First stop is always for coffee and pastry at Fauchon, Place de la Madeleine.  Founded in 1886, the grand epicerie, patisserie, restaurant, and  delicatessen, is a culinary masterpiece and foodie’s heaven.  I return many times over my visit to Paris to refresh myself, shop for exotic products such as vadouvan, and purchase tantalizing gifts for friends back home.  Fauchon’s blueberry confiture (jam) is a favorite petit cadeau for my stateside friends.  Always wonderfully elegant, even the plastic spoons used to stir your coffee are Philippe Stark.  In my whirlwind gastronimic tour of Paris, Place de la Madeleine, home to not only Fauchon, but also Hediard, Laduree, Maison de Truffe, and now Mariage Freres, is always ground zero.