Posted by Robyn Lee, October 8, 2008 at 3:45 PM
I've never been a fan of wasabi—it gives me the sensation that my nasal passages are on fire—but if anyone could make it taste good, it'd be master French pastry chef, Pierre Hermé. Wasabi-flavored macarons are a part of his fall pastry line, found at his shops in Paris and Tokyo. He just opened a new shop last month in Paris at 4 rue Cambon, in case Parisians need another reason to get to Pierre Hermé (not that they should).
Can't get to his shops in Paris or Japan? Maybe you can get some help from his recently released macaron recipe book, Macaron. It's available at amazon.fr for €28.41 ($39.22).
Related
Introduction to French Macarons
Where to Find Macarons
How to Make Macarons
Interview With Macaron Specialist Dorie Greenspan
Posted by Ed Levine, September 20, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Back in the prehistoric age, when I was an aspiring food writer, I had an idea for a book about New York food that was inspired by the great Patricia Wells' brilliant Food Lover's Guide to Paris.
Though Wells has updated that book a few times, she has not done so for quite some time. That's why I've enjoyed reading Alexander Lobrano's Hungry for Paris. Lobrano, who is the European correspondent for Gourmet magazine, has written an intensely personal yet extremely informative guide to his 102 favorite restaurants in Paris.
We're giving away three (3) copies of Hungry for Paris. All you have to do is tell us your favorite restaurant or cafe in Paris.
Contest will end and comments will close at noon ET, Monday, September 22, 2008. One entry per community member. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Sarah Wolf, August 18, 2008 at 1:45 PM
Though not by any means a quintessentially Parisian food, falafel sandwiches from the hip Paris neighborhood known as the Marais have become a must-eat tourist destination. No wonder—not only is falafel one of the best foods ever invented, but these messy pita sandwiches are a key opportunity to eat on the Paris street without garnering dirty looks from the locals. But which falafel place should you choose? There are three famous options within a block of each other, and serious falafel eaters have strong opinions about which one is the best. Here are the options.
L'As du Falafel
Paris's most famous falafel joint, this restaurant is item number two on David Lebovitz's list of 10 Insanely Delicious Things You Shouldn't Miss in Paris—pretty high praise from a discerning Paris blogger. Lunch here is definitely an experience, not just because of the sandwich; it has the longest line, the most boisterous staff, and photos of Lenny Kravitz (apparently a loyal customer) on the walls. The falafel, hefty and drenched in tahini and intense in general, matches the zany ambiance. It's definitely good and probably worth getting just for the fun of it, but as falafel goes it's a little bit much for me. 34, rue des Rosiers, 75004, 4th Arrondissement, Paris, France (map); 01 48 87 63 60
Continue reading »
Posted by Sarah Wolf, August 15, 2008 at 2:00 PM
Even Parisians need to eat five-minute meals sometimes. And when they do, they head to Picard Surgelés, the French chain store specializing in gourmet frozen foods.
The History of Picard
Founded in 1906 as a refrigerating company called Les Glacières de Fontainebleau, Picard opened its first food store in Paris in 1974 and now owns 730 frosty supermarkets all over France. It even operates a home delivery service for customers in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Barcelona. In fact, the brand is so ubiquitous that I didn't have to go further than a five-minute walk from my apartment to find my local branch—perhaps a strange choice for my last lunch in Paris, but after a friend repeatedly insisted that their microwaveable paella was the best food he'd ever eaten, I figured I had to check it out.
Frozen Food Surprises
Browsing the large freezer bins, I found all the items one might expect from the frozen food aisle. Vegetables? Sure. Microwavable pizzas? Absolutely. Ice cream? Of course! But the sleek, ultramodern supermarket also carried a number of surprises like frozen cooking herbs, figs, rabbit, pork confit, cheese, and sushi. I even found deep-frozen macarons, though it was hard to imagine how they could possibly reheat well.
