A trip report from the road: Eating our way through Paris and Bruges
May 19th, 2009, 09:14 PM
#41
Here's an overview of Chinatown which might help for orientation: http://tinyurl.com/od8xtm
May 20th, 2009, 01:09 PM
#42
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Monday morning we were rudely awakened by intense hammering and sawing in the apartment directly above us. To read the details of the continuing saga of our apartment, see my other thread on the “Eiffel Tower Lookout VIP # 154.
We ran out for our morning croissant, had breakfast to the music of the upstairs renovations, and headed out for the day. The first order of business was to recharge our pass Navigo for the week. We were lucky enough to find a machine that took euro bills and got some help understanding that you simply place the card, plastic holder and all, right on the scooped out place in the front of the machine and make the choice to recharge for the week, put in your money, wait a few seconds and then you are set to go!
Today we were meeting another friend of mine, a journalist from London who is living and working in Paris. He works over by Opera so we agreed to meet there and then just find a place for lunch. This meeting was hastily arranged and the focus would be the visit, not the food so this was a meal that was neither researched nor planned but worked out just fine.
Fortunately, although the weather had predicted rain for the whole week, the sky was mostly blue so we met our friend at the Starbucks on R Opera and then looked for a café where we could sit outside for lunch. We had a dinner reservation that evening so I wanted to eat a light lunch and we settled on a tiny place we found on a little back street in the area that had an open table outdoors and a decent looking menu with a 13.5 E formula (entrée & plat or Plat & dessert.)
Restaurant Chez Yolaine (9, r d’Agenteuil) was a tiny small place, fairly full with only one young guy waiting the table inside and out. The service was slow and inattentive but the food was decent. I had a very good cocotte (casserole) of eggs and mushroom cream with a passable (although it took forever to appear) raspberry clafoutis for dessert. Both my friend and DH had a nice salad of rocket and parmesan cheese in vinaigrette followed by salmon with artichoke puree, which was actually quite good. We all had coffees and the bill was 46.5E for all.
I wouldn’t recommend this place as something to seek out but if you’re in the area and looking for a reasonably price nice lunch, it fits the bill.
We had a lovely visit with my friend and after a few hours he had to get back to work (someone has to!) so we decided to walk to Ave Rome, was up past Gare St Lazare to see all the music and luthier shops. DH is a professional musician, a guitarist, so this was of special interest to him. It was a good long walk and it was fun to see some of the luthiers at work making fine cellos and violins. Unfortunately, most of the guitar shops were closed as it was Monday. Oh well.
We jumped on the metro at Gare St Lazare and zipped home to rest before our 9 PM dinner reservation at Au Bon Accueil (14, r d Monttessuy 01 47 05 46 11)It had been a gorgeous day so we thought we might walk to the restaurant (a ½ hour walk or so) but the sky looked black as we stepped outside at 8:20 so we decided to take the bus. Good choice! Moments after getting on the bus at Montparnasse, the sky opened and there was a torrential downpour that lasted for the bus ride, letting up just as we stepped off the bus, a 5 minute walk to the restaurant.
We arrived a few minutes early for our reservation and enjoyed an incredible view of the Eiffel tower lit up while we waited in the doorway of this tiny place for our table to be ready. The place was packed and the very friendly maitre d' poured us each a complimentary glass of wine to enjoy while we waited (and was saddened as they often are when I said “no merci”)
We were led to our table promptly at 9:00 and while the tables are close together, it has a cozy rather than a crowded feel. We both ordered the 31E menu that had many delicious choices. We were still recovering from La Regaglade and we were also having lunch at Le Cinq the next day so we tried to order light.
I started with a fresh salad of baby lettuces with Parmesan cheese, walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette. DH began with a cold cream of carrot soup with tiny buttery croutons. Plats were Bresse chicken with potato croquette and white tuna with eggplant with olive tapanade and tomato and red pepper sauce. For dessert I had the best lemon tart I’ve ever had, served with white chocolate glace and DH had an excellent apple tart with vanilla glace. With a bottle of water and one glass of wine and 2 coffees the bill came to 80 E. An incredible value.
I highly recommended this restaurant. It is not the place to go if you are looking for cutting edge, highly inventive cooking but if you enjoy extremely excellent quality ingredients prepared lovingly in a classic, straight-ahead French style at a ridiculously reasonable price, then you will love this place.
We walked back to the bus stop around midnight, stopping to watch the Eiffel tower sparkle before heading home to fall into bed and sleep off yet another marvelous meal!
We ran out for our morning croissant, had breakfast to the music of the upstairs renovations, and headed out for the day. The first order of business was to recharge our pass Navigo for the week. We were lucky enough to find a machine that took euro bills and got some help understanding that you simply place the card, plastic holder and all, right on the scooped out place in the front of the machine and make the choice to recharge for the week, put in your money, wait a few seconds and then you are set to go!
Today we were meeting another friend of mine, a journalist from London who is living and working in Paris. He works over by Opera so we agreed to meet there and then just find a place for lunch. This meeting was hastily arranged and the focus would be the visit, not the food so this was a meal that was neither researched nor planned but worked out just fine.
