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David Lebovitz Archives: Dining & Travel
« David's Favorite Posts June 26, 2008 |
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My favorite travel tip that I rarely advertise is to tell people I'm leaving a day prior to my actual departure.
Continue reading "Nice and the Côte d'Azur" »
June 22, 2008 |
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A few days later, while standing on the square in Vence, waiting while a young man poured chickpea batter onto a very hot oiled griddle, a timid young American woman asked him for a crêpe. He explained, in fractured English, that he only made socca, and she started to walk away. Continue reading "The Best Socca In Nice" »
June 14, 2008 |
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May 25, 2008 |
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Another Sunday dining option is to visit one of the outdoor markets and make up a picnic. Markets open on Sunday morning (9am-2pm) include Richard Lenoir (M: Bastille), Aligre (M: Ledru-Rollin), Raspail (M: Sèvres-Babylon), and Place Monge (M: Place Monge). Feel free to add any favorites restaurants of yours in the comments.
Excellent buckwheat crêpes served in a casual, yet sparse setting. Especially busy at prime lunch hours.
This traditional French bistro flies under the radar of many but is a great choice for Sunday lunch, especially after a visit to the nearby Richard Lenoir market. Hearty fare. Continue reading "Sunday Dining in Paris" »
May 22, 2008 |
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Continue reading "Le Jules Verne" »
May 15, 2008 |
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Pardon, Monsieur Linxe, but I disagree.
It was a lot to get through, let me tell you. I normally avoid any hot chocolate that's offered in those kinds of situations, because I find that's the tummy-buster, the stuff that puts you over the edge. And when faced with a plate of such fine chocolates, I want to enjoy and savor every chocolate-dipped bite. A warm cup of silky-rich chocolat chaud alongside? That's just dorer le lys. (Gilding the lily.) My favorite chocolate at La Maison du Chocolat is Rigoletto Noir. Continue reading "Rigoletto Noir" »
May 7, 2008 |
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We're mid-week into our Paris Chocolate Tour here and we're having a great time. Everyone's enjoying the unusually fine weather, and of course, the chocolate. I wanted to post a few shots and notes in my spare seven minutes—it's 5:34am so forgive any typos or missed links. I'll catch 'em later...in my free time ; )
  Cheerful, and the amazingly-talented, Jean-Charles Rochoux shows us a chocolate replica of his arm in his laboratory. He made it for a Halloween display at a Parisian department store. The scoop of passionfruit sorbet is from Le Bac à Glaces, an ice cream shop just a few blocks away, where we stopped to cool down.
 At M. Rochoux's swanky boutique, his assistant Murielle, packs up a box of chocolate. Check out the sexy glove. Oh la la! I may need even more sorbet to cool down... If you do stop in, be sure to get a tablet of his chocolate from Peru. This is one of my favorite chocolates in his shop, along with the tablets of caramelized hazelnuts from Piedmont enrobed in chocolate as well as his latest; a bar of chocolate with a unctuous layer of creamy caramel oozing out.
 A light French salad: la salade parisienne. Yes, there is some lettuce tucked under that mountain of ham, but I was more focused on the yummy house-made fries at Le Nemrod that I dove on as soon as they landed. Unfortunately, being the consummate host, I did share a few with my table mates. But not before grabbing all the crispiest specimens. Since my salad was so light, my guests knew I needed the extra nourishment to make it through the afternoon. Did I mention how light it was? Just checking...
 Of course, it's not lunch in Paris without un peu de rosé. I had a little pitcher, which was just enough to carry me through the afternoon. Well, at least until dinner.
 If the above salad looked too light for you, the salad with soft-cooked egg melting over a huge mound of crispy bacon and studly croutons, may be more suitable to carry someone through a week of tasting chocolates. They also make a letter-perfect croque monsieur (and madame), if you're in the neighborhood.
Continue reading "Paris Chocolate Tour" »
April 29, 2008 |
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Every time I go to Austin, it seems like I'm running into town, doing a class, then racing on to the next city. So this last time, I slipped in under the cover of darkness, and arrived a day early. Sure I wanted more time to gorge on Texas bbq and Mexican food. But what I really wanted to do was spend some time at Tèo, lapping up gelato.
Let's hope they sign.
