Fueled by gluten, caffeine, and alcohol - two weeks in France
Jul 15th, 2017, 08:58 AM
#81
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Your report does many things for me:
Reassures me that I am not the only one who can't drive a stick shift
Potentially reinforces our decision to not rent cars in Europe��
Encourages me to get to Normandy
Reminds me how much I loved Amboise and Chenonceau
Brings back great memories of everything I love in Paris, including Freddy's and L'entrecote
Makes me glad I have not encountered a rat while dining or in a hotel....I can't
Tells me it might be time to re-visit Musee d'Orsay
Look forward to the conclusion!
Reassures me that I am not the only one who can't drive a stick shift
Potentially reinforces our decision to not rent cars in Europe��
Encourages me to get to Normandy
Reminds me how much I loved Amboise and Chenonceau
Brings back great memories of everything I love in Paris, including Freddy's and L'entrecote
Makes me glad I have not encountered a rat while dining or in a hotel....I can't
Tells me it might be time to re-visit Musee d'Orsay
Look forward to the conclusion!
Jul 15th, 2017, 03:28 PM
#82
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travelchat - thank you!
CGS - I didn't know that Le Relais D'Entrecote was in New York. I'll have to go there next time we visit. Thank you for the encouragement to continue this report!
Paqngo - thank you - it was a wonderful celebration!
denisea - So glad I'm not the only one who can't drive a stick shift! Definitely go to Normandy and yes, be grateful to have not had any rat encounters. For some reason driving in Europe makes me a little bit nervous, even when I'm not the driver. It really doesn't make sense because so far we've only driven in places that drive on the same side as we do and it really isn't harder than driving here. I'm sure we will drive in Europe again, but I don't love it.
CGS - I didn't know that Le Relais D'Entrecote was in New York. I'll have to go there next time we visit. Thank you for the encouragement to continue this report!
Paqngo - thank you - it was a wonderful celebration!
denisea - So glad I'm not the only one who can't drive a stick shift! Definitely go to Normandy and yes, be grateful to have not had any rat encounters. For some reason driving in Europe makes me a little bit nervous, even when I'm not the driver. It really doesn't make sense because so far we've only driven in places that drive on the same side as we do and it really isn't harder than driving here. I'm sure we will drive in Europe again, but I don't love it.
Jul 15th, 2017, 03:33 PM
#83
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We spent way too long at breakfast visiting with an very interesting Australian couple who had traveled, seemingly, everywhere. Yes, we do tend to get involved in conversation with strangers on a regular basis.
Finally, we made our way over to see the Eiffel Tower up close and personal. In my opinion the Eiffel Tower is definitely one of those monuments that is more impressive in person. It looks lacy and delicate from certain angles, bulky and looming from others. Loved it and loved walking all around it! Lunch was at a nearby, very touristy cafe. I had a burger and fries and it wasn't just ok, but the people watching was superb!
Wandered all around that area including down the Rue Cler which was so disappointing to me. Maybe because it was afternoon? Maybe because it is over-hyped? I don't know. Then back towards St. Germain popping in and out of various shops. It was a warm and pretty day and we enjoyed it thoroughly although we didn't really "do" anything. This is one reason why I sometimes feel my trip reports are less than helpful. We are inclined to be wanderers and lingerers and soak it uppers. Doesn’t always make for informative reading.
In the early afternoon we met our group from Paris by Mouth to do their "taste of Saint-Germain" tour. This would be a great tour to do at the beginning of your trip rather than at the end the way we did it. Still it was very well done and we enjoyed it and the food and the other participants.
Diane was our leader and the group met outside of a cheese shop where we discussed the types of cheeses and selected a variety, then to a bakery to buy bread as well as get some information about baguettes and french breads, and then to a charcuterie for fois gras and other meats. After that we stopped by an interesting little restaurant called Treize. It was owned by a woman from South Carolina and served items such as biscuits and gravy and other southern USA specialties. However, we weren’t there to eat the restaurant's food, we were there to sit at one of their tables and drink wine and taste the things we had picked up to that point.
So much fun! After the meat and cheese and bread which were paired with three different wines we went to a chocolatier and then to a dessert/pastry shop.
