Taking it easy in Paris- March 12
Apr 8th, 2012, 01:36 PM
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Taking it easy in Paris- March 12
Our relaxing time in Paris-
A number of people were in Paris the same time as we were-gomiki, cigalechanta, nikki, Patty, annhig , Toucan2 and Traviata. They all did much more than we did. We were lazy and just enjoyed Paris and being off from work and together for a change. Here are a few notes from our trip.
We arrived in Paris via Heathrow from Boston. We were lucky to make our British Air flight out of Heathrow because we didn’t realize that they close the gate for a flight 20 minutes before takeoff. I don’t really understand why they let you book a flight through the British Air website (the flight combination that comes up when you ask for Boston to Paris) that is almost impossible to make. Got the heart pumping and we were lucky to make the gate prior to it being closed.
For the first time we rented an apartment. This one we didn’t really hunt for. Cigalechanta hooked me up with A La Carte Paris and this was one of their places. http://www.alacarte-paris-apartments...-Pantheon.html I loved the look of it the minute I saw the photos and I wasn’t disappointed when we arrived. The rental company was great, very easy to work with and prompt with the one problem we had which was getting my iPad hooked up to the wifi. (Since we went across the street to an Apple place we knew the problem wasn’t my iPad.)
The building is at an intersection of several streets with the main one being rue Monge. The apartment itself is on the end of the building with windows facing each road. It was very light and airy. The rental agency provided a fair amount of supplies and other than the knives being pitiful we had no complaints. The only weird thing was that for some reason the toilet seat groaned when you sat making me think of elephants upon a small stool. Luckily it was on the other side of the apartment from the bedroom so those middle of the night trips didn’t disturb anyone. We loved the towel warmer!!
Another first for us was traveling with a device which would connect to the Internet. It made things so much easier to look up where places where and how to get there. Normally I try to copy and print everything so we have the information that we reviewed while planning for the trip. Inevitably something crucial was omitted and we wasted time looking for it. My iPad is light and a great toy for the flights as well.
In the afternoon we walked up rue Mouffetard to find the restaurant for that evening’s dinner. Christophe was around the corner from Church of St Etienne du Mont which figures in the movie Midnight in Paris. We arrived early for our 8pm reservation so walked up to see the church. I could see why they used that location because there was only one property on the street which looked modern. Someone was also filming at the corner of rue Descartes that night but we don’t know who.
A number of people were in Paris the same time as we were-gomiki, cigalechanta, nikki, Patty, annhig , Toucan2 and Traviata. They all did much more than we did. We were lazy and just enjoyed Paris and being off from work and together for a change. Here are a few notes from our trip.
We arrived in Paris via Heathrow from Boston. We were lucky to make our British Air flight out of Heathrow because we didn’t realize that they close the gate for a flight 20 minutes before takeoff. I don’t really understand why they let you book a flight through the British Air website (the flight combination that comes up when you ask for Boston to Paris) that is almost impossible to make. Got the heart pumping and we were lucky to make the gate prior to it being closed.
For the first time we rented an apartment. This one we didn’t really hunt for. Cigalechanta hooked me up with A La Carte Paris and this was one of their places. http://www.alacarte-paris-apartments...-Pantheon.html I loved the look of it the minute I saw the photos and I wasn’t disappointed when we arrived. The rental company was great, very easy to work with and prompt with the one problem we had which was getting my iPad hooked up to the wifi. (Since we went across the street to an Apple place we knew the problem wasn’t my iPad.)
The building is at an intersection of several streets with the main one being rue Monge. The apartment itself is on the end of the building with windows facing each road. It was very light and airy. The rental agency provided a fair amount of supplies and other than the knives being pitiful we had no complaints. The only weird thing was that for some reason the toilet seat groaned when you sat making me think of elephants upon a small stool. Luckily it was on the other side of the apartment from the bedroom so those middle of the night trips didn’t disturb anyone. We loved the towel warmer!!
Another first for us was traveling with a device which would connect to the Internet. It made things so much easier to look up where places where and how to get there. Normally I try to copy and print everything so we have the information that we reviewed while planning for the trip. Inevitably something crucial was omitted and we wasted time looking for it. My iPad is light and a great toy for the flights as well.
