Francois Payard recommends a daily dose voluptuousness

If Francois Payard’s pastries were lingerie, they would be made with the finest laces and well that is what he achieved with his latest venture: The Chocolate Bar. Niched on the 4th floor of the Mauboussin store on Madison Avenue, The Chocolate Bar feels like a boudoir, a lady’s private room filled with the most exquisite chocolate desserts. And he does not want you to resist to temptation, he actually encourages it!

Francois Payard is a gregarious yet no-nonsense French Chef, who seems to have mastered the perfect balance of French sensuality and American focus. And his new venture, which comes after his eponymous patisserie and restaurant, is a great translation of this mix.

“I want women here in New York to do as the Parisians Women and come in for a coffee and have 2 or 3 macarons, those delicious small chocolate bites” he tells me.

Unpretentious, he admits that before entering Mauboussin, he felt intimidated by the Upper East Side location, the history and tradition behind the brand. But then reveals, like a kid who discovered a secret spot, that he was pleasantly surprised by the how beautiful and reasonably priced the jewelry was there. That’s also because he is more of a downtown guy who just wants women to add a daily dose of pleasure in their life.

So why does he serves only chocolate, I ask him?

“Because it’s good for your health! And it has been proven.” he quips. Indeed, I checked the facts, consumption of dark chocolate will reduced your blood pressure (see this report). Yeah!

And I can testify that he is extremely considerate to women.

To our figures, first: “I make sure the sizes of the dessert of small enough that no one has to worry about counting calories” he says.

To our wallets: He insits that “at $6.50, the desserts include 3 different sorts of chocolate and all is hand-made with a high attention to details.That is the best value for a chocolate dessert you can find in New York.”

And lastly, to our minds because with names like Le Bonheur or Sweet Relief , he truly shows a sense of humor and sensibility.

So when I suggest that with 2/3 bites a women can get the daily recommended dose of voluptuousness, “that’s exactly it!” he exclaims.

So search no further, you know now where to find me at…

The Chocolate Bar
714 Madison Avenue (Bet. 63rd and 64th street)
New York NY10065
Store open from 10:00 AM to 08:00 PM Monday to Saturday and from noon to 06:00 PM on Sunday
Phone: (212) 752-4300

Check him out at age 5/6 on his website: you can see the boy was on to something!