When the tour was over it was still fairly early, 7:00ish, but we were stuffed! And although we hadn’t done much that day, we had somehow managed to walk over 10 miles so we bought a bottle of wine and retired to our wonderful hotel room, pulled a couple of comfy chairs in front of the wide open window, rang the front desk for a corkscrew and two wine glasses, and enjoyed the rest of the evening sipping, chatting, reading, letting the warm breezes wash over us, and listening to the sounds of Paris.
Here is a list of the places we visited on the food tour in case anyone reading would ever like to try any of them:
* Androuet fromagerie 37 rue de Verneuil, 75007 (great little cheese shop!)
* Eric Kayser bakery at 18 rue du Bac, 75007
* La Maison Guyard charcuterie & traiteur at 42 rue de Verneuil, 75007 (loved the woman who worked here and told us all about the fois gras)
* Henri Le Roux chocolate & caramels at 1 rue de Bourbon le Château, 75006 (fancy, pretty, and delicious chocolates and caramels)
* Un Dimanche à Paris pastry shop at 4-6-8 cour du Commerce St. André, 75006 (we tried tarte with strawberry and mint pesto, tarte citron)
From the Charcuterie we had: Foie Gras, Pâté en Croûte, Goose Rillete, and Jambon Braisé with truffles
The cheeses we tried were:
Chèvre Fleur D'oranger - goat's milk cheese from the Loire Valley, aged less than 1 week. Ricotta like texture with a hint of sweetness.
Brillat-Savarin - cow's milk cheese from Bourgogne, aged 2-4 weeks. It’s a triple cream cheese with a fat content higher than 75%. (SO good!)
Saint Nicolas - sheep's milk cheese from the Languedoc, aged 2-3 weeks. Soft and creamy with flavors of the wild herbs (thyme and lavender) on which the sheep graze.
Pavé du Cardinal - goat's milk cheese from the Centre, aged 2 weeks. This ashed goat’s cheese is creamy and dense.
Abbaye de Belloc - sheep's milk cheese from the Pyrénées, aged 3-6 months. Nutty and smooth, usually softer than other Basque sheep’s milk cheeses
Petit Gaugry - cow's millk cheese from Burgundy, aged 4 weeks. Washed with Marc de Bourgogne with a terracotta color rind. Meaty with a long finish. (this was the “smelliest” of the cheeses and, in my opinion, the best!)
Finally, we made our way over to see the Eiffel Tower up close and personal. In my opinion the Eiffel Tower is definitely one of those monuments that is more impressive in person. It looks lacy and delicate from certain angles, bulky and looming from others. Loved it and loved walking all around it! Lunch was at a nearby, very touristy cafe. I had a burger and fries and it wasn't just ok, but the people watching was superb!
Wandered all around that area including down the Rue Cler which was so disappointing to me. Maybe because it was afternoon? Maybe because it is over-hyped? I don't know. Then back towards St. Germain popping in and out of various shops. It was a warm and pretty day and we enjoyed it thoroughly although we didn't really "do" anything. This is one reason why I sometimes feel my trip reports are less than helpful. We are inclined to be wanderers and lingerers and soak it uppers. Doesn’t always make for informative reading.
In the early afternoon we met our group from Paris by Mouth to do their "taste of Saint-Germain" tour. This would be a great tour to do at the beginning of your trip rather than at the end the way we did it. Still it was very well done and we enjoyed it and the food and the other participants.
Diane was our leader and the group met outside of a cheese shop where we discussed the types of cheeses and selected a variety, then to a bakery to buy bread as well as get some information about baguettes and french breads, and then to a charcuterie for fois gras and other meats. After that we stopped by an interesting little restaurant called Treize. It was owned by a woman from South Carolina and served items such as biscuits and gravy and other southern USA specialties. However, we weren’t there to eat the restaurant's food, we were there to sit at one of their tables and drink wine and taste the things we had picked up to that point.
So much fun! After the meat and cheese and bread which were paired with three different wines we went to a chocolatier and then to a dessert/pastry shop.