In the afternoon we walked up rue Mouffetard to find the restaurant for that evening’s dinner. Christophe was around the corner from Church of St Etienne du Mont which figures in the movie Midnight in Paris. We arrived early for our 8pm reservation so walked up to see the church. I could see why they used that location because there was only one property on the street which looked modern. Someone was also filming at the corner of rue Descartes that night but we don’t know who.
Apr 8th, 2012, 01:38 PM
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The first morning in Paris was a Sunday and we went to the Blvd Raspail market as is our custom. We had the potato, cheese & onion galettes that we love. For the first time we were shopping at the market with the intention of cooking dinner in the apartment.
After checking out the kitchen and the knives we decided on a baked fish dish. It was great to actually shop the market and everyone was very helpful. We left with bags of mushrooms, leeks, shallots, garlic, red pepper, shiitakes, potatoes, thyme, pate, cheeses, and butter. We had gotten to the market too late to get fish there. We stopped in a little fish market on rue Monge for some dorade. I had a great time cooking dinner and my DH and Nikki seemed to appreciate my efforts.
Monday morning I met Nikki at the Omnivore Food Fest which she described so well in her trip report ( http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...p-to-paris.cfm ). It was a great time for me and I was sorry that we didn’t get to see more demonstrations (especially in the Chocolate room!!). One day I will try to recreate the scallop dish the chef made though I have no idea what it was he put beneath the seared scallop.
We spent the afternoon wandering around the neighborhood. We visited the Arènes de Lutèce which was down rue Monge from our apartment. We entered the arena from the back side and couldn’t figure out how all the people got to the sitting on the other side of the arena. Then we went down to the Jardin de Plantes which we love. Some of the plants looked like they had suffered from a hard frost after the unusual warm winter. I hope they weren’t damaged too badly. We also checked out the Gare D’Austerlitz for our Wednesday morning train.
I had suggested meeting for a drink at Lavinia prior to the GTG on Monday night. Of course it turned out that Lavinia was closed for a private tasting that evening. My DH and I having been the first to arrive were guessing who the other Fodorites might be and managed to find everyone who arrived for drinks. After sharing some wine at the place next to Lavinia we walked to Neva Cuisine and shared an excellent meal.
It is always interesting to meet other Fodorites and hear about their travels and lives. We had a great time.
On Tuesday we met Patty, Mark and Nikki for lunch prior to our class at the boulangerie. Lunch was very good and very inexpensive. We walked from there to 134 r.d.t. Boulangerie-Patisserie (134 rue de Turenne- across the street from Jacques Genin!!) for our session. It was something I had never thought about doing and really was a lot of fun. I had been a professional chef in a prior career so it was doubly interesting to me though I must confess I was embarrassed that my baguette was not up to snuff. We left with several loaves and aprons to show off at home.
We found a wine bar in Le Marche des Enfants Rouges. I like that we were asked what we liked and got some interesting wines. We sat and chatted for a while before heading back to the apartment.
We divided our stuff into a bag to take to the Dordogne and one to leave in the hotel for our return to Paris. We schlepped the bag to the Relais Saint Germain and verified our dinner reservations there for the following week.
Wednesday morning we vacated our pied-de-terre in Paris and after picking up pastries from the boulangerie downstairs walked to Gare D’Austerlitz for the train to Brive. My trip report for the Dordogne fits in here - http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...paragraphs.cfm .
After checking out the kitchen and the knives we decided on a baked fish dish. It was great to actually shop the market and everyone was very helpful. We left with bags of mushrooms, leeks, shallots, garlic, red pepper, shiitakes, potatoes, thyme, pate, cheeses, and butter. We had gotten to the market too late to get fish there. We stopped in a little fish market on rue Monge for some dorade. I had a great time cooking dinner and my DH and Nikki seemed to appreciate my efforts.
Monday morning I met Nikki at the Omnivore Food Fest which she described so well in her trip report ( http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...p-to-paris.cfm ). It was a great time for me and I was sorry that we didn’t get to see more demonstrations (especially in the Chocolate room!!). One day I will try to recreate the scallop dish the chef made though I have no idea what it was he put beneath the seared scallop.
