Knowledge Problem

Chocolate Decadence: Patrick Roger

Lynne Kiesling

As a hostess gift I took a box of incredible Patrick Roger on the Boulevard St. Germain. This is some of the most amazing chocolate I have ever had in my life (and, as a chocolate connoisseur who lives in the hometown of Vosges Haut Chocolat and consumes it on a regular basis). It’s deep, dark, rich, savory, lush, sensual chocolate. My favorite of the assortment was dark chocolate with a dark ganache center with lemon and thyme. Outstanding. Incroyable.

The funniest moment was when my friend’s six-year-old daughter took a bit of one and made a horrible face. At that moment it was clear that this was adult chocolate (very adult), so instead she got a milk chocolate ladybug from her mother, who was probably thinking “oh good, more for us!”.

I also bought a bar of their plain chocolate from Ghana, 75% cacao content. It’s spicy and rich and smooth all at the same time, without a trace of any residual milk or sugar taste. Aaaaaah. They sell “single varietal” chocolate bars from about 12 different country/cacao level formulations. Sadly, but not surprisingly given the artisanal nature of the product, each bar (about the size of a regular Lindt bar) is about 6 Euros (that’s almost $9 to me).

I blame La Coquette for my sybaritic consumption and squandering of my meager budget, after her mention of M. Roger:

The chocolate! We’re POWERLESS TO RESIST AND THIS REALLY NEEDS TO STOP FOR THE SAKE OF OUR POCKETBOOK AND WAISTLINE, PLEASE.

And it won’t get any better when my father arrives next week, and will want to go to Ladur?e to get macaroons to take home to my mother. OK, getting up in the AM and doing yoga as well as a run after work …