Predictable, with a Bonus! Thursday, 7 November

I am SO predictable.  But that’s a good thing, right?!?  

Here I am, enjoying my traditional pre-flight burger and fries at Stone Arch, and especially lovin' the wonderful metroNOME Belgian Golden Ale that they now have on tap here.  Thank you, metroNOME Brewery!  (If you don’t know this brewpub-with-a-mission, check them out! https://www.metronomebrewery.com/about-us-1)  

Duck, Duck (forget the Goose!) - Sunday, 30 July

My favorite brasserie fare is confit de canard:  duck leg/thigh marinated in salt, sugar and some liqueurs, and then slowly roasted in duck fat, then transferred to a deep container and completely submerged in the fat, and then refrigerated to age for a few weeks.  When it's time to eat, it's pulled from the fat, warmed and crisped under a broiler, and served with fried or sautéed potatoes and a salad.  Hooo boy, it doesn't get much better than this!  

Somehow I hadn't had it this trip before today.  The quality does vary a bit, but this was very tasty, and just about three blocks from home at Brasserie Les Philosophes!

Les Philosophes - tasty food and a buzzing street scene at 28, rue Vieille du Temple, in the 4th arrondissement.

Ah, the Restorative Powers... - Wednesday, 26 July

My afternoon “coffee” break (actually more of a restoration break!).  French fries, Belgian beer, American ketchup (those are Heinz packets).  Just call me a citizen of the world!

Those Restorative Nibbles are So Important when You're Out & About! - Tuesday, 31 January

Just a few little restorative nibbles for lunch today.  (Ha ha - could have fed a family of five on this!)

Very tasty!  Foot traffic was a bit light on rue de Rivoli, so one of the waiters was outside calling “Bonjour, madame” etc. to the passers-by.  I succumbed.  Glad I did.

Not Far for Caviar! - Thursday, 6 October

A block from my apartment is a deli selling caviar, smoked salmon, other smoked and preserved fish, fish patés/rillettes, blinis, Scandinavian-style rye/seed breads, and a ton of accompaniments.  They also have sandwiches and salads to go and sidewalk tables.  Yipee!  

So, as one does, I thought I’d celebrate Thursday with a lovely glass of Champagne and smoked salmon with crème fraiche, lemon, and a blini for lunch.  Spectacular!

A bee kept buzzing me while I was trying to eat, and finally he settled down on a bit of the salmon, so I let him enjoy it.  He was really chowing down!

I didn’t spring for caviar this time, but if you join me on some future trip I’ll split an order with you! (This is the placemat menu at the sidewalk tables - click on it for a larger image.)

https://www.kaviari.fr/fr/

Merveilleux! - Monday, 3 October

 

Ethereal, sweet, crunchy, Merveilleux!  These little "cakes" contain a base of baked meringue, a thin layer of custard or pastry cream, and a mound of whipped cream (all customized to a particular flavor), and are rolled in little chunks of meringue or chocolate shavings or nuts.  How did I only recently read about these delicacies?!?  There are eleven Au Merveilleux de Fred shops in Paris, and one of them is right across the street from me.  Danger, danger!

The mini Merveilleux were available in 6 flavors today.  I chose three (chocolate, hazelnut and caramel) and am eating the caramel one with my afternoon coffee.  They're made fresh throughout the day, and they recommend that you eat them within 48 hours of buying them.  No worries!  

(BTW, they come as full cakes, individual cakes, and the minis.  The minis are 2 euros each.  They do evaporate on your tongue, but still...what a bargain!)

https://auxmerveilleux.com/en/3-our-products

Must try my hand at making some!  (P.S. Wouldn't you just know it, Dorie Greenspan published a recipe in her blog on 3 November!  https://doriegreenspan.substack.com/p/marveling-at-the-petites-merveilles?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email )

Miscellany from the Week - Saturday, 23 April

“Paris is loath to surrender itself to people who are in a hurry; it belongs to the dreamers, to those capable of amusing themselves in its streets without regard to time when urgent business requires their presence elsewhere … waste time … experience the faint distress that comes from thinking you have lost your way."  Julien Green, Paris

There are giants among us!  This façade on rue du Louvre was pretty arresting!

