Perfectly Parisian

ABF & I covered so much ground in Paris that I'm amazed we found any time to eat. We were so intent on taking in as many sights (and sites) as possible that we often just grabbed food wherever we could find it.

After seeing the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the cathedral of Notre Dame, ABF & I found ourselves wandering through the Latin Quarter. It was insanely, dazzlingly busy, so we wandered a bit past there to the quieter, calmer, Boulevard St. Michel, which is one of the boundaries of the Quarter (along with Boulevard St. Germain). There we popped over to a cafe with outdoor seating, La Fontaine St. Michel, in Paris's 5th Arondissement. It's, as you may have guessed, around the corner from the actual fountain of St. Michel (photo of it at the end of this post!)

We picked an outdoor table and immediately started drinking as much water as possible (hello, Americans!) I then ordered an appetizer portion of les escargots. Oh yes I did! In case you can't tell from my photo, I was extremely geeked out to be using the tongs and tiny fork--the quintessential accoutrements (can you stand all the French, people, CAN YOU!?) to a classic French dish that this American can only seem to stomach while abroad.

One of my first experiences in Paris, lo those many years ago (Sept 1999--what?!) was eating escargots (yes, snails). They were buttery, garlicky, and melt-in-your-mouth delectable, and quite the opposite of what I had expected. I decided that I'd have to dare myself (She Who can Still be Squeamish) to eat escargots again as soon as I got back there. Done!

ABF had 1 or 2 as well and thought they weren't that bad. Not as garlicky as I'd hoped, but the rich parsley topping was a nice touch.

ABF ordered a sandwich sandwich, nothing too fancy and he seemed to enjoy it. I remember it having mayonnaise and mustard, if I recall correctly, but I can't remember what was inside, and neither can he! I do know that he enjoyed it and the bread was glorious--as all bread IS in Paris, non?

For my entree, I went for a perfectly Parisian pairing--quiche with a tossed green salad in a creamy, garlicky dressing. This was lovely!

The cafe seemed to have a lot more locals than tourists, which was fine by me. Prepare yourself for plenty of cigarette smoke, too, but at this point we were getting (almost) used to it. This was a great place to fuel up for another night of walking through one of my favorite cities. Service was a bit stuffy, kind of what you might expect in Paris, but it just lends to the charm, I say!

If the nearby Latin Quarter is too crazy for you, amble on over, enjoy an espresso, then wander past the fountain and take in gorgeous views of the cathedral of Notre Dame and more...ah Paris, I miss her already!

La Fontaine St. Michel
11 Place Saint-Michel
75006 Paris, France
01 43 26 54 31

Paris: Le McDonald's

Purists & food snobs, avert your eyes! Yes, we visited McDonald's in Paris. Hear me out, though. McDonald's is almost always more delicious in other countries. I still remember how delicious the McDonald's in Moscow was, oh-so-many years later. It's interesting to see the regional/national differences in the menu. Also, ABF was being a wicked good sport accompanying me around France and letting me geek out over parlez-vousing everywhere we went, so the least I could do is take him somewhere somewhat familiar.

I happily ordered for us both: a Big Mac (pronounced: Beeg MACK) and frites for ABF, as well as a Diet Coke. They looked and smelled fantastic.

I ordered the Double Cheese, no fancy French name for their version of the double cheeseburger. This was really, really good. Not very greasy, and instead of fries, I ordered the side salad, which came with a cracktastic mustard vinaigrette. And this wasn't some cheap pile of iceberg--this was a gorgeous spring mix!

I enjoyed every bite of this meal, and it was affordable, too. I can't remember the exact prices, but I am sure it was a tad higher compared to American McDonald's, but it was still a decent amount of food/money for a quick lunch before heading off the La Tour Eiffel!

As much as I liked it, I know ABF LOVED it, and that alone was worth it. Bon Appétit, mon ABF!

Have you ever eaten at a McDonald's outside of the US? What did you like, dislike? What special item did they carry that caught your eye?

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Paris: Late-night Lebanese

ABF & I took the long way, shall we way, to find our hotel on Boulevard Garibaldi. By the time we got there on that hot, humid, April day, we were beat, so we took a luxurious nap. By the time we got up and moving for dinner, it was pretty late and our options had dwindled.

We wandered a few hundred yards down the road and found a Lebanese restaurant, El Fares, that was open late, half-full, and smelled delicious. We were feeling adventurous, so in we went.

As soon as we sat down, someone whisked over dishes of raw veggies and green olives.
Aren't French radishes sleek & stylish? Yeah..still too bitter for me, but I gave them a shot anyway.

And the olives were so good--briny, fresh, tangy, and, as were the veggies, complimentary!

