foods to try in Paris

In any restaurant, if there is a special of the day, go for it. I think its great that you have an open mind and want to try new things. If you have time do visit a little gem of a museum near the Arc de Triomph called JacquesMars Andre (SP?).. it was a private home and quite special.

My favorite thing is to buy a crepe on the street, ok maybe two.

OK, how do you say frog legs in french? A girlfriend and I are heading to Paris this week and I love a good pair of frog legs! But, what do I look for on the menu?

Marla

les cuisses de grenouilles

but this is a good one for "charades French". Just impersonate a frog jumping around then point to your legs!

Be aware, sometimes in France they are served with the lower part of the body still attached -- somehow it's far less appetizing that way -- at least to me.

We were at L'Orangerie in September and walked right in mid-afternoon, there were no lines. Enjoy the museum, it is lovely.

Where in the Marais are you staying?

I stayed in the Marais in February.
For an apertif, try a Suze but only if you like Campari. Both are gentian based. Foie Gras seared is the way to go. Cassoulet, frogs legs aren't tipical paris foods but there is a famous Escargot restaurant that has one on top of the entrance to lead you indoors where everything is prepared with these liitle devils

Some of the things you want to try so much are things I don't like at all, actually (eg, escargots, frogs legs, cassoulet). I don't usually drink aperitifs and don't like fizzy alocohol drinks, but a kir is okay although I only drink it when it comes with the prix fixe. If you're the kind of person who likes that kind of drink, though, you probably will. Frog's legs aren't really very common on French menus, so you might have trouble finding them. Just don't be surprised if they aren't on the menu of any restaurant you go to. I just eat fairly normal everyday foods in France (lamb, chicken, steak-frites, etc.), but they are usually prepared fairly well. I guess the main things that I really like that are difficult to find at home (for me, in the US), are profiteroles (a dessert) and pain aux amandes (a breakfast pastry) and potatoes gratinees, and good camembert cheese. I guess the things I like the most are just simple things -- very good reasonably-priced wine, good bread, cafe creme, cheeses, things like that, a good steak au poivre, and a salad with goat cheese.

For my son's first trip to France last year, he really wanted frogs' legs. That's when I discovered that they aren't really very common in Paris. We had them at a lovely little oh-so-typical Paris bistro called Le Moulin a Ven “Chez Henri,” at 20, rue des Fossés-St-Bernard, in the 5th Arr. The frogs' legs there are an appetizer. Another place, which I have NOT been to, but walked by it, is I believe called "Roger le Grenouille," and it's in the 6th Arr.

I love the pastry called a macaron; do a search for it here to find it described. I'm not a rich-chocolate-lots-of-cream sweets person, so macarons in my opinion are perfect!

And I'm one of those who actually likes sweetbreads (ris de veau), which I don't see much of here in the U.S.

You would find quite a few of desired dishes at the "Chez Papa" chain. There used to just be 4 locations, but it seems to be expanding throughout the city at the moment -- probably because it always has snails, cassoulet, andouillette (tripe sausage), gizzard salads, etc., on the menu.

Alsatian winstub with Flammekuche, a pot of moules and frites, and pastries to die for

My favorite is magret du canard - thin slices of duck breast with the a thin piece of the fat left on. Sometimes served with a sauce. Not that awful dry whole or half breast that they call magret in the U.S. Quite a few restaurants serve it. Also, as mentioned above, gizzard salad, love it.

A fun meal and within easy walking distance of the Marais, is the Brasserie de I'lle St. Louis, on St. Louis at the end of the main street (with the shops), close to Cite (Notre Dame) ... You can't miss it, it sits out, right by the bridge.
It's open from lunch until about 1:00AM. It think they are closed on Wednesdays and Thursday lunch.


Fun place, always crowded, sometime brisque service, menu in English if you need it. My first meal in Paris years ago was there and I had what has become by 'regular' meal there - a kir, salade frisee, with lardon (small thick pieces of bacon (?), cassoulet, wine and sometimes peche melba for dessert.