For lunch one day, chicken paillard (chicken breasts pounded flat and quickly grilled to be slightly charred and crispy on the outside while still juicy inside) served with a big lemon wedge, arugula, and a tasty uncooked tomato-shallot-herb-vinegar salsa, fries, and a beer at Café Étienne Marcel.  Very tasty, and there must have been five paillards here - could have easily fed a family with them!

I’m usually a beer or wine person for the afternoon “break” but one day I thought I’d try one of Le Compas’ signature cocktails - the “I Love Paris” - strawberry juice, Champagne and the elderflower liqueur St-Germain.  Tasty, but hoo boy, it went to my head right away!  Good thing I was just about 20 yards from my front door!  That brown bottle on the table is hand sanitizer - you’ll see them on the tables of many cafés and restos.

Many Paris streets, gardens, and squares are named after artists, writers, musicians, royalty, religious - a few are named after business persons or politicians, but happily, not many!  Just for you music fans, here’s a tiny (and overgrown) small square in the 6th named after Francis Poulenc.

Loved the metal “lace” fences outside the Haute École de Joaillerie (jewelry-making school) on rue du Louvre

It’s a bit hard to see, but this bicycle courier was delivering an Amazon box to the building across the rue Marie Stuart from my door.  I have always seen lots of deliveries via bicycle, but the volume seems to be increasing.  Also, with more and more streets being carved up to add a bicycle lane and remove some vehicle lanes, more and more commuters are on rental bicycles.  The bicyclists and pedestrians have the right-of-way, so if you hit one, the driver is liable.  There are still a lot of accidents, though.  But my drivers were all very cautious, so no accidents this trip! 

I should have thought to explore the other direction on rue Tiquetonne earlier. Perfect fish & chips, not strictly French of course, but SO yummy! 

And, my latest heartthrob….

It started pouring with rain one afternoon, so I *had to* seek shelter under the awning of a sidewalk café!

There's this cool little shop of "stuff" in the Passage du Grand Cerf at the end of my block, and I always try to stop by when I'm in town to find something odd & interesting to bring home.  This time I really wished I could pop this, um, stationary bicycle exercise stool (?) or one of these cool cabinets in my suitcase!   For more of their stuff, check out their website:   https://www.rickshaw.fr/en

Accommodation, Unexpected Holiday, Cheap Entertainment - Monday, 18 April

Well, I finally gave in.  I decided that it wasn’t worth wearing out my wobbly legs on the LONG trek from the arrival gate to the shuttle train, through passport control, and down to baggage claim, so I booked the wheelchair service.  (Besides, I didn’t want to run into the airport employee who upbraided me last fall - see this post: http://mariellen-musing.blogspot.com/2021/09/airport-taxi-real-estate-and-roof-guys.html ).  As my “driver” and I were zipping down the handicapped aisle next to the massive zig-zag line at passport control, I saw a sign that said “average wait: 45 minutes.”  Yikes.  People are traveling again.  And “accommodation” is my new byword!

The owner of the apartment I’m renting recommended a car service for transport into town.  I thought I’d give it a try it since it was about the same cost as a taxi service or Uber when buying the round trip version from them, and the driver would be at the terminal exit waiting for me.  Thanks to my speedy ride through passport control, I arrived in the reception hall before my driver did - no worries, though - I just gave the service a call.  There was a long walk to the car, much longer than to the taxi stand.  But the ride was nice and smooth!  Surprisingly, the traffic was the lightest I’ve seen - it turns out that today was a national holiday.  What???  They were celebrating the midnight ride of Paul Revere???  Nope.  Apparently, back in the Middle Ages the eight days following Easter were called the “Octave of Easter” and were celebrated in the Catholic Church with daily Masses and time off work to make pilgrimages.  Only Easter Monday remains from that tradition, with most small shops closed (but bars and cafés open, thankfully!), and hence much less traffic on the big highways. 