We spent the afternoon wandering around the neighborhood. We visited the Arènes de Lutèce which was down rue Monge from our apartment. We entered the arena from the back side and couldn’t figure out how all the people got to the sitting on the other side of the arena. Then we went down to the Jardin de Plantes which we love. Some of the plants looked like they had suffered from a hard frost after the unusual warm winter. I hope they weren’t damaged too badly. We also checked out the Gare D’Austerlitz for our Wednesday morning train.
I had suggested meeting for a drink at Lavinia prior to the GTG on Monday night. Of course it turned out that Lavinia was closed for a private tasting that evening. My DH and I having been the first to arrive were guessing who the other Fodorites might be and managed to find everyone who arrived for drinks. After sharing some wine at the place next to Lavinia we walked to Neva Cuisine and shared an excellent meal.
It is always interesting to meet other Fodorites and hear about their travels and lives. We had a great time.
On Tuesday we met Patty, Mark and Nikki for lunch prior to our class at the boulangerie. Lunch was very good and very inexpensive. We walked from there to 134 r.d.t. Boulangerie-Patisserie (134 rue de Turenne- across the street from Jacques Genin!!) for our session. It was something I had never thought about doing and really was a lot of fun. I had been a professional chef in a prior career so it was doubly interesting to me though I must confess I was embarrassed that my baguette was not up to snuff. We left with several loaves and aprons to show off at home.
We found a wine bar in Le Marche des Enfants Rouges. I like that we were asked what we liked and got some interesting wines. We sat and chatted for a while before heading back to the apartment.
We divided our stuff into a bag to take to the Dordogne and one to leave in the hotel for our return to Paris. We schlepped the bag to the Relais Saint Germain and verified our dinner reservations there for the following week.
Wednesday morning we vacated our pied-de-terre in Paris and after picking up pastries from the boulangerie downstairs walked to Gare D’Austerlitz for the train to Brive. My trip report for the Dordogne fits in here - http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...paragraphs.cfm .
Apr 8th, 2012, 01:41 PM
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We returned to Paris a day earlier than originally planned since so many of our Fodor friends would be in Paris then. After schlepping the bag (now filled with foie gras tins and other goodies so substantially heavier than when it went to the Dordogne) on the metro to the Odeon stop we checked into the hotel.
We have stayed at the Relais Saint Germain many times since we first booked there accidently in 2001. This was the second time we didn’t stay in Room 20. We had room 30 which was lovely with a shower stall and tub as well as a little dressing room. It is expensive to stay there but we love it so build it into our trip budget.
After we got our stuff into the room we went down and had lunch at Le Comptoir. The sun was warm and the food was good. We resisted taking a nap afterwards and started our ‘souvenir’ shopping. First stop was the Maille shop at the Place Madeleine. We bring our crocks back to be refilled and the last time we were there they said not to bring the corks back. This time they said ‘where are the corks?’ and charged us for replacing them. Can’t win!
That night we were very excited to meet Traviata and her DH for dinner. We had met them at a GTG the last time we were in Paris and become friends. Our conversation had always centered on meeting in Paris again and tonight was the night for that meeting. We had a fabulous time at the Bistro des Gastronomes on rue Cardinal Lemoine. We didn’t close the place but it was close.
Wednesday morning we went out to the Basilica of Saint Denis. First we have never been on such a crowded Metro line as Line 13. At every stop you would think that no one else could get on but at least 3 people did and no one got off!!
We found our way from the metro stop to the plaza in front of the Basilica. Tomas was disappointed that there was a carousel right in front of the church. He sighed and said ‘I guess I am not going to get any photos today’. In the square was a sign which we stopped and laboriously tried to translate. As we moved on we noticed that the side had the information in English. Our translation wasn’t that far off.
We went into the Basilica and we could see where the tombs were that the Michelin guide described but couldn’t figure out how to get there. There was a little kiosk in the church but it was closed. We decided to just see the Necropolis and followed the signs out to that. That is where the entry is for the gated part of the Basilica. We rented audio guides since we were too early for the tour and it was in French anyway. We both really enjoyed our time there but didn’t get to finish the tour since we were meeting Cigalechanta and gomiki for an Armagnac tasting. We will go back in the future and finish it.
