FRANCE

CONTINENTAL DRIFTER
Oh la la … hot chocolate!
by Elliott Hester

On cold, damp, wintry days in Paris, nothing is more satisfying than a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Not the faux hot chocolate made with warm milk and sweetened cocoa powder. Not the counterfeit concoction made with milk and chocolate syrup. I’m talking about the rich, creamy blend of genuine dark chocolate and steamed milk. The French call it “chocolat chaud.” I call it simply delicious.

Only select cafés and restaurants offer authentic chocolat chaud. But you’ll find it at virtually every salon de thé (tea house). The dark chocolate is imported from Africa or South America and usually boasts a cacao content of 70% or more. It is melted, mixed with steamed milk or cream, and served with a glass of cold water on the side. (The chocolate is so rich, you need occasional palate-cleansing sips).

Most Parisians will tell you that Angelina serves the best chocolat chaud in Paris. On Rue de Rivoli across from the Tuileries Gardens, this antique salon de thé is all frescoed walls and gilded mirrors.

I ordered Chocolat à l’Ancienne dit “Africain” (traditional chocolate the African way). Made with pure chocolate from the Ivory Coast, it’s as thick and creamy as hot fudge. The hot chocolate arrived in a porcelain pitcher that held enough for two full cups. To sweeten the drink even more, I added scoops of real whipped cream. It sent me to heaven in one of Angelina’s gold-rimmed cups.

A lesser-known but equally enchanting salon de thé, Les Cakes de Bertrand is in the old Bourdaloue chocolate factory, down the hill from the basilica of Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre. This cozy tea room accommodates a maximum of 30 guests. Some come for the apple rhubarb crumbles and 25 different types of tea. I come to sip “Chocolat Maison l’Ancienne.”

Dalloyau is a chocolate institution. In 1802, the patisserie began serving pastries and chocolate to adoring Parisians. Since then, it has expanded to seven Paris locations that sell a combined 55 tons of chocolate each year.
In the amber-lighted tea room on the second floor of Dalloyau’s Rue du Faubourg St.-Honoré location, I saw chic French women sipping Colombian chocolat chaud. They chatted quietly, fur coats draped over their chairs, while I devoured a cup of my own.

In trendy St.-Germain des Prés, two famous restaurants cater to chocolat chaud addicts. Café de Flore (where James Baldwin wrote his first book, “Go Tell it on the Mountain”) gets my vote for best delivery. The Chocolat Spécial Flore is mixed with a bit of caramel and served in a silver pitcher that is delivered on a silver platter. A decorative potholder, with which to lift the searing-hot pitcher, is tucked inside the porcelain coffee cup.

Steps away at Les Deux Magots—where Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir reigned over a postwar intellectual crowd—the Chocolat des Deux Magots à l’Ancienne is to die for.

Of all the Paris spots in which to sip authentic chocolate chaud, my favorite is Le Flore en l’Île. Poised on the western tip of Île Saint-Louis, the dining room offers a dramatic view of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Unlike the aforementioned haunts, the Chocolat Chaud à l’Ancienne at Le Flore en l’Île is not blended in the kitchen. Instead, the melted chocolate (78% cacao) is served separately in a tiny silver pitcher. A tall pitcher of steamed milk is served along with it. Simply pour the chocolate in the porcelain cup, add the right amount of steamed milk and voilà! You’ve got a mouth-watering cup, blended to perfection.

Dare I say, it’s as good as the chocolat chaud at Angelina’s..

Next stop: Buenos Aires, Argentina

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