So here are the photos from the iPhone…

Yesterday we rented bikes and roamed around the city. First we biked over to the Marais area and met a friend for lunch at Glou (another Zagat pick…we’re lovin it Cass).

Brandon had white fish in a white sauce with butter, onions and veggies.

Katelyn and I had the pig cheek with potatoes & mushrooms. Robust and earthy…yum!

The cafe gourmand: chocolate hazelnut bar, shortbread cookie, and espresso. The best espresso we’ve had yet!

there’s the hazelnut in all its glory…

Then we marched over to Angelina in search of the “best hot chocolate” in Paris…

The line was out the door…so we guessed that was a good sign…

Looks promising…

Still lookin good…

Not as impressive as Laduree, but still, very nice.

Finally seated and the desserts arrive. I ordered the Olympe…fresh raspberries, macaroon cookies, blah, blah…can’t really go wrong here. It was good, but nothing to die for.

So Brandon and Katelyn read the romance on the first page of the menu that speaks of the wonder and awe of their signature dessert, the Mont Blanc. Words like “a centuries old, secretly guarded recipe” and “…the likes of CoCo Chanel have enjoyed…” entice them.

So its a meringue base topped with whipped creme and a chestnut puree. All ingredients sound good…

took a bite…COMPLETE AND UTTER DISASTER! THE WORST DESSERT IN PARIS. It tasted like it was centuries old and that CoCo Chanel had died in it. Like I said on my fbook…this dessert should be ashamed to call itself a parisian dessert! In a word, disgusting. Basically horribleness served in a cupcake wrapper. Katelyn said it all when she said, “if I take one more bite, I will be sick.”

The rest of the time we were there we just watched in horror as other tables ordered it. Typically it would be a couple, the girl ordered the mont blanc and the guy ordered something simple and completely appetizing. We’d watch as the girl would take one bite, scowl, and then we would see the mont blanc being placed in front of the guy instead as the desserts were switched. Sigh, these kind men. A few powered through, no doubt thinking to themselves, “…ugh, 7 euros for this nasty dessert, that comes out to about $10, better just eat expensive calories.” And others were not as strong, we’d watch them take a few more bites and then just stab it with their forks, no doubt picturing their girlfriends that took their delicious dessert that they had chosen and left them with this chestnut-meringue-CoCoChanel-who the heck is that-awful dessert. To those men at Angelina yesterday, we feel your pain.

So being the American I am, I flag down a waiter/host and ask him to take the desserts away because they do not taste good. He looks at me with complete disgust and says. “do you not see the many people that line-up outside our doors to eat this?” and walks away in a complete french huff. It was amazing how those were the words he said, but I all heard was, “stupid American.” I totally insulted him with the dessert, and he me. I just meant for him to take the plates away so we wouldn’t have to stare at the dessert any longer because it was really depressing us. It was particularly rough on Brandon who had intended to order an eclair before he was swept up by the description on the first page. Le sigh.

As for the hot chocolate, it was good, but the Mont Blanc just totally killed our spirits. If anything, don’t waste your time here. Just go to Laduree were even the “that was okay” desserts are wonderful (last time we went, we had three, and we loved one above the other two, but all were still amazing as far as desserts go), the hot chocolate is thicker, and the ambiance is even more gilded.

Brandon and Katelyn had to call it a night after that disappointment. So we all biked home, I made Brandon some capellini pomodoro with a salad, and we called it a night.

Moral of the post - beware of the Mont Blanc @ Angelina.

This is Piggy signing off. Stay hungry my friends. :D Oink! Oink!