|
|
|
|
In March of 2010, we made another trip to Paris. It had been over 8 years since we'd been there last...and 8 years since we'd been to Europe together for that matter....oh, and almost 8 years since we had our first child. Long overdue. My focus: Food. Elizabeth's: Drinking in that oh-la-la French culture. Here's a recap of a wonderful long weekend. Don't be afraid to copy completely... Take the Wednesday night red-eye. Check into your room at Le Meurice (if you have a good rate). Great rooms. Great location. And terrific service. Thursday: After a shower, lunch at Cafe Marly (which is basically at the Louvre). Reminds me a bit of Fred's at Barney's in NYC. Good people watching. Decent food. Afternoon at the Louvre. Check out their web site...they have an awesome 'itinerary' that allows you to see all of the 'grande' works in about 2 hours...and then you can wander around. Dinner on the left bank at a little place called Les Papilles. This place is a gourmet food store by day...turns into an awesome neighborhood joint at night. No menu choice. You are IN for what they are making (although they will offer an alternative if you dislike the main course). The kitchen is tiny...you can't figure out how they serve the food AND wash the dishes! Wines are on the shelves of the market....just pick a bottle and pay 7EU extra. (Good deal). Anyway, just loved the place. Would try it every time. Our menu:
Walk home (part of the way). Stop for a drink near the University. Friday: Sleep in. Grab breakfast (baguette with butter, jam and honey) at some cafe on Rue St. Honore. Cruise around the shopping area checking out the latest in Parisian high fashion. You can also check out some great historic places like Vendome, Madeleine, and then go past a few of the Ambassador's residencies (Japan, UK, US), and the home of France's president...and then you take a left on Montagne for another round of the same high end shops. We grabbed a sandwich along the way somewhere...a Croque Monsieur to be exact. Back to the hotel after lunch and then another walk down to the Isle de la Cite. We strolled along the left bank checking out all the art/old magazine vendors, crossed the brdige to the Isle, admired Notre Dame (yes, we went inside) and then off to Isle St. Louis for my afternoon snack. My favorite cheese shop is on a little street so we picked up a petite baguette and a chuck of cheese. Elizabeth's favorite ice cream shop is also to be found there...a scoop of butter salt caramel did the trick. And then the walk back. Dinner that night at my new favorite place in Paris Les Fables de la Fontaine. This is one of Christian Constant's places. He appears to have all of them within one block on the same street within walking distance of the Eiffel tower. This place was insanely awesome. A small, intimate joint with a modern, yet warm atmosphere. I hear all of Constant's places are great, but this one has to be a cut above the others. Seafood. Every dish. But even a carnivore like me loved every dish:
Walk off the dinner with a short stroll to the Eiffel Tower. Really amazing at night. Sleep in again. You are not in a hurry. It is now Saturday. We were going to check out one of the flea markets, but got lazy and opted for a breakfast at an awesome place next to the hotel called Angelina's. This is the place for breakfast. And you must get a croissant and a cup of their famous hot chocolate. And you must dip every bite of your croissant into the hot chocolate. Don't worry, the cups are wide enough to accomplish this with ease. On the metro to one the the great outdoor food markets which is open on Saturdays. It is called the Saxe de Breuxil market. If you go on an empty stomach, you're a goner. It made me want to rent a nearby apartment for a year and spend my weekends cooking. Vegetable stands, butchers, seafood purveyors, cheese stands, bread stands, dairy farms, roast chickens, cassouletss, charcuteries, etc., etc., etc. We picked up the following:
We walked to the Luxemborg Gardens and took a seat by the fountain to start our lunch feast. Interestingly, there was a young French couple next to us digging into a big bag of McDonald's. You may then want to stop at the Rodin museum, but we had been there before. We continued to the area in the Left Bank around St. Germain. A lot of great shops, bakeries (yes we found our dessert), chocolate shops etc. A fun place to stroll around. We also went to the Dellacroix studio which was a cool place. We continued walking back to the hotel, but Elizabeth convinced me that she had to buy a few more gifts so we went to the great French department stone Printemp. At this point I was dead, so I took a seat and watched the fanatic shoppers. No time for rest. Back to the hotel for a quick shower. Short walk to the Hotel Costes for a couple of cocktails at one of the coolest (still) bars in Paris. And then a taxi ride (in which we were rear-ended) to Restaurant Voltaire on the Left Bank just near the Louvre. This place is classic. You want to hate it, but for some reason you can't. It is small. There are regulars. There are tourists. It is over-priced. The maitre'd is an asshole. It is like some upper east side joint where rich dudes who go there every week are slipping hundies to everyone. Or it is like Rao's without any Italians. But the food is classic and amazing:
Didn't sleep in on Sunday. Breakfast to go at Angelina's. Walk across the river to the Musee d'Orsay. Under constructions until March 2001, but such a great place to see some amazing impressionist and post-impressionist works. And the building itself is just amazing. Lunch at a nearby cafe. Onion Soup and Steak Tartare. Great way to fuel up for the long flight home. Off to the airport for the 4:00 flight landing in NYC at 8:00. My feet were tired, but my stomach was happy. And the kids didn't even miss us!
P.S. I was in Paris on business on Wednesday night and had dinner at Benoit. This is Alain Ducasse's bistro. Great spot. I had the following:
|
