Eating My Way Though Europe
What and Where Am I Eating?
July 2, 2010
When I arrived in Barcelona, I had an hour to kill before I could check into the hotel: just the right amount of time for a leisurely breakfast in one of the busiest squares in Barcelona, Placa Catalunya. At the time I just picked something close to my hostel so that I wouldn’t have to walk too far with my luggage, but it turns out it’s even recommended in my guidebook: Café Zurich. I didn’t order anything fancy: just a cappuccino and a ham and cheese baguette sandwich. It was a bit expensive for what it was (6 .50 euros) especially since Barcelona is supposed to be cheaper than Spain, but you must have been paying for the excellent people-watching setting at their outside patio seating. I think it was a very good introduction to the city: I had the chance to enjoy the living scenery of Barcelona and I discovered that Spain has excellent ham. I guess I already knew that before I came here, but I love that every slice of ham I ate in Barcelona was a little slice of pork heaven. Spanish ham is not even remotely comparable to a gross square Oscar Mayer slice. I promise never to go back again (not that I ate it much previously)!
Then, while taking a Rick Steve’s self-guided walking tour of the main drag in town, Las Ramblas, I found the primary local food market: La Boqueria. I’ve never seen anything like it, not even in France. In a small square space, tons of different food vendors set up shop daily. The first thing right when you walk in is the fresh fruit and juice stands. I’ve never seen so much juice in my life: orderly lines of fruit juice in a rainbow of colors and flavors in clear plastic cups with bright colorful straws. I’ve never been so tempted to drink juice in my life either: I immediately bought one. I chose orange papaya since I don’t think I’ve ever had papaya juice. It was so amazingly sweet, fresh and bursting with flavor that I then bought another one at a different stand when I was done with the first. This time I chose strawberry coconut, which was even better than the first juice. Besides these numerous little fruit stands, they had seafood stands, butcher stands, tapas bars, candy stands, dried fruit and nut stands, cheese stands, chocolate stands, and probably more that I didn’t get a chance to see. The seafood was the most impressive; everything was displayed so artfully, with gleaming silver scales and bright fish eyes catching my eye at every turn. The octopus and barracuda were of particular interest to my visual sense, but I don’t doubt everything would have been delicious to eat. They had everything too; I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a huge variety of seafood in my life. This market kicks Whole Foods and Central Market’s butt. I was conscious of spending too much money before I even made it to lunch (and lots of the food needed cooking anyway), so the only food I bought was a chorizo sausage and cheese brochette (meaning it’s on a stick) for 1 euro. It took me about an hour to look around and snap pictures, at which point I finally willed myself back to my tour of the main drag. If only I had more time in Barcelona!
When I was walking by the ocean, I was getting hungry and I was handed a coupon for home fries (they call them hot potatoes here) with ketchup and mayo drizzled over the top, with a soda, for just 2 euros. How could I pass that up? That’s so much cheaper than anything I could buy in Paris, and I’m now a big sucker for potatoes with mayo and ketchup. It was a wonderful, hot, and salty snack to eat by the ocean. Now that I’d had 2 juices, a brochette, potatoes, and a coke, I realized I wasn’t really hungry for a more formal lunch anymore and so I headed to the beach. On the way, I bought a whole liter of chilled sangria (in a box, not a bottle, so it’s beach ready) for less than 2 euros. I spent the next 4 or 5 hours relaxing on the beach and drinking it up. It’s refreshing and a great way to make drinking red wine on the beach both acceptable and easier on the stomach.
Dinner is disappointing. I ran into some friends from the UT program sometime between the beach and dinner, and decided to accompany them for the evening. That’s not the bad part, but we decided to get some dinner at the Magic Fountain (a musical/light display/water show) around 10, but it turns out there’s only a few really dinky and Americanized food stands around the fountain, so I ended up with a hot dog. Not that I have anything against hot dogs, but it wasn’t exactly Spanish in the least. Oh well, at least I made up for it by eating tons of Spanish food the next day. And the Magic Fountain was probably the best setting for eating a hot dog that I could dream up.
Then, while taking a Rick Steve’s self-guided walking tour of the main drag in town, Las Ramblas, I found the primary local food market: La Boqueria. I’ve never seen anything like it, not even in France. In a small square space, tons of different food vendors set up shop daily. The first thing right when you walk in is the fresh fruit and juice stands. I’ve never seen so much juice in my life: orderly lines of fruit juice in a rainbow of colors and flavors in clear plastic cups with bright colorful straws. I’ve never been so tempted to drink juice in my life either: I immediately bought one. I chose orange papaya since I don’t think I’ve ever had papaya juice. It was so amazingly sweet, fresh and bursting with flavor that I then bought another one at a different stand when I was done with the first. This time I chose strawberry coconut, which was even better than the first juice. Besides these numerous little fruit stands, they had seafood stands, butcher stands, tapas bars, candy stands, dried fruit and nut stands, cheese stands, chocolate stands, and probably more that I didn’t get a chance to see. The seafood was the most impressive; everything was displayed so artfully, with gleaming silver scales and bright fish eyes catching my eye at every turn. The octopus and barracuda were of particular interest to my visual sense, but I don’t doubt everything would have been delicious to eat. They had everything too; I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a huge variety of seafood in my life. This market kicks Whole Foods and Central Market’s butt. I was conscious of spending too much money before I even made it to lunch (and lots of the food needed cooking anyway), so the only food I bought was a chorizo sausage and cheese brochette (meaning it’s on a stick) for 1 euro. It took me about an hour to look around and snap pictures, at which point I finally willed myself back to my tour of the main drag. If only I had more time in Barcelona!