You know my love for languages, so I always get a kick out of seeing translations on menus. Please note the 'no comment' on the falafel (is this good? bad? indifferent?) and the 'beyruth' style for hummus. I assume, this being a Lebanese spot, that they meant Beirut. Squint up a little further to read about the ingredients 'protected' by pita bread. Sigh. I love languages.

I immediately ordered some hot mint tea which smelled ammaaaaaazing. I added one sugar, just enough to give a hint of sweetness.

ABF ordered the lamb kebab platter. It smelled wonderful and was tasty, but it was not a lot for food for a fairly pricey entree (about $18 dollars).

I ordered the kofte, ground lamb. It was also a very small portion, but it was just enough for a late night snack. The salad was fresh and lightly dressed, and the pickled veggies had a nice zing to them. Also not a 'cheap' dish (about $15), but tasty, delivered quickly, and we were grateful as our options were few and fleeting that evening!

Overall, we were happy with our meal. I would probably go back there for lunch instead of dinner. It's a popular spot for people of all ages, though we saw more young people in their 20s there, we also saw two women in their 60s who were traveling from the states, some older Lebanese men, and of course, us. : )

El Fares
166 Boulevard Grenelle
75015 Paris
08 99 23 96 04

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English Breakfast in Paris

Our time in Paris flew by so fast--it seems like ABF & I hardly ever sat down, and that's almost true! We were on the go so much that mealtime is about the only moment where we sat still for a bit. On our last day there, we thought it would be fun to get an "English Breakfast," or "Petit Dejeuner a l'Anglais." A spot near our hotel offered them for about 11 Euro (or 15 bucks) so we made the short walk to Le Pierrot Bistrot and took a seat near the window.

This place was nearly empty, as it was a bit after the regular breakfast hour. Our server, ebullient and oh-so-French (that's him on the left in the photo below, speaking to a fellow server) immediately brought out generous servings of OJ to get us started. I'm not a big juice person, but who could resist such a classy presentation?

Not long after came a plate of carby wonderfulness: 2 croissants and 2 tartines, which are long, narrow loafs, with a thin layer of butter and a small pot of jam for spreading on top of the butter (basically an open-faced sandwich with sweet and/or savory spreads on top!)

I don't normally mix butter and jam, but this was Paris, and I was going to do it the right way. Delish.

Our main dishes were edible works of art: look at the color! The arrangement! The presentation! The deliciousness! The eggs were cooked just as I like them--runny yolks, a dash of cracked pepper, and oh-so-yummy. The fresh parsley and sliced grape tomatoes were delicious pops of color.

Our cafe cremes were rich and piping hot, and we took our time sipping them and planning our last precious hours in Paris.

Oh, the luxury I felt to be sitting IN PARIS with ABF, sipping coffee and watching French people passing by, carrying baguettes and fresh flowers and beautiful purses, and everyone smoking all the while. I felt like I was soaking it all in and archiving each image, and I hope I keep them with me for a long, long time.

Le Pierrot Bistrot
67 Avenue de La Motte Picquet
75015 Paris, France
01 42 73 68 92

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Paris: First Meal!

ABF & I took the Eurostar from London to Paris, so our first steps in the City of Lights were at Paris's Gare du Nord train station. What a gorgeous building! We stepped outside and wandered around the block, taking it all in and trying to decide where to go next.

Conveniently across the street was Le Bareudeur Patient (which I believe translates to something like the enduring soldier). It had outdoor seating and lots of open tables, so we took our luggage in, picked a corner table, and sat down for our first meal in Paris (!!PARIS!!)

ABF is sorely missing iced tea during his stay in England, so he was thrilled to see they had it on the menu. He ordered it and the server asked if he'd like a medium. ABF said yes, and I think he will regret that for many years to come. I'll explain later.

I was in Paris, so it was all about the red wine--yes please! I ordered a glass of Cote du Rhone (of course!) that was 4 or 6 Euros, so about 6 or 8 dollars. Fair enough! It was tart and rich and oh I was in Paris.

In keeping with that theme, I ordered the Croque Monsieur, a ham and cheese sandwich that is toasted and melty and wonderful. The server asked if I wanted frites (fries) or a salad, and I opted for greens.

The salad was a generous mix of leafy greens, radishes, and tomatoes in a light mustardy vinaigrette. Perfection!

ABF ordered the Croque Madame, which is a Croque Monsieur topped with a fried egg. It looked beautiful, and ABF enjoyed it very much. He opted for the frites, which were very tasty, fluffy, wedges. They tasted slightly different--maybe sunflower or some other type of oil we don't normally use? Tres bien!