Fortunately, although the weather had predicted rain for the whole week, the sky was mostly blue so we met our friend at the Starbucks on R Opera and then looked for a café where we could sit outside for lunch. We had a dinner reservation that evening so I wanted to eat a light lunch and we settled on a tiny place we found on a little back street in the area that had an open table outdoors and a decent looking menu with a 13.5 E formula (entrée & plat or Plat & dessert.)
Restaurant Chez Yolaine (9, r d’Agenteuil) was a tiny small place, fairly full with only one young guy waiting the table inside and out. The service was slow and inattentive but the food was decent. I had a very good cocotte (casserole) of eggs and mushroom cream with a passable (although it took forever to appear) raspberry clafoutis for dessert. Both my friend and DH had a nice salad of rocket and parmesan cheese in vinaigrette followed by salmon with artichoke puree, which was actually quite good. We all had coffees and the bill was 46.5E for all.
I wouldn’t recommend this place as something to seek out but if you’re in the area and looking for a reasonably price nice lunch, it fits the bill.
We had a lovely visit with my friend and after a few hours he had to get back to work (someone has to!) so we decided to walk to Ave Rome, was up past Gare St Lazare to see all the music and luthier shops. DH is a professional musician, a guitarist, so this was of special interest to him. It was a good long walk and it was fun to see some of the luthiers at work making fine cellos and violins. Unfortunately, most of the guitar shops were closed as it was Monday. Oh well.
We jumped on the metro at Gare St Lazare and zipped home to rest before our 9 PM dinner reservation at Au Bon Accueil (14, r d Monttessuy 01 47 05 46 11)It had been a gorgeous day so we thought we might walk to the restaurant (a ½ hour walk or so) but the sky looked black as we stepped outside at 8:20 so we decided to take the bus. Good choice! Moments after getting on the bus at Montparnasse, the sky opened and there was a torrential downpour that lasted for the bus ride, letting up just as we stepped off the bus, a 5 minute walk to the restaurant.
We arrived a few minutes early for our reservation and enjoyed an incredible view of the Eiffel tower lit up while we waited in the doorway of this tiny place for our table to be ready. The place was packed and the very friendly maitre d' poured us each a complimentary glass of wine to enjoy while we waited (and was saddened as they often are when I said “no merci”)
We were led to our table promptly at 9:00 and while the tables are close together, it has a cozy rather than a crowded feel. We both ordered the 31E menu that had many delicious choices. We were still recovering from La Regaglade and we were also having lunch at Le Cinq the next day so we tried to order light.
I started with a fresh salad of baby lettuces with Parmesan cheese, walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette. DH began with a cold cream of carrot soup with tiny buttery croutons. Plats were Bresse chicken with potato croquette and white tuna with eggplant with olive tapanade and tomato and red pepper sauce. For dessert I had the best lemon tart I’ve ever had, served with white chocolate glace and DH had an excellent apple tart with vanilla glace. With a bottle of water and one glass of wine and 2 coffees the bill came to 80 E. An incredible value.
I highly recommended this restaurant. It is not the place to go if you are looking for cutting edge, highly inventive cooking but if you enjoy extremely excellent quality ingredients prepared lovingly in a classic, straight-ahead French style at a ridiculously reasonable price, then you will love this place.
We walked back to the bus stop around midnight, stopping to watch the Eiffel tower sparkle before heading home to fall into bed and sleep off yet another marvelous meal!
May 21st, 2009, 09:22 AM
#43
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Tuesday was the day for our big lunch at Le Cinq. We were only doing one Michelin starred restaurant this trip and much research and consulting with my friend Julot led to this choice. We invited him to join us, which turned out to be a wise choice as he has developed a relationship with the chef and the captain and therefore we were treated to a number of special items that were off the menu that he wanted us to try. We also got to meet the chef who came out to say hello to Julot.
The chef, Eric Briffard, took over the kitchen at Le Cinq (in the Four Seasons Hotel on Ave George V) this past summer after earning 2 Michelin stars at Les Elysees. We had planned to eat at Les Elysees during our trip to Paris last May but he left to move to Le Cinq the week before we arrived so we canceled our reservation. We were very excited to try his cooking in his new venue where he is working hard to earn the third star at Le Cinq.
The dining room at Le Cinq is gorgeous! Palatial but warm and inviting. Incredible bright purple orchids everywhere, crystal chandeliers and an army of extremely knowledgeable and friendly wait staff. We were escorted to our table and the parade of amazing food began.
Le Cinq has a special lunch menu that Is a steal for 3 courses of this kind of food for 85E. There are many delicious choices and plenty of little extras. I have to say though, we were served a number of things that would not normally be offered for this price because we were with Julot.
To begin, they bring a basket of a cera de crevettes et calamar (little shrimp and squid fritters) which were to die for. Light as air, crispy and full of the flavor of the sea. It was difficult not to scarf down the whole basket but I knew there would many treats coming so I had a bit of restraint and ate 2. Next came the amuse which was a trio of tiny treats: Avocado mousse over gazpacho, a ravioli of broccoli and swiss chard, and chunk of octopus with a cap of vegetable puree. Each bite a symphony of flavors, each perfectly delicious.
Next came bread (choice of 3 kinds) with special olive oil and 2 kinds of butter. I tasted one bite of baguette with seaweed butter and while it was delectable, I resisted eating any more and waited for the real food to begin.
