Paris Highlights: Food

French food. Mmmmmmmm. This was the best experience I've had with food in Paris. We really got it right. It's worth it to research ahead and pick out places that sound really good.

Our first dinner we picked up from the traiteur /patisserie Stohrer. We picked up a spinach and fresh salmon quiche, a salmon gelée, gratin dauphinois (scalloped potatoes), a salad, and pastries. Stohrer was founded in 1730. It's the oldest pastry shop in Paris. The man who founded Stohrer (Stohrer himself) was the pastry chef at Versailles.

It was very good. That quiche was one of the best of the trip for me. And the éclair and mille feuille may have been my favorites (well, I did have some other excellent éclairs).

mille feuille, réligieuse, éclair au chocolat

For lunch the next day, we paid a visit to Rue Rambuteau, one of our favorite streets in Paris. We went to Pain de Sucre, which has a pastry shop and a savory shop.

Patries from Pain de Sucre

The highlight for me is the chocolate tart in the foreground. Chocolate tarts are usually just ganache in a crust. But of course a good French tart crust is like a cookie-like. And this tart also had a praline layer at the bottom with caramelized bits of hazelnut. Delicious.

Mille feuille from Pain de sucre

That day we also stopped by a chocolaterie that I stumbled upon 10 years ago while studying abroad: Jadis et Gourmande. This place isn't high end, but it's still good. They have chocolate covered nuts, and my favorite: the Eurostar, which is crepes dentelles (a kind of thin, crunch, buttery, caramely cookie) crushed up and covered in chocolate. Mm mm.

That night we ate at a restaurant known both as Chez Denise and La Tour Montlhéry. They serve very traditional, rustic food. It felt very authentic. There were no paper menus, only a chalkboard filled with typical curly French cursive. My dad had a curry. My mom had choux farcis (ground seasoned meat mixture wrapped in cabbage), which was familiar to us only after watching Haute Cuisine, Leigh and I got haricots de mouton (white beans with mutton). It was quite good, but I think must have mistaken us for giants because the portions were ENORMOUS.

Just look at the amount of rice they gave my dad!

The next day we got sandwiches and salads at our local boulangerie, Julien (which won a spot on the list of best baguettes in Paris a few years back).

sandwich tradition jambom comté from Boulangerie Julien

The next day, after visiting Marche du Président Wilson, which was filled with delectable looking food itself, we went to Christian Constant's Les Cocottes. Christian Constant is a celebrity chef in Paris. In fact we'd just seen him the night before on a French game show. It was definitely a surprise when we saw the man we had seen on TV the night before walk in and have a long chat with the couple at the next table--and then go to the kitchen and grab a couple of handfuls of fries from the bin.

Unfortunately I have no photos of this truly delicious meal. So I'll link to other people's photos of what I ate. I started with a seafood bisque, accompanied by the most golden buttery croutons. Then I had one of his cocottes (a cocotte is a casserole), braised beef in a wine sauce with pan-fried potatoes. I'm pretty sure every single thing on that menu would have been divine. That was the most I ate on the trip, too. I overdid it, but it was worth it.

We decided to do the traiteur thing again that night, but this time we went to Dalloyau (dal-why-yo, we asked). In 1682, Louis XIV took notice of Charles Dalloyau and his breads. The Dalloyau family served the court until the revolution, after which they founded the first "maison de gastronomie" in 1802. We got roasted potatoes and haricots verts and quiches and salad. For dessert, we got a couple of the strangest looking fondants I've ever seen (still delicious), a flan for my dad, and something called a carré magique (magic square). I don't know I've ever heard a name both so silly-sounding and so appropriate.

You can see in this photo all the layers of the carré magique--chocolate shortbread with nuts, dark chocolate mousse, then a different chocolate cookie, chocolate ganache-like cream, and, of course the chocolate glaze on top. My word. Best dessert of the trip.

One of the things I wanted to do this trip was try lots of stuff. There are some classic pastries I never try because I'd always rather have something chocolate. So we would get our pastries, take them home, cut them up (often destroying them), and share them. That is how I finally tasted a Paris-Brest and a St Honoré.