Paris treated me to a spectacular blue sky and about 60 degrees when I arrived.  The apartment manager showed me how to use all of the appliances and equipment and WiFi, and just before he left he said “of course you have everything on rue Montorgueil” (just 1/2 block away).  Yup!  It’s my favorite street in Paris - three blocks of bakery next to wine shop next to vegetable stand next to fish/seafood market next to butcher next to florist next to cheesemonger next to olive oil purveyor next to foie gras and preserved food vendor next to chocolatier next to café next to supermarket next to Italian deli next to tea merchant next to pharmacy – you get the picture! Pâtisserie Stohrer, a spectacular bakery established in 1730, is just a few steps from my front door.  E. Dehillerin, my favorite cookware shop, is just a few blocks away and A. Simon, a great porcelain shop, is even closer.  G.Detou is the place for chefs and bakers to go for flours, oils, chocolates, dried fruits, mustards, preserved fish and poultry, gelatins, candied flowers, vinegars, honeys, nuts, etc.  I recently read that Paris passed a "Local Urbanism Plan" law in 2006 to give zoning protection to historic streets like rue Montorgueil - ground-floor artisanal shops can be replaced only by other artisanal shops (so no Monoprix or McDonald's!), thank goodness!  Hopefully this will preserve the street's charm for many years to come.

BTW, this is the apartment I've rented for this trip:    https://www.vacationinparis.com/listing/79/vieux-paris-one-bedroom

The apartment manager warned me about pickpockets - apparently they’re more prevalent since Covid, as is crime in general due to anxiety and genuine hardship.  And I noticed much more graffiti than before, mostly in the second “ring” of arrondissements.  Sad. 

But today was a glorious day.  And you don’t have to go far for entertainment!  Since it’s a public holiday, everyone is out and about - just sit at a table on the terrace of a rue Montorgueil café and watch the world go by!  In my half-hour enjoying a Grimbergen I saw kids, parents, locals, tourists, bicycle food delivery guys, flâneurs, ice cream cone eaters, crêpe and galette eaters, every nationality and color of the rainbow, old folks with canes, apparent models (female and male), gaggles of teens, fancy athletic wear, casual wear, bare arms, sweats, scooters, plain & fancy scarves, backpacks, tiny purses, fanny packs, strollers, skateboarders, bikers, big dogs, tiny dogs, fat guys, muscle guys, phone-focused people, find-an-available-café-chair-focused people, queues for pastries, very few masks, long dresses, very short dresses, smokers, vaperers, blazers, waiters scanning their tables, dresses with boots and ankle socks, a couple taxis, dark clothing (black, blue, khaki), jeans, stretch pants, shorts and leggings, a family mom pushing the baby in a stroller and dad holding the toddler on his shoulders while pushing a child’s blue bike (unfortunately, I couldn’t grab my camera in time to catch the charming scene), a guy muttering to himself and looking vacant, Muslim head scarfs and dresses, pigeons, French sailor shirts, a guy on a hover wheel, rolling luggage, shopping roller bags, neon sneakers, people having phone conversations on wireless earbuds (it still surprises me to see someone talking to the air!).  See, you would fit right in!  The little kids in strollers and on shoulders and toddling along were especially curious about everything around them - I enjoyed making eye contact with several of them!  And I just sat there, watching the whole circus while trying to not bring down the average attractiveness of the participants!

And later, a little restorative before heading back to the apartment!

Stuff I Don't See in Minneapolis - Saturday, 25 September

An afternoon "coffee" break quite like this - in the dappled shade of the terrace outside a lovely café across the street from Hôtel de Ville (City Hall).

Bicycle-riding police stopping what appeared to be random cyclists on a busy Saturday afternoon in the crazy-busy section of rue Saint-Antoine just a few blocks from the Bastille.  I'm not sure what they were looking for - maybe Passe Sanitaire documentation from those who weren't wearing masks?  In any case many passers-by stopped to watch, at least for a minute or so.

