Café Pouchkine

Every summer, my family leaves Grand-mère's apartment in Paris a few days before moi. I usually cram this time alone with culinary training & brushing up on my (not-so-fab) French.

One morning, I took my Belle-mère's advice and visited the legendary Café Pouchkine for a rich chocolat chaud (hot chocolate). After all, I am trying very hard to establish my petite chocolate Café in my rugged Montana town. I figured I could gather some great ideas, non?

And just like my favorite child author, Kay Thompson writes in Eloise in Paris, “Here’s the thing of it:” Paris gets the hot chocolate ceremony. The marble bar is maybe ten feet long (no longer than my cocoa bar), with several plush barstools to sit so elegantly upright. Hot chocolate, or chocolat chaud, is served in an antique silver chocolatière with a moulinet (chocolate pot). The hot chocolate is twice as thick as mine, so maybe mine isn’t too rich, after all. Perhaps La Châtelaine’s cocoa bar is not so far from this goal.


Le Café Pouchkine à Paris