From left to right: Paris-Brest, chocolate eclair, St Honoré

We got these from Pâtisserie des Rêves. You can see the little plastic pins they used to keep the pastries in place, as well as the little wooden spoons. They also gave us cloth napkins. The Paris-Brest is choux pastry with a sort of crust on top, and hazelnut cream in the middle. The St Honore is a puff pastry base, with caramel-topped, pastry cream-filled choux, and then whipped cream. I quite liked the St Honore--the two kinds of cream and two kinds of pastry. Their eclair was in a shimmery chocolate cylinder. Surprisingly, I didn't love that cylinder. But the pastry cream inside was good--not very sweet at all; the sweetness came from the exterior. Oh, and we also got a couple of their giant madeleines--one chocolate, one plain. Yummy.

That night we ate at Alain Ducasse's Aux Lyonnais. Not a single native French person was there (on the ground floor, anyway). This was a fun sort of upscale French experience. Just look at it:

 

The service was superb--professional waiters. I had a special kind of French beef raised in the alps. Honestly, it tasted like the alps. Very good.

The next day we headed over to Place de la Madeleine to eat at Ladurée for lunch. Ladurée is yet another place with history. Founded in 1862, and we ate at the original location. They're most famous for their Macarons these days.

I remember coming here in January or February to have hot chocolate when I studied abroad. I remember the contrast between Ladurée and Angelina. Ladurée was filled with upper class French women (the kind of women who wear real fur), whereas Angelina was nothing but tourists. The hot chocolate was similar to Angelina's. 

This time we were surrounded by tourists. At the table next to us, two Asian girls sat and looked at their phones the entire time, not saying one word to each other. 

Anyway, I ordered a croque monsieur--my first ever. Needless to say, I was surprised by the appearance (you see those little pinwheels?). But it was oh-so delicious. 

For dessert my dad and I each got a delicious chocolate pastry which we split. My mom got some passion fruit tart with raspberries that she said was incredible, but whatever...

Laduree's chocolate tart and chocolate eclair.

For dinner we stopped in Fauchon, where we grabbed sandwiches, pea and asparagus risotto, some more gratin dauphinois, and salad for dinner later.

Food from Fauchon

For Leigh's last dinner we ate at Café Beaubourg. It's a cafe on Place Beaubourg, overlooking the Pompidou. I've eaten here every trip to Paris in the past 10 years. It has reliable, good food (especially the steak with pepper sauce, mmmmmm). It didn't hurt that our waiter was the shorter French version of Gary Preston (Miranda).

French Gary / Gary

On Monday, we went to Galeries Lafayette and their epicerie (market). There, I was able to pick up famed Bordier butter. We got beurre de baratte demi sel. It was a golden yellow, and soft even when refrigerated. It was a little salty and very creamy--easily the best butter I've ever tasted. There are also flavored butters. It's not sold in the US at all. :-(

Later that day I finally made the trip to Poilâne. I can't believe in all these years I've never been. I picked up a quarter loaf. It was toward the end of the day and their basket of "punitions" was empty, so I have yet to taste those. It was very flavorful, a little dense, and it lasted really well.

While we were in the neighborhood, we stopped by Pierre Hermé for dessert pastries.

On another day, we happened upon Eclair de Genie, one of the relatively new eclair specialty shops.

Chocolate for me, pistachio orange for my dad

One morning I decided to run to Du Pain et des Idées, a not-fancy boulangerie that's been getting a lot of attention for their unique bread, called pain des amis (bread of friends/friends' bread). This place looked so good in the Yelp photos, I thought it was worth a special trip to this kind of out of the way location by the Canal St Martin. 

Yes, that's a line out the door.

I finally remembered to take a picture of how the French wrap their viennoisserie, but I then forgot to take a picture of them unwrapped.

Everything we had here was tender, flavorful, and distinctive. The highlight was definitely the bread--oh. my. word. Moist on the inside, crusty but not hard on the outside. This may be my favorite bread I've had in Paris. I tried to go back the day before our departure and it was closed!