Continue reading "Teo Gelato" »
Vegetarian Restaurants in Paris April 19, 2008 |
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This guest entry is from my friend Gideon Ben-Ami, who graciously stepped in and wrote this post about vegetarian dining options in Paris..Enjoy...dl
If you're dining at a neighbourhood bistro, you'll probably get by okay if you eat fish. But if you're vegan, then you might need to smuggle in a nut cutlet or two under your raincoat as you'll soon get tired of munching on side salads. Unlike many other European capitals, restaurants here don't necessarily have a vegetarian option on the menu. Paris does, however, have its fair share of vegetarian restaurants. Continue reading "Vegetarian Restaurants in Paris" »
January 24, 2008 |
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When a British travel writer asked if I'd like to meet for brunch last week, he also asked if I could suggest a reasonable place for the article he was doing. So I put on my thinking cap, kicked off my slippers, tossed my funky pajamas in the laundry bin, showered and...get this...shaved!...and actually took a break from my project and got a few breaths of fresh air. Imagine that!  Le Brunch is indeed available at some places in Paris, but je deteste being around people first thing in the morning—and I'm not so fond of Le Brunch either. So we compromised on the more civilized hour of 1pm. Not much is open in Paris on Sunday, which our President is fixing to change, so I suggested Breizh Café a tidy corner spot specializing in galettes de blé noir, commonly known as buckwheat crêpes. This sparsely-finished restaurant is in the heart of 'bobo' (bourgeois bohemians) land, so there's no shortage of strollers or hipsters hanging out in this part of the Marais on Sunday. Once you get by all the posers skulking on the sidewalks peering in gallery windows, cigarettes perched in the corners of their mouth and the obligatory Sunday am dark glasses...(who unlike me, couldn't bother to shave)...it's a relief to find an inexpensive place to eat where the food is anything but trendy.
Continue reading "Breizh Café" »
January 1, 2008 |
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 For the holidays this year, I decided to take up a friends offer to visit their family in Méribel, a village way high up in the French alps. As you can see, it's a spectacular place. And I'm not just talking 'gorgeous sunsets' or 'charmingly quaint' spectacular. I mean, Méribel was mind-blowingly, insanely hallucinante. Seriously, I wasn't prepared for the awesome beauty of it all. Although I haven't strapped on a pair of skis in over thirty years, there I stood, at the top of the mountain on my first day on skis in decades, ready to slide down.   Let me tell you—skiing isn't one of those things that you get more comfortable with as you get older. *sigh* Especially when you're with a group of skiers that include some crazy teenagers who, at the top of a particularly steep run, simply point their skis in the straight-down position, and shove off with their poles and a banchee-like "On y va, Daveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!"  And off they'd go...
November 9, 2007 |
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 Most people when they think of France, they think of only two places: Paris and Provence. While I'll admit both are lovely spots for a visit (or in the case of Paris, to live in), there's a lot more to this country than those two destinations. I suppose the romance of lavender in everything and hoards of tourists does have its appeal, but to me, Gascony is one of my favorite destinations in France.  And during my recent trip to Kate's kitchen, near Agen, we spent last weekend cooking up cassoulet of all sorts, tasting local products, and drinking Armagnac with great restraint (that stuff is st-rong!) There was lots of choose from, but to keep our wits about us, our primary fuel was the darkest vin rouge in France: Cahors, often called 'black wine', made from just up to the north of us, from the canal and boat I called home for the weekend. (Note: This post contains photos of animals used for cooking, some resembling their natural state. It's part of life in the French countryside where that's part of their way of life. Just a mention in case you're sensitive to seeing things like that.) Continue reading "Camp Cassoulet" »
Shopping Like A Parisian in New York City (A video!) October 11, 2007 |
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Who says New Yorkers are pushy? Although I couldn't convince him to cut in line, watch me teach Adam Roberts how to Shop Like A Parisian in New York City. (And yes, the camera does add 10 pounds...either that, or I seem to be sporting a Pinkberry-Belly.)
10 Insanely Delicious Things You Shouldn't Miss in Paris August 9, 2007 |
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How about a pain aux cereales? Here's my list of Ten Great Things To Eat in Paris. Not all the ideas are new or radical nor are they in any particular order of preference. Some I've mentioned before and others are new.
 Lemon Tartlets from La Fougasse
And seriously, you shouldn't miss them if you come.
