JOUR DU MACARON 2012

 20 mars, Jour du Macaron.

Bear is the first one to show up at Pierre Herme Opera!

 Personne/nobody...

10:00am the key is in the lock...Ta-Da!

 Bear bones up on  Pierre Herme macaron flavors.

 What to choose?

Caramel..passion fruit...carrote/orange/canelle...infiniment chocolat...peche/abricot/safron...Americano pamplemousse...infiniment jasmin...figue + foie gras...vinaigre+balsamique...MON DIEU!

 A twirling macaron tree entices. Outside a sign for the new movie on Marie Antoinette, Les Adieu A La Reine opens today (a must-see)

 Enfin Jill Colonna/Mad About Macarons shows up.

 You give a donation  to Autistes sans frontieres and...

 You get a macaron/Un don, Un macaron.

 Let the trick or treating macarons begin. We're off and running. Next to Galeries Lafayette sous sol Pierre Herme for another macaron.

 *New Alert! Angelina has opened a branch on premiere etage at Galeries Lafayette! woo woo

 Pierre Herme/Galeries Lafayette premiere etage is not so crazy-busy as Bear was expecting based on last year. But it's Tuesday, not Dimanche, so Parisians are working or l'ecole. Dommage..

 Clever Jill suggests we take the walkway through to Galeries Lafayette Gourmand for more macaron hunting.

 At Sadaharu Aoki counter we get another mac each. I fall victim to a silly pink macaron keychain. Jill already has hundreds of these so does not succumb.

 Nearby at the Jean-Paul Hevin stand they are giving away THREE MACARONS for one donation! woo woo

 I suggest we hop on #8 Metro to Ecole Militaire to J-P Hevin's La Motte Picquet shop. We're greedy.

 Back on Metro Ligne #1 to Concord to J-P Hevin's 231 St. Honore shop.

 Doodly-doodly-do.

Bear is happy as a clam.

We race on to nearby Pierre Herme 4,rue Cambon for another. Jill has to go home. Her real life is calling. I carry on trick or treating.

 Off to Pierre Herme 72, rue Bonaparte for a Mogador macaron MIAM! Bear and I made a few more hits on the macaron route till exhaustion did us in. BTW we did not eat a single macaron. Good things come to those who wait.

 The Pierre Herme map.

Total haul macarons=approx. 18 I think.

I ate a few at gouter/4:30 yesterday.

Bear's delicious Jour du Marcaron 2012 haul. 
Writing this post caused me to eat macarons. The poster on the wall was a gift-with-purchase edition limité des Macarons Pierre Herme Paris I couldn't resist. I plan to redecorate at home to co-ordinate with the new macaron poster.

MERCI JOUR DU MACARON 2012!
xoxoBear

Salon du...Designers!

These are the shoes of a brilliant designer. And a brilliant chocolatier, Jean-Paul Hevin.

Every detail is carefully considered. *When M. Hevin signs his new hot chocolate book, he uses his pen backside up (it's a Muji pen btw).

J-P Hevin could not be more charming and he giggled when I asked whose elegant shoes he was wearing.

"Zara" he whispered and smiled.

Naturalement post-Salon I ran to Zara to find the same baskets, but non plus/no more. I bought a wooly scarf and matching bonnet instead.

Hevin's stand at the salon is like a giant chocolate bar/tablette.

Has Hevin a propensity for grids? His hot chocolate won best in Le Figaro. You don't have to be French to figure out his recipes. This has to be easier than $#@! macarons.

But how to decide what to buy?

Another top Parisien chocolatier-designer, Sadaharu Aoki.

I love his egg-shaped packaging.

 The Pantone-colored chocolate bonbons.

Who would not kill for an ultra chic library of chocolate bars from Bouillet-Lyon?

Or super elegant tablettes from Jean-Charles Rouchoux

I loved these witty macaron boxes from Arnaud Larhrer.

 Salon du Chocolat 2011 was an homage to maitre chocolatier Robert Linxe of La Maison du Chocolat - the first to bring Parisien couture design to chocolate in 1977.

In the end it's all about how the chocolate tastes in your mouth no matter what the design.

 We're all 5 years old when confronted with incredible delights the annual Paris Salon du Chocolat offers.

 Now I'm listening to Graham Robb's completely engaging and informative History of Parisians - the perfect intimate backdrop to a trip to Paris.

Bonjour All French Chocolatiers!

Where M I?

OK U got it.
Mignon non? At Monoprix with matching glasses, cups, plates et pas cher...
I love the reflection in Christian Constant's ice cream ardoise
The REAL thing is nice too on rue de Rennes near Monoprix..

I'm sitting in MIYOU - Guy Martin's quickie lunch place on the deuxiem etage 2nd floor in Le Bon Marche

And eating a designer layered salade of quinoa bien sur with shrimp + pomegranate seeds = miam :)

No ones going to mind if I bring out my tarte au citron meringuee of the day, since I bought it next door at La Grand Epicerie, right? Louise says it's No.#4 (3.60 euros) on the best meringue list. I'm working my way through the list this trip. Fortunately I've already eaten Patisserie des Reves last trip so I am a little ahead.

3 down with 9 more tartes to go in 10 days.

wish me luck :)

Rick Tulka, famous Brooklynite-expat cafe artiste waits for me at his fav cafe Le Select. Out comes the chocolate mac Louise says is the best in Paris (I meant to get the mini size but was trop blase when La Grand Epicerie vendeuse burbled something and I just nodded back oui) - quelle idiot moi. Next time I'll note the bag is awfully big for two little macarons. Rick asks me to stop embarrassing him and hide the mac...ahem

We both doodle in unison which is great fun...

Afterwards a stroll down my old haunt, rue Vavin...

An 'Older French Girl (OFG) leche-vitrine/licks the windows browsing...

Perfectly severe yet charmante clothes pour la bebe...

Pink scooters line up outside an ecole...

Giant pink meringues, formerly my dessert of choice before macarons came along - I love the way they crackle when you bit into them and then telltale crumble down your front. Chomp, chomp...

Pink ballerines - icon of Paris...

Only in Paris - DIY Whoopie pies in pink/rose

A final green tea Matcha domo dessert from Sadaharu Aiko just before bed instead of something pink. That green tea kept me up till 2:30 AM :(

Still...what's not to love about being in Paris?

Bonjour PBers!