When I was walking by the ocean, I was getting hungry and I was handed a coupon for home fries (they call them hot potatoes here) with ketchup and mayo drizzled over the top, with a soda, for just 2 euros. How could I pass that up? That’s so much cheaper than anything I could buy in Paris, and I’m now a big sucker for potatoes with mayo and ketchup. It was a wonderful, hot, and salty snack to eat by the ocean. Now that I’d had 2 juices, a brochette, potatoes, and a coke, I realized I wasn’t really hungry for a more formal lunch anymore and so I headed to the beach. On the way, I bought a whole liter of chilled sangria (in a box, not a bottle, so it’s beach ready) for less than 2 euros. I spent the next 4 or 5 hours relaxing on the beach and drinking it up. It’s refreshing and a great way to make drinking red wine on the beach both acceptable and easier on the stomach.
Dinner is disappointing. I ran into some friends from the UT program sometime between the beach and dinner, and decided to accompany them for the evening. That’s not the bad part, but we decided to get some dinner at the Magic Fountain (a musical/light display/water show) around 10, but it turns out there’s only a few really dinky and Americanized food stands around the fountain, so I ended up with a hot dog. Not that I have anything against hot dogs, but it wasn’t exactly Spanish in the least. Oh well, at least I made up for it by eating tons of Spanish food the next day. And the Magic Fountain was probably the best setting for eating a hot dog that I could dream up.
Breakfast in Barcelona
Doesn't this photo make you thirsty?
Candy galore!
Fruits and nuts and mushrooms, Oh My!
Poor piggies
Poor roosters
OK, I don't feel so bad for these guys. Even dead they look ready to bite me.
Everything looks yummy except for those octopi in front
So many pincers
How awesomely tempting is this gelato?
What did I tell you: they have everything!
I held back: juice and one of these brochettes are all I ate at the market
July 3, 2010
For breakfast, I stopped and grabbed two croissants with ham and cheese rolled up in the center at the café near my hostel. They were the perfect antidote for my out-late-last-night exhaustion and empty stomach. And so convenient: I was so hungry I picked the first place I passed for breakfast, but I lucked out because it was delicious and cheap.
I just couldn’t wait any longer to eat tapas, so I ate lunch at the outside seating of a tapas bar called Txapela on the main drag. For anyone who doesn’t know, tapas are small portions of food, kind of like an appetizer just big enough for one person, that are priced accordingly. The idea is to order multiple so that you have the chance to sample multiple dishes. So for about 10 euros, I ordered 5 different tapas. The first two were hot potatoes with chipotle mayo (so that I could have a starch in my meal) and a brochette of vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, and a cherry tomato - so that I could have some veggies in my meal). Both were delectable and perfectly seasoned. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed vegetables so much my whole trip. Then I ordered a ham and cheese croquette, which means the ham and cheese is breaded and fried. I don’t really know how to describe it, maybe somewhere in between a meatball and a hushpuppy? But better than both of those – this was my favorite tapa. The next tapa was my seafood choice – smoked salmon wrapped around crabmeat atop lettuce on a toasted baguette slice, all drizzled/sprinkled with mayo and herbs. The last tapa was a piece of bread topped by the common Spanish condiment tomaquet, which I believe is just chopped tomatoes, olive oil, and herbs. Then, the tomaquet was topped with a black olive, a half an anchovy, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Everything was astoundingly delicious. I wish tapas were popular in every city!
Since my train leaves tomorrow afternoon, this was essentially my last full day in Barcelona, so I tried to cram a lot of sightseeing into today. That includes culinary sightseeing, and I was lucky enough that my guidebook recommended a "short and sweet" walk, with three Spanish desserts within a half-mile of each other. So my afternoon snack was a huge sugar rush. I started out at Casa Colomina, in business over 100 years, to get the refreshing orxata (sometimes referred to as horchata). Orxata is a drink made from the chufa nut, but I honestly have no idea how it goes from it's nut form into the sweet, creamy liquid that I drank. I love this drink: it tastes a bit like milk but with an underlying nutty flavor, and it's very sugary. It was the perfect refreshment for cooling off my taste buds on that hot Spanish day. The next stop was a chocolate shop called Fargas, which has been open since 1827. It was smaller than I expected, with less variety than I expected also. I honestly wasn't too impressed. I've seen much more tempting chocolates back in France, so I didn't buy anything. My last stop was to eat churros con chocolate at Granja la Pallaresa. Churros con chocolate is hot chocolate with fried dough, but the hot chocolate isn't anything like hot chocolate I've had at home. First, it was topped with the biggest mound of whipped cream I've ever seen in my life. Second, the hot chocolate is made with a bitter dark chocolate and not much sugar, so it's far less sweet than the hot chocolates I'm used to. Third, the hot chocolate is so thick that you wouldn't be too far off if you called it pudding. It's more of a drink to eat with a spoon than an actual drink. The churros are greasy, fried lengths of dough, kind of like a funnel cake, only they're sprinkled with just a bit of granulated sugar instead of covered in powdered sugar like a funnel cake would be. They gave me plenty of the churros, and the cup of chocolate was large too, so I took my time and had fun dunking the churros in the chocolate. The chocolate came with a packet of sugar, but I enjoyed the contrast of the bitter dark chocolate with the sugared churros so much that I decided not to ruin it by adding more sugar to the chocolate. Plus I felt like I was on sugar overload by the time I finished this dish. Time to go walk it off and look forward to my next meal being a little more substantial.