I love les macarons and although I still think the classic ones at Ladurée are tops in town, Over at Pierre Hermé, he's always experimenting with unusual flavor combinations so you never quite know what you'll find here. But if you happen to be there and see pastel-orange cookies the color of apricot with a soft, creamy filling oozing out, hiding a nugget of crackly almond croquant covered with fine pieces of pistachio dust, I urge you to try one. Although each time I go in, the amount of filling seems to be increasing to the point of excess, I can't resist popping one in my mouth. And in fact, when I go in now, my favorite saleswoman there instinctively hands me one over the counter. (And people ask me why I live here all the time as well...) One tip: The shop on the rue Bonaparte is usually mobbed and it's difficult to see anything or linger. Head over to the Pierre Hermé shop at 185, rue Vaugirard, which is much more spacious. And while you're there, stop in at des Gâteaux & du Pain at 63, boulevard Pasteur; the pastries and breads are drop-dead gorgeous there as well.
 Les Baguettes Monge from Kayser
Continue reading "10 Insanely Delicious Things You Shouldn't Miss in Paris" »
November 22, 2006 |
Comments (9)
I got a very cute message lately from a couple who had come to Paris and followed some of my restaurant suggestions. But it got to the point one evening here they were undecided where to go one night, and her husband said, "I don't care. Let's just go anywhere that chocolate-guy says to go!" I was glad to be of service, but I like being known as 'that chocolate-guy' just as much. But frankly, I don't go out as much as most folks imagine. I love going to my market, talking to the vendors, and coming home with something new that I've never tried before, like the chervil roots I bought the other day, which involved a rather detailed, lengthy conversation with the vendor. I mostly cooking all the fine things I find here and learn about. So when I do go out, I want it to be good...no, I want it to be great...and I find the best food in Paris is classic French cuisine; confit de canard, steak frites, and coq au vin. When you find a good version, I don't think there's anything more satisfying. Especially if it's accompanied by good friends. And, of course, a few obligatory glasses of vin rouge.
Continue reading "Paris Restaurant Round-Up" »
The Real Deal: Balsamic Vinegar in Modena November 1, 2006 |
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The hardest part about sampling so much good food, and enjoying things like, say, fancy Italian cars and easy-access to American booty, is that once you get a taste of the good life, it's almost impossible to go back. I challenge anyone who's flecked a bit of fleur de sel across their food can go back to ordinary table salt. I took one taste of the cloud-like, billowy chocolate-enrobed marshmallows from Pierre Marcolini and now I can't seem to get enough. And once you've taken a foot file to your sorry feet, you'll be taking your shoes off all day long to admire your polished pieds.
 A special bottle used to evaluate 'Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale'
My first experience with real, true balsamic vinegar goes back to the time I worked with Paul Bertolli at Chez Panisse. Every so often he'd ask me for the key to the liquor cabinet (which, for some reason, I was entrusted with) and he'd pull out his little dark bottle of brown, viscous syrup. A breathless hush would fall over the kitchen, and he would tenderly drip a few precious drops onto the dinner plates with great reverence. Although that liquor cabinet got pilfered on perhaps one too many occasions, mostly involving after-work fresh fruit dacquiris for the staff (I was definitely not the person to entrust with the key), I never did touch that little bottle. So when planning my visit to the Emilia-Romania region, I decided I would be so close to Modena, it would be a shame not to visit and see what all the fuss was about. I sent a message to the Consorzio Produttori Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena who was happy to provide me with a glimpse of the process of making traditional balsamic vinegar.
 Giovanna uses a glass tube to demonstrate the varying thickness of her vinegars
Traditional balsamic vinegar is not to be confused with industrial balsamic vinegar, the acidic brown water that costs 2 bucks at the supermarket. It's like comparing Ye Olde Log Cabin to pure, deep-dark maple syrup: there's simply is no comparison. Giovanna, like others in town, follows traditional methods to make her balsamic vinegars, a process that's strictly regulated and has both DOC (Denominazione di Origin Controllata) and DOP (Denominazione d'Origine Protetta) designations which ensure the 80 member consortium of local producers follow specific quality-assured guidelines.
