Cassis, France

Cassis, France
Cassis, France

Monday, September 2, 2013

Paris, Summer 2013

While I'm not sure the Internet needs another blog post on Paris, I'm going to share with you a few of the culinary highlights from the trip I recently took with my husband.

Paris. What a spectacular city. This was my second time in France (not counting a 10 hour layover in Paris en route home from Barcelona last year), and I feel a connection to this country that I haven't experienced elsewhere. It's some combination of the food, the wine, the people, the language, and the beauty. I'm already fantasizing about my next trip.



In any case, I was giving a talk in Paris and with the help of Delta Skymiles was able to bring my husband along for six glorious days in Paris. A friend of my husband's who lives in Paris said that she probably hasn't eaten at the same restaurant twice, and I believe her.

We had a few mediocre dinners, mostly when we didn't do our homework and just wandered into a restaurant off the street, usually out of desperate hunger fueled by all of the walking we did. Our most favorite meal was at Bistrot L'Estrapade, a tiny little restaurant serving traditional French fare located in the 5th. While I can't confirm, I suspect our waitress was the wife of the chef, who we occasionally saw peek his head out from the kitchen to gaze at her. We started our meal with a pear that had been poached in white wine and then baked with cream, roquefort cheese, and chorizo. The pear cut through the creaminess and the fat from the chorizo beautifully. We shamelessly sopped up the juices left behind with our bread. We also shared a salad of red apples, beets, and herbed goat cheese, dressed simply in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. My husband had duck that was cooked with melon, while I had a steak with onions, red, wine and potatoes. It was simply outstanding, traditional food.

We also enjoyed the food and the atmosphere at La Jacobine and Le Coupe-Chou, both of which are extremely romantic.The waitstaff at La Jacobine might be WAMs (see my post from Off Vine in LA), which made my lemon chicken tagine even more delightful. I can imagine cozying up here on a crisp fall evening and enjoying this again with a hearty glass of wine, after the French onion soup, of course. While the outdoor seating at Le Coupe-Chou is quaint, don't miss the opportunity to sit inside alongside the stone walls where lots of famous individuals have dined. We enjoyed the salmon carpaccio appetizer, and my pork with mustard sauce and potato gratin was also divine.




One evening we enjoyed a sunset picnic on the Seine, and picked up treats along the way to enjoy: wine, bread, cheese, grapes, hummus, and olives. We found the sweetest little Greek store called Le Piree, located at 47 Boulevard Saint Germain, where we got the hummus and the olives. The hummus was the best I have ever had -- thick and creamy (though they didn't overdo it on the tahini), parsley, pine nuts and coriander. Honestly, the cheese was pretty fantastic, but nothing could really compete with the hummus, and we ate the entire container. We didn't even stop when we ran out of bread.  The gentleman who owns the shop is lovely, and he will converse with you in French or Greek.



Berthillon is synonymous with ice cream in Paris. The flagship store is located on the Ile de Louis, but you can find their ice cream almost anywhere. The ice cream is prepared using only milk, sugar, cream, eggs, and natural flavorings, and it is fantastic. They also serve fruit sorbets, and you can order the ice cream to-go from the window to complement your city stroll, or rest your feet in the tea cafe with table service. We visited Berthillon a few times, and my favorite flavors were the nougat, white chocolate, chocolate chip, and good old fashioned vanilla. If you want gelato, Grom, the Italian based chain also has a home in Paris (and apparently in NYC). Also made from fresh, natural ingredients, I think my favorite offering was the salted caramel. In my very humble opinion, it would be fine to skip the gelato at Amorino -- this felt like the Dairy Queen or the Friendly's of the Paris ice cream/gelato scene (ok, it is still worlds nicer than DQ or Friendly's).

I like to bring foodstuffs home for friends and family when I'm on the road, and the obvious choice in Paris is macarons. You can't go wrong with Georges Larnociol, but I think the macarons at Gerard Mulot as just as good (if not better), and the packaging is much better for travel. Our macarons made it home with no damage at all. The flavor selection is just big enough, though most are classic (hazelnut, vanilla, coffee). Macarons do best in the refigerator, so buy them right before you go home if you don't have access to one. I don't care for the macarons at Laduree -- they look beautiful, but the texture seems off to me.

The chocolate covered almonds dressed up as olives from La Cure Gourmand also make a lovely gift (and you get to take them home in a cheerful yellow gift bag). I love french olive oil, and while Provence is certainly the best place to shop for French oil, O&Co. offers a very small collection of French oils in tins that can travel safely.

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