I know I’ve been absent for a bit, but I have a good excuse: I’ve been in Paris. (And preparing to go to Paris. And slowly re-adjusting to EST time and a lack of croissants after returning).
I’m usually terrible about writing down / remembering the great places I go when I travel. But this time is different. I’ve vowed to blog about the amazing restaurants, etc. we tried while we were there. Some were the recommendations of friends, some of my boyfriend, and a few from blogs by food writers (notably Heidi Swanson and David Leobowitz).
My favorite new find was Rose Bakery, the brainchild of a British-French married couple. Rose has two locations: the original in Montmartre, and the newest location in the Marais. I visited the latter — twice. The first time I went, I had the assiette des legume (vegetable plate), which was a giant spread of 5-6 dishes of the day. (Surprisingly, given the name of the dish, it was more grains-based). My favorite component of the plate was a bulgur salad with currants, toasted almonds and fresh mint. It was served with freshly baked bread and a huge slab of salted butter. Yum.
I was pretty full when I left, but still managed to find room for a huge plum tart, which was incredible. In fact, my first bite was so good that I had to sit down on a corner bench to savor the rest of it. The crust was buttery and rich, and the inner custard was light and not too sweet. It was, hands-down, the single best thing I tasted during the trip. I went back a few days later and got a raspberry tart, which was good, but not quite as good. But the bar was high.
Rose is a must for anyone who a) loves baked goods; b) is vegetarian; and/or c) is looking for amazingly delicious food that isn’t as rich and decadent as your traditional French fare.
Other places we visited that we loved:
- Le Cafe. After Rose, this was my favorite place. I went there no less than four times. We initially went because we were told they had the best croque madames in Paris. (I don’t know if they were the best in all of Paris, but they were damn good). I happened to walk past it a few days later, so went in for a croissant and coffee–both were excellent…. so I dragged my boyfriend back the next morning. And then we happened to be in the neighborhood the next night, so we went there for a late dinner. I don’t usually return again and again to the same places while traveling, but I really enjoyed the fact that it was a) all locals. I was the only American there each time; b) really chill and the waitress was super-friendly; and c) everything I had there was reliably good and reasonably priced.
- La Briciola, a little Italian pizzeria in the Marais. It was super home-y and very un-touristy. The food was amazing and plentiful.
- Le Relais d’Entrecote, where you can get the best steak frites in Paris. You have to wait in line (it’s not just of tourists–there were quite a few Frenchies there too) and when you finally get a seat, the only question the server asks is: how would you like it cooked? You then get a salad, an amazing steak cooked to perfection and smothered in their famous sauce, and crispy fries. We ordered a bottle of their private label red wine, which was great. (Note: We went to the location off the Champs Elysees. While I generally don’t like eating anywhere in that vicinity, I’ve heard that’s the best out of the several they have around Paris).
- Candelaria – If you’re in Paris and you’re sick of French food, check out this place. It’s a speak-easy-style bar — in the front there’s an itty bitty taqueria with maybe six seats. Walk through the back door and you enter a lovely lounge where you can order fun cocktails (and order in food from the front, if you’re hungry). I adore Mexican food–and have never once had anything remotely good in Europe–but was quite impressed by their tacos.
…and then we ran out of time / space in our stomachs and had to start compiling our list for next time. At the top of the list: Les Papilles, Spring, and–again–Rose Bakery.