Continue reading »
Posted by Sarah Wolf, August 13, 2008 at 5:45 PM
Despite appearances, this treat from Patisserie Sadaharu Aoki is not a tiny green hamburger attached to a giant ball of moss. It's actually a matcha and adzuki duomo, a green tea-flavored (matcha) ball of creamy goodness containing a shell filled with sweet red bean paste (adzuki), with a miniature matcha macaron stuck on the side. It's one of the most incredible taste sensations I've ever experienced, a perfect blend of two sophisticated culinary traditions. The delicate, crispy textures, the creaminess, and the sweetness are all classically French, but the flavors are unquestionably Japanese—a melding of Aoki's Tokyo roots and his Paris influences.
Sadaharu Aoki
35 Rue de Vaugirard, 75006, 6th Arrondissement, Paris, France (map)
01 45 44 48 90
sadaharuaoki.com
Posted by Sarah Wolf, August 12, 2008 at 2:45 PM
Some squeamish people may think eating snails is gross, but it seems beside the point to me—I would probably eat a slug if it were served with enough butter and garlic.
The escargot from L'Escargot Montorgueil, a classic snail joint in the center of Paris, is a little pricey—six of their cheapest snails cost €9, or about $15, for exactly six mouthfuls of food (blame it on the snail shortage). But it was entirely worth the damage to my student budget for the experience of eating with one of those dainty gold forks and sopping up the delicious sauce with hot, crusty bread. Oh, I guess there were also snails.
L'Escargot Montorgueil
38 Rue Montorgueil, 76001, 1st Arrondissement, Paris, France (map)
01 42 36 83 51
escargot-montorgueil.com
Posted by Sarah Wolf, August 9, 2008 at 3:00 PM
It was the cheapest thing on the menu and also something I meant to eat in Israel last summer but forgot, so the shakshouka was my obvious lunch choice at the Paris Mosque café. With one egg perfectly poached in a liquidy sauce of spiced tomatoes, peppers and onions, the dish was everything I could have hoped for in a light lunch. It also came with a basket of white bread with nigella seeds - my favorite seeds ever - for dipping and mopping. On top of all this, the waiter, who kept calling me "princess," didn't charge me for the hazelnut cookie I had for dessert because I was "so charming." The one downside to the meal was the flock of birds that kept trying to eat my cookie (my table was in a courtyard). Fortunately the cookie quickly disappeared, and the birds followed suit.
Restaurant de la Mosquée de Paris
39 rue Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 75005, 5th Arrondissement, Paris, France (map)
01 45 35 97 33
Open daily, 12 to 3 p.m. and 7 to 10:30 p.m.
Posted by Sarah Wolf, August 7, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Superstar intern Sarah Wolf just got back from a summer study in Paris, where she ate seriously, of course. This is the first of her snapshots from the City of Lights. —Adam
Gérard Mulot and their croque monsieur.
See that little fleck of green in this warm, crispy croque monsieur from renowned patisserie Gérard Mulot, peeking out from inside the ham, melted cheese and butter-drenched toast? Yes, in the midst of all the delicious fat, that is indeed a vegetable—zucchini, to be exact. Thanks to its added crunch and its ability to convince me that it was somehow counteracting the damage the other ingredients were doing to my arteries, the zucchini helped establish this as the best sandwich—if not necessarily the best lunch—I had in Paris. I devoured it in the Jardin du Luxembourg, the big beautiful garden a few blocks from the patisserie, while sitting on a lounge chair and looking out at the trees and the pond. Following it with one of Mulot's incredible lemon tarts didn't hurt the meal, either.
If you can't buy the genuine article in Paris, try to make your own!
Gérard Mulot
76 Rue de Seine, 75006, 6th Arrondissement, Paris, France (map)
01 43 26 85 77
gerard-mulot.com
Posted by Robyn Lee, March 20, 2008 at 11:00 AM
If you're in Paris, today is the day to visit Pierre Hermé and grab some free macarons, along with help raise money to treat rare diseases. (And if you don't live in Paris, don't even try to find anything as good as Pierre's macarons; you will fail.)
To celebrate the third-annual Macaron Day, Pierre Hermé shops are offering three free macarons plus a special raspberry chocolate macaron to raise money for Fédération des Maladies Orphelines (an organization dedicated to treating rare diseases). To donate money to the organization, buy one or more red macarons. I recommend shooting for "more"—besides that it's for a charitable cause, any excuse to eat lots of macarons sounds good to me.
