Gastronome

PATISSERIE LA PALME D’OR
Ala Moana Center
1450 Ala Moana Blvd.
(808) 941-6161

There’s a scene in Sophia Coppola’s beautifully flawed Marie Antoinette in which Kirsten Dunst (in the title role) and her friends sit around, trying on clothes and jewelry, drinking champagne and eating cake.

It’s such a wonderful scene of excess, and one that often drifts into my mind, particularly when I am stressed. I like to daydream that this will be my life … well, never.

I have discovered, though, that a treat (or a few) from Patisserie La Palme D’Or brings these lofty desires to reality — plus, it’s much better than living vicariously through a beheaded queen.

Located in Ala Moana Center next to Shirokiya, La Palme greets you with a case of delicately handcrafted sweets. Rest assured, everything does in fact taste as good as it looks.

Drawn in by the display, I first walked into the shop several years ago, and my favorites have remained the same.

It seems impossible, for example, to walk out without a Berry Cup in hand. A trifle-like dessert, it’s my (and Metro staff writer Paige Takeya’s) all-time go-to for a very simple reason: It is sweet but not too sweet, and every bite is like an exploration in different textures. It’s made with layers of crunchy white chocolate, mousse, cheesecake and berry jelly. Then all of that is topped with fruit, cream and crispy raspberry flakes.

So. Good.

Runners up include the Lemon Tart — a perfectly nuanced balance of sweet and sour flavors — and the similarly prepared and presented Lemon Lilikoi Tart.

On my most recent visit, I decided to sample something new and went for the Palme Chocolate, which may be just the thing to staunch any future chocolate cravings. It was incredibly rich and soft, and seemed to melt away in my mouth.

There is, I should note, only one regular item that continues to confound me: Mont Blanc. It is, however, my mom’s favorite. It’s sort of like biting into a roasted chestnut mousse, though she assures me that is the point — growing up in Japan, she says it’s a familiar flavor, which makes sense considering La Palme is a Frenchand Japanese-influenced patisserie.

But really, that’s the point I’d like to make about La Palme: You cannot go wrong with anything you order, and there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Of course, when I leave with goodies, I rarely share with anyone. (OK, let’s be real, I never share.)

OKTOBERFEST, OBVIOUSLY

There’s a lot I love about Oktoberfest (aka beer), and now through the end of the month, Hard Rock

Café (at 280 Beach Walk in Waikiki) is offering a limited-edition burger to celebrate. Its Samuel Adams OctoberFest Schnitzel Burger is touted as featuring a pork schnitzel topped with Samuel Adams OctoberFest-infused beer cheese sauce, along with bacon, sauerkraut, whole-grain mustard and arugula sandwiched in a pretzel bun. It all sounds like a mouthful, literally, but I find myself very intrigued by the beer cheese sauce — what that would even taste like, I cannot imagine.

Naturally, Hard Rock Café recommends pairing it with a Samuel Adams OctoberFest beer.