NYC Tastes

Spring is in the air and what better way to celebrate than with a fresh fruity dessert from the exquisite Patisserie Chanson. This gorgeous new bakery just opened in the Flatiron district and serves up all sorts of wonderful french pastries from Chef Rory MacDonald.  There's row upon row of creamy eclairs in luscious flavors of  pistachio, blood orange and cafe au lait. Stunning Mont Blanc cakes topped with chestnut cream and bright lemon custard bars layered with fresh chopped rhubarb and berries. In addition to the pastries up front Patisserie Chanson also offers afternoon tea in the dining space in back with tea sandwiches, macarons and cakes.   A full dessert bar with a tasting menu is also coming in the next few months so be on the lookout for a LOT more excitement around this already amazing spot.  Patisserie Chanson 20 West 23rd Street at 5th Avenue New York, NY 10010

Day two in Paris I woke up bright and early to do what I always do in this lovely city- go exploring all the wonderful Patisserie's!  Mr. T always jokes that Paris is magical because whenever he wakes up an array of pastries seem to wondrously appear in the hotel room.   I have a bit of a problem limiting myself while on vacation and this morning was no different.   I stopped into three different croissant shops, grabbed a breakfast sandwich (which would later lead to my demise) and finally landed at Stohrer the oldest pastry shop in Paris. This tiny little bakery was opened back in 1730 by Pastry Chef Nicolas Stohrer, who just happened to be the pastry chef for Louis XV.  In addition to being credited with creating the very first Baba au Rhum they are also known for some of the best eclairs in Paris and I have to agree.  The outside was light and crunchy with creamy custard inside and a gorgeous vanilla ganache on top that seemed to sparkle in the morning s...