Paris Food Tour

On our first full day in Paris, we took a food tour in the Montmartre area. Our tour guide was fun and knowledgeable. On our tour, we walked around Montremarte collecting items for a large feast that we eventually ate in the wine cellar of their building. Along the way, we learned how to pick out chocolates, cheese, meats, bread, and wine. We used Secret Food Tour and I highly recommend them. We tasted things we might not have found on our own (like the truffle cheese that I’m still dreaming about) and we had an enjoyable family-style meal with wine and lively conversation.  

The next day with our new knowledge from the food tour we decided to collect items and have a picnic on the banks of the Seine looking at Notre Dame. I brought a small packable blanket with me from the United States just for such an occasion. 

Butter, Butter, Oh Salted French Butter….

We learned on the food tour that most Parisians buy their butter from the local cheese shop. The magic occurs from the addition of salt crystals. Parisians use butter in recipes for both savory and sweet dishes. They also use it for slathering onto bread. 

French butter with salt crystals is delicious. I never appreciated butter until I visited Paris. On our first morning in Paris, we walked up the street to the neighborhood bakery. We went inside and the sweetest guy took our order. Our French was rusty and he did not speak English, but we were able to order two croissants. The first bite was pure heaven, light and flaky and we could taste the butter. We stopped in every morning that we were in Paris and tried all of their different croissants and pastries. He became one of our favorite people we encountered in Paris.

Boulangerie

Bread is baked fresh every morning. Ask any Parisian and they will tell you their favorite boulangerie to buy a fresh baguette. We bought two baguettes. One traditional and one La Rustique. The Le Rustique has multiple seeds and grains mixed in and is darker than the traditional baguette. 

We of course had to buy some salted butter to slather on our baguette and we also bought some spreadable cheese. It was good, but it did not come close to the truffle cheese we had on our food tour. 

Farmer’s Market

We passed by a farmer’s market. We bought a basket of strawberries. They were so sweet and ripe that the bees were hovering above the fruit like a cloud. I am allergic to bees so I had to stand back and have Nicole pick out and purchase our berries. 

Boucher

We stopped by the Boucher and bought some sliced prosciutto. We figured that would be okay to carry it around in our bag without being refrigerated. 

Wine & Utensils

In Paris like, in the United States, there are little convenience stores mixed in between the adorable shops. We stop at a Franprix. They sell a little bit of everything. We picked out a bottle of wine. We did not have a wine opener with us. I asked the lady at the register if she could open our wine and she did without a problem. I was also able to purchase from her plastic utensils and two plastic cups. The price was equivalent to 10 cents each. I have heard that you can also ask waiters on the sidewalk to open your wine for you. There is not a law about drinking in public in Paris.  

The Ultimate Picnic Locations

Our first day of picnicking was on the banks of the Seine overlooking Notre Dame. We spread out our blanket and sat down with our legs hanging over the edge of the wall. We watched the passing boats. We had multiple conversations with people in our broken French. People were either strolling by or having picnics or cocktails along the banks as well.  

Another evening we had a picnic in front of Notre Dame. We had everything spread out and we were enjoying our wine when a one-eyed rat jumped out of the bushes and tried to ambush us. He was too much for us and we had to pack up and relocate. 

A Picnic in Luxemburg Gardens

On our last night in Paris, we had a picnic in Luxemburg Gardens and it was beautiful. We were sitting in chairs looking at the garden and the fountain. We watched a man wrangle his ponies from the pony ride and countless couples on dates. We had been at Versaille the day before and this was 1,000 times more peaceful and it was so pretty. I’m sure we would have stayed in the gardens longer, but at sunset, guards came around and rounded everybody up. The garden is closed at night. This was the perfect way to end our trip to Paris. I am so glad that we took the time to do the small things in Paris because those are the memories I am going to cherish.

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Bread and Croissants

We found the perfect way to start our morning was with a croissant and an Espresso from Alexine. This amazing bakery is down the street from the hotel we stayed in and it quickly became one of our favorite places. The staff was extremely kind, patient, and welcoming to us. Their croissants are fabulous. My favorite was the chocolate croissant and Nicole’s favorite was the almond croissant. Throughout our 10-day stay, we tried many different pastries and they were all amazing. For lunch, we loved to have a picnic with a baguette, butter or cheese, fruit, and a bottle of wine. Viva la France.

Croque Madame

If you love regular grilled cheese sandwiches, then you need to try a Croque Madame while you are in Paris. It is really just a delicious, fancy grilled cheese. It is the perfect remedy after a late night of drinking lots of French wine. Nicole and I stopped in Le Vrai Paris. It is an adorable French bistro in Montmarte. We were able to sit outside on the sidewalk. I ordered the Croque Madame and a Cappucino. The cappuccino had a perfect froth of foam and a dusting of powdered chocolate.

We had been drinking Esspresso on the run while we were in Paris, so this was a nice treat. A Croque Madame is a large slice of bread covered with gruyere and parmesan cheese, and a slice of ham. The whole sandwich is then put under the broiler. After the broiler, a cooked egg is added to the top. The Croque Madame lived up to the hype and Le Vrai is a lovely place to spend the morning in Montmarte.

Macarons

Macarons are one of the most decadent and delicious desserts in Paris. Nicole and I sampled our fair share of Macarons during our trip, but we found the perfect Macarons at Christophe Roussel in Monmarte. French macarons are meringue-based cookies that is surrounding a sweet filling. Each Macaron cost 1.60 euros. Nicole’s favorite flavor is the Passion-Fruit Tarragon. This is a special combination of bold and sweet. My favorite is Lemon because of the combination of sweet and tart. I don’t think they have a flavor that we didn’t like and we tried most of them.