 Rating the vinegar
 Gorgeous bottles of balsamic aged in cherrywood
(But what do I know? He's the President and I'm just the Bad-Boy of Baking...) Once the grape must has been cooked, the juice is cooled, filtered, then stored in barrels, which are never filled more than 3/4's full. Giovanna uses many different types of wood, mostly castagno but also ginepro (juniper) and ciliegia (cherry), to make special reserve vinegars, since the wood imparts a fine flavor to the balsamico. As the vinegar ages and evaporates over the years, the vinegar gets transferred from the large 'mother' barrel to smaller ones, gradually and systematically, over a period of several years. If you're lucky, some day you'll get a chance to taste vinegar that's over 100 years old. It's a rare treat.
 Judy Francini, the Divina Cucina, shows off a bottle of 100-year old vinegar in Florence
Afterwards, Giovanna led me through a tasting of her vinegars, starting with a 12-year old bottle designated by a white cap, which was grape-y, tart, and pungent-sweet. It would be perfect to drizzle over carpaccio or shards of aged Parmesan cheese. Her 25-year old with a gold cap, was far fruitier, stickier, and with less acidity and more beguiling complexity. Then she brought out the big guns: a tray of very special bottles, including her 25-year old reserve balsamic aged in cherry wood, which I immediately envisioned dripping over a vanilla-flavored panna cotta, then I tasted another 25-year old balsamic vinegar aged in juniper wood barrels, which she said should only be served over something "very important", like venison or red meat.
 So good drizzled over sliceds of rare beef at Ristorante Vinicio
In spite of the price, a stingy few drops are all you need to make a very big impact. And never mind the photo...I asked them to keep pouring, feigning trouble with my camera, so they'd keep the precious liquid flowing. (Call me, or any politician, a liar and a glutton.) But I do recommend for newbies to try a bottle that's at least 12-years old, as there's a substantial difference between a thin, rather uninteresting 10-year old balsamic vinegar and a luscious, velvety 12- or 25-year old. The consortium of balsamic producers use a special bottle, designed by racecar designer Giugiaro, to designate the provenance of their vinegars. Incidentally, it's the same creative team that designs cars for a well-known, very famous Italian factory nearby, too.
 Freshly-churned vanilla gelato is the perfect foil for the tart-sweet taste of balsamico
Visits can be arrange by telephone or through their web site and Giovanna speaks English.
 If you haven't spent all your euros on vinegar, stop here on your way out of Modena
To learn more about balsamic vinegar in Modena, visit the web site for the Consorzio Produttori di Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena. Modena is a easy train ride from Florence, and the trip takes about 20 minutes making it a perfect day excursion. To visit the balsamic producers, call in advance and you'll need to rent a car or take a taxi. The New York Times recently wrote an excellent article about the region as well. Another, larger producer of traditional balsamic vinegar is Acetaia Bompana. Visits can be arranged in English or French as well. Be sure to visit the Mercato Coperto Albinelli. This wrought iron-covered daily market is a must-see and is one of the best in the world. Open until 2pm.
Modest lodging, smack-dab in the center of town, on a quiet street.
Ristorante Vinicio Gran Caffè Trattoria da Omer Ristorante da Danilo Hosteria Giusti
French & Italian Menu Translation Made Easy October 28, 2006 |
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After spending years learning the language, I'm pretty comfortable with menus in French and I'm rarely in for any unpleasant suprises when waiters bring me food anymore. But on my trip to Italy, I was completely baffled when handed an Italian menu, scarcely knowing stinco from souris d'agneau. Stinco I Iearned the hard way: a Fred Flintstone-sized hunk of roasted veal knuckle was plunked down in front of me, after a hearty pasta course, and there was no chance of leaving until I finished it off. All of it. And you might want to be careful ordering souris d'agneau in France, since a 'souris' is a mouse, which doesn't sound as appetizing as lamb shank, which is actually what you'd be ordering.
It's rather difficult to find a good, comprehensive, and compact menu translator, so most people resort to tearing pages out of their guidebooks, which are rather broad-based don't get into the nitty-gritty of the difference between congre (big eel) and colin (hake). Then they end up facing a heaping platter of something they'd prefer not to encounter either on sea or shore. Another bonus is both books also have loads of information about European dining customs, like never filling a wine glass more than halfway full in Paris, as well as restaurant suggestions and the Italian guide has brief descriptions of the regions of Italy, and what to order when you're there. Both are highly recommended, so much so that I plan to take their Berlin Made Easy guide with me on my trip this winter, so I end up with gegrillt jakobsmuscheln instead of gekockten aal.