The front bar is right out of an old French movie (it's been there awhile and possibly has been in one of two..) Don't let the waiters bother you, give it right back to them and they open up and are quite funny.

It is Alsatian, so you can also have charcoute (sp), sausages, sourkraut etc.. not my favorites.

It is the first restaurant I ate at almost 30 years ago and has been a part of every trip since then. Not 'gourmet' by any means, but good food and great fun.

Enjoy and please post a trip report.

Nina

The lines yesterday for the Orangerie were quite long; they were also very long for the decorative arts museum near the Louvre. But it was a beautiful day and everybody was out and about doing something.
As for frogs' legs, they aren't found at many French restaurants, as noted above. You're more likely to find them on the menu at Asian restaurants in Paris than at French restaurants. A few years ago we went to Roger la Grenouille. It was less than mediocre.

Of the foods on your list, you will most easily find escargot and foie gras. Foie gras will be served in a variety of ways, often with salads. Cassoulet seemed to be pretty widely available, but not quite as easily found as the fg and escargot.

Andouillettes is another regional favorite, but we can't stand them. I suggest you try the cheese plates; you will probably be tasting some cheeses you can't find easily at home (but only if you like cheese, of course). And the desserts too! Don't stick to just the most well known like creme brulee and profiteroles. See what looks the most tempting at the patisseries.

Poulet de Bresse..it tastes like chicken is suppposed to taste, not like the insipid stuff we get in our grocers.

Foie de veau..lightly sauteed veal liver, still a bit pink

Try pintade..guinea fowl ..or pigeon, both hardly ever available in the US.

We'll be in France for a month in 2 weeks and my DH has his food list already full!

Hi T,

andouilletes - tripe sausage
ris de veau - veal sweetbreads
rognions - kidney

are all acquired tastes

magret - duck breast is very good
choucroute Alsacian - braised sauerkraut with meat and potate is one of my favorites

Coquille St Jacques
Oysters
rouget - Mediterranena mullet

must be tried

Macarons in many flavors can be found at Laduree and Pierre Herme'

Don't forget the 450 kinds of cheese

Croissants, pain au chocolat and innumerable pastries.

Kler is correct: <...a little gem of a museum near the Arc de Triomph...< is the acquemart-Andre'.
www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com/jandre/

Try to have Sunday brunch there before a stroll down the Champs Elysee.

Enjoy your visit.

Cassoulet should be available this time of year--it's a hearty wonderful dish.
Seared foie gras will usually be an entree (our appetizer) and will be sublime, often served with a fruit and perhaps a small glass of a sweetish wine--and at a premium cost.
Preserved foie gras is often served on salad--and perhaps with the wine. It will not be as expensive.
Restaurants will have their own "takes" on many many foods. You will be transported!!
I haven't found that escargots are anything very special in Paris. I did have a memorable snail soup from a vineyard in Germany. You might see if a restaurant serves them other than with the butter/garlic.
Beefsteak is better left for the US in my opinion. There are so many other things in France that are better done--but mainly the beef is just not quite as good as ours.
If you like mussels, it is a must in France.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I won't go out of my way to find frog legs, but if I see it on a menu I will try it. Don't think I'll do the charade though!

Like many of you, I prefer the simply prepared foods that are just so fresh. The magret du canard sounds heavenly! Merci!

Will post upon return.

I like steak and frites, quite different than what you would find in the U.S. And crepes. And any and all 'house' white wines... boy are they good in Paris in my experience.

Try a Croque Monseiur if you find one on a menu -- the most wonderful grilled cheese sandwich with a Bechamel sauce you'll ever have!

Nutella crepe from a street vendor!

Just try different things on a menu -- I've found in Paris that you can't get a bad meal!

Enjoy!

joy/luvparee

And let's not forget moules (mussels), preferably moules frites....

You may need to know that the magret will be served blood rare--and you don't want it any other way. It is elegant and delicious.