For dinner, I went to a place my hostel recommended for traditional Spanish food, a restaurant called La Fonda. They had a three-course prix fixe menu for just under 20 euros, so it was cheaper than any three-course dinner I could get in Paris. Plus a half-bottle of white wine was only 6 euros. For my first course, I chose the cream of asparagus soup topped with Iberico ham, since I love asparagus and that's supposedly the best ham in Spain. The soup was smooth, creamy, and flavorful, just like drinking a liquid version of asparagus cooked in butter. The amount of ham was so minimal that it was hard to get a good impression of what the ham would taste like on its own, but it was a welcome addition to the soup. For the main course, I would have liked to choose paella, but you had to have two people to order the classic Spanish rice dish, so I ordered fiduea instead. Fiduea, described as fisherman's noodles on the menu, was kind of like paella made with vermicelli noodles instead of with rice. Vermicelli noodles are Asian, so the dish seemed to have some Asian flavors to complement the noodles: soy sauce was the easiest ingredient to identify. The thin noodles were paired with bits of seemingly random seafood chunks, including squid, fish, and shellfish. The whole dish appeared to have been baked in the oven, so that the top of the noodles were crispier than the noodles underneath. I liked the contrast of the crunchier noodles and the more traditional al dente noodles. I also thought the Asian flavors were bold and delicious, and the seafood transformed a huge plate of Asian noodles into a hearty Spanish dinner. For my dessert choice, I felt I had no choice but to order crema Catalunya, since it's practically the official regional dessert. I'm probably exaggerating, but Barcelona is the capital of Catalunya, a region with a different language, history, and culture than the rest of Spain. Crema Catalunya was a lot like creme brulee, since both desserts feature a layer of caramelized sugar on top and custard underneath, but the flavors in the custard were bolder than the traditional vanilla custard in a creme brulee. The crema Catalunya tasted of cinnamon and lemon. When I looked up the dessert, I found out that it's easier to cook than creme brulee, since it doesn't need to be baked inside a water bath. Interestingly enough, there's debate surrounding which dessert was invented first, so I guess I can't blame Spain for stealing France's delicious recipe, since it may have been the other way around.
You would think I'd be done eating after all that food, but I'm not! Actually, I'm very full and satisfied at this point, but it's time for Spain to play in the World Cup, and I don't want to miss the excitement. So I go to a bar to watch the game, but I have to order something to be allowed to sit and watch the game, so I got a glass of sangria. It turns out to be more like a jug of sangria: the wine glass is big enough to be a fishbowl. At least I had a good 2 hours to sit and leisurely sip my colorful drink, but halfway through, I was feeling like it was too much to finish on its own, and that a tapa would be a good complement to help me wash it all down. I ordered patats bravas, or hot potatoes, with chipotle mayo, just like I had for lunch. Even though I was so full that I didn't really need the sustenance, it was still tasty and helped me finish my sangria with ease. And Spain won too! I walked off the effects of the sangria during the long walk back to my hotel along the main drag, taking in the sights and sounds of Barcelona celebrating Spain's victory. Although I could swear the tourists were louder than the true Spaniards.
I just couldn’t wait any longer to eat tapas, so I ate lunch at the outside seating of a tapas bar called Txapela on the main drag. For anyone who doesn’t know, tapas are small portions of food, kind of like an appetizer just big enough for one person, that are priced accordingly. The idea is to order multiple so that you have the chance to sample multiple dishes. So for about 10 euros, I ordered 5 different tapas. The first two were hot potatoes with chipotle mayo (so that I could have a starch in my meal) and a brochette of vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, and a cherry tomato - so that I could have some veggies in my meal). Both were delectable and perfectly seasoned. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed vegetables so much my whole trip. Then I ordered a ham and cheese croquette, which means the ham and cheese is breaded and fried. I don’t really know how to describe it, maybe somewhere in between a meatball and a hushpuppy? But better than both of those – this was my favorite tapa. The next tapa was my seafood choice – smoked salmon wrapped around crabmeat atop lettuce on a toasted baguette slice, all drizzled/sprinkled with mayo and herbs. The last tapa was a piece of bread topped by the common Spanish condiment tomaquet, which I believe is just chopped tomatoes, olive oil, and herbs. Then, the tomaquet was topped with a black olive, a half an anchovy, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Everything was astoundingly delicious. I wish tapas were popular in every city!