Previously
Introduction to French Macarons
Where to Find Macarons
How to Make Macarons
Interview with Macaron Specialist Dorie Greenspan
In preparation for your trip to "the city of love," check out these romantic restaurant recommendations in Paris from David Lebovitz and his readers.
Posted by Robyn Lee, February 13, 2008 at 6:30 PM
Photograph from Sara Rosso on Flickr
Caramel macarons from Paris's Ladurée stand out from the rest because they're filled with pure, gooey caramel instead of the more widely used caramel cream. If you need any more reason to visit Paris, stare into the heart of the macaron's "money shot," taken by Sara Rosso.
Previously: Sara takes beautiful photos of pretty much everything, such as this sliced pear and Nutella. If you don't know what macarons are, be sure to read our introduction to French macarons.
Posted by Robyn Lee, February 12, 2008 at 3:30 PM
There's no lack of good food in Paris, but after prolonged gorging on all those buttery. flaky pastries and crusty baguettes you might just to crawl back into the sweet, deep-fried ring of a good ol' American-style doughnut. The answer to your Parisian doughnut woes may be found at Coffee Union, which currently offers 13 types of doughnuts. At €14.90 for a dozen doughnuts (or $1.80 per doughnut), those doughnuts ought to be pretty damn tasty, or you better have an intense doughnut craving. Coffee Union also sells sandwiches, bagels, smoothies, and cheesecake, and offers free wifi. [via Girl and the City]
Coffee Union
Address: 11 Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire, 75003 Paris, France (map)
Phone: 01 42 77 51 99
Website: coffeeunion.fr
Related: Through March 1, Delkographik is presenting a "Doughnuts Party" art exhibition in Paris featuring doughnut-related artwork from more than 30 artists around the world.
Posted by Robyn Lee, November 1, 2007 at 7:00 PM
La Petite Americaine came across a shocking item at her local Parisian supermarket: pre-poached eggs. Because there just isn't enough time to leave an egg in a pot of simmering water for three minutes these days.
Of course, she couldn't get away with being in the presence of poached eggs-in-a-box without actually trying them. So she did, with questionable results.
Posted by Robyn Lee, October 23, 2007 at 4:00 PM
Inside Pierre Hermé's two stores in Paris.
There are many places where you can find macarons. As for where to find the best macarons, that's an easy question to answer: Paris.
Even though I haven't eaten all the macarons in the world (not that I'd mind trying, if anyone out there would like to sponsor me to go on such an adventure), I can't imagine finding macaron better than the ones safely tucked away in Pierre Hermé's chic patisserie. His haven of sugary enlightenment more resembles a high-end jewelry shop than a place to buy your morning croissant (which was one of the best croissants I've ever eaten).
Actually, it'd be more accurate to say that the best macarons are found at Pierre Hermé, not necessarily in Paris, for he has four locations in Tokyo. Not just four locations in Japan, but four locations in one city. This fact alone would make Tokyo the city I'd most want to live in, right after Paris. It also makes Tokyo the city most likely to make me very poor and fat, right after Paris.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robyn Lee, October 9, 2007 at 10:00 AM
While living the high life on her extended vacation in Paris, Carol Gillot of Paris Breakfasts went on a tour of famed pâtisserie Gérard Mulot's kitchen. As the pâtisserie is known for its wide array of French macarons, it's no surprise that Gillot documented the macaron-making process. Now, where can I get a sextuple-nozzled macaron batter dispenser?
Posted by Robyn Lee, July 11, 2007 at 6:00 PM
Working at Paris-based Pierre Hermé, one of best patisseries in the world, is a joy that few of us are qualified to experience but many of us are curious to learn about. Thankfully, Fanny of foodbeam possesses the culinary prowess required to intern at the patisserie for the next 7 weeks and like any good food blogger is diligently documenting the experience. Her first week round up is loaded with beautiful photos and kitchen commentary that should interest any dessert lover or Pierre Hermé groupie (I being one of them), possibly resulting in uncontrollable drooling while staring into the hearts of the meticulously crafted creations.
If you ever visit Paris and have a penchant for sweets, you absolutely cannot pass up Pierre Hermé. Not unless you want to deny your taste buds of utmost bliss.
