On The Town: 7 Days in Paris

I just got back from a fabulous week in Paris (France).  Paris isn’t new to me, I spent almost 6 months studying there while in university about 6 years ago.  It was time for another visit.  While living there on zero income I didn’t get to take full advantage of all the food the city has to offer so this time I did a bunch of research to figure out where I should eat.  My main sources were David Lebovtiz, Clotilde of Chocolat et Zucchini, Dorie Greenspan and Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks (she just came back from Paris!) – links to their blogs are at the end.  How did people travel before the interwebs and having fellow bloggers to learn from?  Did people just go around eating mediocre foods or did the rely on travel guides?  I can’t even imagine.  I ate well and paid very little attention to how much I was eating.  2 or 3 desserts a day was not unusual.  Enjoy and feel free to leave comments if you have any questions about these places or have anything to add! There will be a few more Paris posts so do check throughout the week…

Day 1

(Photo borrowed from Bridge and Tunnel Club)

Bistrot Victoires
6 rue de la Vrillière (1st)
noon-3pm, 7-11pm daily

This came as a pick from the NY Times and got high marks from Time Out Paris so I figured why not.  It’s none for decent food at low prices, sign me up! We got there and it was a cute spot and central enough to things, which is always nice.  I ordered the “entrecote” which was essentially steak that came with a flaming thyme sprig (ok) and fries all for the low price of 11,50!  The food was… ok.  You kind of get what you pay for.  It wasn’t the greatest cut of meat, it lacked a certain something… or as the French would say “je ne sais quoi” and the fries were aight.  I was hoping it would be cheap AND amazing so that we’d return but this one is definitely off the list.  NY Time picks were on probation for a minute after this one.

Day 2

Boulangerie Patisserie Beaumarchais

28, Blvd Beaumarchais (11th)
Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays

I heart David Lebovitz’ blog and had a bunch of picks from him on my Paris food list.  Luckily the place that he claims has the best croissants in Paris is down the street from my apartment.  I must say they are pretty darn good.    I had croissants from there every day of my stay (except Tuesday and Wednesday when they are closed).  They are buttery, flaky and just delicious.  They also have a bunch of other treats that looked delicious.  I only managed to make it through the pain au chocolat and chausson aux pommes… both wonderful.

Le Pain Quotidien
18, place du Marche St. Honore
75001 Paris

Ok, I know we have these in Canada and the U.S. but like many things they are just better in Europe!  The look is the same, lots of light wood, long communal tables, but the food is delish!  I had a tartine (open faced sandwich) with smoked salmon and avocado.  As garnishes it came with dill, lettuce, tomato, lemon and likely some other goodness.  The smoked salmon was pure buttery, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. I kind of want to eat there all the time.  Also, the prices were right.  My tartine was 11,50 and I left super full.  They also have some great menus (soup + tartine + salad) for 10,50. Loved it.

(Photo via Hoosta Magazine)

Pink Flamingo
105, rue Vieille du Temple (3rd)

http://www.pinkflamingopizza.com/pink_marais/pink_flamingo.html
Tues-Sun 7-11

Ok, I know I swore of NY Times recos but we gave in and tried this place because we were tired and wanted takeout.  This place happened to be about a 5 minute walk from the apartment.  It’s a pizza place started by a New Yorker and a few other people.  The pizzas have fun names and have eclectic toppings like sag paneer, cuban pork, figs etc.  Totally fun! We had the La Dante (tomatoes, mozzarella and basil) and the La Marcello (arugula, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and parmesan) which were both good.  Not the best pizzas I’ve ever had but yummy nonetheless.

Day 3

(Photo via Fée Clopinette)

L’As du Fallafel
23, rue des Rosiers
33-1-42-71-53-72

So I’ve blogged before about this place and how it’s pretty much the best falafels EVER so of course it was on my to-do list.  This place did NOT disappoint. Sure, some things were different like there was a guy who would take your orders and money while you were in line so that the only thing you had to do at the window was present your ticket (I of course thought it was a scam, but it wasn’t).  Also I remember there being eggplant slices on top rather than dices and spread them throughout.  But all changes were for the better!  For 5 euros you get a huge falafel filled with total goodness… possibly the best 5 euros spent during my trip.  We went back a second time and ate inside.  Unlike on Sundays when it is PURE MADNESS it was super calm.  I had a falafel, fries and a Macabee (Israeli beer) and was in heaven.

