Margo's Reflections on Paris
Mike captured a lot of the highlights of our trip, but I had some thoughts to add also, so here goes ...
First of all, the food truly was amazing. Even the restaurants in the most touristy areas had food that was really delicious. I thought that I would share my recollections.
On the first night, we ate at a small brasserie in Montmarte. We chose from the 3 course menu. Mike had some Quiche Lorraine as a starter and I had a delisious terrine of liver and pork, both served with green salad. For the main course I had beoef braised in a red wine sauce (but not Beef Bourgignon), and Mike had andouillete, a traditional french sausage made of pig parts that you really do not want to contemplate. Although he was put off by the strange chunkiness of the dish, I tasted it and it was really, really delicious, and beautifully seasoned. My dish was good, if not spectacular, and the side dish of gratineed potato with herbs and cream was delicious. For dessert, I had the tart du jour, pears in a custard base. Mike had creme caramel, and Sarah had chocolate mousse and loved it.
The second night, again in Montmarte, I had the best meal of our trip. For a starter, I had smoked salmon with blini and creme fraiche. Dinner was tournedos of duck breast. The breast was seasoned, pounded a bit, and then rolled up jelly roll style. Then the roll was sliced and the spiral pieces of duck threaded onto a skewer and grilled. The sauce was amazing: a reduction of duck stock with sauteed apple and a hint of vanilla. I know that it sounds odd, but the fruitiness of the sauce was amazing with the rich flavor of the duck. For dessert I had a crepe with a blueberry creme filling and violet-flavoured ice cream. Really amazing, and something that I wouldn't have thought to ever make at home.
Our other meals were less spectacular, but uniformly delicious. I hated to leave France, as food in British restaurants is often very uninspired and always very expensive.
OK, enough about the food we ate ...
I also enjoyed window shopping (or as the French call it, window licking) in the small markets in the neighborhood. It is not true that there is a boulangerie on every corner ... there tend to be at least a couple on each block. Also a fromagerie, charcuterie, fruit stand, flower shop, and patisserie. Every couple blocks there was a seafood shop with the most beautiful fin fish and shell fish in incredible variety. And the shops were crowded with people purchasing the components of their supper with baguette tucked under their arms, or poking out of a shopping bag. When you buy a tart or cake from the patisserie, it is not only packaged in an attractive box, the box is then tied decoratively with a red ribbon. It was wonderful to observe the attention paid to the ritual of buying and selling food.
Often as we walked through town, there was music. I didn't really mind the buskers, as most of them played beautifully and it was a pleasure to eat a meal or ride the subway with a soundtrack to accompany the sights and smells.
I had been warned about the unfriendliness of Parisiennes, but we didn't encounter this at all, and much of the time we were treated very warmly, often I think because we had Sarah with us. We did make an attempt to speak French most of the time, and although our French is beyond atrocious, this seemed to be appreciated.
I had also been warned about the "Merde du chien" (AKA dog crap) all over the sidewalks of Paris, but we didn't see all that much.
All in all, it was a really wonderful experience, and a very sensory experience as well, with rich sounds, sights, smells and tastes wherever we we went. As I walked in the neighborhood with Sarah, I often asked her to stop and tell me what she smelled. She was not fond of the fishmonger's or the fromagerie, (with rows and rows of stinky cheese that is said to smell like the feet of the angels). The patisserie, boulangerie, and fruit shop met with a higher degree of approval.
I'll write some more later about the sights. As usual, I was thinking with my belly as I began this post. My final thought tonight is this: If the French have a reputation for being snooty about their cuisine, all I can say is that I do not begrudge them their pride. For a foody like me, Paris was heavenly.
Margo
First of all, the food truly was amazing. Even the restaurants in the most touristy areas had food that was really delicious. I thought that I would share my recollections.
On the first night, we ate at a small brasserie in Montmarte. We chose from the 3 course menu. Mike had some Quiche Lorraine as a starter and I had a delisious terrine of liver and pork, both served with green salad. For the main course I had beoef braised in a red wine sauce (but not Beef Bourgignon), and Mike had andouillete, a traditional french sausage made of pig parts that you really do not want to contemplate. Although he was put off by the strange chunkiness of the dish, I tasted it and it was really, really delicious, and beautifully seasoned. My dish was good, if not spectacular, and the side dish of gratineed potato with herbs and cream was delicious. For dessert, I had the tart du jour, pears in a custard base. Mike had creme caramel, and Sarah had chocolate mousse and loved it.
The second night, again in Montmarte, I had the best meal of our trip. For a starter, I had smoked salmon with blini and creme fraiche. Dinner was tournedos of duck breast. The breast was seasoned, pounded a bit, and then rolled up jelly roll style. Then the roll was sliced and the spiral pieces of duck threaded onto a skewer and grilled. The sauce was amazing: a reduction of duck stock with sauteed apple and a hint of vanilla. I know that it sounds odd, but the fruitiness of the sauce was amazing with the rich flavor of the duck. For dessert I had a crepe with a blueberry creme filling and violet-flavoured ice cream. Really amazing, and something that I wouldn't have thought to ever make at home.
Our other meals were less spectacular, but uniformly delicious. I hated to leave France, as food in British restaurants is often very uninspired and always very expensive.
OK, enough about the food we ate ...
I also enjoyed window shopping (or as the French call it, window licking) in the small markets in the neighborhood. It is not true that there is a boulangerie on every corner ... there tend to be at least a couple on each block. Also a fromagerie, charcuterie, fruit stand, flower shop, and patisserie. Every couple blocks there was a seafood shop with the most beautiful fin fish and shell fish in incredible variety. And the shops were crowded with people purchasing the components of their supper with baguette tucked under their arms, or poking out of a shopping bag. When you buy a tart or cake from the patisserie, it is not only packaged in an attractive box, the box is then tied decoratively with a red ribbon. It was wonderful to observe the attention paid to the ritual of buying and selling food.
Often as we walked through town, there was music. I didn't really mind the buskers, as most of them played beautifully and it was a pleasure to eat a meal or ride the subway with a soundtrack to accompany the sights and smells.
I had been warned about the unfriendliness of Parisiennes, but we didn't encounter this at all, and much of the time we were treated very warmly, often I think because we had Sarah with us. We did make an attempt to speak French most of the time, and although our French is beyond atrocious, this seemed to be appreciated.
I had also been warned about the "Merde du chien" (AKA dog crap) all over the sidewalks of Paris, but we didn't see all that much.
All in all, it was a really wonderful experience, and a very sensory experience as well, with rich sounds, sights, smells and tastes wherever we we went. As I walked in the neighborhood with Sarah, I often asked her to stop and tell me what she smelled. She was not fond of the fishmonger's or the fromagerie, (with rows and rows of stinky cheese that is said to smell like the feet of the angels). The patisserie, boulangerie, and fruit shop met with a higher degree of approval.
I'll write some more later about the sights. As usual, I was thinking with my belly as I began this post. My final thought tonight is this: If the French have a reputation for being snooty about their cuisine, all I can say is that I do not begrudge them their pride. For a foody like me, Paris was heavenly.
Margo
posted by Margo Nelson at 10:04 am
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