Next began the series of special entrees that were not offered as part of the 85E lunch menu but were served to us because the chef wanted us to try them! First came tender green asparagus with gnocci cooked in chicken broth with Jabugo ham served with sorbet of green tea and sheep’s milk cheese. Absolutely wonderful.
Then came another asparagus dish, this time with black caviar and a lemon aioli. This was served with the most amazing piece of brioche, a little tower of bread that melted in the mouth. The technique to make this to use brioche dough and treat it as puff pastry, rolling it out and spreading it with butter many time over. Heaven!
The next entrée was my favorite dish of the meal: Foie gras de canard, roasted with black pepper served with rhubarb puree and strawberry juice foam. This dish was ethereal and by far the best foie gras I have ever eaten (and I’ve eaten way more than my fair share of foie!)
For plat, I ordered Sea Brill in a butter citrus sauce served with tiny shrimp, spring onion raviolis, and early spring vegetables. This was light and rich at the same time, full of flavor and delicious. DH and Julot both had the crispy veal sweetbreads with langoustines (small lobster) and girolles (very special mushrooms) and artichoke hearts served over saffron risotto. This dish was incredibly rich and flavorful and I loved it but could never have eaten the whole plate of it. Especially not with all the other food that was part of this meal!
After the entrees they started the parade of desserts. We began with parfait of cassis gelatin and lemon grenata served with a citrus sabayon over tiny strawberries. This was followed by a gorgeous tower of fresh strawberries and chantilly cream layered between paper thin crisps of green tea flavored tuilles on a puree of kiwi with a dense raspberry sauce topped with a quenelle of strawberry sorbet. Yum. And those were the pre-desserts!
For the “real” dessert, I had ordered soufflé, an airy puff of vanilla with a puddle of perfectly melted Ganduja chocolate in the center. This was served with passion fruit sorbet. A fabulous dessert. DH had a crispy chocolate biscuit layered with coffee and hazelnut mousse served with rich coffee ice cream. Outrageous. And in case this were not enough, there was the cart of chocolates and tiny pastries that are served with coffee!
DH and Julot each had 2 glasses of wine and we had 2 bottles of water and 3 coffees. Because we were “guests” of Julot’s (we actually treated him!) Even though we had 3 entrees each that were not offered on the lunch menu, Le Cinq charged us for 3 lunch menus (85E each) and didn’t charge at all for 2 glasses of the wine or the coffees. We were quite pleased and were prepared to pay a great deal more for that meal then we did.
If you are looking for an over the top experience, both in food and ambiance, this is the place I would recommend over all the other Michelin starred places. The lunch menu is an amazing deal and if you can afford to order off the carte, there are some incredible choices. They also offer a menu for 160E at dinner which is 4 courses, but only 2 choices for each course.
After lunch we spent the rest of the afternoon (it was almost 4:00 PM by the time we finished lunch!) wandering the 7th. We stopped into Gregory Renard (120 R St. Dominique) to buy some macarons for later in the evening and then walked home to our apartment at Montparnasse. It was a longish walk but good to be moving after that big lunch.
The weather had finally begun to clear and that evening we enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the cranes off our terrace. Around 10:00 PM we had a light supper cheese and baguette and tried out the macarons and then fell into bed to sleep off yet another feast-filled day!
The chef, Eric Briffard, took over the kitchen at Le Cinq (in the Four Seasons Hotel on Ave George V) this past summer after earning 2 Michelin stars at Les Elysees. We had planned to eat at Les Elysees during our trip to Paris last May but he left to move to Le Cinq the week before we arrived so we canceled our reservation. We were very excited to try his cooking in his new venue where he is working hard to earn the third star at Le Cinq.
The dining room at Le Cinq is gorgeous! Palatial but warm and inviting. Incredible bright purple orchids everywhere, crystal chandeliers and an army of extremely knowledgeable and friendly wait staff. We were escorted to our table and the parade of amazing food began.
Le Cinq has a special lunch menu that Is a steal for 3 courses of this kind of food for 85E. There are many delicious choices and plenty of little extras. I have to say though, we were served a number of things that would not normally be offered for this price because we were with Julot.
To begin, they bring a basket of a cera de crevettes et calamar (little shrimp and squid fritters) which were to die for. Light as air, crispy and full of the flavor of the sea. It was difficult not to scarf down the whole basket but I knew there would many treats coming so I had a bit of restraint and ate 2. Next came the amuse which was a trio of tiny treats: Avocado mousse over gazpacho, a ravioli of broccoli and swiss chard, and chunk of octopus with a cap of vegetable puree. Each bite a symphony of flavors, each perfectly delicious.
Next came bread (choice of 3 kinds) with special olive oil and 2 kinds of butter. I tasted one bite of baguette with seaweed butter and while it was delectable, I resisted eating any more and waited for the real food to begin.
Next began the series of special entrees that were not offered as part of the 85E lunch menu but were served to us because the chef wanted us to try them! First came tender green asparagus with gnocci cooked in chicken broth with Jabugo ham served with sorbet of green tea and sheep’s milk cheese. Absolutely wonderful.
Then came another asparagus dish, this time with black caviar and a lemon aioli. This was served with the most amazing piece of brioche, a little tower of bread that melted in the mouth. The technique to make this to use brioche dough and treat it as puff pastry, rolling it out and spreading it with butter many time over. Heaven!
