Patisserie Carl Marletti

This patisserie in the idyllic and old Latin Quarter of Paris will become as much a reason to visit this neighborhood as the nearby rue Mouffetard and the Arenes de Lutece. Every once in awhile a pastry chef comes along who has a hand so light and masterful of technique that his confections of cream, sugar and pastry flour sprout wings of their own. Such is the case of the pastries you'll find here at this Left Bank, classic Latin Quarter address. Chef Patissier Marletti had been at his craft several decades before opening his own boutique. One of the first things he did was create a fine pastry for his new wife - called Lily Valley and topped with a beret of spun lilac-purple sugar. Another signature cake is chocolate-based and incorporates pop rocks into the crust, hence the sensation is truly one of exploding chocolate ecstacy.