Comptoir des Mers in Paris

We're smack in the middle of oyster season, which gives me the perfect opportunity to talk about one of my favorite seafood spots in Paris, Comptoir des Mers in the Marais. Several special memories have taken place in this small restaurant, including the moment I received the amazing news from my friends that they were engaged! I also had the chance to share this place with my mother who then proclaimed that she had the best oysters of her life here.
Not to be missed: any of the seafood carpaccios (their tuna is a standout), fine de Claire oysters, heaping seafood platters, and their crisp white wines like Sancerre

Comptoir des Mers is located at 1 Rue de Turenne in Paris's 4th arrondissement. 

Scenes from Paris

Some scenes from my trip to Paris last October:

Paris wouldn't be Paris without a protest at Bastille.

Le Grenier à Pain Bakery in Paris- Montmartre

During my two years spent in Paris, I came across some fine pastries.  I would often find a bakery where I liked one item, but then the others offerings didn't shine as much.  When I was in town for a visit last year, I stumbled across Le Grenier à Pain in Montmartre.  It's a small individually-owned chain but don't let that fool you- everything I sampled that day was superb.  From the savory tomato and cheese bread to the moist raspberry financier and the madeleine with a hint of orange, my mouth was constantly watering for more.  The sweet women behind the counter were just an added bonus. 

Le Grenier à Pain is located at 38 Rue des Abbesses in the 18th (Paris)

Pink Flamingo Pizza in Paris

Living in Paris for two years, I often wanted tasty "fast" food, and L'As du Falafel usually did the trick.  On a recent visit back, I got to try out Pink Flamingo, a small chain with several locations including one by the Canal Saint-Martin.  At this location, you can order your pizza, then take a balloon they give you down to the canal and wait for them to deliver it to you, by identifying your balloon.  Since it was winter, we just got it to go and took it back to our apartment, where we enjoyed it under the comfort of modern-day heat.  The pizza is tasty, reasonably priced, and there are some cool flavor options available.  I enjoyed the Aphrodite pizza, which consisted of grilled eggplant marinated in garlic, olive oil, hot pepper, and homemade hummus.

Verjus Wine Bar in Paris

When I was living in Paris a few years ago, I was always hearing good things about Hidden Kitchen, an underground supper club.  When my mother came to visit from the States, I made sure to put in a request for a reservation.  Then one day before the dinner, I woke up super sick.  As much as I wanted to go, I knew I couldn't so I emailed them my cancellation.  Hidden Kitchen ended up closing as the couple running it, Braden and Laura, decided to open their own restaurant in Paris.  On a cold winter night this past February, I finally got to stop by and try the Verjus wine bar for dinner.

 

Celeriac dumplings w/ dan-dan sauce, chives, toasted peanuts

 Buttermilk fried chicken w/napa cabbage slaw and micro greens

 Amazing charred broccoli with crackly Korean rice cake, anchovy, lemon and parm

Churros

Verjus wine bar is located at 47 rue Montpensier in Paris in the 1st

Cafe Breizh in Paris

I have a sweet spot for oysters so on my last visit to Paris, I headed over to Cafe Breizh, a spot in the Marais specializing in all things Bretagne.  I indulged in the meatiest oysters resting over a bed of sea salt.  They give you bread and butter with your meal and be sure and try it as the butter is divine: a creamy blend with a hint of salt and lemon that will whisk you away to the French Atlantic coast.  We finished off our meal with buckwheat crêpes: smoked salmon with crème fraîche and chives and a dessert one with bananas and cream. 

Cafe Breizh is located at 109 Rue Vieille du Temple in the 3rd arrondissement in Paris

L'as du Fallafel

One of my favorite places to get a quick bite to eat when I was living in Paris was L'as du Fallafel.  When I was there last month visiting, I decided to grab a sandwich but I picked the wrong day- it was the half marathon and I literally couldn't cross the street.  I went back to the apartment and ventured out after the race was over.  

It closes Friday afternoon for Shabbat, reopening on Sunday, which makes it a perfect pit stop for Sunday lunch.  Much of the Marais in fact, is the place to be in Paris on Sunday, as many other parts of the city (shops, bakeries, etc.) shut down.  There is often a line but it moves quickly as you pay while you're queuing.  While they have more to offer than just falafel, I recommend the falafel sandwich with all the fillings (cabbage, cucumber, onion, fried eggplant, creamy white sauce, etc.) and sauce piquante (though it's not at all spicy).  It all comes together nicely in a messy street-food kind of way.  Take it to go and enjoy it (start with a fork, then eat it like a sandwich) in the street walking through the Marais or find a nearby park bench to savor it.

L'as du Fallafel is located at 34 Rue des Rosiers in Paris

Merry Christmas

Christmas is my favorite time to visit Paris.  The city of light becomes even more aglow in the twinkling holiday decorations all over the city.  There's nothing better than grabbing a vin chaud at the Christmas stalls along the Champs-Elysées and enjoying the beautiful white lights on all the trees.  Here are some pictures from my first Christmastime visit to Paris in 2006.  Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone.

