Another Paris post by my sister L, from her honeymoon in Paris.
************************************************************************************* La Crêperie Bretonne 56 Rue du Montparnasse Paris, France
Another favourite restaurant of mine that a Parisian friend took me to the first time I visited is a little restaurant specializing in food from the Britanny region. The menu includes savoury crêpes or galettes(crêpes made out of buckwheat) as well as dessert crêpes all served with sparkling cider.
The crêperie and our cider.
Montparnasse is riddled with crêperie, and unlike L’As du Fallafel, it is impossible to know which one began this trend, but I am so happy with my little crêperie that I wouldn’t try another.
Our galette and our dessert crêpe.
D and I both chose the savoury galette with stuffed with merguez and ratatouille. It came served oozing with a pat of melted butter. We had a lovely light cider which suited me fine and shared a specialty of the house for dessert: a chocolate and pear crêpe, flambée with Grand Marnier and served with vanilly ice cream. A great consistent casual meal!
I asked my sister L to write a few more posts about her eats in France. (She and her husband D got married in June and went to France for their honeymoon.)
**************************************************************************************************** L’As du Fallafel 34, rue des Rosiers (M: St. Paul) Paris, France
Having been to this fast food counter on previous trips to France, I was totally happy to see it on David Lebovitz's list of must eats in Paris. Being in the Jewish quarters of Paris, I wanted to take my husband with Jewish ancestry there. The second time I went to Paris I took my sister’s vegetarian friend (aka Trapezista) who was having a hard time enjoying food in Europe… it was a hit except (or because?) she found a two euro coin in her falafel! It is easily the best falafel I have ever had.
It's a popular joint!
On the Sunday (note it is closed Friday PM and Saturday for Sabbath) that we went there was a huge line, and the outlet has young men outside taking both orders and payment in line. You then receive a ticket for your meal. Since it has become an institution of sort, wannabes have cropped up all over des Rosiers Street, and hawkers yell out "Great Falafels, no wait!" for you to come to their counter. I can’t vouch for the other counters but L’As has perfected their system and the wait was not long at all.
Falafels being prepped and D double fisting the falafels!
Being quite hungry, we ordered the two falafel special (with fried eggplants) and a serving of fries. The format has changed since I last went; there is only the one special, so you get the fried eggplant whether you want it or not.
Your pita comes stuffed with 7 or more delicious little falafels and a mound of shredded cabbage and cucumber, a tahini-based dressing and hot sauce at your request. How satisfying! The fries were totally forgettable, if you’re hungry, just get another pita!
We enjoyed it so much that we returned for another quick lunch on a later date.
My sister L and her new husband went to France for their honeymoon. I asked her to share a bit of their food experiences since I knew they would be eating amazing food.
********************************************************************************************* We were advised that as newlyweds we should ask to be bumped to first class. After being refused at the Air Transat counter, we asked the flight attendant during boarding. We were still in our aisle seats when we took off before finally being switched. Yay! Honeymoon lesson: keep asking to be upgraded until someone says yes!
In first class we got free cocktails, a "snack" accompanied by wine and a hot breakfast all served on real china with real cutlery! The "snack" was composed of a slice of cold roast beef, a Caprese salad kabob and a Lindt chocolate. The hot breakfast was Eggs Benedict which was disappointingly scrambled eggs!
La Boulangerie par Véronique Mauclerc 83 rue de Crimée 75019 T 01 42 40 64 55
We were staying in Belleville in the 11th arrondissement by the Parc des Buttes Chaumont. Our first food endeavour was to seek out La Boulangerie par Véronique Mauclerc, a boulangerie recommended by David Leibovitz, which was nearby.
La Boulangerie par Véronique Mauclerc.
As an afternoon snack (after an evening of three meals), we shared a chocolate pear tart. D definitely thought that this was the epitome of chocolate tarts. I was much more charmed by the little bakery with its lovely displays and the picturesque old building and sign. Interestingly in France everyone loves fresh bread, so bread is bought by weight and you can purchase half a baguette if that’s all you need, and a few hundred grams of a loaf. I was able to enjoy half a loaf of a lovely organic whole grain bread which I had for breakfast for the next few days.