The next entrée was my favorite dish of the meal: Foie gras de canard, roasted with black pepper served with rhubarb puree and strawberry juice foam. This dish was ethereal and by far the best foie gras I have ever eaten (and I’ve eaten way more than my fair share of foie!)
For plat, I ordered Sea Brill in a butter citrus sauce served with tiny shrimp, spring onion raviolis, and early spring vegetables. This was light and rich at the same time, full of flavor and delicious. DH and Julot both had the crispy veal sweetbreads with langoustines (small lobster) and girolles (very special mushrooms) and artichoke hearts served over saffron risotto. This dish was incredibly rich and flavorful and I loved it but could never have eaten the whole plate of it. Especially not with all the other food that was part of this meal!
After the entrees they started the parade of desserts. We began with parfait of cassis gelatin and lemon grenata served with a citrus sabayon over tiny strawberries. This was followed by a gorgeous tower of fresh strawberries and chantilly cream layered between paper thin crisps of green tea flavored tuilles on a puree of kiwi with a dense raspberry sauce topped with a quenelle of strawberry sorbet. Yum. And those were the pre-desserts!
For the “real” dessert, I had ordered soufflé, an airy puff of vanilla with a puddle of perfectly melted Ganduja chocolate in the center. This was served with passion fruit sorbet. A fabulous dessert. DH had a crispy chocolate biscuit layered with coffee and hazelnut mousse served with rich coffee ice cream. Outrageous. And in case this were not enough, there was the cart of chocolates and tiny pastries that are served with coffee!
DH and Julot each had 2 glasses of wine and we had 2 bottles of water and 3 coffees. Because we were “guests” of Julot’s (we actually treated him!) Even though we had 3 entrees each that were not offered on the lunch menu, Le Cinq charged us for 3 lunch menus (85E each) and didn’t charge at all for 2 glasses of the wine or the coffees. We were quite pleased and were prepared to pay a great deal more for that meal then we did.
If you are looking for an over the top experience, both in food and ambiance, this is the place I would recommend over all the other Michelin starred places. The lunch menu is an amazing deal and if you can afford to order off the carte, there are some incredible choices. They also offer a menu for 160E at dinner which is 4 courses, but only 2 choices for each course.
After lunch we spent the rest of the afternoon (it was almost 4:00 PM by the time we finished lunch!) wandering the 7th. We stopped into Gregory Renard (120 R St. Dominique) to buy some macarons for later in the evening and then walked home to our apartment at Montparnasse. It was a longish walk but good to be moving after that big lunch.
The weather had finally begun to clear and that evening we enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the cranes off our terrace. Around 10:00 PM we had a light supper cheese and baguette and tried out the macarons and then fell into bed to sleep off yet another feast-filled day!
May 21st, 2009, 09:22 AM
#44
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A note on Macarons: We had stopped at Laduree on our first day back in Paris and tried the macarons, sampling pistachio, chocolate, and salted caramel. These were light as air and the ganache was creamy and delcious. Julot says he thinks Gregory Renard makes the best in Paris so we were comparing them to Laduree’s. I must say, the intensity of flavor of Renard’s macarons outshines Laduree’s but Lauduree’s light, airy consistency and the ratio of cookie to gnache (Renard likes his filling!) is preferable to me. So both were excellent but very different.
May 21st, 2009, 10:48 AM
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When we woke up Wednesday morning, the sky was clear and bright! The first really nice day of the vacation. We thought about canceling our lunch plans so we could spend the day outdoors but we had a lunch reservation at at Chez L’Ami Jean and I had been dying to try it and we wouldn’t get in at any other time before we were to leave. We also had plans to have this lunch with Julot and an acquaintance of his, another food blogger whose blog I’ve been following for a while.
Adam is a young guy who must have a trust fund because he seems to just travel the world and eat great food and write about it. He’s in Paris right now studying French and eating. Here’s the link to his blog which he shares with a friend of his named Aaron. There’s some really great info here: http://www.alifewortheating.com/
So great weather aside, we decided we hadn’t had quite enough to eat yet on this trip so we’d keep our lunch date. We did get out of the apartment reasonably early and we wandered the market on Edgar Quintet and then walked to the restaurant in the 7th (27 R Malar 01 47 05 86 89)
I had read glowing reviews of this place from every quarter but had also read that it is always a packed madhouse with people seated elbow to elbow and a feeling of being rushed so the table can be turned. To avoid this, we made the reservation for 1:00 PM so we were at the tail end of lunch and while the restaurant was full when we arrived, we weren’t rushed and we were the last party leave at 3:30 when we finished.
It’s great fun to dine with food writers, everyone snapping pictures of every morsel, them with their huge, fancy cameras and me with my tiny one shot. All of us talking intensely about the food and sharing bites of everything ordered. We had a fun meal, some of it stellar and some of it not so great.
They have 3 course menu for 31E which DH ordered and they also have a fairly extensive carte which the rest of us ordered from. We all tasted everything.
For entrée both Adam and I ordered what was billed as a cappuccino of crustaceans. We were expecting a frothy creamy sauce over mixed crustaceous seafood. What we got was broth made from the shells of crustaceans that had been thickened with cream. Not a piece of seafood to be found. They did bring it in a pitcher that contained enough soup for all 4 of us, but at 18E a serving, this was not up to standard in my opinion. Nice flavor of the sea but not cool for the price of ordering from the carte.