(Photo via Mr. Lung)

Chez Omar
47,rue de Bretagne (3rd)
Phone: 
Mon-Sun 12-11:30

Couscous is kind of a big thing in Paris.  Generally it’s made by Algerians or Moroccans who have a fairly significant presence in Paris.  I don’t remember having couscous when I lived in Paris but put it on my list for this trip.  This entire meal was jokes.  From the time we walked in the entire staff was calling us “cousins” (since they are African and we’re black) and were super friendly.  We ordered the couscous with merguez sausage and one with chicken.  You get a platter of couscous, a vegetable stew (with carrots, celery, chickpeas, potatoes etc.) and then whatever meat you order.  Um, kind of fantastic.  So flavourful and pure comfort food.  I have to figure out how to make that for sure.

Day 4

(Photo via iTaste)

Cafe des Musees
49 rue du Turenne (3rd)

So this night we were feeling lazy and wanted to have dinner in our ‘hood.  I didn’t have any ‘hood picks so I did a quick search and came up with this place.  We didn’t have a reservation so they told us we’d have to sit in the sous-sol (basement).  Um, okay.  Turns out the basement is GORGEOUS! Really spacious with really neat design.  The word on the street was that this place had great fries so we ordered the entrecote (steak) and fries.  The steak was great and came with a delicious sauce… might have been a bernaise but I can’t remember and the fries were indeed perfect.  I ate them embarrassingly quickly.  I also have to add that we had the most adorable waitress ever.

Day 5

(Photo via Au Gout Dujour)

Au Gout Dujour
12, rue Beaugrenelle

I LOVED THIS PLACE!  I’m not sure what it was but the whole experience but I had a lovely time and the food was great.  It’s a small spot in the 15th and from what I’ve read the chef bases his menu on what’s available in the markets so the menu changes frequently.  I had a roasted duck with ratatouille.  Now, I don’t ever order duck but something about duck just sounded right.  The flavours were amazing and blended together so perfectly.  For dessert I ordered a montblanc with chestnut cream and meringue.  I’m pretty sure I heard angels singing with every bite.  Our waitress was also pretty awesome here.  I could figure out most of the menu in French but then asked her if she spoke english.  Her response: what do i look like a french girl or something?  Loves it!  I’m a fan of cross-cultural sarcasm.  This place pretty much stole my heart.

Day 6

(Photo via iTaste)

La Briciola
14, Rue Normandie

This was another pick that I saw on David Lebovitz’ site and it was confirmed by the often fabulous Heidi Swanson at 101Cookbooks.  I know, pizza TWICE while in Paris? Alas, a girl cannot live by Steak Frites and Macarons alone!  This place is a great sit down restaurant which was probably a 5-10 minute walk from our apartment in the 3rd.  When we got there it was clear that it is totally a hotspot, the place was packed and everyone looked so happy eating their pizzas. I opted for a pizza with ham, mushrooms, olive, artichokes… and likely some other things too. The pizza was just the way I like it: thin crust with plenty of blisters.  The ingredients were very fresh and flavourful making for a great pizza.  For dessert we split the tiramisu three ways.  It was decent.  You could definitely taste the quality of the ingredients used (high… of course!).

Day 7

Le Pain Quotidien
18-20, rue de Archives
75004 Paris

We were tired.  It was late. I was out of local restaurant picks.  So we ended up back at LPQ.  This time I had the Madagascar Salad which included shrimp, mango, avocado, mixed lettuce, tomatoes, radishes and cucumbers with a crazy salsa type salad dressing.  Maybe it was my lack of vegetables recently but this was AMAZING.  It was many of my favourite foods in one bowl of goodness.  A decent way to end our time in Paris.  My favourite part of the meal was when a guy further down the table asked to share my bread basket.  WTF?  I let him… I admired him for even asking.

Places I wanted to visit but didn’t make it to…

There are only so many meals one can consume and only so many ways to conveniently plan to be in the right neighbourhood come lunch or dinner time.  Here are a few places that I wanted to try but didn’t get to:

Le Bar à Soupes (11th)
33, rue de Charonne
(33-1) 4357-5379
www.lebarasoupes.com

Rose Bakery (9th)
46 rue des Martyrs

Les Papilles (5th)
30, rue Gay-Lussac

A l’Etoile d’Or
30, rue Fontaine (9th)
Métro: Blanche

Berthillion
29-31 rue saint Louis en l’ile
75004 Paris

Top Picks

Au Gout Dujour – this place will be the place that i talk about for years when I remember this trip.
Chez Omar – The food was great at decent prices and the service was great!
La Briciola – Pizza in Paris? Totally worth skipping another night of cassoulet or steak frites.
L’As de Fallafel – Seriously, the best falafels I’ve had. Ever… and I’ve had a lot of falafels.

Resources

Here are some of the sites that I used to help make my picks:

David Lebovitz
Clotilde from Chocolate & Zucchini
Dorie Greenspan
Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks