Eating Our Way Through Paris...Again! Trip Report
Jun 15th, 2015, 02:03 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 794
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Eating Our Way Through Paris...Again! Trip Report
After a very challenging year, I decided we had to go back to Paris to have a real vacation. This was my 6th time to Paris in the last 9 years and I still love the city and crave being there, especially in May. It was wonderful, as always, and per usual, we ate our way around the city and loved every moment of it.
After a couple of stays in hotels, we started to rent apartments and have never looked back. We love having the space to spread out and having a kitchen has allowed us to really make use of the markets and do some cooking, although this time we didn't do much of that.
After multiple apartments in the Montparnasse area and one stay even further out in the 15th, we decided to try a new neighborhood and booked this apartment in the 11th: http://www.vrbo.com/574051
We've had great luck with VRBO and this apartment turned out to be very comfortable and we liked the location but there were definitely some issues and I wouldn't stay here again or in any of the apartments owned or run by the people we dealt with. The guy was rather unpleasant and very unfriendly, the apartment wasn't stocked to receive us (no toilet paper, I mean NONE, all the towels were wet, no coffee filters, etc.) and there turned out to be a homeless man living in the vestibule of the apartment building.
But we were in Paris and ready to enjoy all the city had to offer.
After a couple of stays in hotels, we started to rent apartments and have never looked back. We love having the space to spread out and having a kitchen has allowed us to really make use of the markets and do some cooking, although this time we didn't do much of that.
After multiple apartments in the Montparnasse area and one stay even further out in the 15th, we decided to try a new neighborhood and booked this apartment in the 11th: http://www.vrbo.com/574051
We've had great luck with VRBO and this apartment turned out to be very comfortable and we liked the location but there were definitely some issues and I wouldn't stay here again or in any of the apartments owned or run by the people we dealt with. The guy was rather unpleasant and very unfriendly, the apartment wasn't stocked to receive us (no toilet paper, I mean NONE, all the towels were wet, no coffee filters, etc.) and there turned out to be a homeless man living in the vestibule of the apartment building.
But we were in Paris and ready to enjoy all the city had to offer.
Jun 15th, 2015, 04:37 PM
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 794
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
ARRIVAL DAY: We arrived at CDG (direct flight from Boston) without sleeping (purposefully) on the overnight flight and were picked up by a friend who immediately whisked us off to Pâtisserie Gilles Marchal (9 rue Ravignan, 75018) a tiny jewel box of a shop in Monmartre where we bought numerous treats. I was exhausted and not feeling so great but I still couldn't help but totally swoon over the cream filled chouquettes. Just phenomenal and worth the shlep just to eat these.
It was pouring rain when we arrived but within an hour the sky cleared and we had gorgeous weather, partly sunny and in the high 60's-low 70's every day for the rest of the time we were there. After a brief walk in the Luxembourg Gardens, to marvel at the height and color of the foxgloves, we were dropped at our apartment where we met up with the very taciturn man who let us in, gave us keys, and left us with wet towels and no toilet paper. Oh well. The apartment was lovely and quite comfortable and the 3 flights of steep spiral staircase helped us to work off all the fine eating we did!
After some unpacking and hanging the towels all around the apartment to dry, we headed out to get the know the neighborhood a bit and to hunt down the makings of a casual dinner. Knowing we would be too exhausted to enjoy a restaurant, we usually plan an apartment picnic our first night and we had a great one this time.
Our apartment was a short walk to R Oberkampf, a bustling area full of great little shops and restaurants and we bought a fresh, warm baguette from Boulangerie Gana , some fantastic Pate Campagne from Boucherie Oberkamp, Richard Renier, and fresh eggs, butter, and some great cheese from Le Jardin Fromager. A quick stop at the Monoprix (just up the street from us) for toilet paper, coffee and coffee filters and we were ready to have a delicious dinner and crash for the night. We were asleep by 8:00 PM, and woke up at 9:00 the next morning fresh, no jet lag, and ready to go.
It was pouring rain when we arrived but within an hour the sky cleared and we had gorgeous weather, partly sunny and in the high 60's-low 70's every day for the rest of the time we were there. After a brief walk in the Luxembourg Gardens, to marvel at the height and color of the foxgloves, we were dropped at our apartment where we met up with the very taciturn man who let us in, gave us keys, and left us with wet towels and no toilet paper. Oh well. The apartment was lovely and quite comfortable and the 3 flights of steep spiral staircase helped us to work off all the fine eating we did!
After some unpacking and hanging the towels all around the apartment to dry, we headed out to get the know the neighborhood a bit and to hunt down the makings of a casual dinner. Knowing we would be too exhausted to enjoy a restaurant, we usually plan an apartment picnic our first night and we had a great one this time.
Our apartment was a short walk to R Oberkampf, a bustling area full of great little shops and restaurants and we bought a fresh, warm baguette from Boulangerie Gana , some fantastic Pate Campagne from Boucherie Oberkamp, Richard Renier, and fresh eggs, butter, and some great cheese from Le Jardin Fromager. A quick stop at the Monoprix (just up the street from us) for toilet paper, coffee and coffee filters and we were ready to have a delicious dinner and crash for the night. We were asleep by 8:00 PM, and woke up at 9:00 the next morning fresh, no jet lag, and ready to go.
Jun 15th, 2015, 06:09 PM
#7
Too bad the apartment manager was such a downer. I love that location and what a nice-looking apartment (though of course nowadays you wonder about the legality/illegality of such arrangements). Hope it doesn't affect your trip much.
Can I read a more food-intensive version on Chowhound or will we get it all here? I need the deets!
Can I read a more food-intensive version on Chowhound or will we get it all here? I need the deets!
Jun 16th, 2015, 04:44 AM
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 794
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As to the reply from the owner, the guy who met us was the same person we had been emailing with from the beginning, not a one day fill in. If you read the other reviews, someone else mentions the unfriendly manager as well as the homeless guy but I missed that mention when I read the reviews. And I doubt very much anything is happening about that homeless guy. It was obvious he'd been there for a very long time and that everyone who lives in the building just accepts it. After a while when you see how many homeless people are living in doorways and on the street all over Paris, you begin to feel glad that someone has found an indoor space that works for them, especially once you are clear that they're not dangerous. At least we did.
Leely2: I'll include all the food here, I promise!
Leely2: I'll include all the food here, I promise!
Jun 16th, 2015, 04:56 AM
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 794
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
DAY 2: We woke to bright sunshine and I knew our first order of business to was to eat a Napolean from Cafe Pushkine. Pouchkine’s Napolean is my favorite pastry in the whole world. Not to be confused with the millefeuille, this is a rich, intensely vanilla pastry cream folded with whipped cream enclosed inside layers of croissant like dough, moist and chewy in the center, light and flaky crisp outside, with fresh fruit on top.
Last time, we had gone to the lovely Cafe Pouchkine in Printempts multiple times and although everything looked amazing, I ordered the Napolean 3 times. This time I had read that Cafe Pouchkine had opened a new place right next to Place de Vogue so we walked there only to discover that it's a dark uninviting little place so we hopped the metro and went back to the original in Printempts and had pastry and coffee. Of course I had the Napolean again and DH had The Bostock, which is a moist cake with a financier type crumb with almond paste and blueberries baked into the center. Niether pastry was too sweet, both delicious but the Napolean is to die for IMO. We each had a coffee and that was brunch!
Last time, we had gone to the lovely Cafe Pouchkine in Printempts multiple times and although everything looked amazing, I ordered the Napolean 3 times. This time I had read that Cafe Pouchkine had opened a new place right next to Place de Vogue so we walked there only to discover that it's a dark uninviting little place so we hopped the metro and went back to the original in Printempts and had pastry and coffee. Of course I had the Napolean again and DH had The Bostock, which is a moist cake with a financier type crumb with almond paste and blueberries baked into the center. Niether pastry was too sweet, both delicious but the Napolean is to die for IMO. We each had a coffee and that was brunch!