DH had a soup chosen from the menu which was basically a cream of vegetable soup, very fresh and tasty, also served in a pitcher and enough for everyone to have some. Julot had an octopus entrée that he didn’t care for, and I too felt it had a bit of a slimy consistency and a bitter taste. His second entrée was much better, langoustines with pasta in a creamy cheese sauce and Adam also had a second entrée of razor clams in a nice oniony broth with tiny chunks of crispy lardon. Very nice.
For plats, Adam and Julot shared the Cote de Veau for 2. This was an enormous pot of veal, potatoes and vegetables, including bones and the marrow. It was absolutely delicious and cooked to perfection. DH had a delicious piece of loin of lamb with pan jus and vegetables served with very creamy potato puree (tons of butter) and I had lemon sole meuniere, simple perfection (but not cheap at 34E off the carte!)
Dessert came with menu that DH had and he ordered the rice pudding with caramel sauce. They brought a huge bowl, more than enough for everyone, so we all dug in (the best rice pudding ever…yes better than the fabulous pudding at La Regalade) and Adam also ordered tiny new fresh strawberries served with crème anglaise. The berries were not quite ready, in my opinion, and weren’t as sweet as really ripe berries can be. It is very early in the season for strawberries here in Paris but they are out.
This restaurant gets a lot of hype and people seem to love it but honestly, I really wasn’t all that impressed. If the place had been really packed and I had felt crowded and rushed as I understand is often the case here, I wouldn’t have enjoyed it at all. I won’t say not to go because I do think the menu at 31E is a real value and the quality of the food and the cooking is generally high, but with the things we all ordered off the carte, the quality was spotty. Also, the chef, Stephanie Jego, was not in the kitchen the day we were there. I don’t know if that makes a difference (and in a good restaurant it really shouldn’t) but who knows.
After our late lunch we enjoyed the gorgeous weather and walked through the Parc du Champ de Mars and enjoyed the gardens near the Eiffel tower. We sat and had a coffee at a café at Place General Gouraud and watched the world go by for a while. Then we walked home (another long trek) and rested before meeting up with some friends later for drinks and chat. Another fine day of food and friends in the City of Lights!
Adam is a young guy who must have a trust fund because he seems to just travel the world and eat great food and write about it. He’s in Paris right now studying French and eating. Here’s the link to his blog which he shares with a friend of his named Aaron. There’s some really great info here: http://www.alifewortheating.com/
So great weather aside, we decided we hadn’t had quite enough to eat yet on this trip so we’d keep our lunch date. We did get out of the apartment reasonably early and we wandered the market on Edgar Quintet and then walked to the restaurant in the 7th (27 R Malar 01 47 05 86 89)
I had read glowing reviews of this place from every quarter but had also read that it is always a packed madhouse with people seated elbow to elbow and a feeling of being rushed so the table can be turned. To avoid this, we made the reservation for 1:00 PM so we were at the tail end of lunch and while the restaurant was full when we arrived, we weren’t rushed and we were the last party leave at 3:30 when we finished.
It’s great fun to dine with food writers, everyone snapping pictures of every morsel, them with their huge, fancy cameras and me with my tiny one shot. All of us talking intensely about the food and sharing bites of everything ordered. We had a fun meal, some of it stellar and some of it not so great.
They have 3 course menu for 31E which DH ordered and they also have a fairly extensive carte which the rest of us ordered from. We all tasted everything.
For entrée both Adam and I ordered what was billed as a cappuccino of crustaceans. We were expecting a frothy creamy sauce over mixed crustaceous seafood. What we got was broth made from the shells of crustaceans that had been thickened with cream. Not a piece of seafood to be found. They did bring it in a pitcher that contained enough soup for all 4 of us, but at 18E a serving, this was not up to standard in my opinion. Nice flavor of the sea but not cool for the price of ordering from the carte.
DH had a soup chosen from the menu which was basically a cream of vegetable soup, very fresh and tasty, also served in a pitcher and enough for everyone to have some. Julot had an octopus entrée that he didn’t care for, and I too felt it had a bit of a slimy consistency and a bitter taste. His second entrée was much better, langoustines with pasta in a creamy cheese sauce and Adam also had a second entrée of razor clams in a nice oniony broth with tiny chunks of crispy lardon. Very nice.
For plats, Adam and Julot shared the Cote de Veau for 2. This was an enormous pot of veal, potatoes and vegetables, including bones and the marrow. It was absolutely delicious and cooked to perfection. DH had a delicious piece of loin of lamb with pan jus and vegetables served with very creamy potato puree (tons of butter) and I had lemon sole meuniere, simple perfection (but not cheap at 34E off the carte!)
Dessert came with menu that DH had and he ordered the rice pudding with caramel sauce. They brought a huge bowl, more than enough for everyone, so we all dug in (the best rice pudding ever…yes better than the fabulous pudding at La Regalade) and Adam also ordered tiny new fresh strawberries served with crème anglaise. The berries were not quite ready, in my opinion, and weren’t as sweet as really ripe berries can be. It is very early in the season for strawberries here in Paris but they are out.
