Today I’m sharing ‘a Dude Food Blogger’s’ Top 10 Foods to eat while in Paris. My reaction: Women will be able to tell it’s a man’s list. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
Source: The Top 10 Foods You Have To Eat In Paris
Sure, American men generally love sandwiches, but what about when they go to Paris? Here is one man’s perspective.
In the midst of my Destination Wedding in Paris series comes February, and with it, St. Valentine’s Day (Saint-Valentin in France): two things that make me think of love. What better way to show your significant other that you love them than to suggest one or more of these Top 10 foods the next time you both visit Paris? I’ve included some additional information with each recommendation; at times, my research about these establishments differs from what appears in the post, which appears to have been published in 2012. I also have pared down the original list somewhat, due to chef changes and brevity.
Psssstttttt….there will be a few other posts having to do with men during the month of February.
Gelatto from Pozzotto.
10. Dessert
*Ice Cream/Gelatto
Pozzetto
39 rue du Roi de Sicile
75004 Paris
Phone: +33 01 42 77 08 64
Hours: 12:15 P.M. – 11:45 P.M., except for Fri & Sat, closing time is 12:45 A.M.
Metro: Hotel de Ville or Saint-Paul
Pozzetto’s ice cream and gelatto is thought to be the creamiest. As recommendations, try Pistachio and Giunduja (chocolate-hazelnut).
Crepes with strawberries and cream.
*Crepes
L’Avant Comptoir
9 Carrefour de l’Odeon
75006 Paris
Phone: +33 01 44 27 07 50
Hours: Monday – Sunday, 12:00 P.M. – 11:00 P.M.
Metro: Odeon
Chef Yves Camdeborde’s Le Comptoir du Relais nearby is a Michelin-selection restaurant. His L’Avant Comptoir has excellent crepes and creme brulee, both staples in France. Try the chocolate crepes with Chantilly cream. Note: While this is a man’s list, one woman I know deeply regretted not having a crepe while in Paris. Keep this in mind, guys! (Please.) (Note: A company website was not available.)
Creme Brulee.
*Creme Brulee
Bistrot Paul Bert
18 rue Paul Bert
75011 Paris
Phone: +33 01 43 72 24 01
Hours: Mon-Thurs 12:00 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. & 7:30 P.M. – 10:30 P.M., Fri & Sat. 12:00 P.M. – 2:30 P.M. & 7:30 P.M. – 11:00 P.M., Closed Sun
Metro: Faidherbe-Chaligny or Rue des Boulets
Bistrot Paul Bert is a Michelin-selection restaurant. The Grand Marnier Souffle is said to be “pretty darn perfect.” (Note: A company website was not available.)
9. Falafel
Your mouth will water just looking at this Falafel sandwich.
L’As du Fallafel
32-34 rue des Rosiers
75004 Paris
Phone: +33 01 48 87 63 60
Hours: 11:00 A.M. – 12:00 A.M; Closed Sat.
Metro: Saint-Paul
Their falafel sandwiches are said to be “the best falafel sandwiches in the world.” They are also Kosher and inexpensive.
8. Splurge Dinner
Perfectly Cooked Fish at Spring Restaurant.
*Spring Restaurant
6 rue Bailleul
75001 Paris
Phone: +33 01 45 96 05 72
Hours: Tues-Sat, 6:30 P.M. – 10:30 P.M., Closed Sun & Mon
Metro: Louvre-Rivoli
Spring Restaurant is a Michelin-selection restaurant. Chef Daniel Rose and his team offer a 4-course prix fixe dinner for 84 euros (which means there is no menu); there is an optional course for 15 euros. The staff is described as “warm and friendly to foreigners.”
Bass Filet with honey and cream of mushroom at Bistro Paul Bert.
*Bistrot Paul Bert
18 rue Paul Bert
75011 Paris
Phone: +33 01 43 72 24 01
Hours: Mon-Thurs 12:00 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. & 7:30 P.M. – 10:30 P.M., Fri & Sat. 12:00 P.M. – 2:30 P.M. & 7:30 P.M. – 11:00 P.M., Closed Sun
Metro: Faidherbe-Chaligny or Rue des Boulets
Lively and boisterous, it is so good you might want to make a reservation 2-3 weeks in advance. The chef offers a prix fixe menu for 18 euros or 36 euros. It is a Michelin-selection restaurant and worth every penny. (Note: A company website was not available.)
A delectable meal at Le Chateaubriand.