Christophe Roussel was one of our last stops in Paris. We popped in to buy macarons to take home to our family before we left. Service at Roussel is on point. The ladies that work at Roussel are sweet and understanding about our choppy French. They spoke English and they packed up our macarons to survive the long flight home.

French Onion Soup

I was sure that I couldn’t visit France without trying French Onion Soup, but there was one big problem with that plan. We visited Paris in August, not the best month for soup. On the last day of our trip, the weather cooperated with our quest and we set out to find some soup. Nicole and I chose Le Consulat in Montmartre. Le Consult is historic – and there is something so magical about dining in this tiny restaurant where some of the world’s greatest artists found themselves often. Some of the greats hung out at Le Consult like Van Gough, Monet, and Picasso.

Our french onion soup arrived at the table piping hot and gooey cheese covered the handmade croutons. The broth was rich and delicious and didn’t taste like the french onion soup I have eaten in the United States. We sat in front of the restaurant and had a perfect view of everything that was happening in Montmarte.

Escargot, Rosé, Risotto & Créme Brulée

I was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday while we were in Paris and I chose to dine at Les Antiquaires for an early dinner. For an appetizer, because we were in Paris we tried Escargot and the shells arrived at the table on a slice of bread. I have tried Escargot before, but this was Nicole’s first time. Escargot is really just an excuse to eat butter and garlic on bread. The waiter brought us a basket of bread that we used to dip and scoop the Escargot. Each bite was a perfect combination of butter and garlic. I wouldn’t want to eat Escargot every day, but it really was delicious.

At Les Antiquaires we were able to eat outside at a bistro table. Nicole and I had found out that we like the dark red wines of France, but we looked around and all the other tables were drinking Rosé so we ordered a bottle. The Rosé is lighter and fruiter and I see why it is considered the summer wine in France. For my main course, I ordered mushroom risotto and it was amazing! The risotto was creamy with large mushrooms and freshly shaved parmesan. We shared a Créme Brulée for dessert and the top was a layer of hardened caramelized sugar. Underneath was a rich custard base. We loved this dessert and highly recommend Les Antiquaires.

Chocolat Chaud

Chocolat Chaud is Parisian hot chocolate and Angelina is the place to try it. Angelina is a beautiful Parisian tea parlor and it is extremely popular, however, they do take reservations. We arrived early and were able to get a table for two without waiting too long. Nicole and I both ordered Le Petite Déjeuner. Our breakfast came with Chocolat Chaud, a mini croissant, a roll with jams, and fresh juice. The Chocolat Chaud was thick and rich. It was not overly sweet and it came with freshly whipped cream. This hot chocolate is the best, hands down. What can be said about this rich, thick, intensely chocolate sip of heaven that has not already been said? Words do not do it justice and the hype is justified this is one stop you won’t want to miss on your next trip to Paris!

Charcuterie

On our first night in Paris, we stopped at Au Rendez-Vous des Amis. We sat outside and ordered beers, a Charcuterie board, and French Fries. Nicole ordered a Picon Biére and she loved the way it tastes. A few days later we found out that Picon Biére is the French version of a German Shandy. Picon is a French bitter orange liquor and it is added to the beer.

The Charcuterie board arrived at our table with a variety of shaved and cured meats and pickles and it was served with a basket of fresh bread and butter. Our fries were thick and similar to steak fries in the United States. Au Rendez-vous des Amis translates as a place for friends to gather and it is located down the hill from Sacre Coeur. Furthermore, it is a little less touristy than eating in the square by the Sacre Coeur. Our dinner was simple and not fussy and it was perfect after a long day of traveling.

Crepes

Nicole and I wanted to try both sweet and savory crepes while we were in Paris. French crepes are made without leveling powder, this makes them light and delicate. In Montmartre, we went on a food tour and one of our stops was a crepe stand. I tried butter and lemon and the crepe was served folded and wrapped in a waxed paper square. In between the folds were butter, sugar, and fresh lemon juice. Nicole had butter and fresh raspberry jam crepe and she loved hers too. After tasting a regular crepe our food tour guide suggested that before we leave Paris that we should try a buckwheat crepe as well.

Savory Crepes

One night while walking around in the 4th arrondissement we stopped at La Ciderie du Marais for crepes and Cidre. I ordered La Bergere. It is a buckwheat crepe with warmed goat cheese, nuts, honey, greens, and balsamic vinegar. Le Bergere is served on a plate with everything piled on top and unlike, the street crepe I needed to use a fork and knife to eat it. This crepe was large enough that it was a whole meal. The buckwheat flavor stood up to the strong flavors of goat cheese and balsamic vinegar. It was tasty and in addition to the crepe, the Cidre we had was great, unlike the cider I have tried in the United States this Cidre wasn’t sweet it tasted crisp and clean and paired perfectly with the crepe.

Final Thoughts

When I think of France, I think of fussy and complicated food, however, after my visit, I now know I was wrong. I’m sure there is plenty of fussy food in France, but everything we ate was uncomplicated and fresh with an emphasis on fresh. The fruits and vegetables were in seasons and amazing. Paris and the food we ate there lived up to all the hype and I can’t wait for my next visit to the city of lights.

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