Sweet Week: Berko

I know everybody is on some kind of diet after the gluttony of holiday eating. Well, just when you thought it was safe to go back to eating cottage cheese & jello and not be tempted by mouthwatering desserts, I'm going to make it dangerous. After all, you are probably in a little bit of the January doldrums already with holidays being over, and nothing too exciting on your food horizon except celery sticks staring you in the face.

I thought I would give your neglected sweet-tooth a boost this week by making it Sweet Week. I recently discovered three incredible sweet outlets and have been dying to share them with you.

Cupcakes have been the craze in the states in the last few years and in New York I used to frequent Cupcake Cafe and Magnolia bakery. With all the fantastic pastry in Paris I never missed them but when I was walking down rue Rambuteau last month, I stopped dead in my tracks. There was a new pastry shop named Berko and through the window I saw a metal cupcake tree on the counter inside. I busted through the door brimming with excitement that my favorite childhood and adulthood treat had finally arrived. With my nose pressed against the glass and trying not to drool on it, I intensely studied the 15 fabulous flavors in the case including traditional vanilla and chocolate dressed up with silver and gold beads, welcome nifty newcomers caramel, carrot cake,Oreo,coffee, and white chocolate, and some oddities that I'm not sure worked like lavender, mandarin, and pistachio.

Choosing as carefully as a death row inmate deciding on their last meal, I chose the caramel. The icing was creamy, buttery, and not too sweet and the cake moist.It was rich and satisfying and I didn't crave another one afterwards.

Smacking my lips after after my cupcake rush, I looked to see what else the shop offered and found some interesting choices. Chocolate Moelleux came in a small black pot so that you can heat it up at home. In case you didn't know what chocolate Moelleux was, it's a cake that's hard and cake like on the outside and gooey in the inside. Individual cakes of lemon meringue, caramba bar, white chocolate & raspberry, and cappuccino looked beautiful and mouthwatering.

The handsome dark wood that's on the floors and continues up to the cases make the minimalist interior feel warm and welcoming. The friendly, helpful staff was ever so patient when I was making my monumental cupcake flavor choice.
 
I'm so happy I finally found a cupcake haven in Paris.
Chocolate Moelleux



Berko
23 rue Rambuteau, 3d arr.
Metro:Rambuteau
Tel. 01 40 29 02 44
Open Tuesday- Sunday 10AM to 8PM

One of my goals for 2009 is to at least double my subscriptions and I am enlisting you to help me achieve that. Many of you have turned your friends, families, and colleagues on to EPP but now I'm looking to up the ante. So I decided to have a contest to see who will register to most new subscribers. The prize? A copy of the wonderful book We've Always had Paris and Provence, the fascinating and highly entertaining story of Patricia & Walter Wells life here. It also includes some of Patricia's classic recipes.

The best way to go about subscribing people is to go to my homepage www.eyepreferparis.com and on the right hand sidebar you will see a box where it says enter email address. Enter each email separately. A confirmation message will appear that says "Please check your inbox for a verification message from FeedBurner’s “confirmations@emailenfuego.com,” the service address that delivers email subscriptions for I Prefer Paris. You will need to click a link listed in this message to activate your subscription." Please cut and paste that and send it to the person you subscribed so they can confirm their subscription. Please email me at r.nahem@gmail.com to let me know how many people you have subscribed.

I will announce the winner this Thursday, so start subscribing now.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Comments

[Maria]

OMG, they look too yummy. We actually have a place here in Miami called Misha's that makes pretty good cupcakes, although I am sure having one in Paris can't be beat!!!

[MadAboutParis]

WHOA - Richard!!! You really know how to make us book our trips to Paris...you could be the official ambassador of pastries Y-U-M!
xx,
M

[from cali]

Another great find. I LOVE cupcakes, well almost any type of dessert, and will be sure to seek this place out on my next trip!

[YSLGuy]

Those cupcakes look amazing. Thank you for posting all these great sweets. You are making me hungry for sweets, and I'm supposed to be on a diet.

[Jason]

Hadn't heard about this. Will definitely be going soon (and probably 14 more times after that).