Jun 16th, 2015, 06:17 AM
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 794
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We spent the afternoon wandering around Paris. We've done all the regular tourist things on past trips but I never feel as if I'm really in Paris until I see Notre Dame and take a long walk along the river so we did that. I was surprised to see such a huge long line of people waiting to enter Notre Dame (not to climb, just to go in!) and was glad we didn't feel the need to visit the inside, having been many times before. Then we heard some wonderful street music and hung out and people watched in the plaza in front of hotel du Ville.
We had charged our Pass Navigos so it was great to be able to jump on the metro or a bus any time we wanted to be in a different part of Paris or if we felt tired at any point. We wandered far and wide this first day and by the time we got back to our apartment we were ready for a rest before a dinner I was very much looking forward to: Bistro Belhara.
We had charged our Pass Navigos so it was great to be able to jump on the metro or a bus any time we wanted to be in a different part of Paris or if we felt tired at any point. We wandered far and wide this first day and by the time we got back to our apartment we were ready for a rest before a dinner I was very much looking forward to: Bistro Belhara.
Jun 16th, 2015, 09:19 AM
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 794
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bistrot Belhara (23 Rue Duvivier, 7th): We loved this place. It's fairly new and wasn't yet "discovered" by hordes of tourists although I expect that that is changing as we speak. We were the only non-French people in the place the night we went. This bistro is very small, very packed, and the food and the service were excellent.
They have a 38E 3 course menu with some specials and some supplements for certain choices. We had:
entrees: pate de canard au foie gras en croute with a salad of fresh lettuces and herbs dressed with hazelnut oil (6E supplement), potage au broccoli w/smoked shrimp, ham, asparagus both completely delicious.
Plate: gigot d'agneau de lait des Pyrénées, pommes de terre grenaille, onion marmalade, basque ham for 2 (9E supplement) cooked perfectly dark pink, juicy and tender, carved off the bone and presented with the bone (oh how I wished I had a dog!) Too much for us to finish, knowing dessert was coming, but we did a pretty good job trying!
Dessert: Passion fruit soufflé: Light, flavorful, very fruity with very little sugar, a standout. And tart au citron the only disappointment of the meal; the crust was a tad too thick and hard and the lemon curd just a bit too sweet for my taste.
Hot out of the oven madelaines brought at the end of the meal were divine.
With 2 glasses of excellent Bordeaux and a bottle of water 125E. I highly recommend putting this one on your list.
After dinner we took a long walk as we usually do, making our way home, arriving around 12:30AM. What a surprise to punch in the code to the front door of the building, head towards the stairs and discover a person in a sleeping bag lying in the vestibule near the base of the stairs. It was very disconcerting but we stepped around him and walked our 3 flights up in silence, not wanting to disturb his sleep.
We were to see him several times over the course of our time there, although he tried his best to be gone during the day. He washed up in the garbage room, which had a small sink, and he left his bed roll tucked behind a small chair that was stacked with his neatly folded bedding and a few articles of clothing. He was clearly well settled in and had been there for some time. I did email the manager and he replied a few days later saying they knew about the "problem of the homeless" and he said the owner was "working on it." As I said, after our initial concern about our safety and the security of our apartment, we got used to his presence and I started to feel glad that he had at least found a place to rest his head.
They have a 38E 3 course menu with some specials and some supplements for certain choices. We had:
entrees: pate de canard au foie gras en croute with a salad of fresh lettuces and herbs dressed with hazelnut oil (6E supplement), potage au broccoli w/smoked shrimp, ham, asparagus both completely delicious.
