Paris, France

A friend is crossing the pond later this month.
 
I'm wondering if I can direct her to anyplace Roadfoody.  Out there.
 
I know nothing about Paris ... They say it's the best city in the world ... better than LA ??? ... Better than NYC ??? ... Better than New Haven ???

I went to Paris a couple of summer ago--some of my info is here:
http://www.roadfood.com/F...amp;high=paris+quijote
I thought I posted pics and a more thorough review, but didn't come across them.... I'll keep looking.
 
Overall, my favorite "roadfoody" experience was to go to the many outdoor street markets around the city. We went to the Mouffetard market (in the Latin Quarter) pretty regularly for local and regional cheeses, charcuterie, olives, fruits and veggies, bread, wine, etc. We had at least one "picnic" (back at the hotel room, usually) almost every day. At the market near the Bastille, don't pass up the chickens roasting on spits (and the potatoes cooking in the dripping fat). At the northside market in the main muslim neighborhood, look for great kebabs and other meats cooked on the grill. One of my favorite meals in Paris was at a tiny Moroccan restaurant; we had incredible lamb and chicken tagine with couscous, vegetables, etc. I'll look for the name of the place and report back.
 
A couple of other great things that come to mind: the ice cream (gelato and sorbet) at Berthillon. It's some of the best I've ever had--the fruit versions are fresh and intense.... There are plenty of streetside crepe stands to grab a sweet or savory crepe.... There's a restaurant near Les Halles called Les Montagnards--it's relatively inexpensive and serves the rustic cuisine of Savoy, a mountainous region west of Switzerland. I had a delicious lardon, potato, and reblochon casserole there.... Back in the Latin Quarter, on Rue Mouffetard, there was a pretty good place called Mouff'tot Mouff'tard--not particularly cheap, but it offered a good variety of national dishes like escargot, provencal mussels, etc.... If your friend is adventurous, there's a little restaurant near Notre Dame called Ribouldingue: they specialize in offal dishes. We rather enjoyed it, though we're still quite timid when it comes to organ meats and such. It's a bit expensive, but really does refined work with some of the most rustic eats you can get.
 
And there are many more places we never got to.... Sometimes it pays off just to take a chance and try a place out.

Okay, here's the link to my report.
 
Exact names and other info on places can be found on the thread--the Moroccan place is Villa du Poulbot. But tell your friend not to miss the markets--they're phenomenal. The Muslim market takes place in the Barbes neighborhood; it's quite sensational.

quijote


I went to Paris a couple of summer ago--some of my info is here:
http://www.roadfood.com/F...amp;high=paris+quijote
I thought I posted pics and a more thorough review, but didn't come across them.... I'll keep looking.

Overall, my favorite "roadfoody" experience was to go to the many outdoor street markets around the city. We went to the Mouffetard market (in the Latin Quarter) pretty regularly for local and regional cheeses, charcuterie, olives, fruits and veggies, bread, wine, etc. We had at least one "picnic" (back at the hotel room, usually) almost every day. At the market near the Bastille, don't pass up the chickens roasting on spits (and the potatoes cooking in the dripping fat). At the northside market in the main muslim neighborhood, look for great kebabs and other meats cooked on the grill. One of my favorite meals in Paris was at a tiny Moroccan restaurant; we had incredible lamb and chicken tagine with couscous, vegetables, etc. I'll look for the name of the place and report back.

A couple of other great things that come to mind: the ice cream (gelato and sorbet) at Berthillon. It's some of the best I've ever had--the fruit versions are fresh and intense.... There are plenty of streetside crepe stands to grab a sweet or savory crepe.... There's a restaurant near Les Halles called Les Montagnards--it's relatively inexpensive and serves the rustic cuisine of Savoy, a mountainous region west of Switzerland. I had a delicious lardon, potato, and reblochon casserole there.... Back in the Latin Quarter, on Rue Mouffetard, there was a pretty good place called Mouff'tot Mouff'tard--not particularly cheap, but it offered a good variety of national dishes like escargot, provencal mussels, etc.... If your friend is adventurous, there's a little restaurant near Notre Dame called Ribouldingue: they specialize in offal dishes. We rather enjoyed it, though we're still quite timid when it comes to organ meats and such. It's a bit expensive, but really does refined work with some of the most rustic eats you can get.

