Paris, nous t’aimons – Food Guide
This past weekend my hubby and I met up with dear friends in Paris. For 48 hours we ate, drank, talked, laughed and walked our feet off while getting inspired by the wonderful city.
We have all been to Paris multiple times before so there was no need to do touristy things, but very much on purpose we had a picnic under the glorious Eiffel tower right before heading to the airport. You really can’t go to Paris without paying your respect to that beautiful building, no matter how many times you have seen it.
We stayed at Hotel Meliá Colbert, a small, quiet and clean place with very friendly staff. The Hotel is located on a tiny, narrow street around the corner from Notre Dame and all the tourist hassle. The hotel is super easy to get to from the airport by train, just take the RER to Saint Michel and then walk for 2 minutes, very convenient. Meliá Colbert does not welcome pets (I am not the biggest animal lover, so I love that fact) and they do not provide cribs or other things for children (not that kids aren’t welcome).
If you are feeling french and in case you missed it, here is my take on and recipe for French Éclairs
Here is a list of where we dined and drank, and what was served for us – I highly recommend all the places we visited, everything was delicious and the service was good and friendly.
Friday
Lunch at La Fish Boissonnerie
A beautiful restaurant with great food, located in the 6th arr. They serve both lunch and dinner, and you can get a 3 course menu for a set price or order a la carte. The owner explained to us, that the lunch and dinner menus are quite different, the evening one is a lot more complex both in style and flavors, where as the lunch one is more simple and fresh. We did three courses and split a bottle of ice-cold and refreshing Rosé
Entrée: Tomato Salad with fresh herbs and a Salmon Tartare
Plat: Mackerel and Trout
Dessert: Cardamom Panna Cotta and Carrot Cake
Reservation: A good idea for both lunch and dinner
Aperitif at Hotel Du Nord
A gorgeous restaurant and bar, very french with it’s black and white tiled floors, wooden tables and heavy curtains.
The cocktails are delicious, fresh and strong.
Reservation: Necessary for Dinner, not for drinks
Dinner at Le Chateaubriand
They serve a set menu for €60 and it varies from night to night how many courses are served. We got a 11 courses that were all absolutely delicious. It was super hot that day so the menu was light and afterwards we felt full but still able to breathe and walk all the way home. Their wine list is huge so we sought help from their sommelier and ended up having a bottle of rosé and a bottle of white, both very good and refreshing on that super hot july night.
1. Puffy Cheese Balls
2. Ceviche Shot
3. Raw Tiger Shrimp
4. Cucumber Soup with Clams
5. String Beans with Caramelized Lemon Zest
6. Tuna Marmitako with onions and the thinnest Potato Chips I have ever seen
7. Turbot (fish) with Ajoblanco, Chanterelles, Berries and Marzipan
8. Lamb with Anchovies and Purslane
9. Cheese Plate
10. Cherry Ice Cream
11. Tocino del Cielo – Macaroon, flan and a raw Egg Yolk
Reservation: Yes! You can make a reservation two weeks in advance for seating at 8pm – I called 24 times before I got through. If you don’t get a reservation they do a second seating from 9.30 pm, but the line is super long so come early.
Saturday
Lunch at Bistrot Paul Bert
A classic French Bistrot with huge portions of excellent food – We didn’t even have room for dessert, that is how full we were.
Entrée: Tomato Salad and Gazpacho
Plat: Beef Tartare, Salmon Tartar, Steak Frites
Reservation: A good idéa for dinner, not necessary for lunch
Dinner at Chez L’Ami Jean
Someone told us that after eating at L’ami Jean we would never want to eat dinner again, and the were right! So much yummy food, great and strong flavors and huge portions. It was the last day before their summer vacation so they were cleaning out the fridge. The waiter simply asked if we ate everything and if we liked surprises. We answered yes to both and we were not disappointed with our 9 courses. The only down side with this place is that the Chef is very harsh with the staff, and since it is an open kitchen everybody can hear him yelling. At one point the whole restaurant became silent because of one of his episodes.
Unfortunately I forgot to write down our menu, but it was good. Not fancy but very french and filled with flavors.
Reservation: Absolutely!
Sunday
Picnic by the Eiffel Tower. The sun was shining and we picked up all our favorites at the small shoppes at Rue Cler. Goat cheese, camembert and 18 months comté, baguettes, salads, ham, croissants,éclairs and fresh berries. Magnifique!
| Published on July 31, 2013 | Paris, nous t’aimons – Food Guide