So here’s the post you’ve all been waiting for– the takeaways, the good stuff, the insider info, the dish, the tea, the 411 on all things Paris. As you know by now, Michael and I spent a glorious time in The City of Light in a great apartment where we lived and worked for an entire month… minus a voluntary one-day delay. (Thank you Delta Airlines for the offer to be bumped payout!) Check out An American Girl in Paris (Part Une) for how we prepped and An American Girl in Paris (Part Deux) for what we did.
The mega to do list that I prepared in advance was reviewed, edited, and polished each evening in real time with some additions, a few minor crossouts, and lots of good notes and details on what was good, what was great and what was earthshatteringly divine. But before we dive in, I have some general Paris tips to share… Don’t buy individual Metro tickets from the machine in the train station. Get a book of 10 instead because they are discounted! Tipping is appreciated but not required. After paying by card, some touristy restaurants automatically take you to a screen to tip– don’t fall for it. A coin or two is fine if the service was exceptional. Don’t stock up on baguettes— they are made fresh every day and get stale day two. You can live in Paris without any cash— everyone takes card but not everyone takes American Express. Roads and boulevards change names at certain intersections— pay attention to street signs. Bring your passport everywhere— if your purchase is over $100, you’ll get a tax form that entitles you to 12% back but your passport is required to complete the paperwork. Wear comfortable shoes! We walked an average of five miles a day often on cobblestones. Every store will greet you with “bonjour” and you’re expected to say it back. Lots of museums, restaurants and shops close on Sunday or Monday or both. Check individual websites for all operating hours. Don’t expect the service in restaurants to be speedy. The French are not in a rush. And speaking of food (drumroll please!) it’s time to reveal my picks for the best dishes in Paris.
Just like in New York where there is nary a bad slice of pizza to be had, in Paris you are hard pressed to find a bad baguette. However, finding the best one took the entire month. And after many qualified contenders were briskly broken, buttered, and bitten, finally a clear winner emerged. Boulangerie Utopie claimed the top spot. Although their Charcoal Baguette looked a lot like a Halloween gag, we quickly got over the seriously dark black color and focused on the crispy outside and light, airy inside. The perfect slice slathered with good French butter made this our all-out favorite.
There were of course many runners up. The Cereal Baguette also from Utopie was also outstanding. It’s like a New York version of seven grain bread with nuts and seeds throughout. The Sesame Baguette from Paul (many branches around the city) was super crispy and Michael especially loved the dense sesame outsides. Our local boulangerie, Nicolas Flamel rated well too and our ‘hood agreed as the line each day spilled way out the door. We liked the choices at the oldest boulangerie in all of Paris, Stohrer. And rounding out the top picks was Bo & Mie, a trendy creative shop kicking out great fare and especially crusty baguettes.
Moving onto the quintessential croissant, I have to say that we didn’t sample too many. (We were a bit baguette happy and got a lil’ distracted.) But the best one we tried was the simple, no-frills Croissant from a compact boulangerie in the 11th called Blé sucré. It was dangerously delicate on the outside with a delicious buttery taste. I inhaled mine in record time, and not even a spot of jam was necessary. Blé sucré also claimed the prize for their incredible Kouign-Amann, a caramelized cross between a palmier and a croissant. I love the ones in NYC from the cronut man himself, Dominique Ansel… but back to Paris… When I tasted Blé’s KA as they are nicknamed, the sound was like biting into a big piece of Hattie’s famous fried chicken– that audible crunch was epic!
And speaking of Palmiers (also casually called “elephant ears” because of their shape), Carette absolutely nailed theirs with a huge plate obscuring version that we got as carry out after lunch. And thank goodness we did. It took us several days to eat the whole caramelized delicacy!
Staying in the carb family, our favorite Cookies were from Poilâne, but here they refer to them as Biscuits. They were handcrafted, cooked over a wood fire, and made from quality ingredients of natural origin, always without additives, coloring agents or preservatives. They were sweet, crunchy, cute, and completely addictive!
One of our most favorite desserts was actually a knockoff by Bo & Mie of the Suprême Croissant from Lafayette Bakery in NYC. How ironic that a Parisian bakery is copying a French treat from a New York restaurant? Called the New-York Roll, they certainly pay tribute in name. This gorgeous swirled pastry had melted chocolate on the top with a smattering of nuts and was filled throughout with the most delicious vanilla bean cream ever. They were beyond exceptional! And dare I say better than the original in New York? Yes, I think so. (Blasphemous perhaps but still true!)
