Food: Paris

The best food I had were not meals in restaurants but food in the little local shops, Boulangeries, Frommageries, Boucheries or Chacuteries, and Patisseries. I also LOVED the grocery stores, Bon Marche was my favorite. To best describe the place, it was like a Whole Foods times 5, selling everything; specialty goods from US to China. They also sold dishes extremely hard to make like terrines and the classic, pate en croute which is quite foreign to the American palette (see picture 3rd above).

I found French restaurant food to be hearty, rich with good deals of 3 course prix fix menus from 20-35 euros. We dined at a Basque place, a region near the Pyrenees which borders Spain. This food was rich with spices, such as cloves and all-spice, the specialty dish is Boudin Noir (blood sausage). For bistro fare, the best dishes I had, always consisted of fish, Mediterranean seabass, seabream, and skate or ‘ray” as they call it. The raw fish was always extremely fresh and delicate with no such odors of fish innards which can be typical in poor quality sushi restaurants back home. Americans are scared of seeing skins and bones as Parisians are not, the fish is always is served whole, tail, head, eyes, all if fair game. Poultry was amazing, not a big fan of chicken but in Paris, I thought it was delectable, melt in the mouth fare. One time for lunch we decided to buy a chicken from the region of Bresse, famous for it’s techniques in raising chickens. Clean flavor and non-adulterated flavor, I enjoyed it much.

Never have I been a big fan of cheese for dessert but this trip to Paris has changed all this. The French taught me that cheese is a delicate, subtle way to end a filling meal. My favorite thing dates and cheese. The salads were always wonderful, mixed greens or bibb lettuce, with a simple dressing of oil, good mustard, vinegar, and herbs. Contrary to belief, I never found any good ‘frites’ in Paris. I loved the french macaroons, many flavors to choose from, I felt ones from Pierre Herme were the best. Bread, I coud not get enough of 'Pain aux cereales' from Boulangerie, Eric Kaiser. Crossiants almost everywhere were awesome.

Quite honestly, the ingredients are superb in Europe, it is indeed different soil and terrain. It’s difficult to be a bad cook in Paris, all you have to do is buy the right products and use common knowledge and viola!