Since my train leaves tomorrow afternoon, this was essentially my last full day in Barcelona, so I tried to cram a lot of sightseeing into today. That includes culinary sightseeing, and I was lucky enough that my guidebook recommended a "short and sweet" walk, with three Spanish desserts within a half-mile of each other. So my afternoon snack was a huge sugar rush. I started out at Casa Colomina, in business over 100 years, to get the refreshing orxata (sometimes referred to as horchata). Orxata is a drink made from the chufa nut, but I honestly have no idea how it goes from it's nut form into the sweet, creamy liquid that I drank. I love this drink: it tastes a bit like milk but with an underlying nutty flavor, and it's very sugary. It was the perfect refreshment for cooling off my taste buds on that hot Spanish day. The next stop was a chocolate shop called Fargas, which has been open since 1827. It was smaller than I expected, with less variety than I expected also. I honestly wasn't too impressed. I've seen much more tempting chocolates back in France, so I didn't buy anything. My last stop was to eat churros con chocolate at Granja la Pallaresa. Churros con chocolate is hot chocolate with fried dough, but the hot chocolate isn't anything like hot chocolate I've had at home. First, it was topped with the biggest mound of whipped cream I've ever seen in my life. Second, the hot chocolate is made with a bitter dark chocolate and not much sugar, so it's far less sweet than the hot chocolates I'm used to. Third, the hot chocolate is so thick that you wouldn't be too far off if you called it pudding. It's more of a drink to eat with a spoon than an actual drink. The churros are greasy, fried lengths of dough, kind of like a funnel cake, only they're sprinkled with just a bit of granulated sugar instead of covered in powdered sugar like a funnel cake would be. They gave me plenty of the churros, and the cup of chocolate was large too, so I took my time and had fun dunking the churros in the chocolate. The chocolate came with a packet of sugar, but I enjoyed the contrast of the bitter dark chocolate with the sugared churros so much that I decided not to ruin it by adding more sugar to the chocolate. Plus I felt like I was on sugar overload by the time I finished this dish. Time to go walk it off and look forward to my next meal being a little more substantial.
For dinner, I went to a place my hostel recommended for traditional Spanish food, a restaurant called La Fonda. They had a three-course prix fixe menu for just under 20 euros, so it was cheaper than any three-course dinner I could get in Paris. Plus a half-bottle of white wine was only 6 euros. For my first course, I chose the cream of asparagus soup topped with Iberico ham, since I love asparagus and that's supposedly the best ham in Spain. The soup was smooth, creamy, and flavorful, just like drinking a liquid version of asparagus cooked in butter. The amount of ham was so minimal that it was hard to get a good impression of what the ham would taste like on its own, but it was a welcome addition to the soup. For the main course, I would have liked to choose paella, but you had to have two people to order the classic Spanish rice dish, so I ordered fiduea instead. Fiduea, described as fisherman's noodles on the menu, was kind of like paella made with vermicelli noodles instead of with rice. Vermicelli noodles are Asian, so the dish seemed to have some Asian flavors to complement the noodles: soy sauce was the easiest ingredient to identify. The thin noodles were paired with bits of seemingly random seafood chunks, including squid, fish, and shellfish. The whole dish appeared to have been baked in the oven, so that the top of the noodles were crispier than the noodles underneath. I liked the contrast of the crunchier noodles and the more traditional al dente noodles. I also thought the Asian flavors were bold and delicious, and the seafood transformed a huge plate of Asian noodles into a hearty Spanish dinner. For my dessert choice, I felt I had no choice but to order crema Catalunya, since it's practically the official regional dessert. I'm probably exaggerating, but Barcelona is the capital of Catalunya, a region with a different language, history, and culture than the rest of Spain. Crema Catalunya was a lot like creme brulee, since both desserts feature a layer of caramelized sugar on top and custard underneath, but the flavors in the custard were bolder than the traditional vanilla custard in a creme brulee. The crema Catalunya tasted of cinnamon and lemon. When I looked up the dessert, I found out that it's easier to cook than creme brulee, since it doesn't need to be baked inside a water bath. Interestingly enough, there's debate surrounding which dessert was invented first, so I guess I can't blame Spain for stealing France's delicious recipe, since it may have been the other way around.
You would think I'd be done eating after all that food, but I'm not! Actually, I'm very full and satisfied at this point, but it's time for Spain to play in the World Cup, and I don't want to miss the excitement. So I go to a bar to watch the game, but I have to order something to be allowed to sit and watch the game, so I got a glass of sangria. It turns out to be more like a jug of sangria: the wine glass is big enough to be a fishbowl. At least I had a good 2 hours to sit and leisurely sip my colorful drink, but halfway through, I was feeling like it was too much to finish on its own, and that a tapa would be a good complement to help me wash it all down. I ordered patats bravas, or hot potatoes, with chipotle mayo, just like I had for lunch. Even though I was so full that I didn't really need the sustenance, it was still tasty and helped me finish my sangria with ease. And Spain won too! I walked off the effects of the sangria during the long walk back to my hotel along the main drag, taking in the sights and sounds of Barcelona celebrating Spain's victory. Although I could swear the tourists were louder than the true Spaniards.
This is the tapas menu at Txapela - so many choices
My 5 tapas
Do you think they gave me enough whipped cream with my chocolate con churros?