When it came time to pick the best Pain au Chocolat, the choice was easy. The one I baked in my pastry class was the absolute winner! Coming in a creative second would have to be the fun alternatives also from Bo & Mie in chocolate with nuts and a strawberry version.
The Paris-Brest is always one of my favorite French desserts. It’s a classic featuring a crisp, almond-studded baked ring of pâte à choux that’s split in half horizontally and then filled in the middle with a mixture of vanilla pastry cream, praline paste, and whipped butter. I can’t even! The restaurant Ai Fiori in NYC makes a fabulous version. However in Paris, the top spot went to Mori Yoshida for his Paris-Brest with a Japanese twist of black sesame in both the dough and the cream.
La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac is a very well know shop in Paris with several locations. Best known for his first and most famous creation Equinoxe, Cyril crafts this futuristic-looking standout with a speculoos crust, a light vanilla bourbon cream, and a salted-butter caramel center. I actually didn’t think I was going to like these flavors but I was completely blown away by the creamy texture and ethereal light bite.
Lina’s Café has several Paris locations and touts itself the place to go for club sandwiches. I think not. Lina should be known for her mindblowingly large and super gooey Chocolate Muffins with soft, melty centers. This picture certainly does the two-hander justice.
Liberta Trattoria is a charming restaurant on the Pont Neuf. Best known for their reasonable Italian fare, we struck gold with their Risotto with Grilled Mushrooms and Roasted Chicken. The creamy and delicious dish was topped by shaved aged parmesan cheese. But as good as our lunch was, their homemade Tiramisu was to die! The great thing about the tiramisu in Paris is that it’s almost all cream and barely any espresso… perfect for me.
Bofinger is where we had a fabulous “work” dinner with some of my international colleagues and friendly visiting domestics. I joked earlier that it was a Snail and Sauerkrautfest but the best thing we all ate that night were the complementary homemade Pretzels served with spicy mustard that graced the table once we were seated.
There are way too many chocolatiers in Paris to count. But my absolute favorite item was from the fairly new house of Alléno & Rivoire. They sell a box of Vanilla Pods that will knock your socks right off. Each strip is a thin shell of dark chocolate that contains a dreamy Tahitian vanilla caviar. I don’t know exactly what vanilla caviar is but I became an instant fan! I’m still dreaming about those pods. Runners up in this category are many. We loved the Pralinés “à l’Ancienne” from Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse, the Chocolate Almond Biscuits from Jean-Paul Hévin, the Bars from PLAQ, the Boxes and Tablets from Edwart Chocolatier, and the adorable Marshmallow Covered Bears from Cyril Lignac Chocolaterie.
There is a reason Angelina Paris makes the global list of Best Hot Chocolate in the world. Without question, it is! It’s so thick and pourable and thank goodness they give you a small pitcher that’s good for at least two full cups– it’s fun to share. It’s not too sweet but super rich and very drinkable. (The food there is just ok, so best to go for the drink only.) Runners up in this category would have to be Café de Flore, and I loved the hocho at Carette because they give an obscene amount of whipped cream on the side.
The ice cream at Berthillion is supremely rich, but its location on the Île Saint-Louis is not conveniently located. Lucky for us, many restaurants list Berthillion on their menus and serve it for dessert! I gobbled up the Ice Cream Sundae at La Rotonde de la Muette in the 16th. I had the Chocolate Liegeois— chocolate ice cream, cookies, chocolate sauce, fresh whipped cream, and meringue sticks. The whipped cream was oh so thick and it was the perfect counterpoint to the creamy chocolate ice cream melting underneath the chocolate sauce. Yum!
François Félix has the best Caesar Salad. Warm, perfectly grilled chicken, toasty croutons, not too much garlicky dressing, gratuitous bacon, and huge shavings of fresh parmesan cheese made this my go to lunch.
It’s hard to go wrong when you order a kitchen sink-like Cobb Salad. Le Compas serves the best one in Paris. With golden brown crispy chicken strips, hard-boiled egg, plump cherry tomatoes, blue cheese chunks, crispy onion shavings, and cubed croutons, this was the salad of my dreams!