Different breads sold by weight and our chocolate pear tart.
We also passed by a few lovely fresh fruit and vegetable stands where I found these lovely green stalks laying on beautiful cherries. According to the merchant, they are young asparagus or some kind of asparagus…
Before leaving for Paris, I couldn’t wait to stuff my face with good cheeses and croissants. And boy did we get to… We did not waste any time by hitting up the local fromagerie for a little pre-dinner wine and cheese.
Breakfast in France consisted of toasted baguette with butter and jam (tartine) sometimes served with a croissant or other viennoiserie (chocolatine, etc.). Our favourite breakfast by far was from Le Pain Quotidien, recommended by my Paris food guru David Leibovitz. At Le Pain Quotidien, actually a Belgian chain, they took breakfast a step further by serving different sliced breads from their organic breads selection, half a baguette, a flaky croissant with fresh pressed orange juice, a bowl of café au lait and unlimited spreads from all kinds of jams (including sugar free jams) to hazelnut butter, chocolate hazelnut and white chocolate spreads. All this for 9€. This was actually plenty to share between two people, but the first time we ordered an extra croissant and café.
Lunch was often a sandwich and our first lunch was from one of my favourite chains in Paris Paul. We hit up the Louvre outlet of this large chain for a Parisien (ham and butter on baguette) with an Orangina and an apricot tart. The sandwich, ridiculously simple was just delicious, the tart was flaky with a thin custard filling and apricots, yum! If I could eat at Chez Paul every day I would. Well, every other day at least.
Lunch at Chez Paul.
Le Bistrot des Peintres 116 Avenue Ledru-Rollin 75011 Paris, France 01 47 00 34 39
Bistro eating is very good in Paris and after a fruitless search for Le Bistro Paul Bert for steak frites we ended up at Le Bistrot des Peintres for a very eclectic supper. I ordered a Salade de ravioles farcies au basilic, Saint Jacques poêlées, haricots verts, tomates confites (12.90 €).Saint Jacques, which is the term used for scallops instead of the word pétoncle used in Québec. The scallops were served raw in a pesto like dressing with an assortment of sides, eggplant tortellini, a green salad topped with cooked string beans (overcooked à la française), a salmon salad and bread sticks. It was oddly satisfying. D ordered Poulet de la ferme d'Alice (10.90 €), the more traditional roast chicken and frites. The dessert on the menu that caught our eye was profitérole géantes (6.90 €), and they did not disappoint; the cream puffs were filled with ice cream and topped with a chocolate sauce, a perfect ending to our casual meal!
Salade Saint-Jacques at Le Bistrot des Peintres.
Hope you enjoyed reading about some of our meals in Paris!
260 S. Raymond Avenue Pasadena, California 626.356.4444 website
I've been slow writing posts in general, and more specifically finishing my California posts . My goal is to finish writing these posts before I leave for my next wedding vacation next week! Really, there are only two left: the rehearsal and the big day!
Doesn't this entrance look quintessentially Californian with the bright sun and palm trees?
On the night before the wedding, Cathy and Vern invited all their out-of-town guests (which totalled a whopping 75 I think!) to La Grande Orange, which The Gastronomer had previously written a post about, generously hosted by Vern's parents. To start with, I got to munch on deviled eggs while mingling with the couple's family and friends.
Deviled eggs always hit the spot!
Cathy and Vern had reserved the yard which was a perfect spot for dining! I got to sit at the head table, in the company of Cathy's and Vern's old college friends, many of whom were very fit runners!
La Grande Orange yard.
We were first served a chopped caesar salad, garnished with large shards of cheese. Can't go wrong with that!
Chopped caesar salad.
For our entrées, we were provided three choices. Luckily, I was able to snap pictures of my neighbours' dinner. Unfortunately, it had gotten dark, so my pictures are not the greatest. Cathy's college friend T's prime rib was served rare just as she requested. I like girls who eat their meat bloody! The vegetables in the vegetarian taco dish were very colourful and were served with house-made corn tortillas.
