(photo credit: my significantly better-half)
We're back…..have you missed us?
No?
What do you mean you didn't even know we were gone……
You make me sad.
For those of you who HAVE been wondering why we've had so few posts over the past weeks, the answer is that we've been doing a little traveling, and while we were able to pre-schedule a few posts to publish in our absence, they haven't been hitting the site with our normal frequency. In fact, I was in such a hurry to get the last few done, that I actually popped them in the queue while sitting at JFK, waiting for a flight with the boys as we jetted off for our annual "he-man" getaway at the end of the school year.
A day after returning home with them, my wife, the girls and I were on a plane to Paris (am I a lucky bugger, or what?).
As you know, Oui, Chef is not a travel blog, nor is it a restaurant review site, but I can't go to Paris and NOT share with you some of our food-related highlights….it just wouldn't seem right. I hope you'll indulge this little trip down memory lane, and who knows, maybe some of you have tickets in-hand and are ready to head to France yourselves, if so, you may find some of these notes handy.
While there, we rented an apartment on the left-bank, and had as a plan to eat-in every other night, and spend the balance of our evenings dining out. Not only did eating-in help with regard to our budget, but it also allowed me the excuse to search out and shop for our foodstuffs in a number of the many fabulous outdoor markets that Paris is known for. This shopping ritual is one of the things I miss most about living in Paris, and was one of the things I was most looking forward to experiencing again during our time there. When I lived in Paris, the Saxe-Breteuil market was the one I shopped in my neighborhood, on this trip, the St. Germain, Rue de Buci, and Boulevard Raspail markets kept us in the good stuff.
Breakfasts were in, often fueled by fabulous viennoiserie from one of Eric Kayser's fabulous bakeries which was located just up the street from where we were staying. Lunches were usually on the fly, and each afternoon had as its highlight, a visit to one of the city's top patiserries for a little (or not so little) sugar bomb to propel us through the balance of our day. Our nights out inevitably ended with the four of us stumbling back to our apartment at around 11:00 PM, each of us on the verge of a serious food-coma.
Ahhh….the memories.
So….for those of you with the good fortune to be planning a trip to Paris soon, here are some short critiques of restaurants and shops that kept us well fed during our recent visit.
RESTAURANTS:
Les Olivades - (41 Avenue de Ségur ph: 01 47 83 70 09 – Metro: Segur) – This was one of my favorite little restaurants when living in the city, run by the talented Bruno Deligne and his wife. I'm happy to report that the restaurant still satisfies with its very high quality Provencal influenced cuisine, and attentive service. Peyton's steak tartar was to die for.
Le Relais de l'Entrecote - Another favorite from my years in Paris, this restaurant serves only one thing, steak-frites, but they do it so well that you'll be tempted to go back night after night after night. Tell them how you'd like your meat cooked, what you'd like to drink, and you're home free. Do try to save some room for dessert, the profiteroles are great.
Chez L'ami Jean - A very well known restaurant within foodie circles, we ended up split in our opinion of this place. I would go back tomorrow, my wife…. probably not. At issue was the restaurant's policy of 2 seatings, one at 7PM, the other at 9PM. We were unclear going in that this was the deal, which left us feeling a bit rushed through our meal (we were in and out in 2 hours as opposed to the customary 3+ in Paris). In addition, and not surprisingly, the only people in the place at the 7PM service were tourists. The locals know better, and choose to come at 9 so that they can linger and enjoy their meals. I have to say that it's always a little disappointing to be in a VERY French restaurant in the heart of Paris and only hear English spoken. We also had a confused appetizer order which left my wife with a dish she didn't much care for, and we didn't feel that we had the time to request a replacement.
All that said, I thought the food (crafted by Stephane Jego, a disciple of the very talented Yves Camdeborde) was fabulous. My starter of creamy aged parmesan soup was one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth….EVER. My duck main course, and the riz-au-lait that I had for dessert (although large enough to feed a party of 4) were equally memorable. All the English speakers around us semed to be enjoying their food as well. In short, if you can hack the later seating, I think you'll love the food. If you go at 7, be prepared to rock and roll.
