Spring Time In Paris..but don't forget to check out the past monthly features!

For any foodie Paris is like Mecca. There is no better place to satisfy your gluttonous urges since everything you eat is laced with fat, carbohydrates, and excessive calories. The good news is everything you eat is washed down with wine…and that’s healthy..right? Hmmm.

Le Beaujolais - 28, Avenue de Suffren (Total Spent, 64 Euros)

I feel the true beauty of the food scene in Paris is that you can eat as well as you like, or can afford, but there is no excuse for eating poorly. French fast food is not McDonald’s, Subway, or Pizza Hut. Their fast food is best expressed by the traditional café which can be found on every other street. They can be magnificent and a general rule of thumb is that if no one speaks English…it’s probably a good place to check out. The spots that cater to tourists are generally a waste of time. Using a “French only” premise we set out to have our first dinner in the 7th district. Low and behold we found a small, simple café called Le Beaujolais about 4 blocks from the Eiffel Tower.

Le Beaujolais is a small spot that you could miss in the blink of an eye. We were jet lagged and not interested in walking far so it was a fluke that this was the first interesting spot we stumbled on. I was a tad concerned given its proximity to the Hilton but figured since the waiter couldn’t understand a word I was saying (in English or my Alberta High School French) we may as well given it a shot. Right off the bat we ordered a bottle of Beaujolais (what else?) which was served ice cold with two small glasses but I didn’t care, it went down well. I ordered Confit de Canard and it came with a small side salad. It was a delicious, crispy skinned, moist, flavorful, fatty duck leg…everything I could have hoped for! The potatoes were roasted and served with minced garlic and fresh parsley. Incredibly simple but they were the most perfectly roasted potatoes I have had. Crispy on the outside, cooked all the way through yet moist. For 19 euros I could not have been happier with this entrée. After cleaning the duck fat off my plate with bread I could wait to order my cheese course…which was 3 assorted cheeses from Auvergne. They were huge slices but it didn’t end there…we then had the creamiest crème brulèe I have ever tasted. This is why I was excited about Paris!

After our meal a couple next to us ordered steak and salad with a side dish called Aligotè…as stuffed as I was my drool began to form…picture the sexiest looking scalloped potatoes you have ever seen…cheesy…browned perfectly…topped with fresh herbs…I just about had a coronary. My god it looked good, I’ll never forgive myself for not either stealing a bite of theirs or just sucking it up an ordering my own…even if only for a bite!

La Gauloise – 59 Avenue de la Motte Picquet (Total Spent, 145 Euros)

With our informal café experience having been such a treat…it was time to take it up a notch and find something more upscale. As we walked down a street blocks away from our hotel we passed a number of places that all could have been great…but since we dressed up the white linen and outdoor patio surrounded by trees and vines sold us on La Gauloise. A restaurant named after a cigarette isn’t something that would normally sell me…but the menu looked great and again no one spoke English so what the hell? Well...again we were about to be blown away. The meal began with some tasty saucisson which only made me salivate…but the fresh salad with goat cheese appetizer took me over the top. The goat cheese was infused with a variety of fresh herbs and shallots…I have never had goat cheese like this in my life. I could have eaten a pound by myself…it was creamy, tangy, I couldn’t imagine anything better. The bottle of Meursault we ordered was the perfect compliment to the dish…even though once again wine was served to me ice cold. It didn’t matter though…the goat cheese had us smitten.

For our mains we ordered a carbonara pasta dish and a “piece du boeuf”. The carbonara was homemade and fresh…had the raw egg mixed it with fresh ham, etc…it was excellent. The steak was half the size we get here (which is a good thing) but was a tad tough for my taste. I was still dazed from the goat cheese we’d had but decided once again to have a cheese course after my entrée for dessert.

As incredible as the goat cheese was…what came next was heaven. I have no idea what it was called, we couldn’t get the translation down…but essentially it was a custard-like textured cheese mound…served with honey…oh…my…god. It was almost like a yogurt, but it was firmer, cheesier, and the honey I dumped all over it blended brilliantly. Between this dish and the goat cheese I would eat myself to death at La Gauloise. The only thing that could save me is running out of cash…or them running out of cheese. There’s nothing like either of these dishes here. Eat your heart out Janice Beaton. The glass of 1978 Armagnac was just the digestive I needed after this artery clog-fest.

Restaurant Thoumieux – 79 Rue St. Dominique (Total Spent, $139 Euros)

I am addicted to cassoulet. I don’t care where it was invented or the style it’s made in…be it from Toulouse, Carcassonne or Castelnaudary…I’ll eat this white bean casserole jammed with fatty meats cooked in confit anytime. Hence I was very excited for dinner number 3 on this trip having emailed ahead of time for a reservation because cassoulet was listed as one of their house specialties.

I knew what I was eating for my main so I chose a light appetizer…escargot with garlic...hmmm good. This was an excellent choice. Light, garlicy and fully of juices! On to my entrée…Thoumieux makes cassoulet in the Castelnaudary style…which means it is made with duck confit and served in the famous bowl that looks like something you’d plant flowers in, not serve food. So…needless to say my expectations were high…and unfortunately they were not met. It was too runny…no crusty top…and the sausage was undercooked. As much as I had fallen for the Paris food scene this did not do it for me. On the positive side…the salmon entrée we ordered was cooked for perfection, moist yet crispy on the outside. The Faiveley Pinot Noir didn’t cut it either but it was their entry level wine so I wasn’t too disappointed. Even though the cassoulet wasn’t what I had hoped…the cheese course (why break tradition) was excellent. For the first time ever I had a blue cheese that completely overwhelmed my palate to the point that nothing could help me recover it. It was gorgeous, moldy, and full of salt. I couldn’t have asked for anything better! No meal in Paris had been as complete as the simplest one…Le Beaujolais…would French fast food win out overall? Hmm…my last night feature dinner at a Christian Constant establishment…

Le Violon d’Ingres - 135, rue Saint-Dominique (Total Spent, 180 Euros)

Finally…a restaurant that served my wine in proper glassware and at the correct temperature. The table next to us was populated by a few gorgeous French women…which was great until one of them ordered Sheeps face, head, etc.! Ever seen tete de veux? Hmmm…brain…she was as shocked as we were…but I digress.

The Bordeaux we had was brilliant…their wine selection was lovely. My fois gras appetizer was excellent and my Pyrenees lamb dish was so tender I cut it with my fork. It was a gorgeous meal and so much was happening around our table I couldn’t possibly remember it all! LOL Even so…as great as this spot was…wine temperature…traditional French service…wonderful food, presentation, etc….I still thought back to our fast food on night number one. Le Beaujolais was unbeatable for the price…though no meal we had was poor value. Each had elements that were amazing but overall…for 64 Euros I’ll never forget my first dinner on this trip. Maybe I am a fast food junkie afterall?

P.S. On one morning in Paris I did a walkabout and hit about 5 bakeries looking for the best croissant. In search of the light, crispy outside but a moist, buttery interior I set out thinking that every boulangerie would be a true expression of Parisian tradition…afterall if you couldn’t find true baking in Paris, where else would you look? Well…after taking one bite of various treats from various boulangeries (including one bad madeleine) I had almost given up…but I tried one more spot and wouldn’t you know it…light….crusty…moist…buttery…I almost wet myself at how delicious it was. Why did I find THIS croissant after tasting 4 bad ones? The lord works in mysterious ways they say…but I was thankful for finding one true expression of French baking. Yet another milestone on this trip of gluttony!