This restaurant gets a lot of hype and people seem to love it but honestly, I really wasn’t all that impressed. If the place had been really packed and I had felt crowded and rushed as I understand is often the case here, I wouldn’t have enjoyed it at all. I won’t say not to go because I do think the menu at 31E is a real value and the quality of the food and the cooking is generally high, but with the things we all ordered off the carte, the quality was spotty. Also, the chef, Stephanie Jego, was not in the kitchen the day we were there. I don’t know if that makes a difference (and in a good restaurant it really shouldn’t) but who knows.
After our late lunch we enjoyed the gorgeous weather and walked through the Parc du Champ de Mars and enjoyed the gardens near the Eiffel tower. We sat and had a coffee at a café at Place General Gouraud and watched the world go by for a while. Then we walked home (another long trek) and rested before meeting up with some friends later for drinks and chat. Another fine day of food and friends in the City of Lights!
May 22nd, 2009, 02:52 AM
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plafield,
Enoyed your dining experiences and compared with some of my recent experiences at some of same places, again.
I have not been to Le Cinq in some time. I will put on the list for fall. The time to go will be when the Christmas decorations are up. We walked up George V last Dec. to see all the decorations. It was lovely.
By the way..I enjoy Julot..may not always agree, but that's what it is all about.
I was surprised with Au Bon Accueil. It has always been more or less "around the corner" and had not been since it changed hands several years ago. A definite will go back. Enjoyed it more that Julot's touted Table Joel Robuchon. We were all disappointed there. It was not bad, just not as expected for it to be.
l'Ami Jean, I have avoided on experiences of other friends. I did go as a guest of new friends. We found them to be in a state of constant confusion..everything was mixed up. The food was nothing special. I would not return..too mnay other great places.
La Regalade, has been good and bad for many. I have had great experiences and the last was not good in any way..skipped it my last visit. I don't have time for all that I think I might get to!!
I hope you enjoy your last day, I think, in Paris.
Joan
Joan
Enoyed your dining experiences and compared with some of my recent experiences at some of same places, again.
I have not been to Le Cinq in some time. I will put on the list for fall. The time to go will be when the Christmas decorations are up. We walked up George V last Dec. to see all the decorations. It was lovely.
By the way..I enjoy Julot..may not always agree, but that's what it is all about.
I was surprised with Au Bon Accueil. It has always been more or less "around the corner" and had not been since it changed hands several years ago. A definite will go back. Enjoyed it more that Julot's touted Table Joel Robuchon. We were all disappointed there. It was not bad, just not as expected for it to be.
l'Ami Jean, I have avoided on experiences of other friends. I did go as a guest of new friends. We found them to be in a state of constant confusion..everything was mixed up. The food was nothing special. I would not return..too mnay other great places.
La Regalade, has been good and bad for many. I have had great experiences and the last was not good in any way..skipped it my last visit. I don't have time for all that I think I might get to!!
I hope you enjoy your last day, I think, in Paris.
Joan
Joan
May 22nd, 2009, 09:17 AM
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Thursday was another gorgeous weather day. It was a holiday so the construction had been suspended and the crane was parked for the first time in a position that allowed us an unobstructed view of the Eiffel tower. We had breakfast on our terrace (delicious fresh pastries from Gâteaux et du Pain) and enjoyed our coffee and the view and the sun and then decided to visit the Rodin museum.
What a fabulous museum to visit on a beautiful day. Much of it is outdoors in the gorgeous garden with incredible roses, all in bloom in varied colors. Rodin’s sculptures are just breathtaking and we also enjoyed the view of the shining golden dome of Invalides in the background. The sculptures inside the museum were also very interesting and it’s a museum well worth a visit.
After our leisurely visit at the museum we decided to go for a late lunch back in our neighborhood. Julot had recommended La Rotund (105 Blvd Montparnasse 01 43 26 48 26) as his favorite brasserie and I had read from numerous sources that they serve some of the best steak tartare in the city. We hopped on the bus and headed over and lucked out with the timing, grabbing a primo table on the sidewalk. It was around 2:30 PM on a gorgeous sunny holiday and every sidewalk café in the area was hopping.
Indeed, the steak tartare did not disappoint. Fantastically fresh and flavorful, served with a nose tingling mustard, frites that easily rivaled those we had in Belgium, and a small salad. We also had an order of fat, succulent escargot, definitely the best I’ve had, served in the classic style with garlic butter and herbs. A basket of decent bread for mopping up the butter rounded out the meal and we finished with good coffee. This was one of my favorite meals in Paris! With a bottle of water the bill came to 41E.
After relaxing and people watching for a while after we finished eating, we finally gave up our table in the sun and walked around the area for an hour or so, trying to exercise off some of the calories we’d been accumulating. Eventually we made our way home to rest up before another round of eating!
Around 9:30 PM we headed out again for a dinner of crepes. Last year when we stayed in Le Marais, we really enjoyed Breizh Café (109 R Vielle du Temple 01 42 72 13 77) and I recommend it for excellent authentic buckwheat crepes if you’re staying near that neighborhood. If you’re in the Montparnasse area, however, the very best crepes (in my opinion and many others) are at Creperie Josselin (67 rue du Montparnasse.)
On this little section of Rue du Montparnasse (not to be confused with Blvd Montparnasse) there are at least 10 different crepe restaurants but Josselyn is the one with the line of people waiting to be seated. They don’t take reservations but the wait is never much longer than 10-15 minutes during peak dinner time (8-9:30) and they are open for continuous service so it would be a good choice for a mid afternoon snack. We waited about 10 minutes to be seated.