OK, I know why the police stopped this guy!  He was crossing a street that was open only to buses, taxis, emergency vehicles, delivery vehicles and bikes/scooters/rollerbladers.  Tsk tsk tsk.  They detained him quite a while.

A big ol' Teddy Bear checking out the ardoise (the slate, or chalkboard menu) at their local café.

OK, OK, the buildings here are centuries old.  Not all of them are in good shape!

A sanglier (wild boar) outside a deli.  True, just a carving of one (bottom left of the photo).  But still....

BTW, I brought home a mini pizza from this deli.  Thin, tart-style crust, braised onions in a Provençal style (with a little garlic, some tomato, thyme, salt, pepper, olive oil) and topped with an anchovy, olives and a tomato slice.  Yummers!

I also ordered one slice of their duck terrine with pistachios.  The proprietress cut off a slice from the loaf, weighed it, and then noticed that part of the crust had fallen off.  So she just gave me the rest of the loaf!  Some deal!!!  And fabulously delicious! 

The gentle curve of so many of the streets, with the buildings following that curve.

Beauty and Generosity - Bakeries, Horses, Frenchmen - Tuesday, 21 September

A beautiful and historic bakery, Au Petit Versailles du Marais at 1, rue Tiron, sits just 1/2 block from the apartment.  It dates back to 1860.  Its paintings-on-glass and chandeliers and racks are stunning, as are its breads, sweet pasties and dishes such as quiche (so far I’ve had just the salmon & leek version - wow!).  Its proprietor, Christian Vabret, is a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF), Best Craftsman of France, a title awarded to the highest craftspeople in a variety of professions.  This is a huge honor which comes only to the winners of competitions that are held every 3-4 years in their area of expertise.  Mr. Vabret won the honor in 1986 and built a school of bakery and pastry in the city of Aurillac in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-central France.  He also bought this property and opened his bakery.  I get to eat his handiwork every day.  How lucky am I?  

As I was having afternoon tea across the street from Au Petit Versailles du Marais, groups of two or three mounted police officers clipped-clopped by.  Gorgeous horses, all apparently the same breed, carrying their no-nonsense gendarmes, both men and women.  I don’t think there were any demonstrations in the area - hopefully they were just out to monitor the arrondissement and add their unique touch of beauty and calm.

If anyone tells you that the French are unfriendly or discourteous or uncharitable, send them my way so I can set them straight!  As I was returning home from my wanderings this evening and approached the elevator, a young man came down the stairs and asked me to wait just a minute since he needed to get something out of the elevator.  (My perplexed response told him that my French was, um, rusty, so our conversation continued in English!)  His partner was just behind him, and she held the elevator door open for him while he grabbed several boxes that they had sent down.  One of them was a case of wine.  I said “ooh, party!” and he said “no, we’re moving, would you like a bottle?”  I demurred, but he said “really, take this one, I think it’s pretty good” and handed me a bottle.  It is pretty good indeed, a 2019 Domaine Faiveley Mercurey "Les Mauvarennes" Nuits-Saint-Georges (Pinot Noir)!  It goes beautifully with pretty much all of the cheese, meat, bread, sweets, etc. I have in the apartment, including the aforementioned salmon & leek quiche!  Per an online search, the average price of this vintage is 29 euro per bottle.  Nice guy (and his partner), lucky me (again!).   https://www.domaine-faiveley.com/en/wines/50/mercurey-les-mauvarennes

A Very Short Trip to Burgundy! - Saturday, 18 September

Au Bourguignon du Marais sits at 52, rue François Miron, 1/2 block from my apartment.  It always seems to be bustling, so I thought I’d try it for supper tonight.  They specialize in foodstuffs, preparations and wines from Burgundy.  There seemed to be a few open tables, but apparently they were reserved since the host pointed to the one table available and asked if it was OK.  “Oui, merci!” was my reply.

For an amuse bouche they brought some little toasted baguette slices with a dish of cool crème fraiche with dill to spread/dip.  Very refreshing, but not something I traditionally associate with Burgundy.