Plate: gigot d'agneau de lait des Pyrénées, pommes de terre grenaille, onion marmalade, basque ham for 2 (9E supplement) cooked perfectly dark pink, juicy and tender, carved off the bone and presented with the bone (oh how I wished I had a dog!) Too much for us to finish, knowing dessert was coming, but we did a pretty good job trying!
Dessert: Passion fruit soufflé: Light, flavorful, very fruity with very little sugar, a standout. And tart au citron the only disappointment of the meal; the crust was a tad too thick and hard and the lemon curd just a bit too sweet for my taste.
Hot out of the oven madelaines brought at the end of the meal were divine.
With 2 glasses of excellent Bordeaux and a bottle of water 125E. I highly recommend putting this one on your list.
After dinner we took a long walk as we usually do, making our way home, arriving around 12:30AM. What a surprise to punch in the code to the front door of the building, head towards the stairs and discover a person in a sleeping bag lying in the vestibule near the base of the stairs. It was very disconcerting but we stepped around him and walked our 3 flights up in silence, not wanting to disturb his sleep.
We were to see him several times over the course of our time there, although he tried his best to be gone during the day. He washed up in the garbage room, which had a small sink, and he left his bed roll tucked behind a small chair that was stacked with his neatly folded bedding and a few articles of clothing. He was clearly well settled in and had been there for some time. I did email the manager and he replied a few days later saying they knew about the "problem of the homeless" and he said the owner was "working on it." As I said, after our initial concern about our safety and the security of our apartment, we got used to his presence and I started to feel glad that he had at least found a place to rest his head.
Jun 16th, 2015, 12:50 PM
#13
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 662
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I enjoyed your "live" reports on Chowhound, so I am most definitely signing up for your trip report! I agree that no toilet paper and wet towels are unacceptable, but the apartment looks lovely. What a great location. Great start, looking forward to more.
Jun 17th, 2015, 05:47 AM
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 794
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
DAY 3: We decided to try to find the closest bakery that would have excellent viennoiserie (breakfast pastries)to buy and bring back to the apartment and have with our own coffee in the apartment. There was a small boulangerie directly across the street from the apartment that we had high hopes for before we arrived but one look in the window told me that we'd find nothing special there and when I'm in Paris, I'm on the hunt for everything extra delicious.
I had done a lot of homework and had a long list of the best boulangeries and patisseries in the city (and had tried many of them on past trips) but we were looking for something in our neighborhood where we hadn't been on previous trips so we headed to Maison Landemaine (41 rue Oberkampf)an 8 minute walk from the apartment.
Be bought an almond croissant, a small bag of chouquettes, and a butter croissant and took them home with anticipation. The butter croissant was excellent, shatteringly crisp and many many layers of rich buttery dough but the almond croissant was a big disappointment, somehow being soggy and dry at the same time with almost no almond paste or flavor to be found. The chouquettes were unfilled and a nice light and crunchy treat but nothing worth going back for. Maison Landemaine would not be "our" bakery for at home breakfasts.
A quick note on chouquettes: These are little choux puffs with crunchy sugar on them and almost every boulangerie makes them. They're served by the bag, usually 6 or 8 for a small bag, and they make a lovely light snack when done well. But please believe me when I say, shlep to Gilles Marchal in Monmartre and try his cream filled ones! These were truly heavenly and I wish we had gone back to get them again!
I had done a lot of homework and had a long list of the best boulangeries and patisseries in the city (and had tried many of them on past trips) but we were looking for something in our neighborhood where we hadn't been on previous trips so we headed to Maison Landemaine (41 rue Oberkampf)an 8 minute walk from the apartment.
Be bought an almond croissant, a small bag of chouquettes, and a butter croissant and took them home with anticipation. The butter croissant was excellent, shatteringly crisp and many many layers of rich buttery dough but the almond croissant was a big disappointment, somehow being soggy and dry at the same time with almost no almond paste or flavor to be found. The chouquettes were unfilled and a nice light and crunchy treat but nothing worth going back for. Maison Landemaine would not be "our" bakery for at home breakfasts.