Posted by Robyn Lee, June 15, 2007 at 5:30 PM
Eric of Paris Daily Photo snapped a shot of this year's "flashmob in white" where more than 7,500 people gathered in front of the Arc de Triomphe for a three-hour dinner. France24 has more information:
Police arrived 10 minutes later but could do little but stand and watch as what organizers say was a crowd of 7,500 munched and sipped wine on what is usually one of the busiest traffic spots in Paris.
The venue of the yearly "dinner in white" is always kept secret until the last possible minute, with a second location ready in case police prevent diners from making it to the first.
I'll acquire a white outfit for next year if someone could tell me how to get invited to one of these things.
Posted by Ed Levine, May 29, 2007 at 6:30 PM
Food & Wine's Jane Sigal, who really knows her stuff when it comes to eating in Paris (she worked for Patricia Wells for years), chimed in with a terrific list of reasonably priced places to eat in Paris two years ago. I somehow missed this list when it came out in the magazine, so I was happy when it reappeared on the F&W website. Who else is a good go-to person for Paris eating?
Blogger extraordinaire David Lebovitz, of course. We're going to be featuring Dave's nifty new book, The Perfect Scoop
, in a future Cook the Book.
Posted by Adam Kuban, May 4, 2007 at 6:30 PM
David Lebovitz says, "Here's my address book for the most popular, and my favorite places for ice cream in Paris," and proceeds to list six top glaciers and what he likes to order at each, plus the names and addresses of four more he's heard about but has yet to try. There's possibly no one else whose opinion on this I'd trust more, as he lives in Paris, is the author of the cookbook Perfect Scoop, and his recipe for Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream is supposed to be better than that of Berthillon, which is regarded as the best ice cream maker in the world. Consider it a list you must print out when visiting Paris!
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, April 30, 2007 at 7:04 AM
Mark Bittman's tour of Parisian steak frites joints was a vicariously pleasurable read, and I found myself trying to come up with an excuse to fly to Paris to try each and every one of them. Maybe we need to do an all Paris week on Serious Eats. What do you think?
As mouthwatering as the story was, he didn't really explain the differences between French beef and American beef. The French generally don't age their meat, so you don't get that fantastic minerally flavor the best dry-aged prime beef has in the States. I may be wrong, but they don't grade meat over there, and I don't think they serve much in the way of what we call prime meat here. After the jump, some entries from his list, and my own recommendation.
Continue reading »
Posted by Lia Bulaong, April 16, 2007 at 6:16 PM
Gridskipper's Amanda Kludt put together a list of ten places to eat late in Paris, for people like myself who need to get something to eat after midnight in between bars lest we pass out.
Kludt on Pied de Cochon: "This 50-year-old restaurant specializes in piggie parts, and they serve them 24 hours a day. They are one of the most famous brasseries in Paris and manage to have a pretty steady patronage even in the wee hours. Try the pig snout, the pig tail, or if that's a bit much for you, a large pile of shellfish." I know where I'm going the next time I'm out drinking in Paris!
Posted by Lia Bulaong, March 28, 2007 at 3:30 PM
Fodor's introduces its Ten Commandments of Paris Dining by saying "the rituals of dining in Paris are far less complex than, say, in Japan, but observing these few principles will increase your chances of obtaining good service," but I think all except numbers two and ten apply to restaurants all over the planet, and for ten, you really only need to find the appropriate word to use.
My favorite is Commandment No. 7, "Thou shalt avoid awkward requests: Salad dressing on the side, omelettes without egg yolks, well-done steaks—when a chef takes pride in his work, these things make him bristle. Try to save this type of request for cafés."
From talking to people in the industry, I know that waiters will think less of you and so will the kitchen, and even in the best of restaurants in the world, you and your dining companions may receive lesser service and lesser food because of your fussiness, so just stop already. If you think about it, one of the most beautiful things about eating at a restaurant is that what arrives at your table is the result of someone's life's work, so if you can't do them the honor of letting them do what they do best, maybe you should be eating elsewhere instead. (Food allergies are of course the exception to the rule; any restaurant worth your time and money should and will bend over backwards to make sure you enjoy your meal!)