Some other miscellaneous...

There is Kir, and then is Kir Royal, made with champagne instead of white wine.

You will also find that the desserts are out of this world (and sometimes look like works of art), and that there will be patisseries everywhere, so you can try new ones all the time. Some of these places are temples of chocolat, and the makes are truly artists.

I also noticed how good the bread is. Something that you think of as just a "garnish" to meals becomes something else to go yumm over. The famous bread maker is Poilane, and some restaurants even advertise that they serve their bread. There is also a competition every year to determine that best baguette maker, so you could visit the winner's for a taste.

Angelina's on rue Rivoli near the Louvre has a dark hot chocolate drink (l'Africain) that is another wow treat. They also make a good dessert, a Mont Blanc. Sugar and pleasure rush.

Coquille St Jacques. Best I've had was at Le Repaire de Cartouche, 8, Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire in the 11th. Actually, my sister ordered them. I had a bite and was jealous, jealous, jealous.

What??? No one mentioned the fabulous macarons.

I'm not sure if macarons qualify as food.

I ate enough of them to qualify.
I'm very fond of Quenelles de Poisson..

I highly recommend Guy Savoys Le Bouquinestes (53 Quai des Grandes Augustins) I ate the most heavenly foie gras there as well as a perfect filet de canette. it isn't inexpensive, but its' worth every penny. They have a fine 3 course prix fixe lunch for around 25 euros, a real steal, but the foie gras is an a la carte choice. Do splurge, though.

A rediculousy inexpensive and outrageously delicious place for classic French fare is Le Hangar (12 Impasse Berthaud, behind the pompidou center) There we had a huge slab of foie gras served on a bed of the creamiest potato puree, as well as duck shepard pie and an amazing French take on beef Stroganoff. 3 of us had appetizers, dinner, dessert and a bottle of wine for under 100 euros and the food was great!

I had frogs legs at Le Cavaeau Delisle (www.lecaveaudelisle.com) on the isle of St. Louis. They were lightly battered and fried and nothing really special. The restaurant was loveley and the prix fix dinner was very reasonably priced, although not the very best food in paris.

We ate pastry all over paris, and croissants, and ham sandwiches on amazing bagettes from numerous bakeries and crepes from street vendors. Enjoy it all!

Think about buying the museum pass. If you plan to go to 3 or 4 museums (including notre dame and St, Chappelle) in a 3 day period it pays for itself and saves waiting in line at Musee D'Orsee and the Orangerie as well as other places (you still have to wait in the line to climb the tower of Notre dame)

have a great trip!

Bookmarking (Because this is making me hungry and we will be in Paris next spring!)

Don't forget rabbit (lapin). Usually it's served like chicken, with mashed potatoes. 2 weeks ago at Le Florimond, I had a rabbit filet + rabbit sausage with some kind of herbed patty for starch. But don't force yourself to order it if it's not served or cooked in a way that you wouldn't find appetizing. I prefer the rabbit + mashed potatoes best; the rabbit sausage didn't float my boat as much as sausage normally would.

Au Pied de Cochon has pig's trotters prepared in a variety of ways. One very nice one has it wrapped around duck liver....very rich! I think I had mine breaded and served with a bernaise sauce.

Oh, and have a nice Tarte Tartin for dessert if you can!

p.s. actually my favorite French dessert is the Floating Island (Île flottante).

You haven't had ice cream until you've had Berthillon ice cream on the Isle St. Louis (just behind Notre Dame). I dream of chocolat noir.

And how much do you love the fact that the French word for flavor is "parfum"?!

In season, game is a speciality at Traversiere, a small restaurant at 40 rue Traversiere-one block beyond the Viaduct des Artes near the Gare de Lyon. It is a Michelin Bib Gourmand. I had boudin sausage grilled and my wife had chicken in a calvados sauce. A small typical restauranht with a marvelous bakery-patisserie across the street. You should be there during venison season. Enjoy

Oh! Also if you are into organ meats (which I am)--did you know that when serving tripe, France serves all 4 of the cow's stomachs? This is important for tripe lovers like myself, because the US only serves 3 of the 4. IF you're into it, of course.

