I'll admit it: the fashion, language, and culture of France are all amazing, but the main reason I chose to study abroad in Paris is the food. Okay, that's not completely true, I'm just being melodramatic; as a French minor Paris was an obvious choice for me, but the food was also a huge draw. So imagine my dismay when I arrived in Paris and horrifyingly found out how far my euros would get me in the cuisine department. Once I got over my initial sticker shock, I did my research and exploring and found reasonably priced spots. So as I approach the two-month anniversary of my arrival here in Paris, I compiled all of my foodie pics to put into one massive post. Bon appétit!
One of my first meals here was at a restaurant just down the street from our school, when a group of us was starving and just went to the first place we came across. When it comes to these bistro/café restaurants, they all tend to look the same so names are hard to remember. The waitress was super sweet, as most of them are here, especially when they find out we're from California! So much for Parisians being rude to Americans, yeah? Or maybe they just only like people from CA or NY... Regardless, I had the daily special which happened to be a spinach and salmon quiche. Need I say more? There is nothing better than homemade, warm quiche. Plus, the salad dressing that's universal here is amazing. It's creamy instead of vinaigrette-y and there's never too much of it. But I don't understand the obsession with giving one giant wedge of tomato. Does anyone really like tomato that much?
Grilled cheese! Okay, so it's totally American, but what could make a better grilled cheese than French cheese? There just happens to be a place nearby called
The Grilled Cheese Factory (I'm realizing more and more how un-French this place is) with
beaucoup de fromage and a very cute worker. I had the
fabrication chèvre, which was basically goat cheese and jam, mmm. They all come with a side of ketchup, which I'm guessing is homemade because it's very sweet but it goes well with a grilled cheese. The best part of the place though? It was playing
Friends on the giant TV
but dubbed in French. It was awesome and so lame at the same time. I'll definitely be going back to try the mac n cheese!
Before I came to France, I never drank coffee. Ever. I still don't drink coffee. I drink espresso, watered down with steamed milk and sugar and (sometimes) whipped cream. And it is delicious. I know I should be all cool and classic and just get the espresso shot (
café) but espresso is disgusting. Sugar and whipped cream is delicious. Am I making sense? Whatever I'm drinking, sitting at a café and sipping on a warm beverage is one of the things I will miss most about Paris. When that caffeine hunger strikes and you finally sit down with your
café crème (hopefully not next to someone smoking) time simply stops and it's just you and your thoughts. I also like to bring my book and read while I sip, since cafés here let you stay virtually as long as you like. That's the whole point of the café break here - it's a time for relaxing and enjoying life. It's actually pretty difficult to find coffee to go in France, unless you're at Starbucks. So a few times a week I make sure to head over to a café with or without a book in hand to sit back with my sugared-up coffee and enjoy Parisian people watching.
Luckily for my taste buds, the Marais district (the Jewish district) is within walking distance of my apartment, which means I have all the falafel I could ever dream of. Never having had falafel before, I had no idea what I was missing out on. I've now tried two of the popular falafel places in the Marais and I've come to the conclusion that
L'As du Fallafel is the tastiest. I'm a fan of the more crispier falafel, plus they actually manage to make the texture of eggplant seem appealing. It's much cheaper to take your food to go, so we grab our pittas and take a walk, trying not to let any of the precious balls fall out (heh) of the soft, warm bread. Plus it's only six euros! PLUS the cabbage mixed with the sauce turns the bread all purple and it looks festive as I eat.
What the heck is more French than fondue?? Probably a lot of stuff, but fondue was something I had to have while I was here. My school set up a fondue dinner for anyone who signed up and it included a meat and broth course, cheese and bread course, and of course a chocolate and fruit course. The restaurant,
L'assiette aux Fromages, was cozy and warm, the perfect atmosphere for a gooey, cheesy dinner. The huge pots of broth and cheese came with a dish of roasted potatoes, cubed bread, and raw meat for cooking to our preference. I concocted the perfect bite, which was a piece of bread fried until golden, dipped in cheese, and then topped with a cube of rare beef. I think I'm now schooled in the art of French cooking. Then I embarrassed myself by licking molten chocolate off a grape because they didn't give us spoons.
One of the girls in the program took me to
Le Pause Café after a day trip ended late due to traffic. I was so hungry and tired, I would have followed her anywhere. Thankfully for my empty belly, she took me to one of my new favorite restaurants here in Paris. I ended up just choosing something pretty randomly and hoping for the best and oh was I lucky! I happened to order shredded duck, topped with mashed potato and salad and swimming in a meaty broth. The French sure love their duck, and I don't blame them because they really do it well here. This was one of the best meals I've had in France. Plus, the waiters are cute and friendly, and it's a very young and hip place to hangout. I've been back again to get the veggie lasagna and drinks with some friends and so far I haven't tried anything bad from Le Pause.
Before this turns into the ramblings of a hunger crazed woman (maybe I should have written this
after dinner), I will just mention the French onion soup I had while visiting Versailles. I'm not sure if it would be called "French" onion soup if you're actually in France, but it's much, much better than the soup in America. This one had more cheese and crouton than broth, but the broth it did have was flavorful and chock full of sweet onions. It was also huge; we ordered them as appetizers but afterwards I was too full to finish my chicken. It may be a touristy thing to eat, but damn the stereotypes because it was delicious. Hopefully anyone reading this is now as hungry as I am and I didn't even get a chance to write about Parisian desserts. Until next time...
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