If you follow C & C on instagram, you know that I recently took a trip to Paris...for work. I know, insert world's tiniest violin playing my heart bleeds for you. With a weekend on the front end of the trip, Dr. B joined me for the jaunt across the Atlantic and we took full advantage of it. I'll update you in another post on where we stayed and what we did, but let's start with what's most important...the food!
First stop when we landed Saturday morning was Boulangerie Julien on rue St.-Honore. Paris food guru Elodie Rouge said it best, "Their name is to Viennese pastries what that of Hermes is to handbags." You had me at Hermes. The almond croissant I had was the perfect way to start the trip.
A longtime friend from college who lived in Paris was an amazing resource when it came to eating in the Marais where we stayed. Our first night we dined at Le Mary Celeste, a new hot-spot with the bobo crowd (a combination of bourgeois and bohemian), and the place for some delicious cocktails and food. The menu is small plates and changes daily. I'd recommend emailing for a reservation or be prepared for a well-worth-it wait.
My favorite stop (well, stops...three to be exact) of the entire trip was Breizh Cafe. If you're going for the cliche crepe or galette, this is the place to do it. When we went for brunch, I ordered a savory combination of fresh cheese, tomatoes, spinach, zucchini, and an egg. It was as big as my face and I ate every last bite. Dr. B went with mushrooms, cheese, and bacon...clearly it could do no wrong. We loved it so much it was only right to return for a dessert crepe that night filled with pear compote and topped with figs, honey, and vanilla ice cream.
We also made dinner stops at Le Relais de l'Entrecote for the quintessential steak frites and L'As du Fallafel. When we walked by the fallafel carryout window the night before there was a line down the street - clearly a good sign. By Paris standards at 7.50 euro (we ate in the dining room - it's 5 at the window) my sandwich was a great deal. As you can see by the 10-finger grip, it didn't leave me hungry (excuse the weird look of fallafel excitement).
No trip to Paris is complete without warming a bistro chair at a traditional cafe. For our last night, Cafe Charlot was just the place. Between a bottle of Bordeaux, a cheese plate, and a hamburger, I was contacting the airlines for a seat belt extender for the ride home.
And, of course, there were sweets. Laduree is known for their macarons, and we didn't fuel through all this eating without some highly-charged blood sugar. While Laduree has age (founded in 1862), Pierre Herme has beauty. The combination of flavors is unexpected and mouth watering. If you want to bring Paris home for your friends and family, these macarons are your answer.
Now it's back to reality (aka the gym). Stay tuned for Paris part deux.
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