Posted by Lia Bulaong, March 20, 2007 at 10:30 AM
Serious Eats intern Robyn, a.k.a. The Girl Who Ate Everything, is finally back from Paris and brought delicious macarons into the office today—that I cannot eat because I'm working from home today. Alas. The opportunity for me to go in and get one has passed, but it's not too late for you to read about her recent adventures in France:
1) First Bites in Paris: "When one of my friends told me to eat a green macaron for her in Paris, she was probably referring to those of the pistachio flavored kind. Instead, the first green macaron I ate during my vacation was flavored with the fatty squeezings of olives and a hint of vanilla, borne from the incomparably distinctive kitchen of Pierre Hermé who I believe makes the best macarons in Paris."
2) Salads and Baguettes of Greatness: "They're known for making crazy salads in bowls the size of babies' bathtubs that defy convention by consisting of a mountain of thick, garlic-laden fried potato rounds on a bed of lettuce and other salad items that wouldn't taste nearly as awesome without potato suffocation. For those unrestricted by a vegetarian diet, the salad may also include fat-laden things of animal origins such as tuna, lardons, smoked duck or foie gras."
3) Sorbet and Gelato: Part of a Balanced Diet, Kind Of: "Although my soul usually writhes in horror at the idea of not getting a creamy, dairy-based flavor, my body screamed for something with fruit or at least a slight presence of beneficial nutritional value."
4) Falafel + Marshmallows = Lunch: "It may not be Lenny Kravitz approved (although how that become the gold standard for a great falafel I have no idea), but it's at least Robyn and Meg approved, which must count for something."
Posted by Lia Bulaong, March 19, 2007 at 1:28 PM
Recently in Travel + Leisure Magazine, Linda Dannenberg lists eight of the best boulangeries in Paris according to a specialty: croissants, sourdough loaves, miche, baguettes, pain au raisins, pain au chocolat, croissants aux amandes and fougasse.
[via roboppy del.icio.us]
Posted by Robyn Lee, March 16, 2007 at 11:41 AM
By Robyn Lee | I don't know how L'as du Falafel can be considered the best falafel in Paris when Mi-Va-Mi sits right across the street. It may not be Lenny Kravitz approved (although how that become the gold standard for a great falafel I have no idea), but it's at least Robyn and Meg approved, which must count for something.
Mi-Va-Mi's falafel pita sandwich stuffs light, crispy deep fried balls of seasoned ground chickpea in a soft, fluffy, chewy pita along with melty eggplant chunks that are reminiscent of butter and what seems to be an entire head of chopped pickled red cabbage. It would be better with more falafel and eggplant magic and less crunchy cabbage action, but it's still really damn good and easily one of the tastiest falafels I've ever eaten.
After chowing down on falafels my friend and I went to the nearby Boulangerie Malineau. While my original plan was just to get a pain au chocolat, my stomach gurgled at the sight of the fluffy multicolored marshmallow sticks and my friend and I ended up sharing a pain au chocolat and a coconut marshmallow in the small square on rue du Bourg-Tibourg off rue de Rivoli. The pain au chocolat was alright, but the marshmallow left us craving more. The mildly coconut flavored marshmallow reminded us of some kind of coconut flavored Asian dessert, but you know...better because it's in the form of a marshmallow. And not one of those cube or cylindrical pillow-shaped things, but like five baby marshmallows congealed together in one long beautiful plank for a grand total of 70 centimes.
I went back to the bakery today and bought one of each flavor.
Mi-Va-Mi
27 rue des Ecouffes, 4ème
Boulangerie Malineau
18 rue Vieille du Temple, 4ème
Robyn Lee is interning at Serious Eats for the semester. Like what you've read here? See more at The Girl Who Ate Everything.
Posted by Robyn Lee, March 15, 2007 at 2:20 PM
By Robyn Lee | After a failed early afternoon trip to Gelati d’Alberto which didn't open until 3 PM, my friend Jessie and I went to Damman's Glacier for dessert after scarfing down some sadly sub-par gyros at Saint Michel. Although my soul usually writhes in horror at the idea of not getting a creamy, dairy-based flavor, my body screamed for something with fruit or at least a slight presence of beneficial nutritional value. Of course, strawberry basil sorbet isn't exactly recommended by doctors; it just seemed less doom-full than Jessie's orange chocolate ice cream. A hint of basil mixed with strawberry made for a refreshing dessert, but it would've been better if the "small" wasn't the size of a baby's fist.
