Smack My Ass and Call Me Augustus Gloop

I thought this sign had the name of the shop on it, but my French ain't that good yet. What this sign says is that someone at this shop was awarded a very prestigous honor: they were named a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (literally, 'Best Worker of France'.) Competitions for this award are held every three years and the awards vary from wood-working to chocolate-making. Once achieved, the honor is held for life. Many spend months preparing a piece of work that demonstrates both artisitic excellence and mastery of their craft. Patrick Roger is both the name of the store and the master sculptor/chocolatier/artist that started it all. The website is a graphical showpiece worth checking out.

We just stumbled upon this place by chance but we were drawn in by the fact that about a third of the store is dedicated to a not-for-sale chocolate sculpture: a rolling cocoa desert with chocolate stack mesas rising up out of it. The cool visual with the sheer volume of cocoa you could breath in made for a heavenly display.

They sold stuff, too. An endless array of chocolates in exotic flavors, various candies in bright colors, and relatively plain bars of chocolate from all over the world. Eye-candy and belly-candy, both at once.














We grabbed some chocolates with exotic flavors like sezchuan pepper, sesame, lemongrass, and lime. We have shown impressive restraint in that they aren't all gone yet!

Cheers!