The savory crepes are all made with excellent quality buckwheat and are paper thin and lacy crisp along the edges as a great crepe should be. The fillings are quality ingredients and very generous. I had a spinach, cheese, egg, and bacon crepe and DH went for classic simplicity: ham and cheese. Delicious and quite filling. My mouth really wanted a dessert crepe as well but after the rich lunch and the substantial crepe, I decided to listen to my stomach and skip dessert. Our bill for the 2 crepes was 16.90E. A cheap but very tasty meal.
We walked a bit after dinner and then went home and satisfied our sweet craving with a piece of our Dumon chocolate from Brugges. Another satisfying and delicious day in Paris.
What a fabulous museum to visit on a beautiful day. Much of it is outdoors in the gorgeous garden with incredible roses, all in bloom in varied colors. Rodin’s sculptures are just breathtaking and we also enjoyed the view of the shining golden dome of Invalides in the background. The sculptures inside the museum were also very interesting and it’s a museum well worth a visit.
After our leisurely visit at the museum we decided to go for a late lunch back in our neighborhood. Julot had recommended La Rotund (105 Blvd Montparnasse 01 43 26 48 26) as his favorite brasserie and I had read from numerous sources that they serve some of the best steak tartare in the city. We hopped on the bus and headed over and lucked out with the timing, grabbing a primo table on the sidewalk. It was around 2:30 PM on a gorgeous sunny holiday and every sidewalk café in the area was hopping.
Indeed, the steak tartare did not disappoint. Fantastically fresh and flavorful, served with a nose tingling mustard, frites that easily rivaled those we had in Belgium, and a small salad. We also had an order of fat, succulent escargot, definitely the best I’ve had, served in the classic style with garlic butter and herbs. A basket of decent bread for mopping up the butter rounded out the meal and we finished with good coffee. This was one of my favorite meals in Paris! With a bottle of water the bill came to 41E.
After relaxing and people watching for a while after we finished eating, we finally gave up our table in the sun and walked around the area for an hour or so, trying to exercise off some of the calories we’d been accumulating. Eventually we made our way home to rest up before another round of eating!
Around 9:30 PM we headed out again for a dinner of crepes. Last year when we stayed in Le Marais, we really enjoyed Breizh Café (109 R Vielle du Temple 01 42 72 13 77) and I recommend it for excellent authentic buckwheat crepes if you’re staying near that neighborhood. If you’re in the Montparnasse area, however, the very best crepes (in my opinion and many others) are at Creperie Josselin (67 rue du Montparnasse.)
On this little section of Rue du Montparnasse (not to be confused with Blvd Montparnasse) there are at least 10 different crepe restaurants but Josselyn is the one with the line of people waiting to be seated. They don’t take reservations but the wait is never much longer than 10-15 minutes during peak dinner time (8-9:30) and they are open for continuous service so it would be a good choice for a mid afternoon snack. We waited about 10 minutes to be seated.
The savory crepes are all made with excellent quality buckwheat and are paper thin and lacy crisp along the edges as a great crepe should be. The fillings are quality ingredients and very generous. I had a spinach, cheese, egg, and bacon crepe and DH went for classic simplicity: ham and cheese. Delicious and quite filling. My mouth really wanted a dessert crepe as well but after the rich lunch and the substantial crepe, I decided to listen to my stomach and skip dessert. Our bill for the 2 crepes was 16.90E. A cheap but very tasty meal.
We walked a bit after dinner and then went home and satisfied our sweet craving with a piece of our Dumon chocolate from Brugges. Another satisfying and delicious day in Paris.
May 22nd, 2009, 09:47 AM
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It’s our last day in Paris and I’ve finally caught up to real time for this report! Today dawned another bright sunny day and we’ve been enjoying it immensely. It’s sad to be packing up to leave but we’re looking forward to our last great meal of this trip this evening at Chez Josephine Dumonet. I’ll report on it after we get home.
This morning after coffee we decided to visit St Chappell so DH could see the windows. I’ve seen them on a previous trip but he had not and it took him until today to decide that he really would like to have a look at them. We waited in the line to get through security and then another line to buy the tickets and then there we were: inside that gorgeous place with the bright sun illuminating all that spectacular stained glass. I had forgotten how incredible it actually is to behold.
After spending a good hour marveling at the windows, we made our way to our old neighborhood in the Marais for a visit to an outstanding bakery in a city of really excellent bakeries. Au Levain du Marais (32 Rue de Terenne) is worth a trip if you are anywhere near the area. We were lucky enough to be right around the corner last year and often bought our morning croissants here.
Today we bought a ham, cheese, and egg sandwich along with an almond croissant and a chocolate layered pastry and took them to the lovely park at Place de Voges for a picnic. The park was full of families and groups of teenagers and it was a lively scene and the perfect weather for picnicking.
We enjoyed the sun and people watching for a while and then decided to get a coffee and eventually seek out some ice cream. I have an address for a place called Pozzetto on Roi de Secile (in the 4th) which is supposed to make their own Gelato and also serve real Italian espresso. We found the address but the place wasn’t there so I think it’s gone out of business.
