www.annemoore.net

 

 

 

 

 

Food: Meals in Paris, Part 2

With less than a week in Paris, we foodies needed to plan our meals well. Haute cuisine, “le fooding,” brasseries, bistros, Middle Eastern, Moroccan: how to get a taste of it all?

We didn’t, but here’s three we’d go to again:

Gaya par Pierre Gagnaire (44, rue du Bac). Don’t be put off by Gagnaire’s global celebrity. This spot is small, charming, hip and well run. Its kitchen puts out exquisite food at prices befitting the seasonality and execution of each dish. One could quibble over three ravioli for 20 euros, but I didn’t: each was filled with a different spring vegetable, and melted in my mouth. A Lac Leman whitefish filet ( 33 euros) was sided with a timbale of white beans and olives. Yum. One complaint: nearly an hour passed before dessert and coffee arrived.

We tried another feted chef’s affordable offerings at Atelier Maitre Albert (1, rue Maitre Albert), a Guy Savoy restaurant. Back home we’re still talking about the luscious soupe de moules, plank-grilled cabillaud, terrine de pamplemousse. We liked the old stone walls and dark but pleasing decor…also our cute, attentive waiter. (A prix fixe dinner is 32 euros.)

The others returned to Chicago but my friend Cathy and I had another day and night for art (Musee Rodin), shopping (Le Bon Marche, Dehillerin) and food. We both had a jones for mussels — not soupe de moules — just a bowl of meaty ones, steamed in white wine, shallots, parsley.

La Coupole (102, bd du Montparnasse) is known for its spectacular decor, seafood and excellent service. We got all three — but no mussels. Never mind: what a blast to dine at La Coupole! The room is vast and too brightly lit, but our table seemed intimate. There’s a constant cacophony, but we had not trouble conversing. It was a weeknight but completely packed with families, couples, old ladies.

Our meal was just right for a last night in Paris: a platter of oysters, salade fromage de chevre, foie gras, a grassy Chablis. (About 130 euros.)

Also in the blog

New York City: eating, touring, reading

More travel, this time to New York to enjoy family and friends and to bury my mom in Northern New Jersey, beside my father. I’d been dreading the burial — another round of public grieving — but the day was unexpectedly joyous. I stayed on in New York to see family and friends, see art,

(...)

Books, art, ballet, movies, tv in 2023

I made a bullet list but it seemed dull. We need to talk about why we loved a book, a film, a ballet this year. Here’s my favorites.  First, Joffrey Ballet’s Frankenstein was like no other ballet I’ve ever seen. Literally, electric. Also, frightening. Mary Shelley’s story is changed and tightened, though the themes of

(...)

Life: Reading New York

Can art be a salve? In these days of collective mourning, I find myself reaching for the literature of New York. The poetry and stories and novels of a city that offers, above all else, possibility. Read Walt Whitman’s “Mannahatta” and “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.” Grace Paley’s “The Loudest Voice,” a short wallop of a story

(...)

One thought on "Food: Meals in Paris, Part 2"

  • Bijoux Créateurs says:
    January 17, 2012 at 8:44 am

    It is the best time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy. I’ve read this post and if I could I desire to suggest you few interesting things or tips. Maybe you can write next articles referring to this article. I desire to read more things about it!


    • Comments are closed.