Food Lovers' France: 2003
Snails... horse meat... tongue... goose liver paté... stinky cheese.... Even people who like American fast food might enjoy Europe's top cuisine. Share your best treats in France.
Dining in Strasbourg
When in Strasbourg, do eat at Au Pont St. Martin in the old section of town.
I cannot remember the intersection offhand, but it is near the locks and
Rue des Tanneurs. My parents, aunt and I were able to dine on magnificent
food (foie gras, lamb, dessert and 2 bottles of wine) for under $100. I
highly recommend the traditional local dish baeke offe (sp?) which is a
3 meat stew baked in the local pottery. Marvelous!
Nancy <email>
Taylor, TX USA 12/12/03
Parisian Bistro Near Rue Cler
Cafe du Papa: I've seen this spot mentioned in other entries but wanted
to endorse the recommendations. Not far from the Rue Cler, Cafe du Papa
at 81 Avenue Bosqet is an authentic Parisian bistro with great food, excellent
service, some waiters who speak English, lots of locals and, of course,
lots of cigarette smoke. But this is Paris! Their fixed price menu is very
reasonabale (17 Euro for 2 courses the last time I visited)and the dessert
of profiteroles (cream filled pastries in a warm, deep chocolate sauce)
can't be beat. Bon appetit!
Sally B <email>
Wynnewood, PA USA 11/01/03
Tea at the Ritz
Although I am a devoted Rick Steve's fan, I don't always want to stick to
his low-budget guidelines. Occasionally, I splurge, and one of the best
splurges in Paris is tea at the Ritz. If you are a classic movie fan, this
visit is worth every cent, especially if you manage to vist on a warm day
when the harpist plays Cole Porter in the patio while birds chirp in the
surrounding plants and trees, and handsome French waiters in black vests
bob about. You will feel like an extra in a 1950s Audrey Hepburn/Cary Grant
movie. Be sure to dress appropriately to avoid your waiter's scorn: no T-shirts
and sandals, thoough I did see men in jeans with a sports jacket. After
tea, 2 tiny scones and Devon cream ($35 Euro), be sure to walk down the
hotel's long gallerie of shops with their wares displayed in an endless
hall of mirrors and glass cases. To me, the Ritz far exceeds the Hotel Crillon.
Sally B. <email>
Wynnewood, PA USA 10/31/03
Paris Tea Salons
Everyone knows about Paris's cafes, but its salons de the are becoming the
latest rage, often offering a slightly more elegant old-world atmosphere,
a great selection of imported teas and coffees, fewer chain smokers and
wonderful snacks and light meals. Here are several that I highly recommend:
Cador, 2 rue de l'Admiral-Coligny, just behind the Louvre, is a wonderful place to rest your weary bones after a long day viewing Old Masters. The interior is a work of art in itself, and so is the Croque Madame, melted cheese on toast topped by a fried egg, while the rum raisin ice cream on bisquette is one of the best desserts Paris has to offer. It's loaded with raisins and so much rum that you just might stagger back to the Metro stop. Closest Metro stop is Louvre-Rivoli.
Le Loir dans la Theiere, 3 rue de Rosiers in the Marais, offers a more relaxed environment filled with an interesting mix of students and professionals (not many tourists). You might find yourself sharing a table, as I did, with a professor and a historian from the nearby Musee Carnavalet. Sink into one of the overstuffed leather armchairs, oder a pot of vanilla tea and a slice of pear tart, and soak in the atmosphere. You won't want to leave.
Bernardaud, Galerie Royale, 11 rue de Royale, offers
yet another experience. Very upscale, it is not for the budget-conscious.
But if you want to splurge on lunch among Parisian powerbrokers, here's
the place to do it. Very few Americans are to be found here. The decor
is stylishly modern, and the indoor patio is a great place to spend a
rainy afternoon. The service is impeccable and all food is served on the
famous Bernaud porcelain. If you like the dishes you ate upon, you can
purchase them later in the nearby Bernaud showroom.
Sally B. <email>
Wynnewood, PA USA 10/31/03
Ice cream in Paris: Amorino rules!
Bertillon is the stuff of Parisian ice cream legend, but take it from a
local: Amorino is BETTER. 20 flavors of homemade gelato daily. You never
know what flavors they'll have; last summer, during the heat wave, I lived
on grapefruit, lemon, and blackcurrant. The pistachio is to die for (and
this from a person who normally dislikes sweets.) Amorino has 2 stores in
6eme, one of which is on rue de Buci near Metro 10 Mabillon, and one on
Ile St-Louis, which must be infuriating to the competition. I just walked
by there tonight and the chilly night (3C/39F) doesn't seem to be disuading
the faithful. Next time you're in town, give Amorino a try!
Jeanette Herting <email>
Paris, FRANCE 10/25/03
Food in France
The next time you're in Semur-En-Auxois stop in to the "Le Calibressan" Restaurant! They have fabulous French Onion Soup!