Talk about two extremes: prime rib and vegetarian tacos!
I ordered the roasted organic chicken, after Cathy excitedly informed me that it was Jidori chicken, currently all the rage in California. I even read a New York Times article that she had linked while I was still in Canada. Jidori chicken is a type of free-range chicken grown in Japan, so technically this chicken was raised in California in the Jidori fashion. I loved the simple chicken with its crispy skin. Could I detect anything in particular? I think my palette is not quite that distinguishing, but the chicken was delicious!
Jidori chicken served with spinach.
While I was stuffed to the gills, I still managed to eat olive oil cake. It was nice to finish up the meal with a dessert that was not too sweet.
Olive Oil Cake.
Cathy with her college friends, including Lucious on the left who was a fellow bridesmaid!
Finally, after a nice thank you speech, Cathy and Vern presented the wedding party with some presents. I got to go home with a box of very beautifully colourful macarons. Lucky girl I am! What a fun night and the last post will be the wedding!!
10511 82 Avenue Northwest Edmonton, Alberta 780.436.0558 website
For my last meal in Edmonton, I got to share it with none other than my friend and ex-roommate Trapezista, and her boyfriend S! My trip to Edmonton could not be more timely with her boyfriend having a meeting there too! After walking in downtown Edmonton where their hotel was, we decided to head to popular Whyte Ave (182 Avenue) in search for dinner! I mentioned Indian food (which is referred as East Indian specifically in Edmonton) and we found Origin India.
Origin India offers both a buffet and à la carte items. I am usually a bit weary of Indian buffets but this was definitely better than average. One of my issues with buffets is that the naan bread isn't always the freshest or best. We were provided with a basket full of fresh out-of-the oven naan bread. We weren't even able to eat all the naan, which is pretty sacrilegious I think!
Our basket of naan bread!
The curry choices weren't as bountiful as usual buffets but the quality was good. Unfortunately, the restaurant was very dark so I had a really hard time taking pictures. One thing that made me happy was seeing a pile of pappadom's shaped into cones. Being a chip lover, I love salty and spicy pappadom's! They were also freshly fried! I've never seen them at a buffet which may be a good thing since I indulged in quite a few.
Finally, after having two full plates of food (I always feel pressure to take advantage of buffets!), I got to have some Indian dessert. S thought the gulab jamun amazing so I took one. They usually are too sweet for my taste but it still was very good. I was more excited about having payesh (rice pudding). My sister tells me it's easy to make at home. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad...
Can't see the rice pudding but the gulab jamun looks sticky and sweet!
It's always nice to see old friends over good food! Whyte Avenue is a fun street to visit in Edmonton. Trapezista and I came back the next day (Saturday morning) to visit the Old Strathcona Farmer's Market nearby. There are also some nice clothing stores!
Trapezista and I arrived near Chicago close to 2 pm, faced with gridlock and very aggressive drivers. Why do drivers (yes, YOU, older lady in the Lexus SUV) honk at you when clearly there is nowhere for anyone to go?
Entering Illinois.
I HATE traffic!!
Cemitas Puebla 3619 W. North Avenue Chicago, Illinois 773.772.8435 website
Our plan was to first stop by for some authentic Mexican food that was featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. My sister sent me a link to Cemitas Puebla because she was intrigued by their cemita sandwiches, that can only be found in the city of Puebla. Trapezista enthusiastically agreed, really missing good Mexican food after having spent a year and a half in Mexico.
Cemitas Puebla is situated in the Humboldt Park neighbourhood that could probably second as Little Mexico. When we did not have change for parking, we bought a bottle of water at a convenience store and had to pay a man behind a bulletproof glass pane. This doesn't exist in Canada!! Trapezista was a little worried about leaving her car on the street. If only we had known that there is parking close to the restaurant!
Cemitas Puebla.
