Category Archives: French cuisine

Snails at L’Escargots Montorgueil

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It’s a cliche for sure, but escargots (snails) really are a staple of French cuisine, usually served as an appetizer. You can get them at any Paris bistro, brasserie or restaurant that serves traditional French fare. But if you’re interested in making a meal of snails, head to L’Escargots Montorgueil at the base of the fantastic market street Rue Montorgueil. The 182-year-old restaurant is an institution, both for Parisians and visitors alike. Continue Reading →

Best Cold-Weather Comfort Food: Cassoulet!

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While the U.S. is stuck in the deep freeze, I’m thinking about my favorite cold-weather comfort foods: mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, potato-cheddar soup. But the tastiest and most comforting comfort food I’ve ever eaten is French cassoulet, a white-bean stew with duck confit, sausage and bacon baked in a thick sauce, and then topped with bread crumbs and browned under the broiler. Delish! Continue Reading →

Poilane: One of Paris’s Finest Boulangeries

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Asking a group of Parisians where to find the best bread in the city is like throwing a match onto a pile of dynamite. Let’s just say nearly everyone in the City of Light has a very strong opinion as to which boulangerie is the best. What most can agree on, however, is that one of the most well-known and iconic boulangeries in Paris is the shop in the Saint German des Pres neighborhood made world famous by the late bread maker Lionel Poilane—aptly and simply named Poilane. Continue Reading →

Why You Should Opt for the Croissant au Beurre

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Breakfast in Paris? It’s time for a croissant, bien sur! But don’t make the mistake that many visitors to the City of Light make when popping into one of Paris’s many fantastic boulangeries/patisseries and simply ordering “un croissant.” You’ll more than likely end up with a product made with margarine. And considering one of the hallmarks of a good croissant is a rich, buttery flavor, who wants a mouthful of fakery? Continue Reading →

Angelina: Coco Chanel’s Favorite Hot Chocolate

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Have you ever daydreamed of sipping hot chocolate and sampling pastries in Paris with the legendary fashion designer and glitterati mainstay Coco Chanel? While that’s a lovely but unattainable fantasy, we’ve got the next-best, real-world option: paying a visit to Angelina, a world-famous patisserie-tea room on the Rue de Rivoli that was a favorite haunt of Madame Chanel—and of Marcel Proust, Audrey Hepburn and virtually every luminary in the haute-couture fashion design world throughout the 20th century. You’ll become an instant fan, too! Continue Reading →

Authentic Bistro Fare at Historic Le Polidor

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Paris is arguably the culinary capital of the world. There are countless world-renowned restaurants in the City of Light that beckon to both locals and tourists. But many of these destination eateries are outrageously expensive (easily more than $100 per person, often significantly higher, even for lunch) and are typically visited only for very special occasions. Besides, many travelers to Paris prefer to dine at authentic French bistros and cafes, where the food is affordable and prepared in time-honored fashion, often from recipes hundreds of years old. For these seekers of authentic bistro fare, there’s a true—and historic—gem on the city’s Left Bank: Le Polidor. And you might just recognize it from Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris.” Continue Reading →

Quatrehomme: Arguably Paris’s Best Cheese Shop

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Parisians and tourists alike have their favorite cheese shops, and commit to them with a fierce loyalty. But a consensus for one of the city’s best — and possibly the best — is Quatrehomme, a mini-chain of fromageries founded in 1953 with its headquarters at the incomparable Quatrehomme: La Maison du Fromage on the Rue de Sevres in the 7th Arrondissement. Continue Reading →

How Did Boeuf Bourguignon Become a Classic?

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If you’re like me, you like to sample classic French dishes while visiting the City of Light: coq au vin, pot au feu, blanquette de veau, steak tartare … the list goes on and on. But one of my favorites—and a French classic that also I enjoy making at home—is boeuf bourguignon (beef Burgundy). But how did this dish become a French standard? Like many traditional French recipes, its roots lie in “peasant foods”–dishes that were staples over the centuries for the poor and the working class. Continue Reading →

It’s Chilly. Time for Fondue at Pain, Vin, Fromages

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The weather’s getting colder, and that means it’s time for heartier French cuisine. I’m a big fan of French winter classics, like boeuf bourguignon, cassoulet, soupe a l’oignon and other tummy-warming dishes. And you can find these tasty concoctions at many restaurants throughout Paris. Oddly, though, one cold-weather dish is rather difficult to find in the City of Light—fondue. OK, fondue is not French per se, but given that France is world-famous for its cheese, it’s not really a stretch for visitors to Paris to hope to find hot, gooey, melted cheese on at least a few restaurant menus. Fortunately, there’s a fantastic cheese-centric restaurant in the heart of the Marais that offers up some of Europe’s very best fondue throughout the year—Pain, Vin, Fromages (which translates as Bread, Wine, Cheese). Continue Reading →

Saint Honore Pastry: A Classic French Dessert

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An iconic French pastry—and one I always order multiple times when I visit Paris—is the Saint Honore, a decadent dessert made of puff pastry, pate a choux (cream-puff dough), creme chiboust (a thick pastry cream made with stiffened egg whites) and creme Chantilly (the French term for whipped cream). Named after the patron saint of French patissiers this stacked pastry comes in such flavors as caramel (also called the “classic” Saint Honore), pistachio, rose-raspberry, chocolate, vanilla-chocolate, chocolate-strawberry and pistachio-sour cherry. Continue Reading →