And the lamb, agneau ... shear heaven if grilled/cooked properly - signon (sp), rare.

Nina

Oh, I'm drooling at the memories of food in Paris...

No one's said CONFIT DE CANARD yet?? Oooohhhhh, I ate it several times during our trip to Paris and became addicted. Now I resort to ordering it from online suppliers. Try it, it's delicious!

Fancy meals are fabulous, but don't miss out on a couple simple crepes from a street vendor... jambon et fromage, buerre et sucre, and nutella et banane. Yum!

And rabbit/le lapin is wonderful, as someone above mentioned. It's not gamey at all, so don't be afraid to try it. It's like chicken (really!), only better.

Make the confit yourself. It is easy. Delicious with risotto. But in a restaurant, between confit de canard and magret, the latter wins. But cassoulet is above them, and foie gras carries the day every day.

Charcuterie, or what we call luncheon meats, are always good. Stores that sell charcuterie are usually seperate from the cheese stores.

Tarte Tatin, or upside down apple cake, is yummy when served warm.

Profiteroles, or filled cream puffs, are great.

Pain au chocolate, or chocolate croissants, are terrific.

Millefille, or Napoleons, are terrific.

If you order a steak, make sure that you request that it is cooked well-done. The French like their steaks very rare. So, if you order a steak well-done, it will come out rate by U.S. standards.

Well done=Ben cuit (Ben coo-eet)

I second the hot chocolate African at Angelina's. It is a dessert in itself.

Of course, chocolate mousse is always a terrific dessert.

For lunch, I love a croque monsieur, which is a ham and cheese sandwich baked with bechamel sauce.

Pack warm clothes and a coat for your trip, because it will be chilly in Paris this time of year.

Lines will be short for museums you want to see. No advance reservation is required.

BTW, if you miss fois gras and the cheeses when you return, there are some terrific stores that sell these products. Whole Foods sells quite a variety of French Cheeses, and stores like DiBruno's cheese shop sell good French pates and confit of duck by D'Artagnan of New York. (The founder of D'Artagnan is from Southwest France). {www.dibruno.com}

Well, with a caveat on that....if you LIKE your steak rare, then no problem! (I like mine almost mooing, myself.)

perhaps a typo, but it's really "bien" cuit for well-cooked. I don't agree with that advice, and would never recommend anyone order a steak welldone in Paris if you don't truly mean it. What a way to ruin a steak. I always order mine medium or medium rare (a point), and they are cooked that way, just as I requested.

Brandade de morue - mashed potatoes mixed with crème fraîche and salt cod

Aligot - melted cheese and mashed potatoes - about half and half

And a hearty second for my ultimate comfort food - confit de canard.

One of my favorite discoveries in Paris and everywhere else in France was a "Salade de Chevre Chaud" ---warm goat cheese on greens with variations depending on the region...very yummy!

Sorry about the spelling. Bien Cuit.

I do not want to be a nag, but I had repeated problems with ordering a steak in France that wasn't raw. Maybe it was the restaurants that I went to, but if someone ordered a steak in my party, it often arrived pretty raw.

I also like my steaks pretty rare, but French standards for red meat is pretty raw. I am not alone. Patricia Wells even warns would be tourists to France in her book about the need to request a well done steak.

In any event, all the waiters in the restaurants we went to spoke English quite clearly. If ordering a steak in France, I am sure that the waiter would understand the different way Americans like their steak, and I sure the waiter would accomodate that request that the meat be cooked a little more than the French like it.

hi. i would recommend that you try different regional food. for example, to to a restaurant that specializes in southerwestern food, like chex eux, for cassoulet. then try a basque restaurant, a regional one that specializes in food from normandy like chez michel etc. that way you get the whole picture and it is a great way to try new foods.