Mi cuit (half cooked) foie gras terrine was available as a starter, so of course I had to go for it!  Two decent slices, a nice fig/strawberry pressed conserve, a swirl of pomegranate balsamic, great crusty bread, and lightly dressed salad greens were terrific.

I kept smelling the Beef Bourguignon that adjacent tables had ordered, so I just had to try it for my main course!  It came in a cute little cocotte and tasted as good as it smelled!  The big chunks of beef were fall-apart, melt-in-your-mouth tender, just slightly more gamey than you’d get in the U.S.  There were some small potatoes, peas, carrots, and cèpes (mushrooms, like our creminis or porcinis but more dense and deeply flavored), all swimming in a very tasty beef demi-glace, but this was primarily a beef beef and more beef show.  I thought it needed a bit more zing, so I added a little of that crème fraîche sauce from the amuse bouche, and voila!, I made Stroganoff!  (OK, slightly far afield, but nice, and it saved me from taking a trip to Russia!)  If I hadn't had the foie gras first, I might have been able to eat all of the Bourguignon, but I just became too stuffed halfway through.  I should have asked for the leftovers to take home.

To go with it all, I ordered a glass of their Domaine Ragot Vieilles Vignes Givry.  It’s a nicely drinkable pinot noir - a bit of cherry, currant and dry straw on the nose and red fruits on the palate, slightly dry.

The only disappointment was that, after all my efforts in the afternoon (see my previous post), they didn’t ask to see my Passe Sanitaire! 

Attention, Gluten Intolerant Friends! - Monday, 23 September

Good news for those of you who are gluten intolerant - be sure to bookmark BigLove Pizza, 30 Rue Debelleyme 75003 Paris – just off rue Bretagne (and, as it happens, just a block from the apartment I'm renting!). Most excellent pizzas, and they are entirely gluten free.

The great Patricia Wells (with whom I studied in 2001) even recommends them on her “Food Lover’s Guide to Paris” app. I will shamelessly borrow (steal) from her: “…the pizza is why you should go to Big Love, and those who follow a gluten-free diet can rejoice, as all the pizzas here are completely gluten free. Paris is home to some very respectable pizzaiole (pizza chefs) but few who specialize in the unique style of Neopolitan pizza, that boasts a slightly thicker crust, and is more lightly baked than the well-done thin crusted versions from other parts of Italy. The result is a sort of pillowy experience, where the elements of the pizza seamlessly blend into one. The dough here is made from a mixture of buckwheat, corn and rice flours and fermented for at least 36-hours before cooking to give it a good rise and a faint acidity to the crust. For those not interested in a gluten-free diet, do not be put off for these bases are a cunning likeness to the wheat flour version and perhaps only in the thick outer crust can you tell that it’s made from alternative flours. As a point of pride for the Mamma restaurants, ingredients are of an exceptionally high standard – mostly sourced directly from favored artisanal producers in Italy – including the essential San Marzano tomatoes grown at the foot of Mt Vesuvius. The pizzas are cooked in a wood-fired brick Acunta oven, hand-made in Naples, that can get to temperatures so high a pizza can be cooked in 60 seconds (just shy of 930°F/500°C). The resulting Mammargherita pizza – for me the simple concoction of tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella and fresh basil is the best litmus test for pizza – was remarkably close to a true Napolitano pizza, that is to say, very, very good.”

Yup. What Patsy says.

It's very popular - here's a pano view from my table in the "front room/" There was another room even larger up a couple steps to the rear (right side of this photo).

https://www.bigmammagroup.com/en/trattorias/biglove-caffe

And You Thought You Knew Cream Puffs! - Monday, 23 September

There’s an outpost of Pierre Hermé (my favorite Parisian pâtissier/chocolatier) just a block from my apartment. Danger, Danger!