We guessed that Cemitas Puebla would fall under the dive category. However, don't be deterred! The food and the warm welcoming by the owners totally make up for it! We were greeted by the owner, who explained to us what a cemita is. We then sat down and once we decided what we wanted to eat, we went to the counter to order.
Cemitas Puebla's counter and interesting posters on the ceiling.
We decided to first share chalupas($3.00), which consisted of five corn tortillas doused in salsa verde and salsa roja topped with onions and aged cheese. I started with the salsa roja and thought it was very hot (and I think I have a good tolerance for heat). Trapezista preferred the salsa verde, which was strong in coriander flavour and not as spicy. We were very happy with our appetizer!
Spicy Chalupas.
We also decided to share a cemita al pastor ($6.00). As is well explained on the restaurant's online video, cemitas originated in Puebla. A cemita is a sandwich made up of meat, avocado and a generous amount of cheese with an adobo chipotle peppers, in a sesame bread. The restaurant offers various cemitas, including a pata (cow foot) one. Too bad I'm not more adventurous! The al pastor we ordered consisted of marinated pork and onions. According to the video, the owner regulary goes to Mexico to buy Mexican ingredients, including the cheese and chipotle peppers. I really enjoyed the creamy avocado against the cheese and meat.
Cemita Al Pastor.
We also shared a taco arabes ($2.60). This unique taco stems from the influcence of the Lebanese in Mexico, hence its name arabes. While Trapezista enjoyed the cemita, she much preferred the taco. It reminded her of the tacos she ate in Mexico. She also really enjoyed the homemade sauces that came in bottles on the table. Eating this taco made me realize that real Mexican tacos have nothing to do with the tacos we know, which, I guess, is more Tex-Mex.
Taco arabes.
We were both quite full after eating all of our food. It was very enjoyable. Trapezista declared that it was one of the highlights of the trip. As we were leaving, the owner asked if we were going to come again. No, we're from Canada! Then he happily agreed to pose for a picture with me and his son.
The owners of Cemitas Puebla and myself.
After checking in at our hostel, we were finally ready to check out the Windy City. I got to admire Chicago's great architecture. We walked to the Millenium Park and had fun with the mirrored Cloud Gate. I was really wowed by the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, designed by Frank Gehry, surrounded by people on their lawn chairs, watching a free classical music concert, which was part of the Grant Park Music Festival.
I liked the elevated trains.
Chicago's skyscrapers.
The Crown Fountain in Millenium Park is quite... interesting?!
The Cloud Gate, also known as "The Bean".
Frank Gehry's beautiful Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
We then headed ou to the Navy Pier to check out the Chicago skyline by the water. There we got tempted by a chocolate churro. It was good, but definitely not freshly fried.
After quickly taking a look at the Magnificent Mile (that I personally thought was not that magnificent...), we headed back to our last meal of the day. We were going to complete our food 3 D's! We already ate at a drive-in in Montana and a dive earlier in the day. We only needed a diner. Luckily, one of Chicago's best diner, the White Palace Grill, was close to our hostel.
The White Palace Grill.
The White Palace Grill is open 24 hours, every day. When we arrived at 10 pm, it was full. Once we sat down and looked at the menu, I wished I had researched this diner better. We had no idea what to order. Many people ordered breakfast food but I didn't really feel like it. We narrowed it down to a chicken or steak fried sandwich. When we asked the waitress, she said to go for the chicken, but it seemed she just randomly picked one of the two. Trapezista also ordered a vanilla milkshake, that was quite large and looked like a typical diner milkshake I imagine.
Milkshake and chicken fried sandwich.
The food was good, nothing special. The waitresses were prompt but not overly friendly. They were too busy serving customers. When we went to pay at the counter, I really liked the look of their old fashioned cash register.
Old-fashioned cash register.
The next day, we headed home to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. I had a great time on the road trip, full of great scenery and some great food. I couldn't have asked for a better driver than Trapezista! Everyone should go on a road trip, even if it does not compare to Jack Kerouac's!
The crêperie and our cider.