*Le Chateaubriand
129 avenue Parmentier
75011 Paris
Phone: +33 01 43 57 45 95
Hours: Tues-Sat 7:30 P.M. – 10:30 P.M., Closed Sun & Mon
Metro: Goncourt
Le Chateaubriand is a Michelin-selection restaurant, and was voted one of “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” in 2015 by The Diners Club World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, the mechanism used to create the list. Chef Inaki Aizpitarte offers a prix fixe dinner for 65 euros (which changes daily), which blends French, Asian and Latin American culinary influences. Tables can be booked two weeks in advance.
Laduree macaroons.
7. Macaroons (Macarons)
*Laduree
64 boulevard Haussmann
75009 Paris
Phone: +33 01 42 82 40 10
Hours: Mon-Sat 9:30 A.M. – 8:00 P.M., Closed Sun
Metro: Havre-Caumartin
Laduree is credited with inventing the macaroon in the early 20th century. The Dude Food Blogger has a slight preference for Pierre Herme’s macaroons.
Macaroons from Pierre Herme.
*Pierre Herme (Multiple locations)
72 rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
Phone: +33 01 43 54 47 77
Hours: Sun-Wed 10:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M., Thurs & Fri 10:00 A.M. – 7:30 P.M., Sat 10:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M.
Metro: Saint-Sulpice
Pierre Herme comes from a long line of bakers. He helped Laduree expand their business, and opened his first bakery in Tokyo in 1998; his first bakery in Paris opened in 2002. He now has 10 stores in Tokyo, three in Hong Kong, 11 in Paris, three in London, and an on-line store. The Lime-Basil and the Salted Caramel macaroons are recommended. Hours vary by location.
6. Wine Bar
Wine and dessert at L’Avant Comptoir.
L’Avant Comptoir
9 Carrefour de l’Odeon
75006 Paris
Phone: +33 01 44 27 07 50
Hours: Monday – Sunday, 12:00 P.M. – 11:00 P.M.
Metro: Odeon
Casual and boisterous, L’Avant Comptoir is a zinc bar/bistro owned by Chef Yves Camborde, whose Le Comptoir du Relais nearby is a Michelin-selection restaurant. Did I say “casual”? The menu hangs down from the ceiling on oversized cards! The Jamon (cured ham) with Artichoke Cream on Waffles, and the Duck confit sausage hot dog are recommended. Cost averages 5-10 euros per plate. It is the only restaurant of its kind in Paris. (Note: A company website was not available.)
5. Cheese
Cheese Shop (Fromager) of Laurent Dubois.
Fromager Laurent Dubois (Multiple locations)
47 Ter boulevard Saint-German
75005 Paris
Phone: +33 01 43 54 50 93
Hours: Tue-Sat 8:00 A.M. – 7:45 P.M., Sun 8:30 A.M. – 1:00 P.M., Closed Sun (Hours vary by location.)
Metro: Maubert-Mutalite
Think of France, and many people think of cheese. (Okay, perhaps wine and cheese.) Where better to sample cheese than at Fromager Laurent Dubois’s shop? Laurent Dubois is a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (an “MOF”) (“Best Craftsman in France”) in his culinary field of cheese-aging. The shop has cheese consultants who will help you make selections based on your taste preference and when you would like to consume it.
4. Chocolate
A window gazer at Patrick Roger Chocolatier.
*Patrick Roger Chocolatier
108 boulevard Saint-Germain
75006 Paris
Phone: +33 01 43 29 38 42
Hours: Mon-Sun 10:30 A.M. – 7:30 P.M.
Metro: Odeon
Patrick Roger is a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) (“Best Craftsman in France”) as a chocolatier. He is known for his unique flavors. Try the half-spheres that are liquid caramel in a thin layer of chocolate.
3. Baguette, Pain au Chocolat, and Pastries
*Baguette
Eric Kayser (Multiple locations)
1 boulevard du Montparnasse
75006 Paris
Phone: +33 01 47 83 75 39
Hours: Mon-Sat 7:00 A.M. – 8:30 P.M., Closed Sun
Pain au chocolat and baguette from Kayser Bakery (Boulangerie).
Metro: Duroc
Eric Kayser is a 4th-generation baker who opened his first bakery in Paris in 1996 at age 32; his bakeries are now world-wide, though each location adapts to local tastes and flavors. You can taste his Midas touch in his flaky breads and pastries.
