We kicked off our European Adventure in Paris, a city with historic buildings and culinary traditions that command respect. To immerse ourselves properly we attended a croissant making class, straight off the plane from Chicago, at La Cuisine Paris located on Quai Hotel de Ville just on the river Seine in the Le Marias district across from Notre Dame.
Chef Eric instructed us through the sensitive and enduring process of making the luscious French croissant, a bakery item found through out the world, but one that is only truly fantastic in its home country of France. Once we made our dough, we placed the ball in a plastic wrap in the fridge for a while. Then we pounded out about one stick of butter, or around a quarter pound, into a perfect square.
We rolled the ball of dough flat to the length of a rolling pin and into a four petal flower shape where the butter is placed in the center. Next we carefully folded the petals acutely around the butter square and rested the lot in the fridge once again.
With the butter folded, we rolled the dough a few times over, repeating the process of rolling and resting in the fridge. The dough was at last cut into triangles and made into croissant shapes and baked, initially at a high temperature and then 'dropped' by turning the heat down straight away.
Learning the process will have me appreciating the fine croissants I'll have the pleasure of eating for years to come. It should take about five hours to make a croissant, requiring bakers to rise as early as 2AM to produce the crusty delight for local Parisians or French villagers. Let's hope we learned enough to make our own at home in Wisconsin on a weekend afternoon. Maybe we'll even customize them for our own local tastes - cheddar cheese croissants anyone? :-))
While waltzing through Le Marais area, the quaint Jewish quarter in this City of Love, a local friend pointed out L'As Du Falafal on Rue Rosiers. She said it was the most popular Middle Eastern place in town, one that had a line full of hungry locals and tourists alike all throughout the day.
An old Zagat restaurant guide for Paris 2009-2010 found on our apartment bookshelf also listed L'As as a hot spot, and cost effective too.
The line grew longer as we waited; the wait is worth it. L'As falafel are the size of small gum balls, so they are more easily eaten on a stroll through the dilapidated cobble roads and pack more of a crunch with each bite. Crisp pickled cabbage and zesty hot sauce liven the creamy white sauce. For €5.60, the spot fully delivered to its accolades.
Cafe Constant was recommended in the Travel & Leisure April 2013 feature Insider's Guide to Paris as an intimate food lover's spot where chef Christian Constant shares his grandmother's recipes.
From the top of the bi-level brasserie located only blocks away from the Eiffel Tower, we could see the top of the famous 49-story infrastructure through the window at our table.
Elbow to elbow with Parisians to the right and Americans living abroad in the UK to our left, we enjoyed a rich beef stew, a poached cod with garlic mayonnaise and a seared salmon. The highlight of our lunch—and the winning dessert so far on the trip—was the profiteroles. Something like the Wisconsin State Fair cream puff, profiteroles are a lush puff pastry, except rather than fresh whipped cream in the middle, Constant filled his with ice cream. Warm chocolate sauce was poured atop the freshly baked, stuffed pastry upon presentation.
Chez Omar is a Moroccan restaurant also located in Le Marais (there's a lot going on in this area, including wonderful vintage stores abound).
Again the place was slammed in the early afternoon with families, couples and business folk. In fact, here we might have been the only foreign visitors. A simple pot of legumes, or vegetables, in a subtle broth served with seriously fluffy couscous filled our bellies and gave us the endurance we needed to continue adventuring long enough to beat out any jet lag.
The Zagat guide proved to be a great tool for hunting down more of the city's most favored dining experiences. Le Dôme du Marais achieved high scores for its cuisine and atmosphere, housed in a historical building that relates back to Louis VIII. The dome is a gorgeous glass feature that was the auction room of the nation's first pawn shop.
(Are you getting the blue, white and red of the French flag here??)
While the main dining room is enchanting, the former sales and bank room is charming and bright filled with plants, old needlepoint sofas and a metal bird cage. This is where we chose to dine, sharing a rich, piping hot corn chowder with popcorn and sensual truffle pizza. Go there. The atmosphere is unique.
Chez Georges was ranked high by Zagat and was also written-up in Bon Appetit magazine in March 2012. Said to have been a favorite of Julia Child during her time in Paris, the bistro was packed at 2:00 when we arrived sans réserve.
Maintaining its integrity of a nostalgic time, the duck breast served with mushrooms and a delicate brown sauce tasted so clean it tasted almost of beef steak rather than the rich flavor of the classic bird.
After the guests immediately next to us departed, a little hairy guest was revealed - to our pleasure. If only my buddy could have been there with us, she would have been just as polite, and very happy to try the meal with us.
There was even a pooch behind the bar! Encore un verre de vin rouge s'il vous plait, mademoiselle.
Le Petit Marche is near the Place de Voges and is recommended as a spot with great food, service and atmosphere that serves late into the evening. When we arrived famished at 11PM after a long day's adventure around the winding Paris streets, the scene was indeed lively still.
We enjoyed watching a table of twenty somethings shoot vodka before, during and after their meal of tuna steak seared with a sesame crust. Our meals of filet mignon and foi gras pâté were rich with French tradition, inclusive of a modern flare. It was so nice to be able to enjoy a real meal at such a late hour.
The inside was rustic with walls lined with drawings and paintings of women of all sorts. Colored lamps and fresh flowers brightened the dark room lit almost entirely by candle light.
With so much culinary tradition in Paris we did our best to visit spots with 'a name'. Each offered classic cuisines in somewhat traditional settings, although we felt that the price for a few outweighed the quality of food delivered. We're eager to work on the art of croissant making when we go back home and look forward to returning to some of the spots on our next visit to this immaculate European city.
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