This afternoon I picked up one of his “Ispahan” cream puffs for my afternoon coffee – a baseball-size choux pastry into which some pieces of lychee fruit and a little lychee syrup were spooned, then topped with rose crème (as in the flower), encircled with perfect fresh raspberries and topped with a rose petal. Sweetness, acidity, intensity, unctuousness. Yup. I could learn to live like this. He also makes this flavor combination in a macaron and a cake. Heaven help us!

https://www.pierreherme.com/

Independent Gastronomic Research! - Friday, 20 September

Friday! Episode 1 of my independent gastronomic research project! Lunch reservations at La Condesa in the 9th, a place I read about on John Talbott’s blog, that received its first Michelin Star this year. It now has the coveted Mariellen Star too! It’s tiny (by U.S. standards) – about 20 seats.

The “menu” was just a price list! How many courses do you want? How about wine pairings? Here’s your price. The server asked if I had any allergies (nope!) and if I wanted filtered or sparkling water, and then it was off to the races!

For my first amuse bouche, a crispy lacy freshly-made tiny corn tostada, with soft and slightly herby goat cheese and tiny flavor-packed fennel flowers. Fascinating! And just the thing to get the taste buds fired up all around your palate.

The second amuse, a summer pumpkin frittata. A little wedge of tender pumpkin was dipped in tempura batter and fried. Slightly spicy mayonnaise had been piped on top after frying, and then some Espelette pepper sprinkled on top. Sweet!

And an entertaining presentation to boot - it's been a trend for the last few years!

Third amuse, a lidded bowl containing mild-flavored fennel foam, with a quenelle of Verjus-grape sorbet. On top of the lid was some pumpkin seed crumble to stir in. So entertaining, and lighter than air. I didn’t clearly hear what the server told me about the sorbet, and I had a heckuva time identifying what the flavor was (faintly lemony, clearly fruity, a bit of a zing) so I had to ask again when she came to clear my dish…I’m glad I did.

First course, a slice of very tasty pork-veal-foie gras terrine with baby radishes splashed in lemony vinaigrette and herb purée. Lovely crunch and slight astringency from the radishes, perfectly balanced terrine where every element complimented the others. Also, a nice thick chunk of very crusty whole wheat bread. Yummers! With it, a Rainer Wess Grüner Veltliner white wine – its soft, slightly floral, delicate flavors of stone fruit married very nicely with the mild flavors of the terrine.

Second course, some line-caught charcoal-grilled Pollock (a type of cod – firm, mild, very slightly oily, deeeelicious), with grilled zucchini slices, braised leeks, fennel purée and fronds, and a ribbon of daikon. These were all fairly sweet flavors, and a quite tannic and fruity Etna Planeta red from Sicily balanced it nicely. This was an interesting wine – on the nose I got soft flowers and chocolate spongecake, but on the palate it was more astringent and minerally and stoney.

The Domaine Overnoy Crémant du Jura Extra Brut that was poured before dessert could have been dessert all by itself. Wow! The gorgeous intoxicating (in every sense) tiny bubbles and herbal, earthy, slightly funky flavors were outta sight. It would be fantastic with soft cheeses or chocolate anything!

The dessert theme was white peaches – a peach custard-type cream in the bottom of the bowl, topped with some chunks of fresh peaches, then a mild peach foam. A quenelle of pomegranate sorbet added a terrific element of freshness and red-fruitiness. It was lovely and refreshing by itself, but it fought with the Cremant so I just drank my water and saved the bubbly for sipping with my post-dessert hot rich espresso.

I had a chance to chat with chef/owner Indra Carillo after lunch. He grew up in Mexico, where he started cooking as a very young boy. He has worked in India, the Far East, New York, Copenhagen, London, Italy and Paris (in some of the very top kitchens), and he got his formal training at Institut Paul Bocuse. His English is very good, so be sure to talk with him when you visit!

When I glanced in the kitchen, it looked like the United Nations! I wonder if Chef Carillo gets some menu ideas from his workers. In any case, they sure have the skills to execute the varied-yet-solidly-French techniques required for his menus. I’ll want to try more of his concoctions next trip!  http://lacondesa-paris.com/en/home/