I wandered the street and stood in the sunshine with gomiki while Tomas and cigalechanta considered Armagnac. The last time we were in Paris the two of them spent an hour at Ryst Duperon on rue Bac in this way. Tomas bought a bottle and we continued down to the Maison de Chocolat where I traditionally buy a box for my coworkers.
That evening we had dinner at Le Comptoir with our Fodor friends, Traviata and her DH, Nikki and cigalechanta. Unfortunately gomiki and her SO were not feeling well enough to join us.
We have stayed at the Relais Saint Germain many times since we first booked there accidently in 2001. This was the second time we didn’t stay in Room 20. We had room 30 which was lovely with a shower stall and tub as well as a little dressing room. It is expensive to stay there but we love it so build it into our trip budget.
After we got our stuff into the room we went down and had lunch at Le Comptoir. The sun was warm and the food was good. We resisted taking a nap afterwards and started our ‘souvenir’ shopping. First stop was the Maille shop at the Place Madeleine. We bring our crocks back to be refilled and the last time we were there they said not to bring the corks back. This time they said ‘where are the corks?’ and charged us for replacing them. Can’t win!
That night we were very excited to meet Traviata and her DH for dinner. We had met them at a GTG the last time we were in Paris and become friends. Our conversation had always centered on meeting in Paris again and tonight was the night for that meeting. We had a fabulous time at the Bistro des Gastronomes on rue Cardinal Lemoine. We didn’t close the place but it was close.
Wednesday morning we went out to the Basilica of Saint Denis. First we have never been on such a crowded Metro line as Line 13. At every stop you would think that no one else could get on but at least 3 people did and no one got off!!
We found our way from the metro stop to the plaza in front of the Basilica. Tomas was disappointed that there was a carousel right in front of the church. He sighed and said ‘I guess I am not going to get any photos today’. In the square was a sign which we stopped and laboriously tried to translate. As we moved on we noticed that the side had the information in English. Our translation wasn’t that far off.
We went into the Basilica and we could see where the tombs were that the Michelin guide described but couldn’t figure out how to get there. There was a little kiosk in the church but it was closed. We decided to just see the Necropolis and followed the signs out to that. That is where the entry is for the gated part of the Basilica. We rented audio guides since we were too early for the tour and it was in French anyway. We both really enjoyed our time there but didn’t get to finish the tour since we were meeting Cigalechanta and gomiki for an Armagnac tasting. We will go back in the future and finish it.
I wandered the street and stood in the sunshine with gomiki while Tomas and cigalechanta considered Armagnac. The last time we were in Paris the two of them spent an hour at Ryst Duperon on rue Bac in this way. Tomas bought a bottle and we continued down to the Maison de Chocolat where I traditionally buy a box for my coworkers.
That evening we had dinner at Le Comptoir with our Fodor friends, Traviata and her DH, Nikki and cigalechanta. Unfortunately gomiki and her SO were not feeling well enough to join us.
Apr 8th, 2012, 01:42 PM
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Thursday was our last day in Paris so we spent the day finishing our ‘souvenir’ shopping with a stop at G Detou (the older man who wouldn’t let me point was off that day!!) and then walked to Jacques Genin. I had planned on taking the #20 bus but we couldn’t find the bus stop. My legs were killing me this day and this little hike didn’t help. At least on the way to the metro to get to our lunch at Chez L’Ami Jean we passed a stop for the #20 bus so at least I was vindicated in my husband’s eyes.
After such a large lunch we went back to the hotel and tried to fit everything we had purchased over the last two weeks into the suitcases. Then we met Traviata and her DH at the lounge at Dimanche au Paris for cocktails and snacks. We hated to leave them especially since they had almost a month longer in Paris!!
The next morning we got a cab to Orly where we had to take 1 kilo of stuff out of our suitcases in order to meet the weight limits. Then Tomas tried to get a bottle full of Orangina through security-busted!!! The flights were uneventful which is the way they should be.
We thought we would make an earlier bus than planned but we were one of 7 planes landing at that time and it took an hour to get through customs. The good part of that was that our luggage was waiting on the carousel and we made it to the 8:15 bus. The final leg of our day’s journal ended with the bus breaking down a mile from our stop!!! Luckily our neighbor came and rescued us. We were glad to be home and got up the next morning and started planning our next trip to France!!!