Cream of asparagus soup with the best Spanish ham floating on top
Fiduea: not much to look at, but I promise you it's delicious
This crema Catalunya looks good enough to eat
Enough sangria to drown a small animal
I admit it: I added the ketchup and mayo myself
July 4, 2010
Happy Independence Day! Not that I did anything to celebrate.
The owner of my hostel was leaving at the same time as I was this morning, and he said he was going to get the best muffin in the world for breakfast. How could I pass that up, especially when the shop was on my way to the subway station? The best muffin in the world is apparently a double chocolate muffin: chocolate with chocolate chips. I can't say if it's the best muffin in the world because I don't eat a lot of muffins, but it was the best muffin I've ever eaten. The chocolate chips on the inside had melted into gooey pockets of messy delicious-ness, and the rest of the muffin was rich in chocolate flavor. If only all muffins could be this tasty, I might eat them more often.
I wanted to eat lunch at a seafood restaurant recommended by my hostel, but it wasn't open when I wanted to eat lunch, and I wasn't going to wait around. Instead, I chose a dive called El Pollo Rico, which I believe is also the name of a food trailer in Austin, so it caught my eye. The dozens of chickens roasting on a spit right by the front door were tempting my nose as well. When I looked at the menu, prices were so cheap - just 3 or 4 euros per dish - that I ended up ordering two meals. I guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach, but what the heck, it's my last meal in Spain. The first dish I ordered was paella, because I knew I'd be kicking myself if I didn't have paella in Spain. They served it up immediately from a huge pot bubbling on the stove. This paella was obviously where all the unused bits of shellfish from other dishes went into: the too-small shrimp, the chunks of bone and meat from an unidentified animal (beef maybe?), the occasional morsel of fish or squid, plus clams and mussels too. All these bits of leftover meat and seafood made for a very rustic dish that I often had to use my hands to eat, such as to peel a shrimp or pick meat off the bone or pull a mussel from its shell. I was very messy by the time I finished eating. The base for the dish was saffron rice with a hint of tomato. The rice was well-cooked and the lemon wedges they provided to squirt over the top added extra flavor to the already flavorful dish. My only complaints were the occasional bit of hidden bone or broken shell that I had to spit back out. And the shrimp were so small that they didn't provide a substantial bite of meat. Overall, I enjoyed the dish and cleaned my plate, so it was well worth 3 euros. I probably could have been satisfied with just that dish for lunch, but I figured I had to order chicken at a restaurant called El Pollo Rico - The Rich Chicken. I ordered the roast chicken with fries for 4 euros and was wholly disappointed. The chicken was well-seasoned, but the spices were only on the skin and hadn't seeped into the meat itself. The meat was dry and bland, and I didn't bother finishing the chicken. The fries were also disappointing: under-salted and too hot to eat for 5 or 10 minutes. The whole dish reeked of bland-ness. Maybe the restaurant should change its name since I was far happier with the paella than with the namesake chicken. I suppose you're always taking a chance when you walk into a dive like this place.
I had one last glass of orxata to remember Spain by. It was as refreshing and sweet as the last glass I had.
For dinner, I had no choice but to eat in the French train station where I changed trains on my way back to Paris. Since I had two full hours, I was hoping to walk outside of the train station and find a real restaurant or cafe, but this train station seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, with not an open business in sight. I guess I should have known better by now - everything's closed in France on Sundays. So I had a ham and brie baguette sandwich from the cafe in the train station. Nothing spectacular, but the brie was a pleasant addition that I've never eaten on a sandwich before. The creaminess (spreadability?) and mild, clean flavor of the brie make it a natural choice for a sandwich. But the bread was tough and I overpaid, so the brie couldn't save the sandwich as a whole. For dessert, I went to the vending machine on the train. I was surprised to see 6 madeleines for only 1 euro. Madeleines could compete with macaroons to be the national cookie of France, since you can get both types of cookies just about everywhere. Then again, I'm not sure that madeleines are even cookies. The ones I tasted were essentially small lemon cakes. I believe they're traditionally dipped in coffee, but I thought they were a fine dessert on their own, especially considering they came out of a vending machine.
The owner of my hostel was leaving at the same time as I was this morning, and he said he was going to get the best muffin in the world for breakfast. How could I pass that up, especially when the shop was on my way to the subway station? The best muffin in the world is apparently a double chocolate muffin: chocolate with chocolate chips. I can't say if it's the best muffin in the world because I don't eat a lot of muffins, but it was the best muffin I've ever eaten. The chocolate chips on the inside had melted into gooey pockets of messy delicious-ness, and the rest of the muffin was rich in chocolate flavor. If only all muffins could be this tasty, I might eat them more often.
