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Old Feb 14th, 2009, 09:36 AM
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I am enjoying this thread very much. I am determined, this trip, to pack very light so that I can pick up as many treats as possible to enjoy at home!
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Old Feb 14th, 2009, 09:50 AM
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We bought salt from South of France. On our canal trip in Camargue we saw some salt flats. Pretty cool.

I also bought dried herbs and 2 scarfs.
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Old Feb 14th, 2009, 09:55 AM
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I'm a grocery junkie. I always pick up quartre epice and persaillotte along with vacuum packed chestnuts. Various oils from Huilerie LeBlanc and flavored fleur de sel from a vendor at the Richar Lenoir market.

Cite Pharmacie is one of my first stops for hand creams and cologne.

I've stopped bringing back foie gras since the last time it was confiscated even tough cooked and canned. $100.00 in the bin.Now I just buy it fresh from D'Artagnan
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Old Feb 14th, 2009, 09:56 AM
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Thanks St. Cirq! Superb!

How are you using the violet mustard?


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Old Feb 14th, 2009, 10:13 AM
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Ekscrunchy: I've only used the violet mustard twice so far. I mixed it with rosemary honey and herbes de provences that included lavendar blossoms and slathered it on a leg of lamb that we roasted. It was an unusual, delicate, wonderful, flavor. And I made a vinaigrette with it - the mustard, olive oil, and a combination of champagne and cassis vinegar - for a salad of baby greens.
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Old Feb 14th, 2009, 12:59 PM
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Tapenades and packages of bouquet garnie at Huilerie Le Blanc.

Soaps from Fragonard, couple blocks west of Deux Magots on Blvd. St-Germain.
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Old Feb 14th, 2009, 01:13 PM
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nivea is better in europe .

i also noticed that that Cadbury candy bar nuts and fruit tastes different in france than in usa.
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Old Feb 14th, 2009, 01:52 PM
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St Cirq,
That dish sounds divine and probably looks even more heavenly!

ekscrunchy,
Come to dinner most any night!, since hubby throws a dash of piment d'Espelette into most all the stews and one pot meals that he makes. I add it to marmitako, garbure and of course, piperade-my 3 favorite simple Pays Basque dishes.

And I love the Huilerie LeBlanc shop on rue Jacob.

Speaking of tapenade, when we've dined at Clos des Gourmets in the 7th, we've usually taken away a jar of their house-made tapenade, which certainly is a special Paris memory for us later back home.
www.closdesgourmets.com
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Old Feb 14th, 2009, 02:54 PM
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Piment d'Espelette is one of my very favorite things on earth. We can get them in the markets in the Dordogne, being relatively close to Spain. I'll put them in just about anything!

Also love Aleppo pepper. Well, any kind of pepper, really.
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Old Feb 15th, 2009, 07:06 AM
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This is going great! I am going to need to check out cookbooks before I go. Question about the mustards: I have seen different colors of mustard in past trips and am wondering if the violet is purple?
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Old Feb 15th, 2009, 07:21 AM
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Maribel: You have no idea how much I would like to take you up on your offer. Someday we will have dinner together. Ojala!

The violet mustard is a deep red-purple color; here is a recipe I just found:


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/dining/161prex.html


Here is a photo of the popular one from Brive in the SouthWest; you can find this in Paris:

http://www.denoix.fr/gb/moutarde.html
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Old Feb 15th, 2009, 10:59 AM
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I buy beautiful placemats in Paris. They're plastic coated, last forever, and the images are just lovely. And because they are thin, quite easy to bring home in your suitcase. You can find them At EVA BAZ'ART 53 rue Saint André des Art. They cost 8 Euros and I've never seen them anywhere in the U.S. Go to "set de table" on the left-hand side of the website to see a selection. There are also a number of other great items in this store. If you google "Lalalere" you'll find other locations for this store.
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Old Feb 15th, 2009, 01:10 PM
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Where's a good place to buy the waxed-top cotton tablecloths? I've bought some in Provence but never Paris, and I'd like to buy one next trip.
Merci!
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Old Feb 15th, 2009, 01:48 PM
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bookmarking
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Old Feb 15th, 2009, 03:25 PM
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I bought a wonderful tablecloth in Galleries Lafayette. It is coated fabric so it wipes clean. Has little birds and French sayings on it and I love it.
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Old Feb 15th, 2009, 05:00 PM
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Thanks, Sharon! Did you find it in the "home" building, which is separate from the main building of GL?
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Old Feb 15th, 2009, 06:52 PM
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Don't forget to stop in BHV for lots of good items. In fact, other than food items, many things mentioned in this thread can be purchased there for a good price.

grandmere, check BHV for your tablecloth. Same for the placemats mentioned above. I bought some of those as well as some dishtowels and potholders in the housewares dept. last year.

At the grocery, I too purchase the Amore mustard in the little glass juice glasses containers as well as Baleine sea salt in disposable tabletop shakers. We also love the squeeze tube of Genie for fine hand washables. It's also great used as a pre-treat for stains.

Not a gift item, but for your own use, if like me you are old enough to remember and to this day miss mercurochrome, it is not outlawed in France and you can purchase small bottles at the pharmacie. We bring back a few bottles for ourselves and for my parents.
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Old Feb 15th, 2009, 08:07 PM
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Hi, Crepes, how are you?

I can't believe I've never been in BHV; it's on rue du Rivoli, right? I will go there; tablecloth might be less expensive there than at GL?


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Old Feb 18th, 2009, 06:38 PM
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AMV___What are Pylones products? Are they cosmetics? Thanks
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Old Feb 19th, 2009, 11:03 AM
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topping
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