After such a large lunch we went back to the hotel and tried to fit everything we had purchased over the last two weeks into the suitcases. Then we met Traviata and her DH at the lounge at Dimanche au Paris for cocktails and snacks. We hated to leave them especially since they had almost a month longer in Paris!!
The next morning we got a cab to Orly where we had to take 1 kilo of stuff out of our suitcases in order to meet the weight limits. Then Tomas tried to get a bottle full of Orangina through security-busted!!! The flights were uneventful which is the way they should be.
We thought we would make an earlier bus than planned but we were one of 7 planes landing at that time and it took an hour to get through customs. The good part of that was that our luggage was waiting on the carousel and we made it to the 8:15 bus. The final leg of our day’s journal ended with the bus breaking down a mile from our stop!!! Luckily our neighbor came and rescued us. We were glad to be home and got up the next morning and started planning our next trip to France!!!
Apr 8th, 2012, 01:46 PM
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Restaurants in Paris:
Saturday Dinner-
Christophe
8 rue Descartes, 75005
Metro-Cardinal Lemoine (10)
Closed Saturday lunch, closed Monday
Our first night I found a place we could walk to figuring we would be tired and cranky. Christophe was a very good first night option. When we arrived the restaurant was almost totally taken up with a long table for a party of 12. It made our service a little more relaxed but it was obvious that they had started at least an hour before we arrived.
Tomas ordered a bottle of Alsatian cremant to start. He tasted it and he said ‘non’ & that it was corked. I was surprised as was the waiter. He sniffed and looked at Tomas questioningly and Tomas shook his head. The bottle was taken away and Tomas could see the waiter and someone else tasting it. The waiter returned with a fresh bottle and said that it was fine in the nose but not in the mouth. Tomas felt that he made points.
For first courses we ordered haricot vert with lardon and wild escargot. The escargot was wonderful but the haricot vert themselves were slightly overcooked for our taste. Also the lardon arrived in the form of about 4 sliced of cooked bacon which made it hard to eat with the green beans.
For our plats we order ris de veau with a potato puree and a duck breast and confit. Both were very good. We had a half bottle of Pinot Noir with these. Desserts were a roasted pineapple with caramel for me and coffee ice cream for Tomas. I love roasted pineapple and caramel and this was a very good version. The tab was 147€ with the wines coming to 61€.
Monday Dinner-
Neva Cuisine
2 rue de Berne, 75008
Metro-Europe (3) or Liège (13)
This was the GTG dinner which has been reported on by many others. We enjoyed it and would go back again.
Tuesday Lunch-
Au Passage
1bis passage de Saint-Sebastien, 75011
Metro-Saint-Sebastien Froissart (8)
We really enjoyed this lunch with Patty, Mark & Nikki. The trout cerviche was very good with horseradish, watercress, flax seed and toasted bread crumbs.
As is usual with us we ordered one of each of the plats-merlu (hake) and magret rose. They both came with the same sides of pureed cauliflower and a rainbow of beets. The cheese course was a goat cheese of several varieties. The chocolate ganache came with caramel and sea salt and was out of this world. I think our share of the bill was around 50€ but I am not sure.
A week later- Tuesday lunch
Le Comptoir
9 Carrefour de l'Odeon
Metro-Odeon (4&10)
We hadn’t planned on having lunch today but we never got breakfast before we got onto the train from Brive. So after we checked into the hotel we went down and scored a table in the sun.
We ordered one of the entrée specials which were Coquilles St Jacques with seaweed butter and an artichoke soup with tapioca pearls and foie gras. We split a Salade Niçoise which was wonderful. We had two glasses of a bouzeron and one glass of Pineau de Charente. With a café the tab came to 70.20€ with 23.20€ attributable to the wines.
Tuesday Dinner-
Le Bistro des Gastronomes
10 rue Cardinal Lemoine, 75005
Metro-Cardinal Lemoine (10)
We met friends for dinner at Le Bistro des Gastronomes. It was a wonderful festive evening. We started with aperitifs which were served with olives and saucisson. We order telline clams with tomato and chorizo and sautéed foie gras with watercress for our entrees. The clams were good but a little over cooked but the sauce was wonderful. The foie gras was also good.