I wanted to eat lunch at a seafood restaurant recommended by my hostel, but it wasn't open when I wanted to eat lunch, and I wasn't going to wait around. Instead, I chose a dive called El Pollo Rico, which I believe is also the name of a food trailer in Austin, so it caught my eye. The dozens of chickens roasting on a spit right by the front door were tempting my nose as well. When I looked at the menu, prices were so cheap - just 3 or 4 euros per dish - that I ended up ordering two meals. I guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach, but what the heck, it's my last meal in Spain. The first dish I ordered was paella, because I knew I'd be kicking myself if I didn't have paella in Spain. They served it up immediately from a huge pot bubbling on the stove. This paella was obviously where all the unused bits of shellfish from other dishes went into: the too-small shrimp, the chunks of bone and meat from an unidentified animal (beef maybe?), the occasional morsel of fish or squid, plus clams and mussels too. All these bits of leftover meat and seafood made for a very rustic dish that I often had to use my hands to eat, such as to peel a shrimp or pick meat off the bone or pull a mussel from its shell. I was very messy by the time I finished eating. The base for the dish was saffron rice with a hint of tomato. The rice was well-cooked and the lemon wedges they provided to squirt over the top added extra flavor to the already flavorful dish. My only complaints were the occasional bit of hidden bone or broken shell that I had to spit back out. And the shrimp were so small that they didn't provide a substantial bite of meat. Overall, I enjoyed the dish and cleaned my plate, so it was well worth 3 euros. I probably could have been satisfied with just that dish for lunch, but I figured I had to order chicken at a restaurant called El Pollo Rico - The Rich Chicken. I ordered the roast chicken with fries for 4 euros and was wholly disappointed. The chicken was well-seasoned, but the spices were only on the skin and hadn't seeped into the meat itself. The meat was dry and bland, and I didn't bother finishing the chicken. The fries were also disappointing: under-salted and too hot to eat for 5 or 10 minutes. The whole dish reeked of bland-ness. Maybe the restaurant should change its name since I was far happier with the paella than with the namesake chicken. I suppose you're always taking a chance when you walk into a dive like this place.
I had one last glass of orxata to remember Spain by. It was as refreshing and sweet as the last glass I had.
For dinner, I had no choice but to eat in the French train station where I changed trains on my way back to Paris. Since I had two full hours, I was hoping to walk outside of the train station and find a real restaurant or cafe, but this train station seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, with not an open business in sight. I guess I should have known better by now - everything's closed in France on Sundays. So I had a ham and brie baguette sandwich from the cafe in the train station. Nothing spectacular, but the brie was a pleasant addition that I've never eaten on a sandwich before. The creaminess (spreadability?) and mild, clean flavor of the brie make it a natural choice for a sandwich. But the bread was tough and I overpaid, so the brie couldn't save the sandwich as a whole. For dessert, I went to the vending machine on the train. I was surprised to see 6 madeleines for only 1 euro. Madeleines could compete with macaroons to be the national cookie of France, since you can get both types of cookies just about everywhere. Then again, I'm not sure that madeleines are even cookies. The ones I tasted were essentially small lemon cakes. I believe they're traditionally dipped in coffee, but I thought they were a fine dessert on their own, especially considering they came out of a vending machine.
A heavenly muffin
Can't go to Spain without eating paella
If you can't say anything good about a dish, don't say anything at all?
My glass wasn't see-through, but the internet provided this lovely photo of orxata
Dessert from a vending machine
July 5, 2010
For breakfast, I ate one of the vanilla pudding cups with caramel sauce I bought last week, since I realized that I still have 3 sitting in my refrigerator and only 4 more days to eat them.
I was feeling the strain of my budget after a fun weekend in Barcelona. So for lunch, I ate the last skillet-ready crepe leftover from my trip to the grocery store last week. This time, it was mozzarella, ham, and goat cheese again, but I'm finally perfecting the art of crepe-heating on my hot plate. The cheese was melted to perfection, even in the center.
Tonight was our farewell dinner, even though we still have 2 more days of school (and finals) ahead of us. Our chaperones reserved the inside of the entire The Cool restaurant, since we had a party of 60. They had bowls of potato chips out on the tables, and I sprinkled the chips with Tabasco sauce. I wonder if they put out the Tabasco sauce just for us. If so, that's sweet, because I was happy to have something spicy to munch on, even if it wasn't remotely French. Our group devoured all of the chips in about 15 minutes. Yet it took us over an hour and 15 minutes before we saw even a hint of our main course. I think the restaurant finally took the hint to serve us food when everyone started asking for more potato chips - I think we cleaned them out. Later I asked our chaperone why it took so long for us to be served, and he told me that the restaurant was expecting us to tell them when we wanted to be served, and we expected them to serve us as soon as we sat down. No wonder it took us so long to be served - chalk it up to culture clash, miscommunication, or both. When we were finally served, I got a plate with a simple salad, some fried potatoes, and chunks of beef. The options were fish, beef, and chicken, and after hearing about all three options, only the chicken seemed desirable. The beef was tough and bland, with no essence of French-ness. The salmon was supposedly dry. Only the chicken leg was moist was well-seasoned. The salad and potatoes were both serviceable, but not worth writing home about. For dessert, I chose cheesecake, which could have come out of any American restaurant (especially in New York). I wish I hadn't wasted 2 hours on this dull meal. At least I had a fruity bottle of red wine to drown my sorrow in.
I was feeling the strain of my budget after a fun weekend in Barcelona. So for lunch, I ate the last skillet-ready crepe leftover from my trip to the grocery store last week. This time, it was mozzarella, ham, and goat cheese again, but I'm finally perfecting the art of crepe-heating on my hot plate. The cheese was melted to perfection, even in the center.
