U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Food and Drink
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 12-26-2013, 01:18 AM
 
11 posts, read 11,806 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

Hi guys,

I’m in London and often travelled in France. The best thing I remember once there was the taste of Belgian chocolates and pastries.There were also a number of things I didn't expected once there but the best one is their gastronomy. Have you ever tasted it? What’s your favorite?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 12-26-2013, 12:49 PM
 
Location: North Idaho
31,914 posts, read 45,651,044 times
Reputation: 75119
The best chocolates in France have come out of Belgium. Mammoth sells a 1 pound box of Belgian chocolates that are earth shattering good and a lot cheaper than buying them at a shop in Belgium. Not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. Quite expensive, but much cheaper than buying the same thing in Belgium.

There is a gigantic bar of chocolate that might be French and not Belgian. It has a wrapper with elephants on it. I don't remember the brand name but it is fairly obvious in the grocery store. Their best variety has hazelnuts in it.

For pastries in France, you can't beat the fresh croissants out of the little mom and pop bakeries
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-26-2013, 01:25 PM
 
Location: Pacific NW
6,413 posts, read 11,927,447 times
Reputation: 5858
I'm not a bread lover. The only thing I remember really enjoying eating in France was a Croque Madam.

I'm not huge pastry fan, and didn't have any in all of Europe that I thought was worth a second taste.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-26-2013, 09:01 PM
 
Location: East Bay, San Francisco Bay Area
22,474 posts, read 22,665,209 times
Reputation: 22778
In France, I love the chocolate filled pastries, creme brulee and macarons! Paris has the best deserts!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-26-2013, 09:44 PM
 
4,533 posts, read 4,830,472 times
Reputation: 6326
For standard mass produced chocolate that are still high quality, I still don't think anything can beat Cote d' Or chocolate bars (the one Oregon is talking about). Simply outstanding. Hershey's waxy chocolate doesn't even compare to it.

In Paris, Stroher is excellent:

Stohrer | Pâtissier Traiteur – A Paris depuis 1730

Even the queen of England agrees. Although it is touristy and I'm sure smaller mom and pop bakeries exist, Stroher is excellent ($$ price though).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-27-2013, 04:04 AM
 
Location: Gorgeous Scotland
4,120 posts, read 5,460,740 times
Reputation: 3351
Pain au chocolat. Pure bliss.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-27-2013, 02:08 PM
 
Location: Montreal, Quebec
15,084 posts, read 14,065,616 times
Reputation: 9783
I'm in Montreal. We have a hand-made chocolate or French pastry shop on every corner.
I have 5 wihin walking distance from my house.

Thamk goodness I'm not that big of a fan, or I'd weigh 400 kilos.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-30-2013, 01:32 AM
 
8 posts, read 8,802 times
Reputation: 15
Belgian chocolates including truffles and praline-filled chocolates remain the best as far as French chocolates are concerned; however I still stick to the British pastries, especially puff pastry but everyone has his or her preferences.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-30-2013, 02:23 AM
 
3,457 posts, read 4,810,514 times
Reputation: 6226
Europe (particularly France, Germany and Austria) is the BEST place for satisfying your sweet tooth. I cannot believe anyone who says they prefer North American desserts (which are so bland, heavy and unidimensional). I've lived in Canada for ten years and the whole country outside Quebec fails to offer what any small town in France or Germany offers in their bakeries and patisseries (or backerei/konditorei). The U.S Deep South does have some good desserts because of the fact they grow good fruits and nuts, but the Northern half of the continent is a virtual desert for dessert lovers. Pun not intended. Quebec being the exception...

My favorite French dessert is a layered cake made with a hazelnut crust, roasted hazelnut puree, raspberry-infused whipped cream and raspberry jam. My favorite German dessert is an authentic Schwartzwaldertorte with real kirsch. My favorite Austrian dessert is a slice of walnut cake.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-02-2014, 06:49 AM
 
11 posts, read 11,806 times
Reputation: 10
Croque Madam and the so-called “Pain au chocolat” are among my favorites when I was in France, there weren’t also days I didn’t eat chocolates, truffles and crunchy ones were at the top. Yet, I heard that chocolates reduce stress.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Food and Drink
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2023, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top