Carlux

A (perhaps indiscreet) question for St. Cirq - do you make your own beef stock, or buy it? I've never seen prepared stock here in France other than in the very salty cubes. I should probably make more of my own stock, I know...

ggnga

Hello, my favorite onion soup is at a cafe near the metro Trocadero. Ancienne (sp) Trocadero. I go there for a welcome myself to Paris again visit and say hello to Tour Eiffel. My special I am in Paris snack. I have escargot, drink beer, be happy I am in Paris, have onion soup, drink beer, happy some more, then creme brulee followed by cafe. Oh how I love that ritual. However, the best occasion was when it was very cold and I was exhausted in the Marais. Steaming hot onion soup, so gooey with big fat croutons, ice cold coke in a bottle and then creme brulee. Not gourmet but a truly good moment to remember.

tod

Hiya ggnga! You are so lucky being in Paris again - I am green with envy!
Still remember our lovely evening when you took Travgina & I to L'Insulaire, 16 rue Gregoire de Tours. I just know you'll be paying them a visit once again and if you say the onion soup is good at Ancienne Trocadero, I bet it is!
Have a wonderful visit.
PS.
How is all that dental work you had done?

Luisah

Brasserie Balthazar near the Cluny Museum

gard

Hi

I had a pretty good onion soup at L’Ascot. You can read more about it on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/eat_drink_Paris_France.htm

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

mnapoli

Pied Au Cochon has the best onion soup! It's my favorite meal in Paris...

ggnga

Hello Tod,

I was thinking of you the other day. We did have lots of fun. I have always enjoyed my GTGs. I left the board for awhile. I got a divorce since our meeting, such a shock. I did not want to do much, even travel for sometime.

However, I have survived and become stronger. I still love Paris!! My dental work turned out very well. No problems. I got slammed on here for it though. Much controversy. I am still laughing all the way to the bank. that $9,000 will buy lots of trips. I will always return to L'Insulaire. By the way, I lost 50 pounds and had my eyes "done". I have never been thin in Paris before. Watch out.

gg

tod

gg - Good for you! Sorry to hear you've had a glitch but I bet you look a million dollars!
If you get a chance won't you please check out Le Vin Sobre, 25 rue Feuillantines in the 5th.? It is highly reccomended as cheap and cheaful. They have a website so you can see the place.
Best of luck with Morroco too. I think you will enjoy yourself there.

grandmere

I'm going to Paris in Oct. with two women who've never been before, and I think soupe a l'oignon at Au Pied de Cochon would be a fun experience. However, what is the accepted etiquette there regarding ordering la soupe? Must/should it be done as part of a meal, or could one go there just for soup for lunch or late night? I would not do that at dinner, of course.

kerouac

At the Pied de Cochon, you can order just the soup if you like.

tcreath

I have a pretty good bowl of onion soup at Les Deux Palais, 3, Blvd. du Palais in the 4th. We were there in November and it was a chilly day so the soup was wonderful.

Tracy

nicegirl512

Ok, here's a more challenging question than the OP's: Is there any chance if finding a vegetarian onion soup in Paris? I make my own at home (secret ingredient is soy sauce) but it would be lovely to have it out.

StCirq

Hi, Carlux:

I'm a big fan of making my own stocks, but I don't always have the time. When I get in the mood for French onion soup, though, I usually plan ahead and do my own stock, because it's just so much better that way. And I make a ton of it at once and freeze it.

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen liquid stocks in France, either, just the bouillon cubes. Here, when I do buy stock, I usually get Wolfgang Puck's or some other brand I forget now that you can find at Whole Foods.

As for Panera, I like that place, but I think they're onion soup is about the worst thing on their menu. I can't even get near it without feeling the salt burning my nostrils. It's WAY, WAY too salty (and I like salt). And yes, the cheese and croutons are deplorable.

But then, I'm the only one on this thread that didn't like the onion soup at Au Pied de Cochon, so for sure we all have different tastebuds.

And nicegirl, I think finding vegetarian onion soup in Paris might be the challenge of a lifetime.

kerouac

There might be some vegetarian restaurants that have vegetarian onion soup in Paris, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. Then again, how much animal matter is in a soup that uses a bouillon cube? If it is less than 1%, does it count as vegetarian?

nicegirl512

LOL St Cirq, I feared that would be the case. I always say French food is not only not veggie-friendly, it's veggie-hostile. Luckily will be staying in an apartment at next visit so I'll be able to do some cooking for myself.

kerouac

I have a Swiss vegetarian friend who seems to be addicted to "chicken flavor" potato chips. He justifies this by saying that they use artificial flavoring.

StCirq

Boy, I don't think of French food as veggie-hostile at all - at least compared to US food! I think it was in France that I learned decades ago that eating meat didn't equate with having a quarter of a cow tossed on a plate, but rather a small portion of meat complemented by wonderful fresh vegetables.

I don't even eat all that much meat, and except for in the Périgord where it's almost impossible to escape duck and goose, I've always found in my travels through France that there was a tremendous variety of dishes based on vegetables, fruits, dairy products, etc., not to mention amazing salads.

I'm surprised you feel that way, really.

Artemis_Vancouver

nicegirl512, I agree that you're unlikely to find a vegetarian French onion soup anywhere in France unless it's a strictly vegetarian restaurant. Have you tried checking out Happycow.com? They list veg and veg-friendly restaurants around the world. I never travel anywhere without checking them first.

BTW, my "secret" ingredients for my even-carnivores-love-it vegetarian French onion soup are 1. mushroom stock and 2. nutritional yeast flakes. Oops. Guess it's not a secret any more!

But ... everyone knows that the best "French" onion soup is actually French-Canadian Onion Soup!

(And Artemis ducks and runs away from the volley of stale bagette ends being pelted at her by hoards of Francophiles.)

LJ

Artemis: I was going to say that! The french onion soup served in Montreal is amazing...largely because of the long-ago influence of the amazing Madame Benoit. She taught a generation of French-Canadian chefs how to make FOS and her's is the recipe I use to this day. It is not unlike Julia Child's (extended) recipe, the one where you use three cheeses for the crusted top.

annhig

hi, scdreamer,

les halles [the old paris market] used to be the traditional place for proper french onion soup. we had a very good version in Chartres in the shadow of the cathedral.

to make an easy version at home, sweat and caramalise the onions as set out in the recipes above, then add to the pan the contents of at least one tin of beef consome [in the UK, baxters do one, and cambells do a double concentrated version that needs to be diluted].

then add the cheesy croutons.

if really pressed, this can be produced in about 30 minutes. I've never tried to make it with cider but I might give that a go, next time.

regards, ann