Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
19 Elm Row (
&
44/131/556-6066;
www.valvonacrolla.co.uk).
(
Edinburgh (10km/6mi).
many edible mushrooms found in the
nearby countryside. The Caffè Bar tucked
behind the main shop is also a popular
place to stop in for breakfast or lunch (the
toasted paninis come highly recom-
mended); a branch nearby in Multrees
Walk also has a full-service Italian restau-
rant,
VinCaffè
(
&
44/131/557-0088
).
L
$$$
Holyrood Hotel,
81 Holyrood
Rd. (
&
44/870/194-2106;
www.macdonald
hotels.co.uk). $$
The Bank Hotel,
1 South
Bridge St. (
&
44/131/622-6800;
www.
festival-inns.co.uk).
Gourmet Emporiums &
Specialty Shops
22
Fauchon
Epicurean Epicenter
Paris, France
If ever you're tempted to doubt that Paris is
the epicenter of the gastronomic world,
one visit to Fauchon should set you straight.
Everything in this luxury food shop on the
place de la Madeleine is absolutely
comme
il faut,
and yet perfectly delicious. Is it food
or fashion? If you have to ask, do you
deserve to shop here?
Founded in 1886 by Auguste Fauchon,
the store has recently expanded world-
wide, but the undeniable chic of the Paris
flagship makes it feel like anything but a
chain. The heart of the business may be its
patisserie, where even the simplest crois-
sants, macaroons, and madeleines evoke
a Proustian response in some jaded Pari-
sians (others simply marvel at the sculp-
tural perfection of its decorated cakes).
The confectionery section's chocolates
are also justly famous, as is its wine shop.
The
traiteur
division is where you'll find
the best of French cheeses, terrines, foie
gras, and pâtés, as well as a select range
of caviars. Fresh pastas, conserves, spices,
teas, and jams fill the
epicerie
section.
None of this comes cheap, of course, but
the selection is impeccable, not to mention
the elegant pink-and-black packaging. In
typically Parisian style, the baroque rituals
of selecting your food, visiting the cash
register, and claiming your purchases are
anything but efficient, but then nothing
this good should come easy, right? Along
with shopping, you may want to dine at the
on-site restaurant,
Brasserie Fauchon,
or
the tea salon, where you can consume
those trademark pastries. Fauchon is closed
Sundays.
Well before Fauchon set up shop on
place de la Madeleine, the elegant
Hédi-
ard,
at 21 place de la Madeleine (
&
01-43-
12-88-88
), was already peddling fine
coffees, teas, spices, and jams; its salons
were recently refurbished to look as they
did a century ago, in a clear attempt to eat
into Fauchon's franchise. You may also
want to check out
Maison de la Truffe,
at 19 place de la Madeleine (
&
01-42-65-
53-22
), a convivially cramped fantasy of an
old-fashioned butcher shop selling all the
essentials of Parisian cookery—foie gras,
caviar, and truffles. What else does a Pari-
sian epicure need?