Marsha Oldinski <email>
Sarasota, FL USA 10/06/03
Favorites
My wife and I love La Serre in Paris for dinner, it is very comfortable
and has wonderful meals. Order the onion soup. Also, La Rosaraie in Chenonceux
is a charming hotel and a fantastic place to eat. In Paris, try a brand
new place, le Gros Caillou, located on Rue Grenelle near the Eiffel Tower.
Brand new, excellent food, not cheap but not extravagant, the owner was
born and raised in Paris but lived in the USA for 8 years and is very helpful
in helping tourists balance their american palates with french cuisine.
Jim Gauthier <email>
Dallas, TX USA 08/11/03
Try North African
As much as I love French food, every now and then when in Paris we go for
great North African Cuisine. Couscous, or tagine (my favorite) are excellent.
In the Barbes district you will find many great restaurants. Yes this in
in the middle of the Arab quarter. Daytime is best and it helps to speak
a few words of French.
USA 08/07/03
Restaurants in Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer
Our favorite restaurant in Nice was called La Coupole (I don't think it
was connected to the famous one in Paris.) It was on the pedestrian street
on the railroad side of the Rue Meridian, but before you get to the park
and square down several blocks. We had the lobster for two for $66 euros.
This is expensive for budget travelers but it was sure more food than
we ever got. It made a nice Easter splurge. It started with your choice
of several items including sea food salad and fish soup. The main course
was a whole lot more than lobster. When the waiter brought it in the whole
room gasped. It was a long tray like the ones they use at the Poynesian
Luau at Disney World in Orlando about 2 feeet long and eight inches wide
piled with every sort of sea food you could think of plus a little aluminum
filled bowl of white rice and one half a lobster on each end. They kept
coming with clean plates to put the mussel and snail and other shellfish
shells on. The meal ended with your choice of dessert.
If you like bouillabaisse or don't know and want
to try it, there is a restaurant on the second street up in the old town
of Villefranche-sur-er that serves a petite bouillbaisse as one of the
set price menu selections for 18 euros. Restuarants in Ville franche close
abut 4 p.m. and don't reopen until about 6:30 p.m. It was worth the wait.
Janice L. Killingbeck <email>
Saginaw, Michigan USA 07/10/03
Paris Eating
Cafe Roussillon in the Rue Cler continues to be a great food stop in Paris.
We ate there in 2000 and returned just last week during our 2003 Paris city
tour. The French Onion Soup is good and won't disappoint. Local flavor abounds
as the bar area was alive with many cheers, and local noise that entertained
us. Great service goes with the meal also. We will likely go again when
we return to Paris again one day.
Rick and Val Martin <email>
Wilsonville, OR USA 07/06/03
Confiture
If you go to any of the wonderful outdoor markets in Provence, check out
the wonderful homemade confiture (preserves and jams). If you speak a little
French, you may even get to sample some before you buy. If you are near
Avignon and Isle Sur la Sorgue, think about checking out the farmers market
in Velleron-held every evening between 6 and 7 pm. On the left hand side,
there is a very nice lady who makes our favorite confiture. (She had the
same table location in 1999, 2001, and two weeks ago.) Her jars are somewhat
squat in appearance and feature flowered lids. She does not speak English,
but using your phrase book should be adequate. We recommend all of them,
especially fraises (strawberry). We brought 8 jars home from our last trip.
I enjoyed peches on toast this morning at home.
Liz
Seattle, USA 06/17/03
LaVarangue in Paris
My husband and I just returned from Paris. One of the highlights of the
trip were our two visits to LaVarangue. Philippe and his daughter Marie
Catherine were delightful. Philippe's food was wonderful and very well priced.
Some of our dishes included pork with curry sauce, chicken in a tarragon
sauce, a vegetable pie with sliced chicken, and a chicken and pasta dish
were excellent. It was very hot in Paris, but a bowl of Philippe's lobster
bisque was worth the heat. Chocolate cake with creme anglaise sauce was
worth the calories. On both of our visits, all of the diners had found out
about LaVarangue through Rick Steves. Philippe lived in Pennsylvania near
us during his stay in the states so we talked about restaurants, chefs,
and his time in the states. Marie Catherine was a wonderful waitress and
she enjoyed practicing her English with the customers. It was like a little
bit of home, and we loved it. Would recommend the restuarant to all in the
Rue Cler area.
Pat and Robert Lowe <email>
Swedesboro, NJ USA 06/16/03
Paris eating
Cafe du Marche, Rue Cler. Incredible food for the money! L'Empasse, Marais.
Wonderful food and service. Yes, it's true. If you mention Rick Steves to
Francois (the owner) she will give you a beer on the house (it's more like
a port wine -- delicious). Les Vieux Columbiere, St. Sulpice. Order the
chocolate cake for dessert (it's half baked with a fudgy filling oozing
out of it -- indescribable).
