Richart

My first macaroons when I arrived in Paris! They were delicious and ate almost all of them before I walked home. The special thing about these are that they are slightly bigger than the normal macaroon!

Good, if expensive, place to pick up Chocolate-​flavored gifts from Paris. The chocolate is best described as modern artistry, quite pretty and theoretically delicious. I say theoretically only because I never actually tried the suckers.
The mini-​macarons look pretty nifty, and they also sell regular size macarons. Again, I didn’t try and thus didn’t partake. The sturdier packaging that goes along with chocolate apply equally to the macarons, making them an easier transport home than the typical buy from Laduree or Pierre Herme. Still, I’d go macaron from those vendors and stick to chocolate from Richart.

Chocolate Bars With Complex Flavor Profile
(As one would expect from a person, Michel Richart, who spent his childhood in his father’s chocolate laboratories in Lyon, France)
Visit: July 30
I’m a self proclaimed chocolate connoisseur. I love chocolate and I hope that through my goal of finding the one chocolate that I would take with me if I were stranded on a deserted island, I have the competence to act as a critical judge. Richart chocolate is one of the contenders for my favorite chocolate.
My husband and I were on our way back to our hotel in the Latin Quarter after viewing the Helmut Newton exhibit in the Grand Palais and diverged off BD Saint Germain looking for a little afternoon pick me up. We found Richart with a small storefront window showcasing macarons and truffles. Even though the gourmet truffles were visually attractive decorated with dazzling designs, I hurriedly passed them over since I was in the mood for unadulterated dark chocolate. I spied some chocolate bars and to my delight, the chocolate bars boasted single origin cocoa from various cocoa bean growing countries. After trying to decipher the descriptions, I was intrigued by the Sambiraja 70 consisting of 70% Criollo Trinitario beans from Madagascar. According to the description, there are hints of red fruit and crystallized citrus. The description was absolutely true. What I really loved about this chocolate was the layers of flavor. It reminded me of a glass of high quality wine that has multiple aromas on the nose as well as the palate… a true representation of the terroir. It was the same thing with this chocolate. It was robust and I could taste a red berry (strawberry or raspberry?) as well as a fruitiness similar to raisins or dates, a character of molasses. The texture was exceptionally smooth and slowly melted with a long finish attesting to the quality. This chocolate is divine and should please your refined tastes as it did mine.