Tonight was our farewell dinner, even though we still have 2 more days of school (and finals) ahead of us. Our chaperones reserved the inside of the entire The Cool restaurant, since we had a party of 60. They had bowls of potato chips out on the tables, and I sprinkled the chips with Tabasco sauce. I wonder if they put out the Tabasco sauce just for us. If so, that's sweet, because I was happy to have something spicy to munch on, even if it wasn't remotely French. Our group devoured all of the chips in about 15 minutes. Yet it took us over an hour and 15 minutes before we saw even a hint of our main course. I think the restaurant finally took the hint to serve us food when everyone started asking for more potato chips - I think we cleaned them out. Later I asked our chaperone why it took so long for us to be served, and he told me that the restaurant was expecting us to tell them when we wanted to be served, and we expected them to serve us as soon as we sat down. No wonder it took us so long to be served - chalk it up to culture clash, miscommunication, or both. When we were finally served, I got a plate with a simple salad, some fried potatoes, and chunks of beef. The options were fish, beef, and chicken, and after hearing about all three options, only the chicken seemed desirable. The beef was tough and bland, with no essence of French-ness. The salmon was supposedly dry. Only the chicken leg was moist was well-seasoned. The salad and potatoes were both serviceable, but not worth writing home about. For dessert, I chose cheesecake, which could have come out of any American restaurant (especially in New York). I wish I hadn't wasted 2 hours on this dull meal. At least I had a fruity bottle of red wine to drown my sorrow in.
I would've complained if it wasn't free
Booooooooooring!
July 6, 2010 - Farewell Lunch
The next day, we were treated to another free meal: our farewell lunch. That's two free meals in a row, since I skipped breakfast. First, they greeted us right outside our classroom with champagne and assorted snacks. Nothing fancy (besides the champagne) - just various crackers, peanuts, and pistachios. This is the only time I've had champagne in France, since it seems to be so much more expensive than the regular wine, so I was happy to have the opportunity to indulge in a little bubbly. Then they led us down to the school restaurant for our four-course lunch. So with the snacks beforehand, it was really more like a five-course meal. That's a record for my time here in France.
The first course was appetizers served buffet-style. Unfortunately, buffet food is not usually a fine-dining experience for two reasons. First, it's impossible to make the food look nearly as beautiful on your plate as it does on the buffet, and that's assuming someone hasn't come before you and messed up the buffet's display in the first place. Second, you're trying to appeal to a wide audience, so buffet dishes are often bland or simply lacking in creativity. Having said that, this buffet of appetizers was pretty good overall. In fact, looking back, it was my favorite part of the meal. They had pasta salad, potato salad, green salad, pates, cold cuts of meat and fish, and a few vegetable dishes. Nothing was labeled, so I'm afraid I can't really go into depth about what I ate. The only thing I didn't really enjoy was the salami-looking piece of meat I tried. Everything else was well-seasoned and interesting (or not boring/one-note), especially the two types of pate I tried. One was definitely a salmon pate, but I have no clue what the other one was. A cheese pate with sausage in the center is my best guess.
For the main course, we had a choice between fish and beef. I chose beef as I always have on this trip. Maybe that's just because fish can be so easy to screw up, since it's delicate and so easily overcooked, and since there's so many kinds of fish, it's impossible to guess what you're going to end up with. There's generally only one kind of cow for beef (I realize that's a false statement, but close enough - you get the point). The beef dish was actually a steak with a sauce made out of demi-glace and shallots. Demi-glace is just a brown sauce made from roasted beef bones, with a very beef-y flavor. That was served with fries and a side salad. This plate did not impress me. I mean, the beef was tasty, but I've had better cuts of steak. Plus I asked for medium rare, and they gave me well done. I could have complained, but I was hungry, and well done in France is more like American medium anyway. But the fries and salad were completely boring and uninspired. I could have gotten this plate at any diner in the U.S. No big whoop.
The third course was a buffet of cheeses. Not that I would call six cheeses a buffet, per se. More like a huge cheese plate. They had the same cheeses that were offered at the welcome lunch, with the addition of a mild cheddar, so I won't bother going over them again. I selected my four favorites: bleu cheese, goat cheese, brie, and the cheddar. The last course was a buffet of desserts that was entirely disappointing. Again, nothing was labeled, so I'm going to refer to what I tried as a cheesecake, a layered custard and cake creation, and a raspberry strudel. They also had plenty of fresh fruit and brownies, but I wasn't interested in that. The three desserts I tried were bland. The cheeses were way more tantalizing to my taste buds. So I decided to switch the courses around and eat the cheeses last, since that was the true treat ending the meal. I'll sure miss eating cheese for dessert when I'm back home. And last, but not least, the meal was capped with an espresso. Overall, a fine meal, especially considering it was free, but it still didn't hold a candle to the colors, flavors, creativity, and presentation of the welcome lunch.
