New Yorkers were aghast when Francois Payard’s Payard Patisserie ended its 12 year run on the Upper East Side in June 2009.  Although everyone was hoping for a new location sooner than later the first thing that ran through TravelsinTaste.com’s mind was where will we get our Buche de Noel for the holidays!  Never fear - Francois Payard opened Francois Chocolate Bar on the fourth floor of high end jewelry boutique Mauboussin, the American outpost of the almost 200 year old luxe Parisian jewelry retailer, on 63^rd and Madison.  Although it doesn’t have all of the special meal creations the Patisserie had, it does have multiple chocolate creations including a new line of verrines and macaroons, in addition to hot chocolate, cappuccino, coffee, tea and the like.  You can indulge in this chocolate decadence just steps away from dazzling diamonds and gemstones.

Though we have been to Francois Chocolate bar we ordered our Buche de Noel from the Payard website for pickup on 12/24.  We received a lovely email reminder with a beautiful holiday message.  We gladly went down to Madison and 63^rd to stop by the truck and pick up our dessert.

We were skeptical at first, but that skepticism soon turned to ecstasy when we were greeted at the truck by the most pleasant gentleman who handed us our Buche de Noel without further adieu and could not have been more polite!  It came with a Payard Bag and a beautifully photographed Relais Dessert calendar - what could be better (with recipes included) and a special 15% discount on jewelry and watchesa t Mauboussin.  We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and even though we’ve seen Francois’s creations in other high end retailers, such as Dean and Deluca we remain committed to purchasing through his website - with absolute flawless execution.

If you’d like to read about one of Francois Payard’s other patisseries here’s our listing for Payard Vegas - otherwise, if you’d like you can read our exclusive interview with Francois Payard.

Thank you Francois for a flawlessly executed holiday dessert! We missed you.  We are now contemplating what we will pick up from the truck for New Years - perhaps some vanilla rum truffles or Parisian macaroons?