Le Chocolat 🍫 Alain Ducasse

 

Yesterday was Christmas 🎄 chocolate 🍫 tasting Time 🤸‍♂️

At ALAIN DUCASSE LE CHOCOLAT Hurrah 👏

A Benoit Thanksgiving

Thank you Benoit for thinking of hungry Americains👍🏻 

And for thinking you are serving a Very American traditional dinner. 

And thank you PBers Bonnie and Rob for taking me to divine Benoit at 20, rue St. Martin. 

BENOIT  opened in 1912 by the Petit family. 

Alain Ducasse took it over in 2005 but has maintained all their classic French bistro traditions. 

The special menu says 'Dinde fermier (free-range)something something aux champignons airelles (wild mushrooms) something something' with cranberry sauce and gravy (46€).

Reading it on the menu it didn't sound like that much, so I ordered my fav starter, snails. Big mistake. I am still repenting. Splish splash in the pool 🏊‍♀️

They didn't mention we would get an 'amuse bouche' - a tiny cup of velouté(creamy soup) de panin(a kind of white turnip) with crunchy bits of chestnut in the bottom for contrast.

Why did I eat every snail🐌? If anyone had said to me you will someday move to Paris & eat snails 🐌 2 days in a row I would have socked them silly.

The main course. The stuffing is the squarish block of wild mushrooms 🍄 , plus mystery bits. We got both dark & white turkey 🦃 meat. Très riche. FYI I read somewhere turkey breast/dinde is the most frequently eaten meat in France. The little pan on the left contains an individual escallop of potate douce (sweet potato to you) with plenty of maple syrup (something else the French are mad for - usually Canadian). Just above - a big slab of butter 🧈 from their own fermier. We were told this after the dinner. I wanted to ask for the butter back but was restrained by my companions. On the left a small bowl of cranberry sauce. Fortunately my dear friends from Vermont wanted none, so I ate all of the lingonberry sauce myself. Bear helped out. I passed on the gravy so it balanced out. The 2 whitish strips are turnip again.

The waiter assured us they do not normally serve ‘American-style’ food like this. Does this look American 🇺🇸 to you aside from the gravy boat. Not that I'm complaining, just stating a fact. FYI it was all extremely delish with great service. Benoit gets E for effort. We were hesitant whether to get a dessert.

Their baba au rhum is famous. We settled on 1 order of 3 flavors of home-made ice cream (from their own farmer)as sort of a digestive. They kept bringing us freshly baked madeleines. A little plate of marshmallows, more madeleines and little ganache chocolates. I imagined we would be skipping the usual I-ate-too-much feeling. No way. We needed cranes 🏗️ to get out of there. 

             Oh la la la la la.

Outside a Christmas marché by Tour St. Jacques. 

Crossing my bridge a lovely light show as always. I hope you very much enjoyed your turkey too🎉. 

Please Keep Bear 🐻 in Paris with letters from my Paris Etsy shop. FYI 🐻 is 🏊‍♀️like crazy to work it off today and the rest of the week.

Alain Ducasse - Naturalité - Plaza Athenee

This in one of the busiest weeks on the Paris calendar for events, tastings and openings. Maison et Objet brings everyone to town so it's the perfect opp.

Alain Ducasse, king of French cuisine with the most Michelin stars invited journalists to view his new documentary ,'Naturalité' at 9:30 am no less at the Grand Palais. 

Ducasse is going super organic/bio in his new restaurant at the Plaza Athénée. No meat will be served.

He spoke passionately of his concept and convictions for the new restaurant

Only fresh-caught seafood and legumes from small producteurs. 

You can watch the short film here.

We all got snacks of  cold-pressed juice from Nubiö and a Ducasse nut bar.

After we walked over to the Plaza Athenée to see the newly designed restaurant.

Chic.

Chic.

Chic. I have absolutely NOTHING to wear to these events PBers. Problems in Paradise...

On Avenue Montaigne at the hotel

If you're not walking please bring your cobalt Bugatti.

Plaza Athénée's awnings are appropriately radish red (see Ducasse's logo above).

Trés elegant

The Plaza Athénée bar is newly redone by the fabulous design team Patrick Jouin. Note the huge dazzling rock crystal bar tended by Thierry Hernandez.

The astonishing fabric-draped ceiling reflects Paris' haute couture.

Restaurant Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée is also designed by Patrick Jouin.

Giant cloche dome forms reflect the chandeliers..more  dazzle.

The table candle lights reflect 

Reminding me of shiny decorative spheres at Maison Objet...

In the back a cabinet des curiosités - from musée Christofle.

Why do I not have a yellow vintage thread-bare Chanel jacket to wear PBers? What is one to do?

Drinks? Fresh-squeezed Granny Smith apple juice of course.

And freshly-line-caught Sardines and Mullet bien sur.

And Ducasse's iconic radis (radish) iced and farci. 

Do watch his 15-minute film Naturalité.
It will be good for your French.

Le Chocolat - Ducasse

Hier 27 Mars Le Chocolat - Ducasse

If you haven't already heard Alain Ducasse has a brand new chocolate factory on funky#22, rue de la Roquette 75011

Keep an eye out or you could easily miss it.

Once you're in the entry way the whole atmosphere changes dramatically

From funk to high-end utter chicness.

And continues inside. The staff, by the way, could not be kinder or more helpful. Merci M. Ducasse!

In that handsome glass case - gorgeous ganache bonbons.

These chocolate sculptures look to have hopped off a ceramist's spinning wheel - if only a ceramist could make something so unique and deliciously edible. Did I mention this is Paris' first bean-to-bar chocolate factory? Cocoa beans are generously strewn around. If you look on the lower shelves there are some chocolate-covered beans to taste. Miam miam

Everywhere it's a Zen moment for the eye to contemplate. Must find out who the designer is here..

And you can even gaze right into the factory while browsing...

Ducasse has a splendid collection of vintage chocolate molds he's using for his 'fritures'. Note the chockie fish in the watercolor above. These did not hop out of a plastic mold for sure.

*I always try milk/lait chocolate since it's harder to get the balance right than your ever-so-popular noir/dark chocolates. These were absolutely excellent though I wish there was a melange of dark/milk/white on offer...

Up at the cash register sits a knockout Aztec sculpture holding your box-to-be of chocolates. Do mention it's a cadeau/gift and get an additional handsome box. Everything here is designed within an inch of it's life but tastes excellent. Looks count but so does content.

What to wear to Le Chocolat?

Black of course even if you're in your pram chicness counts.

Don't miss out on the samples at the cash register and don't be afraid to ask,'Gratuit?'

It is. Oh and DON'T go on a Monday like I did first time. It's closed.