For our plats we ordered pork tenderloin which came on a bed of potatoes and carrots which had been mashed together and a bavette with potatoes and mushrooms. Both were very good. We had a bottle of Langedoc wine- Chateau de la Negly, La Falaise which was a perfect match for the food.
At this point the bartender/host brought us a entremet of Calvados and apple sorbet. It was good but potent. Desserts were a tarte tatin with the same apple sorbet and the dessert of the trip which was a crumble of strawberries with basil and strawberry sorbet. This dessert was wonderful!! Tomas and one of our friends had Armagnac. Our share of the bill was 94€.
Wednesday Dinner-
Le Comptoir
9 Carrefour de l'Odeon
Metro-Odeon (4&10)
There were six of us for dinner at Le Comptoir. We all started with Kir Royales which were served with Gougeres. The first course was a soft poached egg on a bed of mushroom duxelles with a foie gras foam. It was very good and I don’t care for runny yolk eggs.
The second course was a ‘Féra du lac léman’ which we were told was a lake salmon. It had been sautéed and served with a cress and tamarind sauce. It was wonderful.
The plat was veal with braised endive and a parsley mousse. It was good but not as good as the preceding courses.
The cheese course was wonderful as usual but they didn’t bring us any quince paste. I didn’t notice until we were almost done with the cheese.
Dessert was a grapefruit dish with a Campari jelly and a buttermilk ice cream.
We had two bottles of wine- one a Saumur and the other a Jurancon. The Juancon was a new wine for me and excellent with the cheeses.
After Armagnac for those who are aficionados we stagger home up three flights. The menu is a pre fixe at 55€.
Thursday Lunch-
Chez L'Ami Jean
27 Rue Malar 75007 Paris, France
Bus Ligne 63
Our final meal in Paris was at an old favorite, Chez L’Ami Jean. We have been there twice-once for dinner and once for lunch and prefer the lunch service. Dinner would be great with more than just two since is it so frenetic. Lunch is more relaxing and it was very empty when we were there on a Thursday.
We started with glasses of wine- I remember mine was a Pouilly Fuisse which I love. The entrees were spectacular. One was an asparagus dish with wonderful perfectly cooked asparagus and lardons. This was what the haricot vert dish should have been! The other was scallops with squid, we don’t remember the details of except that there were crunchy things that added to the whole dish.
For plats I had ris de vea which was amazing. It was on a bed of little mushrooms. Tomas ordered a shoulder of lamb which I was surprised at since it didn’t seem that it would come rare which is how he likes his lamb. These were two shoulder chops which came pink and perfect. With this we had a half bottle of Irouleguy Bran which we had never had before. I have heard of the wine but never tried it. It complimented the plats perfectly.
Every once in a while you learn something new about your spouse or significant other. I never knew that Tomas liked rice pudding which of course at Chez L’Ami Jean is the best version around. I had another wonderful version of roasted pineapple with caramel.
Tomas finished with an Armagnac and we paid the bill which was 185.50€. The ris de veau was very expensive but worth every bite!! The wines and Armagnac made up 52€ of the tab. Sometimes you have a meal and the bill comes and you think to yourself was it really worth that amount of money? No question with this meal! It was a perfect end to two weeks in France.
Saturday Dinner-
Christophe
8 rue Descartes, 75005
Metro-Cardinal Lemoine (10)
Closed Saturday lunch, closed Monday
Our first night I found a place we could walk to figuring we would be tired and cranky. Christophe was a very good first night option. When we arrived the restaurant was almost totally taken up with a long table for a party of 12. It made our service a little more relaxed but it was obvious that they had started at least an hour before we arrived.
Tomas ordered a bottle of Alsatian cremant to start. He tasted it and he said ‘non’ & that it was corked. I was surprised as was the waiter. He sniffed and looked at Tomas questioningly and Tomas shook his head. The bottle was taken away and Tomas could see the waiter and someone else tasting it. The waiter returned with a fresh bottle and said that it was fine in the nose but not in the mouth. Tomas felt that he made points.
For first courses we ordered haricot vert with lardon and wild escargot. The escargot was wonderful but the haricot vert themselves were slightly overcooked for our taste. Also the lardon arrived in the form of about 4 sliced of cooked bacon which made it hard to eat with the green beans.