The second week we ate ate home a lot more. We would get soup and ready-made food at the grocery store and warm it up. We visited a local Italian traiteur, Delitaly, and got gnocchi and ravioli (delicious, and the people who helped us were so nice).

Our last dinner out was at Le 404, a Moroccan restaurant. The interior resembled a ride at Disneyland--I could have been waiting to get on Indiana Jones. This isn't a criticism; it was fun. But the important thing was that the food was top notch. The meat was high quality and the stew was filled with vegetables.

At home we continued to enjoy delicious food from Paris. We got chocolate from three of the top chocolateries in Paris: Pierre Hermé, Patrick Roger & Franck Kestener. Each one is like visiting a jewelry shop for chocolates. It may seem intimidating, but the staff are very professional and helpful. My dad's favorite, bar none, was Pierre Hermé. I wouldn't be able to pick between Patrick Roger and Pierre Hermé. In particular, Patrick Roger's truffles (which we got only to make the minimum to pay with a credit card) were absolutely divine. They had the kind of flavor that made me want to wax pretentious about complexity and notes of this or that.

The things I will miss having access to the most are chocolates and bread. But I've researched (read: tasted) pretty thoroughly the chocolate and bread options in LA, and I can tell you that while there is excellent bread to be found in LA, the chocolate really doesn't come close.

Paris Highlights: Sights

This year we went to Paris for two whole weeks. We invited my childhood best friend Leigh to join us for the first week. Because she's never been to Paris, we planned a packed first week, with lots of sites and delectable food. But I don't want to go through every step of the trip so I've divided it into sections: Sights (this post), Food, Fashion & Style, The City, Chartres (our one day trip), and Lanvin (an exceptional temporary exhibit I went to). Mostly I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

As soon as we got to Paris, we headed over to the flower market which becomes both a flower and a bird market on Sundays.

Yes, he was crowing.

I went on two different days--once in the sun, once in the rain.

Later we attended an Organ recital at St Eustache.

The first couple of days were great:

The Louvre, Places des Vosges, Sainte Chapelle, Notre Dame, Shakespeare & Co., Pont de l'Archevêché (with all the love locks), the Tuileries.

Sketching in the Louvre

This is what happens when it's warm in Paris and the pelouse is not "en repos."

Gazing upward in Sainte Chapelle

Blossoms at Notre Dame

Inside Notre Dame

Sparkling love locks

And then, in the Musee d'Orsay, I sprained my ankle...badly. (I'm still healing, almost 3 months later.)

It definitely interfered with what I had had planned. I could only go out for half days and even maneuvering my camera became difficult. I got a compression sock, saw a French doctor, and I bought a nice, floral cane--like the ones I saw French grandmas using. Fortunately, I have spent plenty of time in Paris. So while Leigh went to see Pere Lachaise and the Arc de Triomphe on her own, I wasn't actually missing anything--except her company.

It still boggles my mind that it even happened. I've never been injured before in my life! And the first time happens in a museum in Paris. Cobblestones weren't even involved. Quoi?!

We also were fortunate to have a wonderful apartment. This was our view:

We were right on Place de l'Hotel de Ville

We managed to visit Jardin du Luxembourg both the first week and the second week.

There were boats...

and ducklings!

During the second week, we visited a number of sights we'd never seen before: Eglise St Sulpice, Musee Canavalet, Musee de Cluny, and the Bon Marche.

Eglise St Sulpice

Inside Eglise St Sulpice

Musee de Cluny is most famous for The Lady and the Unicorn, but it is also home to these giant heads. 

Inside Le Bon Marché

Picture This: An Ambush of Tigers

An Ambush of Tigers: A Wild Gathering of Collective Nouns by Betsy R. Rosenthal, illustrated by Jago


By the title, you might think this is about some sort of tiger attack. But did you know that ambush is the name for a group of tigers (like a pack of wolves or a murder of crows)?

