Paris, France Day 3 of 8- On our own, Tony & Eric would be proud of us!

Parisian pastries- what could be cuter or tastier?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Well, ok the cheeses are 
           also amazing!                                                                          

Hmmm walking around Paris makes us hungry! Where to go for lunch?  We decided to just look around and pick somewhere that simply looked interesting. After much consultation between the three of us, we selected La Coupole- 102 Blvd du Montparnasse, which is also open 7 days a week. What a find! 

The interior of La Coupole

The restaurant has quite a history with the likes of Josephine Baker to Jean-Paul Sartre and Picasso dining here. This is what we ordered-poached egg in red wine and shallots, sweetbreads with veal breast, sole meuneire, green oysters and a poached egg with spinach and cepes (a mushroom available only in the fall) .

              Oysters served on ice.
            



 I was put in an odd position. When my poached egg finally,  arrived, after everyone else was served, it was way overdone. You poached egg aficionados will understand  that perfect moment when the tines of your fork pierce the top of the yolk and it runs over the cooked whites of the egg . This did not happen with my dish. I was actually very disappointed. Now, do I say something, or not? I decided I was representing my country and Americans know something about food preparation so we motioned the head server over. He took one look at my plate and whisked it away. Within minutes a fresh dish was prepared. We all were suspended in time while I picked up my fork. Voila- perfection!

After lunch we attending the most amazing jewelry collection I have ever personally seen. Yes, even more incredible than the Diamond District in New York! It was a special traveling show of  the Van Clef & Arpel collection displayed in the Lourvre. The creativity and workmanship is simply unbelievable. I was breathless for hours!  So much so that we had to stop for aperitifs at Le Deux Magots. This is a landmark bistro located at 6 Place Saint-Germaine des Pres where there is great people watching. 

Since lunch was so interesting, we decided to rely on our instincts for dinner. Walking around reading menus is somewhat of our version of "seeing the sights"! We came across Le Procope- 13 Rue de l'Ancienne Comedie. It looked like a lot of locals were dining there, so in we went. 

The exterior did not reflect the charm of the interior. This has been a restaurant since 1686 and with starched linens, balloon wine glasses and rooms here and there, we were ready for a fine meal.

 Beef Cheek Stew served in a cocotte; the lid has little nipples on the inside allowing the juices to flow back into the pot during cooking.

               

   Baba au Rhum- a classic dessert done to perfection!

     Day 4 later with dinner at one of France's finest chefs establishments- the BIG splurge! 

Bon Appetite,
Vivien and Terry

  

Paris, France Day Two

  If you were to ask me,"What is your favorite restaurant in the world?".   I would have to say          *** (this indicates a Boudain/Ripert choice)  Je The... Me located at 4 Rue d'Alleray.   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        The quintessential bistro- small, charming, no tourists and fabulous food. My daughter, Nicole, is currently in Brighton England and she will be dining here in a few weeks. I'm so glad she will be sharing this wonderful dining experience; although I wish we were sharing it together! 

It is closed on Sundays and Mondays; very accessible via the Metro (line 12 - green) the Vaugirard stop. The kitchen is impossibly tiny, the food just incredible with attention to detail as only the French can do.

Minced duck breast in gelee

                



        Sweetbreads with carrots

Kidneys in white wine sauce
I cannot say enough about this bistro; just such a lovely meal but onto dinner!

*** Frenchie's is another Boudain/Ripert stop, located at 5 - 6 Rue du Nil, again closed on Sundays and Mondays. (See Au Pied du Cochon on previous blog). Metro Line 3- not a very pretty shade of green- Sentier stop.  This restaurant is a little confusing as it is located on both sides of an alley with very little signage and there are actually two Frenchie's.  One is a sit down place which requires reservations much in advance and the other is a communal sitting situation with "No Reservations" (get it?), a good wine selection and on a first come, first serve basis. While we were waiting a woman tried to convince me that she was ahead of me and that she was just outside calling her friends.  Ha, ha- not my first time at the rodeo- we had already given our names  to the front desk!          

             Sweet bread nuggets           

       

Mushrooms with cheese foam

Ragu of  stewed beef  cheeks served with beans and pickled mustard seeds

This was a fun night- Frenchie's was rowdy, crowded and yummy! In April when we were in Brooklyn, we met a server who is great friends with Frenchie's chef Gregory Marchand. She had never been to his restaurant and was very excited to hear about our culinary adventure - such a small world, so many restaurants.... follow the blog for more on Day Three.

Bon Appetite!

Vivien and Terry

Paris,France

Ahh, Paris, the lights, the museums, the romance- okay the real reason we go to Paris is for the FOOD! I am now writing about our trip from October 2012 before I began this blog. We had made up our minds to go to Italy that year, then we saw the 100th anniversary show of "No Reservations" with Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert, as guest host. Ripert, along with Maguy Le Coze, are responsible for Le Bernardin in New York City ( this deserves a post of its' own) and is recognized as the best seafood chef in the U.S. today. Eric is, of course, French. The show focused on the small bistros in Paris where the chef is not concerned with Michelin stars, being on T.V., etc. but just turning out wonderful food to the best of their ability day after day; being true to their cooking souls. After viewing this show, Terry and I looked at each other & both said, "Let's go to Paris!". Terry's brother Bill, adores Paris & was very agreeable to joining us. We downloaded the show, copied down the names of the restaurants and this is our culinary adventure based on tracing their foodsteps. The restaurants on the show will be ***.  Others we found on our own. 

Tuesday 10/2 Lunch- Au Pied de Cochon
                                      6, rue Coquilliere

This is a staple for us every time we're in Paris. It's a big bustling place with a large menu, so there is something for everyone. Also it is open every day which is good as many places in Paris are closed on Sundays/Mondays.

Au Pied du Cochon- Foot of the Pig

 
                      Yes, puppies are allowed!
   

Kidneys!

What we ordered- onion soup, fois gras, kidneys and roasted pork belly.










One of Bill's favorite bistros is Les Comptoir des Gastronomie-   34 Rue Montmartre; closed Sunday. It also has a gourmet grocery attached to it.

Bill always orders the fois gras carpaccio; we went light and had the assorted salmon plate.

Follow us tomorrow for day 2!

Bon Appetite!

Vivien and Terry