The Goat Cheese Salad and Fries at Café Varenne came highly recommended from none other than Ina Garten herself via Instagram. Titled the Larzac au Chevre and Petite Frites, the salad is a most welcome bed of lettuce and haricot vert tossed in a mustardy vinaigrette topped by a lightly fried goat cheese pillow and a smattering of chopped tomatoes. The “petite” fries are thankfully huge! I ate every single bite. Ina failed to mention that the Pot de Crème for dessert is completely sensational, so should you tell her or should I?? (Wait a New York minute…Was she holding out on us??)
The best Burger in Paris was at Le Paradis. They take a beef patty and add cheddar fondu, tomato, salad, pickles, and sauce du chef to create a monstrous sandwich. The oozy cheddar sauce was mmmm and we loved their fries, too! This place really was a foodie paradise. Runners up include the burgers at Le Ruisseau- Burger Joint, PNY, and both the burger and smothered fries at Blend make the list.
The very best sandwich I had in Paris was the Club Maison Toasté, Poulet at Carette. They start with a chicken fillet, thinly sliced, and add grilled bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise sauce. They carefully pile a mound of mayo-y cole slaw in the middle of the carefully toothpicked quarters and call it a day. This entrée was so large I was only able to finish half of it in one sitting... and I was thrilled to eat the other half later in the day for dinner.
Without question, the best Falafel in Paris and possibly the world is at L’as du Fallafel. Instead of opting into a pita sando, I ordered the platter. A bed of cabbage, chopped tomatoes, cukes, a big smear of hummus, and eggplant cubes make way for a mountain of lightly fried chickpea fritters. I’m not even a big falafel fan usually but OMG (emphasis on the G!) this was decidedly heavenly.
According to Diane Keaton’s character Erica Barry in the movie Something’s Gotta Give, me, my Son, and The Mothership, the best Roasted Chicken in Paris is at Le Grand Colbert. How do they make the chicken so tender? And that rich gravy is just begging all those crispy fries to take a swim! (So I let ’em.) The Chocolate Mousse and the Hot Chocolate are also delish! This remains my absolute favorite brasserie.
We didn’t find too many Asian restaurants in Paris but the best one by far was KONG. Known for their cool seating in the Glassroom atop La Samaritaine with insane views of the city, KONG boasts a fabulous menu. We started with the Crispy Prawns from Madagascar with a chili ponzu sauce and the Chicken Spring Rolls with sweet and sour black sauce.
For the main course we shared the incredibly umami Japanese Spaghetti Udon with a mix of forest mushrooms, chanterelles, pieds de mouton, and trompette de la mort and the Pan-Fried Tuna Steak with crunchy miso chips. Dessert was strawberry sorbet beside chocolate ice cream and a crunchy chocolate praline cake. Each and every dish was simply spectacular. This was our best meal of the trip in the most romantic location possible!
The biggest takeaway from the whole experience for me also happens to be the name of a song from the smash Broadway show Rent. I am of course talking about “No Day But Today.” During this trip I was fully engaged, completely immersed, and felt tremendously present and grateful. I was determined to maximize the adventure—which wasn’t hard to do since each and every day was so magical!
The sheer awesomeness of Versailles. The life changing bite of a pain au chocolat that I made from scratch! The enormity of the Eiffel Tower. The roar of the holiday crowd and the twinkling lights on the Champs-Élysées. The melty bite of a folded crepe on the street. The feel of fancy new shoes on my happy feet. The taste of dreamy hot chocolate with a gluttonous scoop of fresh whipped cream. The brilliant artistry of Picasso, Monet, Rodin, Degas, and van Gogh. The grandiose of the Grand Boulevards. The absolutely stunning fashions. The iconic brasseries, boulangeries, pâtisseries, and cafés. And we know my list would not be complete without a nod to the perfection of the French fry.
In France I said yes to all sorts of new experiences and tastes. It was an eat it, see it, buy it, try it, love it kind of trip. Truly a feast for the senses, and the soul. Paris was a life affirming month of absolute exhilaration!
I was actually at JFK Airport last week because I had just flown home from a work trip to California. And as I was speeding through the terminal to exit, I just happened to walk past the passengers lined up to board the evening flight to Charles de Gaulle. (Those lucky ducks!) So I slowed down and I smiled, remembering the feeling we had as we set out on this amazing adventure! My month abroad in France was an experience this American Girl will never forget, because of course… we will always have Paris!
You don’t need a warm baguette, a fancy frock and a stylish chapeau like me and Carrie Bradshaw to be happy… but hey, it certainly does set the mood!
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