Paris, Gare du Nord

       

Note to coffee entrepreneurs: you could make a killing opening a high-end coffee kiosk here. This enormous station, bustling with humanity each morning, is void of good, strong coffee—or any espresso at all, as far as I can tell. (I’ve been to at least two patisseries that advertise espresso and both tell me that they don’t, in fact, have it.)  I’ve settled for a weak café crème, which tastes a bit like watered-down Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, heavy on the crème.

This lack of good coffee is typical of Paris—even at well known, popular cafes. (Fauchon’s boulangerie/café being the exception.) As luck would have it, on the last day of this trip, I discovered Café Verlet—an unpretentious little shop on the Rue St. Honoré.  I’d walked past it on our first day in town and—spotting its burlap bags of coffee beans and trays of glace fruit artfully displayed in the window—made a mental note to return.  Then, a few days later, a dear friend (a foodie who loves Paris and had lived here years ago) e-mailed to say she’d forgotten to tell me about this excellent café near our hotel, where all French connoisseurs (including Catherine Deneuve) buy their coffee…

Long story short, I spent three hours the next morning at Verlet, sampling and savoring single-origin espressos. The coffee menu is separated into regions—the Americas, Africa, Asia, etc.—with a special section for blends. The shots are pulled on a La Marzocco espresso machine and served in a green mug, the saucer of which is shaped like a leaf. (They also have an amazing selection of teas and a small food menu.)  I will spare you my tasting notes, but needless to say, the coffee was bold, flavorful, and exquisite.

So all you coffee fiends—if you find yourself in the City of Lights, don’t give up hope. (Or do what I did and settle for Starbucks—which frankly, made the best brewed coffee  I had in Paris, and also had free Wi-Fi.)  Verlet is on the Right Bank a block or so from the Louvre and a few blocks from the Palais Royale.   

Comments

[garry watson]

So coffee in my dream city (hey, until just yesterday, the world's dream city)just doesn't measure up, eh. Hmm.

[pest control saint George]

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