For our plats we order ris de veau with a potato puree and a duck breast and confit. Both were very good. We had a half bottle of Pinot Noir with these. Desserts were a roasted pineapple with caramel for me and coffee ice cream for Tomas. I love roasted pineapple and caramel and this was a very good version. The tab was 147€ with the wines coming to 61€.
Monday Dinner-
Neva Cuisine
2 rue de Berne, 75008
Metro-Europe (3) or Liège (13)
This was the GTG dinner which has been reported on by many others. We enjoyed it and would go back again.
Tuesday Lunch-
Au Passage
1bis passage de Saint-Sebastien, 75011
Metro-Saint-Sebastien Froissart (8)
We really enjoyed this lunch with Patty, Mark & Nikki. The trout cerviche was very good with horseradish, watercress, flax seed and toasted bread crumbs.
As is usual with us we ordered one of each of the plats-merlu (hake) and magret rose. They both came with the same sides of pureed cauliflower and a rainbow of beets. The cheese course was a goat cheese of several varieties. The chocolate ganache came with caramel and sea salt and was out of this world. I think our share of the bill was around 50€ but I am not sure.
A week later- Tuesday lunch
Le Comptoir
9 Carrefour de l'Odeon
Metro-Odeon (4&10)
We hadn’t planned on having lunch today but we never got breakfast before we got onto the train from Brive. So after we checked into the hotel we went down and scored a table in the sun.
We ordered one of the entrée specials which were Coquilles St Jacques with seaweed butter and an artichoke soup with tapioca pearls and foie gras. We split a Salade Niçoise which was wonderful. We had two glasses of a bouzeron and one glass of Pineau de Charente. With a café the tab came to 70.20€ with 23.20€ attributable to the wines.
Tuesday Dinner-
Le Bistro des Gastronomes
10 rue Cardinal Lemoine, 75005
Metro-Cardinal Lemoine (10)
We met friends for dinner at Le Bistro des Gastronomes. It was a wonderful festive evening. We started with aperitifs which were served with olives and saucisson. We order telline clams with tomato and chorizo and sautéed foie gras with watercress for our entrees. The clams were good but a little over cooked but the sauce was wonderful. The foie gras was also good.
For our plats we ordered pork tenderloin which came on a bed of potatoes and carrots which had been mashed together and a bavette with potatoes and mushrooms. Both were very good. We had a bottle of Langedoc wine- Chateau de la Negly, La Falaise which was a perfect match for the food.
At this point the bartender/host brought us a entremet of Calvados and apple sorbet. It was good but potent. Desserts were a tarte tatin with the same apple sorbet and the dessert of the trip which was a crumble of strawberries with basil and strawberry sorbet. This dessert was wonderful!! Tomas and one of our friends had Armagnac. Our share of the bill was 94€.
Wednesday Dinner-
Le Comptoir
9 Carrefour de l'Odeon
Metro-Odeon (4&10)
There were six of us for dinner at Le Comptoir. We all started with Kir Royales which were served with Gougeres. The first course was a soft poached egg on a bed of mushroom duxelles with a foie gras foam. It was very good and I don’t care for runny yolk eggs.
The second course was a ‘Féra du lac léman’ which we were told was a lake salmon. It had been sautéed and served with a cress and tamarind sauce. It was wonderful.
The plat was veal with braised endive and a parsley mousse. It was good but not as good as the preceding courses.
The cheese course was wonderful as usual but they didn’t bring us any quince paste. I didn’t notice until we were almost done with the cheese.
Dessert was a grapefruit dish with a Campari jelly and a buttermilk ice cream.
We had two bottles of wine- one a Saumur and the other a Jurancon. The Juancon was a new wine for me and excellent with the cheeses.
After Armagnac for those who are aficionados we stagger home up three flights. The menu is a pre fixe at 55€.
Thursday Lunch-
Chez L'Ami Jean
27 Rue Malar 75007 Paris, France
Bus Ligne 63
Our final meal in Paris was at an old favorite, Chez L’Ami Jean. We have been there twice-once for dinner and once for lunch and prefer the lunch service. Dinner would be great with more than just two since is it so frenetic. Lunch is more relaxing and it was very empty when we were there on a Thursday.