And there are many more places we never got to.... Sometimes it pays off just to take a chance and try a place out.

Sadly, since the rebuild, so many links just don't work.
This is such a link.
Can anybody help?
 

Gregg, If you do a search with the terms "paris" and "ribouldingue," you'll find the link to my trip report. For the pre-trip thread, just do a search using "quijote" and "paris."

wheregreggeats.com


A friend is crossing the pond later this month.

I'm wondering if I can direct her to anyplace Roadfoody.  Out there.

I know nothing about Paris ... They say it's the best city in the world ... better than LA ??? ... Better than NYC ??? ... Better than New Haven ???

 
Obviously THEY have never been to Pittston!
 
Sorry Greg

I was in Paris a couple of years ago in February.  I was speaking at a conference at UNESCO, and they put me up in a hotel near there. It was a modest place, but had a great view of the Eiffel Tower (especially at night).
 
It might seem counterintuitive, but the area around UNESCO HQ has a wide variety of restaurants, many of which are definitely neighborhood bistros.  Not touristy at all, and with great French food at very reasonable prices (especially if you order the plat du jour).
 
And the patisseries had wonderful bread and pastries, again, catering to a residential neighborhood.
 
I agree that going to the markets is an experience not to be missed.    
 
Gratuitous recommendation: an off-beat museum that I thoroughly enjoyed -- the Maritime Museum.  Among other things, it has one of Napoleon's barges.  http://www.musee-marine.fr/site/fr/accueil-musee-national-de-la-marine

Gregg, it looks like "quijote" and "ribouldingue" don't lead to my trip report thread after all. But if you search with "brief retrospective paris" you should get it.

Here is a link to the Paris portion of my report from last year. http://www.mightymac.org/london2010/10UK14.htm Pleanty of photos of the restaurants and dishes, including some of the menus.

The best hot chocolate in the world can be found here: http://www.biteofthebest.com/angelinas-hot-chocolate/

Every time we visit Paris, we eat at Le Souffle'. Located near the Louvre, this quaint little restaurant serves absolutely fantastic souffles. Their dessert souffles are to die for. My favorite is the Grand Marnier dessert souffle. Don't miss this place. Paris has many great restaurants, however, we enjoy shopping at the small local stores and markets for bread, cheese, fruit, pastry, and wine. Some of these places make the most amazing sandwiches I've ever
eaten.
 
Le Souffle'
36 rue Du Mont Thabor
Paris, France
http://www.lesouffle.fr

Mr. Rushmore, I totally agree with you about the hot chocolate. We were having that on our last trip to Paris, and while sitting there enjoying that, I glanced up, and there, looking in the front window at the pastries, were Sean Connery and his wife Micheline. A double treat since I have always been a huge fan of his. He had on a hat and dark glasses, but I would have known him anywhere!

Try Chez Roger a la Grenouille, 48 rue des Grands Augustins. 

Boulangerie Poilane on Rue Cherche Midi, near St. Germain.  Its the oldest and probably the most famous bakery in Paris and hasn't changed much in the last couple hundred years, though the owner Lionel Poilane (died in a helicopter accident about 8 years back) opened a larger commercial facility near the airport awhile ago.  Baking is still done in a wood fired oven in the cellar that is basically a cave carved out of the Parisian limestone bedrock.  The bread is unique (pain de campagne, not baguettes).  Not a restaurant, but you can get small items to go (tartes au pommes, pains de noix, pains au raisin, sables).  I worked there about 40 years ago, still have the painting Lionel's father Pierre gave me.

Thanks.  Friend is out there now.
 
She was pretty happy with input.
 
Thanks again.