Breakfast in Paris

During my most recent trip to Paris in late June, I was so busy catching up with old friends that eating out was not a main priority.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped into Noctudîne in the third arrondissement one morning.  The women behind the counter greeted my companions and me warmly.  We felt like we were in their kitchen especially when one of them said the strawberry jam was handmade by elle-même.

 I ordered a crêpe with her enticing jam and took a seat in the cozy interior.  Aside from the strawberry jam , there were numerous other classic sweet toppings as well as a wonderful selection of savory galettes made with buckwheat flour.  My brother enjoyed every last bite of his 'Norwegian' smoked salmon galette.  You can find Noctudîne at 57 Rue de Turenne in the 3rd arrondissement.      

Rooftop Views in Paris, Part I

Opera House seen from the rooftop at Galeries Lafayette

There are some great views to be had in Paris- like that of the Eiffel Tower and la Tour Montparnasse.  There are also some great views that are gratuit- including the top of the Pompidou Museum and the Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre which is a great place for a sunset picnic on the steps.  My latest trip to Paris in June included an unexpected view that I never took advantage of during my two years in the city.  At the top of the Galeries Lafayette department store, 40 bld Haussmann, 75009, Paris, is a magnificent roof deck that includes the cafe La Terrasse des Galeries Lafayette and wonderful 360-degree views.  The prices are not easy on the wallet, but you are getting a wonderful view with your cafe or glass of wine, and the menu even features some unique and tasty desserts.  I enjoyed a delicious (and beautiful!) French twist on an ice cream sandwich that included passion-fruit ice cream sandwiched in between two vibrantly-colored green macaron cookies.

Macaron Marathon

I first fell in love with macarons during my second trip to Paris after following up on the advice of friends and visiting Ladurée bakery.  Ever since then I was hooked.  Even after I moved to Paris for a two-year stint, I returned home to the states with a little pastel green box filled with eight mouth-watering cookies to bring my mom a taste of Paris.  Despite this obsession, I always had a fear of recreating the dessert at home.  I had heard stories that they were a tough cookie to make and after my gnocchi disaster in the kitchen several years ago, I did not want a repeat.  So once I found an instructional class at Sur La Table (led by a pastry chef), my fears were assuaged and after a two-hour course, I was taking home a ziploc bag filled with five different flavors of this heavenly cookie.  Making them at home, however, was a different story.  We didn't have the luxury of already measured/weighed ingredients, a professional pastry chef guiding our every move, and the most important thing, a restaurant-grade (or at least properly functioning) oven.  This afternoon's first homemade macaron attempt turned into a 4+hour marathon that resulted in tasty (if not somewhat ugly) macarons that I think were a decent success considering it was our first attempt.  They were missing the all-important pieds, or feet, that make macarons unique, and thus I think they almost look like mini-whoopie pies instead.  We learned a lot and after we wash away the last of the splattered flour out of our hair and aprons, we just might be ready for take two of our macaron adventure.  Stay tuned.  

After 3 attempts at the macaronner process, watching this video helped immensely

Uneven coconut macaron shells after piping

Our attempt at quick-drying the shells before putting them in the oven.  Result: It worked pretty well

An unsuccessful burnt batch of raspberry macarons

The semi-presentable coconut-lemon and raspberry macarons 

Plates of macarons

Raspberry-filled macarons up-close

I had planned on making pasta alio e oglio for dinner but a nearly 4-hour macaron marathon called for Subway takeout and "homemade" iced chai using the Tazo mix from Whole Foods

Link Friday

One hot and humid day last May when I was still living in Paris, I heard at the last-minute about a multi-day spectacle taking over the Champs-Élysées. It was called Nature Capitale, a large-scale event designed to promote agriculture, and it transformed the famous, glitzy boulevard into a temporary farmland and menagerie. Only a few hours remained before the event was over so I scrambled down the five flights of stairs in my apartment building and into the stuffy metro where I quickly realized that everyone else had the same idea as me as it was wall-to-wall with perspiring passengers.  Once I climbed out into the glaring sunshine at Concorde, I saw aisles and aisles of trees, flowers, grass, vegetables and other plants. Parents took this first-ever event as an opportunity to expose their children to the wonders of farming. It was quite an event. Today's New York Time's article takes an interesting look at the advances Paris has made in becoming a more ecologically-friendly city, thanks in large part due to their mayor, Bertrand Delanoë. I find it wonderful that they are one of the pioneers in European cities choosing to go pesticide-free in their park system. It also mentions the all-organic Raspail Sunday market (where my favorite onion-potato galettes are sold) as well as other markets to enter the bio scene.  If you have been to Paris, do you enjoy using the Velib' bicycles? (That is, if you are able to rent them without the micro-chip in your American credit card). What other efforts to promote greener living did you notice in Paris? How about other cities?