October 26, 2006 |
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During my recent trip to Italy, I joined an Italian friend of mine at a trattoria for a late night supper. As we hungrily ate our overfilled plates of pasta Carbonara and Cacio e Pepe, a local specialty made with pecorino cheese and lots of spicy, freshly-ground black pepper, mingled with lots of Italian voices were plenty of Americans, making sure they were heard above the din. But Americans aren't just famous for speaking loudly. "Americans are the best!" my friend said,"You just get them drunk and you can have sex with them. Everyone knows that." Who knew? So if you're American and you plan on visiting Rome, depending on the purpose of your vacation, you might want to watch your alcohol consumption, play it safe, and stick to gelato. Or chocolate.
Entering the velvet-lined shop, I smelled something delightful in the air, and saw in the small, well-lit backroom, a group of women sitting around chatting and peeling freshly-roasted chestnuts. Being naturally curious, some say a pain-in-the-butt, I wandered back there to take a look. Within minutes a large Italian fellow came lumbering towards me, thankfully without plucked eyebrows or Versace knock-offs (I didn't check out the chest hair 'situation'), he seemed to have no ulterior motives and offered to speak with me about his chocolates.
I feel deeply in love with these marrons glacés, but I doubt anyone would use these candied chestnuts as objects of seduction, although maybe I should. With my brush-cut hair, which requires a bare minimum of gel, and the triumphant return of chest hair, I'm probably not the best candidate for launching an Italian-style romantic entrapment. But I would imagine it beats all that waxing and plucking anyways, don't you think?
Tazza d'Oro L'Albero del Cacao San Crispino Giolitti Pizzarium Volpetti Biscottificio Innocenti
October 21, 2006 |
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"It's not your fault!" she laughed. I had just walked in the door of my hotel, clutching my stomach in a bit of a panic, unable to fit in another morsel of food, no matter how small or appealing. Halfway through my 10 day eating trip through Italy, I felt like a plump, overstuffed ricotta-filled cannoli, bursting at both ends. I told the woman at the front desk at my hotel that I could not eat one more bite of anything, or I would surely die.
And indeed, she was right. We'd eaten very well, from simple trattorias, slurping up Tagliatelle al Ragú and Tortellini with Ricotta and Zucchini Blossoms floating in brodo, to filling up on pizza bianco, stuffed with everything from roasted potatoes and fragrant rosemary to gooey, stringy Italian cheese and thin-sliced prosciutto. Although I could easily point a finger at the restaurants for the gustory overload, I did have a role in the matter, since between all these meals, I consumed a rather indecent amount of gelato.
 Fresh-churned Gelato di Cioccolato
But one thing that is pretty incredible is the gelato that's churned up in Bologna.
 Gianni Figliomeni of Il Gelatauro
 Krumiri cookies and Mondorletti al Cioccolatto Fondente
 Most gelato has less fat than regular ice cream, but it's denser since less air is whipped in while churning, generally just 20-25%.
 Once the gelato is scraped from the machine, chunks of cake crumbs are scattered over and soaked with liquor, then mixed in.
But it's not just esoteric or the unusual that tempt, delight, or whatever they say in Italian (Hey, lay off—I'm having enough trouble with French...let's not toss Italian into the mix.) His Chocolate-Brownie gelato was an amazingly right-on recreation of an all-American idea, although that should come as no surpise since his wife is American artist Angela Lorenz,whose artwork is shown on the walls of the gelateria. Perhaps she also had a hand with the creation of the Baked Apple and Cinnamon gelato and Caki, or the creamy, autumnal Persimmon gelato with a soft orange hue as well. If so, I suggest they revoke her American passport so she has to stay in Italy. As they walked me through the gelateria and the spotless laboratory I learned much about his gelato-making techniques. Many gelaterias make just one base, then add flavors to build them up. But at Il Gelatauro, each base is made separately and to certain specifications, then frozen at the start of each day. All Gianni's gelatos are made with fresh, organic cream and milk, unrefined cane sugar, and a touch of the highest-quality powdered milk to increase the milky-smooth flavor and mouth-feel without increasing the fat. He confided in me that many of the thick gelatos we taste at other places have added vegetable fat to make them thicker and smoother. But there's nothing like that done here, and as I watched and tasted a spoonful of each and every flavor they had to offer (how could I resist?), I finally made my way back to my hotel. To do—what else? Make plans for dinner!
