One of the foods I love eating in Paris is frites (what we call French fries, but which are actually Belgian in origin). I’ve never had bad frites in France — always golden brown and crispy. Yum! Continue Reading →
One of the many French staples served at restaurants, bistros and brasseries throughout Paris is confit de canard (duck confit)—a leg of duck that’s salt-cured and then cooked in its own fat. It seems that it’s practically a requirement that every cook in the city makes and sells this dish. But truth be told, most Parisian eateries serve a poorly cooked canard. More often than not, you’re served a piece of duck with rubbery skin and super-greasy meat or one that’s so overcooked that it’s dry as toast. Fortunately, there are a handful of restaurants in Paris that know how to prepare a perfect confit de canard with crisp, crackling skin and moist, succulent meat, and one of the very best is Chez Dumont in the 6th Arrondissement. Continue Reading →
A dish you’re likely to find on the menu of nearly every eatery in Paris is confit de canard, a leg of duck cured and preserved in salt and other spices, often garlic and thyme, and then cooked in its own fat. Although confit de canard is served throughout Paris, it is often badly prepared. So, when you find a Parisian cafe, bistro, brasserie or restaurant that does serve a perfect confit de canard, you not only make a mental note of it, but you also tell your family, friends and just about everyone else who will listen of your discovery. Here are two of my favorites: Tropic Cafe and Chez Dumonet. Continue Reading →