Restaurant Liza - Our one evening detour from French cuisine came at this fabulous Lebanese restaurant a short walk from the Palais Royale. The space is light and modern, the food authentic and delicious, and the service wonderful. Muppet had a braised lamb dish that was served with a rice that was without a doubt the best I have ever had. We enjoyed a delicious bottle of Lebanese white wine while there, and had some really fabulous falafel as part of our mezza. Having them has inspired me to learn how to make them….you'll be seeing the results of my efforts here soon.
Au Lys D'Argent - (90 Rue St. Louis en l'Ile – Ile St. Louis) – This charming creperie run by a delightful husband and wife team, became a fast favorite of Muppet (for their willingness to make her an egg and bacon gallette "sans" fromage). That's not to say that the "no-cheese-please" order didn't raise a an eyebrow….I mean, we were in France after all. I glanced at the owner when she ordered, saw the eyebrow tick, and was convinced that we were about to be scolded….
"people travel from all parts of the globe to eat the fabulous cheeses of France….what do you mean you don't want ANY CHEESE. C'nest pas possible! Please tell me that I have misunderstood your vulgar attempt at speaking our beautiful French language, it is the only thing that can explain such heresy"
But no scolding came, just a smile, a knowing nod, and a bien sur mademoiselle. Hallelujah!
A great place for lunch, their gallettes (buckwheat flour crepes) packed with savory fillings really hit the spot. My favorite was gruyere, bacon, potatoes and creme fraiche. Stroll down the street to the legendary Berthillon for an ice cream afterwards, and you'll think you died and went to heaven.
Restaurant Les Ombres – This was our splurge night, and to be honest, the restaurant was considerably better than I thought it would be. It resides on top of the Quai Branly Museum, and affords a gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tower (which was the main reason we went). As a museum restaurant, my expectations were modest, but we enjoyed an excellent meal there. The place is pricey, but the food and service were top-notch, and watching the Tower "twinkling light-show" over dessert was a real treat. The crunchy Spring vegetable salad that my wife had was perfection.
SHOPS:
Feeling a bit bit peckish mid-afternoon and need a little pick me up? In addition to the aforementioned Berthillon, Here are some spots that offer some of the most creative and delicious celebrations of sugar that you are likely to find anywhere on the planet.
Gerard Mulot – We visited both his pastry shops over the course of the visit, one in the St. Germain neighborhood, the other over by Place de Vosges. Everything he makes is sublime….take your pick.
Angelina – All of the confections here are delightful, but the one thing not to be missed is their hot chocolate or "Chocolat Africaine". This stuff is so good, that even though it was 90+ ℉ on the day we visited, the girls each snarfed down a pot topped with delicious fresh chantilly. Oh-la-la!
Pierre Hermé – Any of you who have been with us here for a while can't be surprised to see Pierre's name here. Young Muppet and I have already made two of his creations as "Oui, Chef" posts, and so a visit to his boutique on Rue Bonaparte was absolutely essential….and so were the second and third visits (but who's counting?). The photo below shows the bounty of our first haul, let's see, there was a lemon tart, a pistachio and griottine cherry tart, a carré chocolat, a plaisir sucré, and finally, one of his most famous creations, an Ispahan. While they were all stunningly delicious, I have to say that the Ispahan was so good it almost made me cry (happy tears, I assure you). It's comprised of raspberry macarons, rose buttercream, fresh raspberries, and a surprise lychee center. Apologies for the blurry photo, our staff photographer was so excited by the prospect of eating these goodies, that she got a serious case of the shakes. 😉
I actually have his recipes for the lemon tart and the plasir sucré (the yummy looking rectangular chocolate piece), so stay tuned….Muppet and I may have to take a crack at one of them soon!
Ladurée – This institution of Parisienne pastry is one of the "houses" where Pierre Hermé learned his craft before venturing out on his own. They are particularly well known for their macarons, which come in countless colors and flavors. One will never be enough.
La Maison du Chocolat – There are myriad VERY high-end chocolate shops in Paris, and while I've tried many of them, La Maison remains my favorite. Of all the things the boys could have asked for us to bring back from Paris, La Maison chocolates were on top of the list. They have a few locations throughout the city, and in addition to sublime chocolate confections, their chocolate eclairs are the best I've ever had.
Ok….enough gastronomic teasing by way of our Paris travelogue. We'll be back shortly with some great new recipes, among them….Basil Infused Fruit Salad, Guinness Burgers, and Falafel!
Cheers – S