Then again, if the portion hadn't been so small then sampling the goods at Delizefollie would've been more difficult for my bloated stomach. We tried a generously filled small cup of pistachio, which I use as the standard "IS THIS PLACE AWESOME?" flavor to judge a place on, and caramel, which the gelateria named "MOO". I could smell the roasted nutty flavor of the muted yellow-green pistachio before it even hit my mouth—it definitely passed the "awesome" test. The caramel flavor was subtle, but enhanced by small chunks of creamy caramel. I also sampled the mint which, as the odd sea-green color forewarned me, wasn't made with real mint. (I think a good rule to follow is "skip colors that are not naturally occurring".) I'd still pick Pozzetto over Deliziefoliie, but Deliziefollie is better if you want more flavor choices, larger portions, a view of the magically fluffy mountains of gelato, and a place to sit right outside the shop.
Damman's Glacier
1 rue des Grands Degrés, 5ème
Deliziefollie
7 rue Montorgueil, 1ème
Robyn Lee is interning at Serious Eats for the semester. Like what you've read here? See more at The Girl Who Ate Everything.
Posted by Robyn Lee, March 14, 2007 at 10:30 AM
By Robyn Lee | I returned to one of my favorite restaurants, Le Relais Gascon, upon the request for a place that served French food, was vegetarian friendly, didn't cost a bucketload, and could fit a group of six. They're known for making crazy salads in bowls the size of babies' bathtubs that defy convention by consisting of a mountain of thick, garlic-laden fried potato rounds on a bed of lettuce and other salad items that wouldn't taste nearly as awesome without potato suffocation. For those unrestricted by a vegetarian diet, the salad may also include fat-laden things of animal origins such as tuna, lardons, smoked duck or foie gras. Say hello to the most delicious and thus least healthy salad ever.
On Sunday morning I took a few friends to Gosselin, picked by Travel + Leisure as having the best baguettes in Paris. Being open on a Sunday when many other places were closed was also a draw that may have contributed to the long line outside its door aside from the award-winning baguettes. My friends and I dug into our carb-laden treasures while sitting on a bench in the inner courtyard of the nearby Louvre. While the baguette was delicious with its thick, crispy crust and soft, chewy innards, the members of the non-baguette family didn't fare as well. The croissant was disappointingly so-so for being too dense and missing the crucial light, explodingly flaky outer layer, and the pain aux raisins just tasted too dry. Definitely try a baguette, but it may be best to get your viennoiseries elsewhere.
Le Relais Gascon
6 Rue des Abbesses, 18ème
Gosselin
125 Rue St.-Honoré, 1ème
Robyn Lee is interning at Serious Eats for the semester. Like what you've read here? See more at The Girl Who Ate Everything.
Posted by Robyn Lee, March 13, 2007 at 11:15 AM
By Robyn Lee | When one of my friends told me to eat a green macaron for her in Paris, she was probably referring to those of the pistachio flavored kind. Instead, the first green macaron I ate during my vacation was flavored with the fatty squeezings of olives and a hint of vanilla, borne from the incomparably distinctive kitchen of Pierre Hermé who I believe makes the best macarons in Paris. What did it taste like? Well...olive oil, if it had the texture of a solid, creamy ganache surrounded by lightly chewy macaron cookies. The first bite was oddly delicious, but after getting over the not exactly surprising shock of, "Oh my god, this reallllly tastes like olive oil," my tastebuds felt like they were hit by a bomb stuffed to 1000% capacity with olive-based fat. Unless you love olive oil to the point that you drink it straight, it's best to share Hermé's nugget of fat with another olive oil lover.
But you do have to try it. Don't be a wimp.