*Pain au Chocolat
Angelina Tea Room (Multiple locations)
Rive Gauche
108 rue du Bac
75007 Paris
Phone: +33 01 42 22 63 08
Hours: Mon-Thur 9:00 A.M. – 7:30 P.M., Fri & Sat 9:00 – 8:00 P.M., Sun 10:00 – 6:00 P.M. Hours vary by location.
Metro: Palais Royal Musee du Louvre
Angelina has many locations in Paris and abroad; I selected this particular location because it is so close to a metro stop. They were founded in 1903 during the period of Belle Epoche, and their refined interior reflects it. In addition to their excellent pastries, they offer a snacks, large salads, and a lunch menu.
The St. Honore Pastry is made up of puff pastry, cream puffs, whipped cream, and caramelized sugar.
*St. Honore Pastry
Cake Shop in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel
251 rue Saint Honore
75001 Paris
Phone: +33 01 70 98 74 00
Hours: Mon-Sun 11:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M.
Metro: Concorde
You might think that a pastry shop located within a hotel wouldn’t be particularly outstanding. The Cake Shop in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel will change your mind. Perhaps it had to be persuasive: It’s located at the entrance to Camelia, the hotel’s Michelin-guide restaurant; Chef Thierry Marx also has a Michelin 2-star restaurant, Sur Mesure par Thierry Marx, within the hotel. In addition, the street name, Saint Honore, is the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs.
Le Beurre Bordier butter is expensive but worth it.
2. Butter, specifically Le Beurre Bordier
Described as “the Ferrari of butter,” it is also said to be dangerous: one bite of it on a slice of baguette and you might finish the entire package. It has everything you love about butter x 10: a little more salt, a higher fat content, and silky smooth. Here is a list of a few places you can purchase it in Paris.
More than any other entry, this one convinces me The Dude Food Blogger is a true food connoisseur, for what is the best bread without the best butter to go with it?
1. Caramels
Jacques Gengin’s Mango Passion Caramels.
*Jacques Genin Chocolatier
133 rue de Turenne
75003 Paris
Phone: +33 01 45 77 29 01
Hours: Closed Mon, Tues-Fri & Sun, 11:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M., Sat 11:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M.
Metro: Oberkampf
The Dude Food Blogger would pick Jacques Genin if he had to pick one place to do his caramel shopping. Try the natural caramel and the ginger caramel.
Chocolates at Patrick Roger Chocolatier.
*Patrick Roger Chocolatier
108 boulevard Saint-Germain
75006 Paris
Phone: +33 01 43 29 38 42
Hours: Mon-Sun 10:30 A.M. – 7:30 P.M.
Metro: Odeon
One look at Patrick Roger’s website and you know he’s not your ordinary chocolatier. But then, he’s a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) (“Best Craftsman in France”), so of course he stands out. So do his caramels.
Bon Appetit!
References: “Pierre Herme,” Wikipedia, CCBY 3.0. “Eric Kayser,” Wikipedia, CCBY 3.0. “Belle Epoche,” Wikipedia, CCBY 3.0.
Image of ham sandwich by Viewminder, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of Pozzotto gelatto from Pinterest (Findeatdrink.com), CCBY 2.0. Image of crepes with strawberries by Mingerspice, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of creme brulee by Austin Matherne, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of Fallafel by Robert Occhialini, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of perfectly cooked fish at Spring Restaurant by Margaret L., Yelp, CCBY 2.0. Image of bass filet with honey and cream of mushroom at Bistro Paul Bert by Kevin Phua, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of meal at Le Chateaubriand by Kok Chin & Sarah Gan, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image Laduree macaroons from Sophiasbaking.blogspot.com, CCBY 2.0. Image of macaroons from Pierre Herme by NuRIDOL, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of wine and dessert at L’Avant Compton by Robert Young, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of Fromager Laurent Dubois’s cheese shop by John Kroll, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of window gazer at Patrick Roger Chocolatier by John Kroll, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of pain au chocolat and baguette from Kayser Bakery by Sun Brockle, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of St. Honore pastry from the cake shop in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel from Pinterest, CCBY 2.0. Image of Le Beurre Bordier butter by Christabelle, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of Jacques Gengins Mango Passion Caramels from Pinterest (the-cooking-of-joy.blogspot.com, CCBY 2.0. Image of chocolates at Patrick Roger Chocolatier by John Kroll, Flickr, CCBY 2.0.
If the religieuse pastry is too rich for your taste, try a pistachio-flavored macaron (“macaroon”), available at patisseries (“pastry shops”) all over Paris.
Market Tour & Classic French Cooking
Today, many countries around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate love in an often harsh world.