A quick note on chouquettes: These are little choux puffs with crunchy sugar on them and almost every boulangerie makes them. They're served by the bag, usually 6 or 8 for a small bag, and they make a lovely light snack when done well. But please believe me when I say, shlep to Gilles Marchal in Monmartre and try his cream filled ones! These were truly heavenly and I wish we had gone back to get them again!
Jun 17th, 2015, 08:11 AM
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 794
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
After breakfast we decided today was the day to go to Basilique St. Denis. This had been on our list for the last couple of trip and it never happened so off we went.
We arrived to find that the Basilique was under renovation with lots of scaffolding hiding much of the magnificent external structure. That was a little disappointing but the inside is very impressive and it was worth the trip, which is an easy metro ride. We skipped paying 12E to see the royal tombs and decided to explore the area a bit.
Without planning it, we were there on a Friday when there is the enormous St. Denis market, which was totally packed with a huge, multicultural population of mostly locals. This was really fun and a little insane in terms of the crowd. Apparently, on Sundays,there are even more vendors and it's even more crowded, which is hard to imagine!
Eventually, we found our way back to the metro and headed back into Paris. I was craving greens but didn't want to eat a real lunch as it was mid afternoon and we had a big dinner planned so we stopped into a little non-descript place for a salad to go.
We had gotten off the metro from St. Denis a few stops away from Madelaine so after lunch we decided to walk there. Even though I've been to Paris many times I had never visited this building. DH and I were simply awed by the size and grandeur of this church. The massive steps in front were covered with boxes of flowers making quite a beautiful spectacle, with an amazing view of the obelisque and of Invalide. The inside of the church just blew us away. What an architectural and artistic wonder! We noted that there would be an organ concert here on Sunday afternoon and immediately agreed we would attend.
After spending and hour at Le Madelaine, we headed back to the apartment for a shower and a rest before dinner.
Next: Dinner at Hexagone!
We arrived to find that the Basilique was under renovation with lots of scaffolding hiding much of the magnificent external structure. That was a little disappointing but the inside is very impressive and it was worth the trip, which is an easy metro ride. We skipped paying 12E to see the royal tombs and decided to explore the area a bit.
Without planning it, we were there on a Friday when there is the enormous St. Denis market, which was totally packed with a huge, multicultural population of mostly locals. This was really fun and a little insane in terms of the crowd. Apparently, on Sundays,there are even more vendors and it's even more crowded, which is hard to imagine!
Eventually, we found our way back to the metro and headed back into Paris. I was craving greens but didn't want to eat a real lunch as it was mid afternoon and we had a big dinner planned so we stopped into a little non-descript place for a salad to go.
We had gotten off the metro from St. Denis a few stops away from Madelaine so after lunch we decided to walk there. Even though I've been to Paris many times I had never visited this building. DH and I were simply awed by the size and grandeur of this church. The massive steps in front were covered with boxes of flowers making quite a beautiful spectacle, with an amazing view of the obelisque and of Invalide. The inside of the church just blew us away. What an architectural and artistic wonder! We noted that there would be an organ concert here on Sunday afternoon and immediately agreed we would attend.
After spending and hour at Le Madelaine, we headed back to the apartment for a shower and a rest before dinner.
Next: Dinner at Hexagone!
Jun 17th, 2015, 09:24 AM
#18
Almond croissants are almost always made with yesterday's croissants, so that makes them extremely variable -- sometimes dry, sometimes soggy, sometimes wonderful. There is absolutely no way to know just by looking at them.
Jun 17th, 2015, 04:55 PM
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 794
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Kerouac, that is so true. Looks mean nothing and even a wonderful one one day is less than stellar from the same place the next. We did have a different almond pastry elsewhere that was like a spiral of dough with some almond paste inside and almonds on top. I can't at all recall what this was called. Any ideas?