When the tour was over it was still fairly early, 7:00ish, but we were stuffed! And although we hadn’t done much that day, we had somehow managed to walk over 10 miles so we bought a bottle of wine and retired to our wonderful hotel room, pulled a couple of comfy chairs in front of the wide open window, rang the front desk for a corkscrew and two wine glasses, and enjoyed the rest of the evening sipping, chatting, reading, letting the warm breezes wash over us, and listening to the sounds of Paris.
Here is a list of the places we visited on the food tour in case anyone reading would ever like to try any of them:
* Androuet fromagerie 37 rue de Verneuil, 75007 (great little cheese shop!)
* Eric Kayser bakery at 18 rue du Bac, 75007
* La Maison Guyard charcuterie & traiteur at 42 rue de Verneuil, 75007 (loved the woman who worked here and told us all about the fois gras)
* Henri Le Roux chocolate & caramels at 1 rue de Bourbon le Château, 75006 (fancy, pretty, and delicious chocolates and caramels)
* Un Dimanche à Paris pastry shop at 4-6-8 cour du Commerce St. André, 75006 (we tried tarte with strawberry and mint pesto, tarte citron)
From the Charcuterie we had: Foie Gras, Pâté en Croûte, Goose Rillete, and Jambon Braisé with truffles
The cheeses we tried were:
Chèvre Fleur D'oranger - goat's milk cheese from the Loire Valley, aged less than 1 week. Ricotta like texture with a hint of sweetness.
Brillat-Savarin - cow's milk cheese from Bourgogne, aged 2-4 weeks. It’s a triple cream cheese with a fat content higher than 75%. (SO good!)
Saint Nicolas - sheep's milk cheese from the Languedoc, aged 2-3 weeks. Soft and creamy with flavors of the wild herbs (thyme and lavender) on which the sheep graze.
Pavé du Cardinal - goat's milk cheese from the Centre, aged 2 weeks. This ashed goat’s cheese is creamy and dense.
Abbaye de Belloc - sheep's milk cheese from the Pyrénées, aged 3-6 months. Nutty and smooth, usually softer than other Basque sheep’s milk cheeses
Petit Gaugry - cow's millk cheese from Burgundy, aged 4 weeks. Washed with Marc de Bourgogne with a terracotta color rind. Meaty with a long finish. (this was the “smelliest” of the cheeses and, in my opinion, the best!)
Jul 16th, 2017, 09:23 AM
#84
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Love Paris by Mouth food tours. We did the St Germain tour a few years ago but slightly different than yours and last year tried the Marais tour. Both were full of great food and info. Considering their cheese workshop for our next trip! We went back to Androuet on Christmas Eve last year to get some cheese for Christmas day. Heaven!!
Jul 18th, 2017, 06:15 PM
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KayTKay the Le Relais in NY is actually called Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecot, but it's the same. Michelin calls it a "sibling to the Paris original." It's on the corner of Lexington Ave and 52nd St.
Did you go up in the Eiffel Tower? If so, did you go all the way up or only to the 2nd level?
Did you go up in the Eiffel Tower? If so, did you go all the way up or only to the 2nd level?
Jul 22nd, 2017, 07:10 AM
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Loving your report KayTKay. Many thanks 
I was in Paris in February this year, and yes, those damn 'petition-signers' were out in force at all major tourist sites. I knew it was a scam, having read about it here and elsewhere. Best way to deal with them I found is just not to make eye-contact, not speak to them, and walk briskly away, clutching my handbag. What I found amazing was they asked me if I was English/American/German/Swedish in the native languages!
I have always want to stay at your Paris hotel - I am envious! I was also underwhelmed by Rue Cler - I had not visited in my previous 50 or so vists to Paris, but now it is done.
Looking forward to more.
I was in Paris in February this year, and yes, those damn 'petition-signers' were out in force at all major tourist sites. I knew it was a scam, having read about it here and elsewhere. Best way to deal with them I found is just not to make eye-contact, not speak to them, and walk briskly away, clutching my handbag. What I found amazing was they asked me if I was English/American/German/Swedish in the native languages!
I have always want to stay at your Paris hotel - I am envious! I was also underwhelmed by Rue Cler - I had not visited in my previous 50 or so vists to Paris, but now it is done.
Looking forward to more.
