the Paris Ritz's chocolate bars or tablettes...
Remember "tablette" not only refers to French chocolate bars, but to a guy's well-muscled chest. Here Jean-Charles Rochoux makes a pun creating a solid chocolate sculpture of just such a chest of abs saying, "To each his tablettes..."
These shots are from the October Salon du Chocolat 2008, so naturally there were plenty of gowns made of chocolate - YUM!
The Times article mentions Michel Cluizel's marcolats - a macaron-shaped bonbon filled with chocolate ganache.
Plus they mentioned top chocolatier Jean-Paul Hevin, also at the big show...
But how could they leave out one of Paris' best chocolatiers?
La Maison du Chocolat!
The thing I love most about the Paris chocolate show is how well all France's chocolate is represented, both high-end and low...
The piles of very good and affordable chocolate that's so available to everyone, not just those carrying a Birkin bag....

Chocolate does not have to be elegant to be divine....

Here stacks of chocolate pasta!

Chocolatier Chapon was dishing out chocolate mousse by the scoopfuls...LORDIE!

Plus plenty of do-it-yourself chocolate cookbooks to browse through...

Why not nibble a "French" chocolate chip cookie while your browsing...and why didn't I get one?
BONNE CHOCO TOURING!