Sicilian-style granite, or shaved ice. I can't imagine anything better in the summer (or even in the winter) than espresso and chocolate granita piled into a cup. la Sorbetteria Rich, thick gelato in flavors such as ricotta with caramelized figs, dulce de leche, and chocolate-studded straciatelle.
Trattoria Tony Simple basic Bolognese fare. Great pasta, tortellini en brodo, and bollito misto. Friendly service, but the food requires a grappa chaser afterwards if you plan to sleep that night. Seriously. Trattoria Anna Maria Angela from Il Gelatauro was so rapturous about the barely-there, super-thin strands of tagliatelli that I knew if I didn't go, I'd regret it for the rest of my life. I followed my Tagliatelli Ragu´ with roasted, fork-tender Guinea Fowl. Be sure to reserve. Enoteca Italiana Lovely, lively wine bar with an amazing selection of Italian delicacies for sale as well, including well-stocked shelves of Domori, Slitti, and Amedei chocolates. A.F. Tamburini Glorious shop featuring all sorts of cheeses and salumi. Casual cafeteria if you wish to sample their fare on the premises.
Two reasonably-priced hotels in the center of town, just a 10 minute walk from the train station, and just minutes from all the gelaterias listed above! Hotel Paradise Hotel Metropolitan
Les Papilles Restaurant & Wine Bar October 7, 2006 |
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Although not Michelin-starred, one of my favorite restaurants in Paris is Les Papilles. I have to admit that I rarely go there, since it's equally far from any métro station, and I don't make it over to that part of town very often. But when a friend called me about having a leisurely saturday lunch, I jumped at the oppoprtunity to revisit the restaurant. A few people commented when I first wrote about Les Papilles a few months back, and I mentioned the "Small portions". Well, I guess I had been there on a day when they handed out menus (it was a weekday), when I had ordered a tartine, an open-faced sandwich that I recall as being not-too-filling for my American-sized appetite.
We started with a velouté of carrots, served with coriander seeds, a creamy quenelle sweetened with honey, and crisp hunks of smoked bacon, which came alongside in an oversized white soup plate. Aside from the slightly-annoying bits of coriander and cumin dust on the side of the plate (why do places that serve nice wine use cumin with such recklessness?) the soup was lovely, and we were able to ladle out ourselves from the tureen the waiter left on our table. Our main course was a poitrine of pork, a centimeter-thick slab of braised then sautéed pork belly served in a copper casserole in a rich broth with young potatoes, mushrooms, black olives, and dried tomatoes. Off to the side was a brilliant-green dish of pistou, which had the intended effect of lightening up the whole dish, a wise counterpoint to the hearty pork and potatoes. Afterwards, a small, blue-veined wedge of artisanal Fourme d'Ambert cheese from the Auvergne was brought to the table with a poached prune and a swirl of red wine reduction on the plate, followed by dessert; a glass of panna cotta with Reine Claude plum puree on top, that we both licked clean. Completely sated, we left Les Papilles completely happy, with the rest of our Sancerre in tow, which the waiter gladly re-corked for us before sending us on our way.
French Chocolate Indulgence On Rue Tatin September 27, 2006 |
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I'll soon be joining my friend Susan Loomis in her spectacular kitchen in Normandy, one hour from Paris, for a series of cooking classes November 5th-8th, from her home, On Rue Tatin...
As a grand finale to this culinary adventure, you'll have the option to spend a day and me and Susan exploring the gastronomic delights of Paris. We'll begin at an outdoor market, where you'll find an outstanding selection of Provencal olives, hearth-baked breads, artisan salt, raw-milk cheeses, luscious fruits, and sparkling-fresh seafood. Special Note: For this extra day on November 8th, we've made available 3 spaces available for people who aren't on our tour to join us, so if you live in Paris, or plan to be visiting then, you're welcome to come along! The price for the full-day gastronomic adventure, including lunch with wine, is just 225€. Contact me to reserve a space, using the email link on left. You can read more about this Three-Day Chocolate Indulgence and at Susan's site, On Rue Tatin.
The Rules: Bringing Food Home From France June 14, 2006 |
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"Can I bring it back?" Answering many of the questions visitors have about what's allowable to be brought back into the United States (legally), here's an excellent article from Janet Fletcher in the San Francisco Chronicle with the facts that tell you what foods can, and can't, be brought back home from your trip abroad. For more tips and news, Think Twice Before Stuffing Your Suitcase, which offers additional information. Good reading before your next trip!