After a stop at sidewalk café for a coffee and more people watching we made our way to Amorino (31 r Vielle du Temple) and had our ice cream fix. Amorino is gelato, very soft and creamy as opposed to Berthillion, which is ice cream, much harder and more dense. I prefer Amorino.
After our ice creams we wandered through the busy streets of the Marais and eventually made our way back towards home. I did a little shopping for a gift for DD and then we stopped at Monoprix to buy some supplies for our day of traveling tomorrow. We always try to bring delicious food with us to eat on the plane and our flight neighbors are always envious when we pull out our fabulous sandwiches and pastries while they eat those horrid airline meals. We bought a few slices of good smoked ham and a nice chunk of Compte cheese. Tomorrow morning we’ll get a fresh baguette and pastry at Des Gateaux et du Pain and we’ll make sandwiches and be all set!
After our errands we came back to the apartment to clean up and pack. I’m catching up on the report and in an hour or so we’ll be off to our last supper at Chez Dumonet (117 Rue Cherche-Midi 01 45 48 52 40.) I hope you’re all enjoying my report. It’s been great fun to write!
This morning after coffee we decided to visit St Chappell so DH could see the windows. I’ve seen them on a previous trip but he had not and it took him until today to decide that he really would like to have a look at them. We waited in the line to get through security and then another line to buy the tickets and then there we were: inside that gorgeous place with the bright sun illuminating all that spectacular stained glass. I had forgotten how incredible it actually is to behold.
After spending a good hour marveling at the windows, we made our way to our old neighborhood in the Marais for a visit to an outstanding bakery in a city of really excellent bakeries. Au Levain du Marais (32 Rue de Terenne) is worth a trip if you are anywhere near the area. We were lucky enough to be right around the corner last year and often bought our morning croissants here.
Today we bought a ham, cheese, and egg sandwich along with an almond croissant and a chocolate layered pastry and took them to the lovely park at Place de Voges for a picnic. The park was full of families and groups of teenagers and it was a lively scene and the perfect weather for picnicking.
We enjoyed the sun and people watching for a while and then decided to get a coffee and eventually seek out some ice cream. I have an address for a place called Pozzetto on Roi de Secile (in the 4th) which is supposed to make their own Gelato and also serve real Italian espresso. We found the address but the place wasn’t there so I think it’s gone out of business.
After a stop at sidewalk café for a coffee and more people watching we made our way to Amorino (31 r Vielle du Temple) and had our ice cream fix. Amorino is gelato, very soft and creamy as opposed to Berthillion, which is ice cream, much harder and more dense. I prefer Amorino.
After our ice creams we wandered through the busy streets of the Marais and eventually made our way back towards home. I did a little shopping for a gift for DD and then we stopped at Monoprix to buy some supplies for our day of traveling tomorrow. We always try to bring delicious food with us to eat on the plane and our flight neighbors are always envious when we pull out our fabulous sandwiches and pastries while they eat those horrid airline meals. We bought a few slices of good smoked ham and a nice chunk of Compte cheese. Tomorrow morning we’ll get a fresh baguette and pastry at Des Gateaux et du Pain and we’ll make sandwiches and be all set!
After our errands we came back to the apartment to clean up and pack. I’m catching up on the report and in an hour or so we’ll be off to our last supper at Chez Dumonet (117 Rue Cherche-Midi 01 45 48 52 40.) I hope you’re all enjoying my report. It’s been great fun to write!
May 22nd, 2009, 10:17 AM
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Kerouac, you live here yes? So you get to see that tower (and probably hate it) all the time. For us it's really special, especially when it sparkles at night and it really has been a disappointment to have a crane blocking the view, even partially. Particularly as we never would have rented this apartment except for the lure of that perfect view. In fact, next time we'll likely rent way out of the center of town for much less money and forgo any view at all. Hopefully we'll get some quiet though!
As I just wrote in my other post, we've been laughing at it and the cranes have become way less of an issue over the week. The constant noise, however, continues to aggravate (and yes, they were back at work today!)but we've still LOVED our time in Paris.
As I just wrote in my other post, we've been laughing at it and the cranes have become way less of an issue over the week. The constant noise, however, continues to aggravate (and yes, they were back at work today!)but we've still LOVED our time in Paris.
May 22nd, 2009, 10:58 AM
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I am fairly new to the forums and planning our first trip to Paris this summer. Thank you for taking the time to post such a detailed trip report. I am madly taking notes. Everyone here seems so generous with their time and information shared. Merci.
May 23rd, 2009, 08:33 AM
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I have read all the posts on both this thread and the one on the cranes and noise. As you know, I was totally behind your getting recompense of some sort from VIP.
Anyway, thoroughly loved this foodie report although I was having a vicarious crise de foie from reading it!
I like your idea of staying further out--one year we had a flat in the 14th down near the University of Paris and parc monsouris but still inside the peripherique, maybe 5 minutes walk to porte d'orleans metro. Easy access to everything but somewhat more of a neighborhood feel and the parc is absolutely lovely.
Anyway, thoroughly loved this foodie report although I was having a vicarious crise de foie from reading it!
I like your idea of staying further out--one year we had a flat in the 14th down near the University of Paris and parc monsouris but still inside the peripherique, maybe 5 minutes walk to porte d'orleans metro. Easy access to everything but somewhat more of a neighborhood feel and the parc is absolutely lovely.
