This week I am saddened from the events in Paris. Je Suis Charlie! I feel I have many friends there as I have visited there over a dozen times- as recently as a year ago December. It made me think of my last trip there with my friend Karen. We called it our Christmas shopping trip. The highlight of Paris besides the wonderful people is of course the food!
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| A Chocolate Creation from Laduree. |
If I could only choose one place to eat in Paris it would be the patisserie/cafe Laduree. It is only open for breakfast and lunch/tea. Founded in 1862 the original location is on rue Bonaparte. There are two other locations: one on the Champ-Elysses and the other on Blvd.Haussmann. On my visit last year my friend, Karen joined me for the first of two weeks. We took our first lunch (we overslept and missed breakfast) at Laduree. We split our dessert- a chocolate creation fit for a king. We almost never order desserts at home but who can resist here? In the week she was here, we walked everywhere and in the end I lost a dress size by the time I came home. No wonder I love Paris- eating desserts and losing weight.
A favorite lunch location for both of us was Ma Gourgogne at the Place des Vosges. We dined on sausages and potatoes outdoors even though it was December. The weather was really quite nice. Nearby were interesting shops - different than we have here. And again we walked and walked.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped on Ile St Louis for an afternoon indulgence- Pears and Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce. The pears and the sauce with laced with a pear liquueur called Poire William. All I can say is YUM! The cafe was called Le Caveau-the cave. The basement had seating but we sat at street level. The proprietress was charming and informative. We were "happy campers".
On Karen's last night before returning home we ate at Le Coupe Chou. I had been there before but we still got lost. The concierge at our hotel told us it was a 15 minute walk. It took us an hour and a half but we finally found it. The restaurant is located in a rather dark alley not far from the Cluny. I pushed open the back door (entrance) and entered at the back of the bar. I think Karen thought I was breaking in until they welcomed us. I knew that the restaurant had a colorful history but I didn't know what it was about.. Our waitress told us it was once a barber shop a la Sweeney Todd. We dined on Beef Bourguignonne and a nice Beaujolais. It was a fabulous meal.
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Karen and I at Laduree
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