May 17, 2006 |
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Here are some of my favorite places to eat in Paris. This is not an exhaustive list, and I've mentioned many of my other top picks here on the site, so you can use the search engine to find them. And there's others on My Paris page here as well. (Actually, the truth is, we're all usually having too much wine and too much fun to remember much, other than if I had a good time or not. I'd make a lousy restaurant reviewer.) Several of these are also not fancy places. Sure, many people come to Paris for fine-dining, and you can find many of those addresses floating around guidebooks and online. But sometimes you just want a big plate of vegetable salads instead of half a carrot garnished by a shredded basil leaf with a dot of saffron sauce. I've included a few stand-by, reliably decent restaurants in case you happen to be in Paris on a Sunday, when many places are closed. If you have some favorite places that you'd like to share, I'd love to hear about them since I'm always looking for new places to try and I'm sure others would too.
 Before you start, here's a few tips when dining in Paris:
Chez René 14, blvd St. Germain. Tel 01 43 54 30 23. Great French classics. The best Coq au Vin in town, with a sauce as smooth as velvet. If you don't order the fix-priced menu, be prepared for a lot of food. It's quite an experience and the cheese plate(s) is/are insane. Dinner menu, approximately 40€. In the 5th. You didn't hear it from me, but there's a clear brandy digestive hidden behind the bar...with a snake in it! Cuisine de Bar 8, rue Cherche-Midi (M: Sevres-Babylon), tel 01 45 48 45 69, in the 6th. Open-faced tartines, or sandwiches, served on pain Poilâne, the famed bakery next door. Order the 12€ formule with a salad, tartine (I like the one with sardines and flakes of sea salt, or poulet with anchovies), a glass of wine or bottle of water, café and a spiced cookie. Very casual yet chic. And friendly. No reservations...lunch only. If the wait it long, they'll often pour you a welcome glass of wine. L'As du Falafel On 34, rue des Rosiers in the Marais (M: St. Paul), closed Friday night and Saturday for the Jewish holidays. The best falafel anywhere! Join the crowd clamoring at the window. A dive & definitely a must...decent frites as well. One dining room is non-smoking. No reservations. For something vegetable-oriented, Chez Marianne in the Marais at 2, rue des Hospitalieres St. Gervais, tel 01 42 72 18 86. Come here for decent Mediterranean salads. You choose a combination plate of 4, 5, or 6 salads. This is a good address to know about if you're craving something without a lot of meat. Perfect with a bottle of house rosé. Approximately 20€. Reserve, or wait for eternity. Can be a bit smoky, but open every day and night. Chez Omar is one of my favorite restaurants in town. Specialties are couscous and they have excellent steak and French fries as well, but I always have the roasted lamb, or méchoui d'agneau. Very lively, no reservations. Open daily for lunch and dinner, as well as Sundays. If you go for dinner, be prepared for a wait after 8:30pm. Don't let any Parisians cut in front of you! A simple shove with your shoulder, followed by a very apologetic "Oops! Pardon" is usually all it take to get them to recede. Do it firm enough and you'll only need to do it once. Trust me. Moderate prices, which do seem to keep climbing each time I go. In the 3rd, at 47 rue de Bretagne. (M: Temple or Arts and Metiers) Another great couscous place that's less-hectic is L'Atlas, with fine Moroccan food. Feathery light couscous and savory tagines. Skip the first courses. Not fancy nor too pricey considering the fine food and gracious service. DIne in the lovely tiled dining room, or outside in fine weather. Located at 12, St. Germaine des Pres. Vegetarians will love the large selection of seafood tagines. Tel 01 44 07 23 66 (M: Maubert-Mutualité), in the 5th. Bistrot Paul Bert 18, rue Paul Bert, tel 01 43 72 24 01 (M: Faidherbe-Chaligny) Out of the way, but definately worth going to. I love this restaurant. Some of the best desserts in Paris too. Offers a 3-course fixed menu for 32€. In the 12th. Les Papilles 30 rue Gay-Lussac, tel 01 43 25 20 79. Wine bar and light, 'market-fresh' food. Menu approximately 30€. In the 5th. Small portions, but cheerful staff. (Update: Follow link...I stand corrected about portion sizes!)
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