Until additional gelato hunting tells me otherwise, my favorite gelateria in Paris is Pozzetto. My two friends and I each forked over 3€ for a small cone or cup (which they will fill with more than one flavor if you want, but considering the baby-fist size of the portion I'd stick to one or two) of their creamy and intensely flavored gelato. I immediately went for my favorite flavor, pistachio, while my friends chose the lighter pear and kiwi. The fruit flavors tend to be stronger than the nutty ones, but the cioccolato fondente is probably the most, "Ohhh baby, I need this now," inducing. Since they only carry 12 flavors at once it's easy to try all of them if you visit enough times and order large sizes, both of which I would recommend doing.
Pierre Hermé
72 rue Bonaparte, 6ème
185 rue de Vaugirard, 15ème
Pozzetto
39 rue du Roi de Sicile, 4ème
21 rue de Levis, 17ème
Robyn Lee is interning at Serious Eats for the semester. Like what you've read here? See more at The Girl Who Ate Everything.
Posted by Lia Bulaong, March 6, 2007 at 5:13 PM
Serious Eats intern extraordinaire Robyn, whom you probably know better as the Girl Who Ate Everything, spent last semester in Paris and is going back later this week on her spring break. It might not be comprehensive but her short guide to the City of Lights is certainly très charmant, and there is probably no one I trust more to tell me where the best macaron in all the arrondisements is. If you've got tasty foods and good restaurants to suggest for her upcoming trip (or an idea of the perfect souvenir for her to bring back for me!), please by all means leave a comment.
Posted by Ed Levine, February 9, 2007 at 9:00 AM
photo credit: iStockphoto.com
Other than New York, I probably get asked more for Paris restaurant recommendations than for any other city. I usually just send people to patriciawells.com and davidlebovitz.com, because I trust their judgment. They both live in Paris, and they both have steered me and many of my friends and family right many times. But when I go to Paris, I like to be armed with a few specific recommendations that I can act on. That's where a trusted pal comes in handy. My friend and sometime collaborator Kathryn Kellinger and her husband, Balthazar co-chef Lee Hansen, just returned from Paris and filed this report:
Continue reading »
Posted by Lia Bulaong, January 31, 2007 at 3:55 PM
David Lebovitz likes the 2007 edition of Time Out Paris: Eating and Drinking, and he lives there, so he should know! It's great to be able to find restaurants by cuisine or arrondisement, but my favorite parts of guidebooks are always the sidebars "directing you to gastronomic specialties around town; where to find cheese, ice cream, or where to take a wine tasting."
Posted by Ed Levine, July 18, 2006 at 4:58 PM
In this month's Food & Wine Anya Von Bremzen interviewed Francois Simon, Le Figaro's Grand Reporter, who according to Vom Bremzen is a "provocateur who uses his whimsically poisonous prose to shake up the ossified world of French haute cuisine, and the ferocious expense and acrid snobbery that goes with it." My friend Steingarten knows and respects Simon very much, so I tend to trust his judgment as well.
Here are a few of his picks:
- Gaya: 44 rue du Bac, 7th Arr.: 011-33-1-45-44-73-73: Three star chef's inventive, casual new fish restaurant.
- Le Bistrot Paul Bert: 18 Rue Paul Bert, 11th Arr.: 011-33-1-43-72-24-01. Great insider's bistro.
- Bakery: Boulangerie Julien (75 Rue St. Honore, 1st Arr., 011-33-1-42-36-24-83. Baguettes and croissants.
For the rest go to Food & Wine
Posted by Ed Levine, February 20, 2006 at 1:09 PM
My brother Mike just got back from a long weekend in Paris (lucky him) and because he is as obsessed with food as I am, he immediately called us to tell me about two great meals he had. Le Severo is a tiny bistro that specializes in great aged Limousin beef, saucisson and frites. Those are all the major Levine food groups in one meal. Need I say more? Perhaps to counteract the effects of all the aforementioned animal fat he and his wife Carol also went to a really simple fish restaurant, Cagouille. He found both restaurants on Patricia Wells' website. Wells is the restaurant critic at the International Tribune and a terrific cookbook writer. Her Food Lover's Guide to Paris
was one of the inspirations for my own New York Eats. The website is quite comprehensive when it comes to restaurants in Paris (both casual and formal), but what I miss on the website are her write-ups of bakeries and chocolatiers, which to me made her book truly swing. Otherwise the site is a superb resource and reference for Paris food.