This is an adventure through collective names, told in excellent rhyming verse and whimsical illustration. “Does a cast of crows get a standing ovation?” the author asks, as crows stand of stage and bow. Not only that, Rosenthal sometimes pairs the animals together in perfect interactions. “When a murder of crows leaves barely a trace, is a sleuth of bears hot on the case?” Wolves pack for vacation, sharks put on hats and scarves (shiver), and girl scout kangaroos try to sell cookies (troop). Very creative, a lot of fun.

Recent Read: The War That Saved My Life

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 

Ada was born with a club foot and it was never repaired. Her abusive mother keeps her locked up in their apartment, calling her a monster because of her ugly foot. When Ada’s little brother Jamie has the opportunity to be evacuated into the country to escape the bombs of an imminent World War II, Ada sneaks away with him.

They are delivered to Oxford-educated Susan and her large, clean, country house. It’s a completely different world for the children—a world with baths, new clothing (including their very first underwear), food, and green grass. And even though it’s an enormous improvement over their home, it’s unfamiliar, and they find themselves overwhelmed and homesick. Ada struggles with the effects of her cruel upbringing. Kindness and acceptance are unfamiliar to her, and sometimes her panic and fear overwhelm her. She finds solace in Susan’s pony, Butter. Susan herself finds it difficult to care for the children, as she is suffering a deep depression after the loss of Becky, the woman she lived with and loved (the true nature of their relationship is for readers to decipher between the lines). The children do not see depression, but a woman who stays in bed all day long, sometimes mutters about not wanting or asking for children, and declares herself to be “not nice.”

Set against the backdrop of an escalating World War II, all three of them start to heal as they care for and come to love one another.

There are so many elements that I found interesting on their own, and they all came together to tell this lovely story. Living in Kent, the war touches their lives in real and oftentimes dramatic ways. The therapeutic comfort of working with horses rang true (I loved hearing things like when Ada feels a “whoosh of breath on [her] neck” ♥) Jamie also has his own challenges to overcome. I loved the authenticity of it all. Each of them finds meaning and purpose as they go beyond their insular worlds to care for one another and get involved in the war effort. Ada’s troubles are not fixed with a simple hug. She suffers long term effects from her mother’s abuse that take time and effort to overcome. And yet, Ada is as instrumental in saving Susan, as Susan is in saving her.

To top it off, this was one of those books that is wonderfully easy to read. I just opened it up and fell into it. And that was that. Before I knew it, it was over. I loved this one!

Recent Read: Saint Anything

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen 

Sydney has always lived a bit in the shadow of her charismatic older brother, Peyton. First she was overshadowed by his legend, later by his infamy. In and out of rehabs, court, and prison, Peyton became the central focus of Sydney’s family, culminating in a drunk driving accident in which a sixteen-year-old was paralyzed. Peyton is now in prison for the long term.

Sydney, in an attempt at a fresh start, transfers to the public high school where she meets Layla Chatham. Layla embraces Sydney taking her into her own group of friends and family, a place where Sydney can be herself and feel safe.

 Now, this is Sarah Dessen, so you may be wondering, where’s the boy? The answer is Layla has gentle older brother (I don’t think I’m really spoiling anything here). But one of the striking things about this novel is that I wouldn't categorize it as romance. It’s more contemporary realistic, with a romance in it. The focus of this novel is Sydney herself, her family, her friends and friendships. 

There’s real depth here. Sydney’s family is trying to cope with the imprisonment of their only son—and not handling it too well. Sydney is a bit invisible to them. She feels anger and resentment toward her brother. And in the absence of outward signs of her family’s guilt over the accident, Sydney takes on all of the guilt and responsibility herself. Meanwhile a friend of Peyton’s has weaseled his way into the family like a parasite, comforting Sydney’s parents, while giving Sydney an inappropriate amount of attention.

The Chathams are a safe haven, a place where her voice is heard and she is seen. The question is if she can find a way to be seen and heard by her own parents, recognized as the individual that she is.

I loved it. Highly recommended.