T
VA USA 05/15/03
what to drink
If you want a great drink in the afternoon, order a Kir Sauvignon or a Kir
Champagne. It's a wonderful sweet drink that is great to sip as you watch
the sunset over the Seine.
Krysta <email>
Champaign, IL USA 04/17/03
French cravings
I was in Paris and Normandy last month, and this is what I'm craving: the
dessert tarts served at the memorial museum in Caen, Mamie Nova gourmet
yogurt (available in supermarkets in flavors like melon, honey, fig, and
chocolate, but even plain vanilla blew me away), Berthillon's chocolate-praline-with-mandarin-orange
ice cream, the onion soup at Versailles, and the salads and desserts at
Cafe des Hauteurs in the Musee d'Orsay. Sigh... Now I want to travel again,
and my stomach wants to eat.
Charles Buchanan <email>
Birmingham, AL USA 04/17/03
Best Croissants in France
We found the best croissants in France! At La Roseraie in Chenonceaux (Loire
Valley--see Rick's book on France for contact info), the croissants are
as light as a feather and they absolutely melt in your mouth. When we arrived
at the table, they were still warm from the oven.
Debbie <email>
Norfolk, VA USA 04/15/03
Tarte flambées
In Alsace, the best things to eat for a quick meal are tarte flambées. They're
like a thin-crust pizza made with crème fraiche, cheese, onions and bacon
bits. They're big enough to share and are delicious.
Karla <email>
Strasbourg, France 04/10/03
Picky Eaters Fix
When I was in Amboise, I ordered little river fish, like minnows, deep-fat
fried, head, bones, tail and all. As gross as that may sound, my little
daughter (a picky eater) devoured them!
Asia B. and little Poppy
New York, USA 04/05/03
l'A.O. C.
Based on a recommendation from our hotel, we tried l'A.O.C. on our last
night in Paris. It is in the 5th Arrondisement, 14 Rue des Fosses St Bernard,
near Blvd St Germain. It was a wonderful meal. We had a cold salad buffet
with choices of leeks vinagrette, pate, roasted peppers, pickled salmon.
For our main course our group of 4 tried, roast duck breast, sea bass for
two and pork. The menu changes and is based on high quality ingredients.
The restaurant doesn't open until 7:30 pm. The host and waiter were very
helpful and spoke some English. Everyone else in the restaurant was remarking
on how exceptional their meal was too.
Linda <email>
Krakow, Wi USA 03/15/03
Best Seafood in Paris
On my recent trip to Paris, I discovered Le Bar a Huitres (Oyster Bar),
a nice restaurant at 33 Blvd. Beaumarchais in the 11th arrondisement. It
is fantastic. It is casual and there is a non-smoking section. The cold
seafood platter (with crab, shrimp, raw oysters, clams, and mussels, etc.)
is a little pricey (30 euros) but worth the splurge. The red Cheverny wine
is also great. The walls are decorated with seashells. This is a great place
to eat at. There are also locations in the St. Germain and Montparnasse
areas.
Rob Pleva <email>
Edison, NJ USA 03/13/03
Best crepes in Paris
We realy enjoy the salted crepes at the stand of Porte D'Orleans. They had
a nice deal of a crepe and a beer.
USA 02/22/03
Coq au vin in Paris
For coq au vin in Paris, try Le Temps Perdu. They fix it, fittingly, the
old-fashioned way, using rooster, not chicken. The restaurant is in the
6th, around the corner from Rue Jacob, at 54 Rue Seine. Nice area. Good
food markets not far away. Good supermarket and lots of cafes with young
people in them, even on winter nights. Flower shop nearby. Le Temps Perdu
has a web site at le-temps-perdu.com. French is spoken there, but so is
English, and the web site offers English, too. Good food; not that expensive.
There are better restaurants (Allard, a few blocks away, is one of them),
and if you like Duck with Olives, Allard is a good place to go, but for
coq au vin, try Le Temps Perdu.
Doug <email>
Washington, DC USA 02/22/03
Memorable eating experiences in paris
We had many memorable eating experiences while in Paris, however 3 stand
out.
1. Le Creparie Bretonne (56, rue du Montparnasse) - Best crepes we had ever tasted. Price was very low. This is a very small place and we sat at a table on a small sidewalk that leaned toward the street. After a couple of beers with our meal, the angle of the lean became really funny.
2. Le Santal Cote Mer (6 Rue de Poissy) - We had a fixed price meal here and it was delicious and almost too much to eat. I had seafood and my wife had a pork disk. The price was around 22 Euros each. This is a Vietnamese place with a French influence. Very very good.
3> La Cite du Bonheur (3 Av du Maine 75015) - One
of the best meals we have had in years. The Fruits of the Sea was marinated
in pineapple juice and served in a scooped out pineapple. I also had fish
cooked in coconut milk inside a banana leaf. Our total bill including
starters, main course, desert, and wine was around 70 including both of
us. Highly recommended.
Ed Brown <email>
Aurora, CO USA 01/08/03