We started with glasses of wine- I remember mine was a Pouilly Fuisse which I love. The entrees were spectacular. One was an asparagus dish with wonderful perfectly cooked asparagus and lardons. This was what the haricot vert dish should have been! The other was scallops with squid, we don’t remember the details of except that there were crunchy things that added to the whole dish.
For plats I had ris de vea which was amazing. It was on a bed of little mushrooms. Tomas ordered a shoulder of lamb which I was surprised at since it didn’t seem that it would come rare which is how he likes his lamb. These were two shoulder chops which came pink and perfect. With this we had a half bottle of Irouleguy Bran which we had never had before. I have heard of the wine but never tried it. It complimented the plats perfectly.
Every once in a while you learn something new about your spouse or significant other. I never knew that Tomas liked rice pudding which of course at Chez L’Ami Jean is the best version around. I had another wonderful version of roasted pineapple with caramel.
Tomas finished with an Armagnac and we paid the bill which was 185.50€. The ris de veau was very expensive but worth every bite!! The wines and Armagnac made up 52€ of the tab. Sometimes you have a meal and the bill comes and you think to yourself was it really worth that amount of money? No question with this meal! It was a perfect end to two weeks in France.
Apr 8th, 2012, 03:26 PM
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What a wonderful report! Thank you so much for the details and prices on your meals ~ very helpful when planning (another) trip to Paris. We loved CLJ and Au Passage on our last trip in October. Neva is on my list (not this trip, as it will be with our 8 year old grandson ~ no relaxing 3 hours meals this time lol)
Jo
Jo
Apr 9th, 2012, 04:21 AM
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Mimi, you were responsible for us getting such a great looking apartment. You once forwarded something from A La Carte Paris and that was the first place we looked.
Traviata, I wish we could have spent more time together in Paris. It is something to work towards. Are you still there?
Traviata, I wish we could have spent more time together in Paris. It is something to work towards. Are you still there?
Apr 9th, 2012, 04:24 AM
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ParisJo, one of the things we did that I forgot was to see the Babar exhibit at Les Arts Décoratifs through September 2012. I am not sure if it is too young for an 8 year old boy but it was fun.
http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/engl...current-events
http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/engl...current-events
Apr 9th, 2012, 05:40 AM
#14
Hi Abby,
just found the report and "savoured" every word! it was great to meet you, Tomas, and the rest of the gang, and our only regret was that it was for so short a time - how can 4+ hours go so fast?
BTW, how do you remember the detail of what you ate and drank? do you make notes? or have you a chef's memory for such things?
just found the report and "savoured" every word! it was great to meet you, Tomas, and the rest of the gang, and our only regret was that it was for so short a time - how can 4+ hours go so fast?
BTW, how do you remember the detail of what you ate and drank? do you make notes? or have you a chef's memory for such things?
Apr 9th, 2012, 07:31 AM
#18
Abby----I'm just reading through your Dordogne TR again and see you took the train from Paris to Brive. I've booked trains in France before, but for some reason I must be doing something stupid because I just can't seem to get it this time. Can you help me?
Apr 9th, 2012, 09:56 AM
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TPAYT, are you having trouble with the SNCF website? I had to call my credit card company to tell them to let the charge go. It was a big pain!!! Good luck. We are going back in June for our anniversary so I will post another trip report for that.
annhig, I don't remember as much detail as I would like. I make notes after a couple of days. I am thinking of starting to take photos of dishes to help me remember.
Patty, the class really was a wonderful idea. I would never had considered it without your suggestion. Thanks!!
annhig, I don't remember as much detail as I would like. I make notes after a couple of days. I am thinking of starting to take photos of dishes to help me remember.
Patty, the class really was a wonderful idea. I would never had considered it without your suggestion. Thanks!!
Apr 9th, 2012, 10:13 AM
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What a great report! Thanks for posting, AGM. Love the details.
I tasted an Irouleguy wine at a restaurant in D.C. and thought it was out of this world - I made sure to write down the name. I've been meaning to hunt it down since then - it's certainly something you don't see very often!
I tasted an Irouleguy wine at a restaurant in D.C. and thought it was out of this world - I made sure to write down the name. I've been meaning to hunt it down since then - it's certainly something you don't see very often!
