Paris - Food

Verjus.  L’Agape Substance.  Le Machon.

While in Paris we took full advantage of the amazing cuisine and luckily we walked a lot to keep the extra pounds we were eagerly digesting in check!  Matt spent a fair amount of time researching online before we left, and found 2 wonderful restaurants for our culinary adventure. 

Verjus

We started at Verjus (1st Arr.) for my birthday, woo hoo!  It was a set tasting menu with wine pairing, and the staff spoke perfect English (perhaps because the chef is from Boston and the host had an Australian accent).  It was an intimate and cozy place, in a 19th-century house overlooking the Palais-Royal with wood tables and mis-matched wood chairs (different styles, different heights), giving it an eclectic/comfortable yet stylish feel.  The food was beautifully presented (but not overly frou-frou), fresh, flavorful and delicious.  We tried things like “fingerling chips, chive flower, chive cream, trout roe from banka” and “duck breast from pomarez, orange segment, rye seed, mustard greens, smoked celery root skin”.  The service was attentive, but not in-your face -- plates and wine came at a comfortable pace and everything was carefully described to us by the friendly staff.  Matt definitely found a true gem with Verjus!  It was the perfect birthday dinner celebration and I'd go back in a hearbeat!  (http://verjusparis.com/).

L'Agape Substance

On our second night, we went in the opposite direction and took a leap of faith at L’Agagé Substance (7th Arr.).  It’s a sleek, modern and minimalistic place hidden behind frosted glass with only 24 seats total.  The walls and ceiling are covered with mirrors and the floor is done in clear oak, while the space is illuminated by neon.  There is a long “family style” table in the middle, which is where we sat, and an open kitchen at the end.  The menu was a “carte blanche” tasting menu, where we were shown the ingredients that would be used in the 17 to 22 dishes we would enjoy that evening.  We saw items like egg, pigeon (yes, p-i-g-e-o-n), monkfish, black sesame and chocolate, among others.  We were advised the menu could even change during the course of the evening (perhaps the chef’s mood would change), and we may not get the same things as our neighbors.  We didn’t do the wine pairing this time, but started with 2 glasses of champagne that were offered to us (should’ve asked the price as it ended up costing $25/glass!!), and then moved on to a lovely bottle of white wine that paired well with each dish.  One website describes the staff as “gastronomic ninjas” which is actually quite accurate!   The black-clad wait staff uses the mirrored ceiling to clear plates as well as serve them simultaneously with the person you’re dining with.  It was a very choreographed and efficient, effective service.  There is definitely no “down time” for the staff with so many different plates to expedite!   We tasted some of the most creatively prepared food we’ve ever eaten.  Sometimes it was hard to tell where the food ended and the where the food vessel began!  It was a unique experience, with flavors we’ve never tasted before presented with artistic flair.  Overall, it was an adventure of a lifetime for our taste buds! (http://www.agapesubstance.com/#/en/home/)

Ordering wine from an iPad !

The unique food creations of Chef David Toutain.

Lightly cooked egg, which was a highlight for me!  Super amazing.

Pigeon!

Le Machon d’Henri

On our last night we ended up staying in the St. Germain area again and went to a cute little family-run bistro we walked by that looked “fun”.  It was small and crowded, but the host/server was friendly and offered us the last table for 2, so we took it!  It reminded us of a cozy restaurant that’s a favorite of ours back home in the Marina, but with Parisian flair.  The menu was written on chalboards, and we had heartier fare this time (duck and salmon entrees), and both were large portions and very satisfying.  Pretty basic, but good.  Everything was reasonably priced and we enjoyed a bottle of white wine to go along with our dinner.  The doors opened up to the street so we could watch the hustle and bustle of the passersby as well.  It was Sunday night, but all the restaurants still seemed to be quite “happening” and busy. 

There's always room for ice cream!

Paris - Sights

City of Lights.  Louvre.  Eiffel Tower.

My thirty-something birthday started out great.  Matt surprised me with a Starbucks latte and a birthday tart, what a sweetie.  So far so good!  Later in the day, we took the TGV from Basel to Paris for a long weekend.  The train takes 3 hours and funnily enough, we had just watched a program on the evolution of locomotives and how the French are now making an even faster train, the AGV.   

We stayed in a cute, boutique hotel (Recamier) across from St. Sulpice church in the St. Germain area. The room was small, but very well appointed. We literally checked in and then changed right away to make our dinner reservations. (See Food post). After a scrumptious dinner, we returned to the hotel via foot to truly enjoy the “city of lights”. There is definitely something magical in the lights of Paris!

Church & hotel.

Paris at night.

On Saturday, we decided to walk across the city to find an area with vintage clothing stores in the Opéra/Les Halles area that was mentioned in Time Out.  We didn’t buy anything, but did a lot of window shopping (at the Palais Royal as well), stopped in a bunch of churches, the Pompidou, and went to the Musee D’Orsay (hello Impressionist collection!).  We definitely criss-crossed the city on Saturday and saw a lot!

After sleeping in a bit on Sunday, we headed to the Luxembourg Gardens, which were quite lovely, and just a few blocks behind our hotel.  Apparently, it’s a popular running spot as there were a ton of them doing a loop around the Gardens!  We then headed up to the Pantheon and St. Genevieve Church, where we quickly popped in, and then out, because the morning service was being held.  We decided to return to the Pantheon and go inside.  It’s such a lovely building, but we’re not terribly familiar with the dead French, so aside from a few recognizable names, we still don’t know who the famous people in the Crypt are.  And some little kid made a bee-line for the pendulum, we thought he was going to break through the little barrier and knock it over!  We also hit the crumbly and old and cool Shakespeare & Co. bookstore.  Then it was time to go and stake out our seats for the Tour (see Tour de France post).  After the race, we wandered down to the Eiffel Tower and it was crawling with tourists!  The lines were so incredibly long, I couldn’t imagine waiting. It’s a beautiful monument, just too many people, in my opinion.  Last time we visited, it was November and freezing, so we had the exact opposite experience (it was totally deserted).  We took the requisite tourist photos and then called it quits. 

 

     

On Sunday night we took a river cruise (10 PM), which was a wonderful way to see the city and all the spakling lights.  It’s definitely a different vantage point to see everything from the river, and really beautiful.  Highly recommend doing it!

The last day, we headed across town and started at the Champs-Élysées / Arc de Triomphe.  There was a huge queue across the street in front of a stunning building and we spent about 10 minutes on Matt’s iPhone trying to figure out what it was.  Perhaps a hidden garden?  Chanel?  No, it was Abercrombie & Fitch!??  Wow, that was surprising.  We then proceeded up to Montmartre for the sweeping city views and to take in the beautiful Sacre-Couer.  We also visited the big Cimitiere Montmartre, where more famous people we don’t know are buried.  It’s really pretty though, with little street signs and mini-boulevards that seem perfect for a romantic stroll (kinda making you forget you’re in an actual cemetery). 

I really wanted to see the new Hermes store, so we went there next.  It’s so cool!  It’s in Hôtel Lutetia’s former indoor swimming pool.  It’s definitely worth a stop in.  Very artsy with beautifully displayed mechandise.

After Hermes, we ate lunch and finished our Paris trip with a quick stop into Notre Dame and walked along the Seine and islands.  Some of the bridges are completely covered in "love locks", viewed by some as graffiti and others as romantic.