We enjoyed our meal, although not so much the cigarette smoke from our fellow patrons. I so appreciate that in America you no longer have to hold your breath while trying to eat a meal. Cigarette smoke is a major trigger for my asthma, so judgments aside, it is just plain bad for ME to be around it. While it is generally annoying and smelly and unhealthy, I reminded myself that hey, that's Paris, and quickly got past it. In fact, I enjoyed the very Parisian-ness of it all. :)

When the bill came, I swear ABF's eyes almost popped out of his head, Looney Tunes style. His iced tea was 8 Euros. EIGHT. That's twice the price of my glass of wine, and oh, about twelve dollars. For ICED. TEA. Listen.. I am one of the first people to pipe up if the bill is wrong, or an item rings up incorrectly at the register, and ABF is the opposite. Except in cases as egregious as this. We looked at the wall and saw that a Long Island Iced Tea, or 'Longue Island Iced Tea' (basically Coca-Cola and a crapload of different types of booze) was 50 cents cheaper than his plain iced tea, so ABF thought, vainly, that maybe there was a mixup and they thought he ordered an alcoholic drink. But no, there was no mixup. That's how much iced tea costs in Paris. Ouch.

I was worried that this experience, with its cool service and general disinterest in our horror, would sour ABF on Paris, but as future posts will show, I think it turned out okay. But he never did order iced tea again....

Au Baroudeur Patient
12 Boulevard De Denain
75010 Paris, France
01.48.78.22.94

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Breakfast by Eurostar

ABF & I decided to take the Eurostar train from London to Paris for a long weekend (thanks, Royal Wedding, for the long weekend!) I have always wanted to take the Chunnel--and yes, I know you're not supposed to call it the Chunnel, but ChunnelChunnelChunnel, I just did that.

Our train left from London's St. Pancras station around 8am, and we paid the extra 25 dollars/pp for the middle range seats (not economy and not full-luxury). I wasn't sure it would be worth it, but ABF was convinced, and I'm oh-so-glad I listened to him. We nearly had the car to ourselves--only 2 other couples were in there, and they were blissfully quiet. We each had two-seaters, but the cars were so empty that the staff encouraged us to stretch out in the four-seaters. Don't mind if we do!

As we pulled away from the station, breakfast arrived. Did you see that beautiful tray at the top of this post? I was delighted to see: a flaky, buttery croissant (and I love saying KWAH-sahn), multigrain roll, yogurt, orange juice, and dark, delicious coffee. THIS is the way to go.

Everything was delicious--the croissant was soft and fluffy inside, the tiny jar of jam the perfect pairing.

ABF & I swapped yogurts--he had raspberry and doesn't care for it (it's my favorite!) so I gave him my apricot. Look at that delicate, darling spoon!

This Eurostar ride was one of the highlights of my trip. We'd eat a little, doze a little, nibble a bit more. The staff came by to fill our cups, ask if we needed anything else. When they took our trays, they left behind our coffee cups, which came with these painfully cute doilies, which had an off-center imprint to show where the cup goes. Love.

From start to finish, this ride was bliss. Why would anyone fly to Paris when they can relax on a train and be there in 2 hours? I hope we do it again before ABF moves back from London!!

I'm here!!

I arrived the night before the Royal Wedding, just in time to get a few hours' sleep before the Big Event! ABF & I dressed up and headed towards Buckingham Palace to be amongst the crowds for the Royal Wedding.

We then hopped a train the next morning for Paris (that's where I am in the photo of me with the glass of Cote du Rhone!), where we stayed until Monday night. Now I'm back in London and enjoying a few more days before heading home. I've eaten croissants, drunk cafe creme and French wine, and eaten Indian takeaway from Kevin's favorite shop...but sadly, my computer cable is back in the States...photos are quite delayed!!

I cannot believe how slow and spotty internet service is in the UK & Europe. How in the hell do they get anything done...EVER?? Grumbling aside, I am having a lovely time, and will be sure to update soon. Cheerio!

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London Calling!!!!!! (and Paris, too!)

Stuff I Ate is going global! I am heading out to jolly Old England (just in time for a certain little wedding) to visit ABF. He's working there for a bit, and he just happens to have some days off this week. I'm going to wave at William & Catherine, eat some scones, drink some cider, and soak in all the awesomeness. Then ABF & I are heading to Paris. Oh, Paris. I don't care if it's cliché, I don't care if it's predictable: I can't possibly tell you how much I love that city. Have you ever set foot somewhere, just one foot, and already you knew that you would forever love this place? Yeah, I got that in Paris. And London. And New York. Holy cow I am one blessed chick. So expect lots of great eats from overseas (sorry Britney, my trips to Canada do NOT count as overseas)........SOON!

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