The first course was appetizers served buffet-style. Unfortunately, buffet food is not usually a fine-dining experience for two reasons. First, it's impossible to make the food look nearly as beautiful on your plate as it does on the buffet, and that's assuming someone hasn't come before you and messed up the buffet's display in the first place. Second, you're trying to appeal to a wide audience, so buffet dishes are often bland or simply lacking in creativity. Having said that, this buffet of appetizers was pretty good overall. In fact, looking back, it was my favorite part of the meal. They had pasta salad, potato salad, green salad, pates, cold cuts of meat and fish, and a few vegetable dishes. Nothing was labeled, so I'm afraid I can't really go into depth about what I ate. The only thing I didn't really enjoy was the salami-looking piece of meat I tried. Everything else was well-seasoned and interesting (or not boring/one-note), especially the two types of pate I tried. One was definitely a salmon pate, but I have no clue what the other one was. A cheese pate with sausage in the center is my best guess.
For the main course, we had a choice between fish and beef. I chose beef as I always have on this trip. Maybe that's just because fish can be so easy to screw up, since it's delicate and so easily overcooked, and since there's so many kinds of fish, it's impossible to guess what you're going to end up with. There's generally only one kind of cow for beef (I realize that's a false statement, but close enough - you get the point). The beef dish was actually a steak with a sauce made out of demi-glace and shallots. Demi-glace is just a brown sauce made from roasted beef bones, with a very beef-y flavor. That was served with fries and a side salad. This plate did not impress me. I mean, the beef was tasty, but I've had better cuts of steak. Plus I asked for medium rare, and they gave me well done. I could have complained, but I was hungry, and well done in France is more like American medium anyway. But the fries and salad were completely boring and uninspired. I could have gotten this plate at any diner in the U.S. No big whoop.
The third course was a buffet of cheeses. Not that I would call six cheeses a buffet, per se. More like a huge cheese plate. They had the same cheeses that were offered at the welcome lunch, with the addition of a mild cheddar, so I won't bother going over them again. I selected my four favorites: bleu cheese, goat cheese, brie, and the cheddar. The last course was a buffet of desserts that was entirely disappointing. Again, nothing was labeled, so I'm going to refer to what I tried as a cheesecake, a layered custard and cake creation, and a raspberry strudel. They also had plenty of fresh fruit and brownies, but I wasn't interested in that. The three desserts I tried were bland. The cheeses were way more tantalizing to my taste buds. So I decided to switch the courses around and eat the cheeses last, since that was the true treat ending the meal. I'll sure miss eating cheese for dessert when I'm back home. And last, but not least, the meal was capped with an espresso. Overall, a fine meal, especially considering it was free, but it still didn't hold a candle to the colors, flavors, creativity, and presentation of the welcome lunch.
The buffet line: appetizers in the foreground, dessert and cheese in the background
My not-so-pretty pile of appetizers
Steak with fries: a classic dish almost anywhere in the world
A few uninspiring desserts
July 6, 2010 - Rest of the day
My afternoon snack consisted of another ice cream cone from Berthillon, the most famous ice cream shop in Paris. I had a cone with one scoop of caramel butter ice cream. Although it wasn't the best ice cream I've ever had (that prize goes to Amy's back in Austin), it was the best ice cream I've had in Europe. So that's saying a lot, since ice cream is my favorite of all desserts.
I made dinner reservations at an Italian restaurant that one of our teaching assistants recommended. The restaurant is called Il Caratello, and it was pretty far out of my way (both in regards to my sightseeing and my apartment), but the trip was worth it. The only downside was that they didn't have a prix fixe menu, and I didn't feel rich enough to spend money on an expensive appetizer. Don't worry though, I ordered dessert.
My main course was four-cheese lasagna. I was very tempted to try their ravioli, but one of my classmates had the lasagna another night and said it was the best lasagna she's ever eaten. How could I pass that up? It probably was the best lasagna I've ever eaten too. They didn't skimp on the portion size either: I received a huge square of lasagna sitting in a pool of buttery cream sauce and topped with a few salad leaves and a cherry tomato. I couldn't wait to dig in once I saw it. The lasagna combined delectably tender vegetables layered with hot pasta (cooked to perfection) and gooey layers of parmesan, ricotta, mozzarella, and goat cheese - and it all worked together beautifully to form the Holy Grail of lasagna. If you're a lasagna fan and you're in Paris, don't miss this dish.
I was so happy with my choice to have cheese for dessert at lunch today that I ordered cheese for dessert again. I know what you're thinking: how could I go to an Italian restaurant and not try the tiramisu? Well I just couldn't help myself. And the cheese dessert consisted of one of my favorite kinds of cheese ever: gorgonzola. The dessert plate consisted of a hearty slab of the gorgonzola cheese, a small arugula salad, a helping of fig jam, and plenty of bread to spread the cheese on. The funky flavors in the gorgonzola were a perfect contrast with the bitterness of the arugula and sweetness of the fig jam. I savored each and every bite. Also, I hope I can find some fig jam back home because that stuff is delicious.
I made dinner reservations at an Italian restaurant that one of our teaching assistants recommended. The restaurant is called Il Caratello, and it was pretty far out of my way (both in regards to my sightseeing and my apartment), but the trip was worth it. The only downside was that they didn't have a prix fixe menu, and I didn't feel rich enough to spend money on an expensive appetizer. Don't worry though, I ordered dessert.
My main course was four-cheese lasagna. I was very tempted to try their ravioli, but one of my classmates had the lasagna another night and said it was the best lasagna she's ever eaten. How could I pass that up? It probably was the best lasagna I've ever eaten too. They didn't skimp on the portion size either: I received a huge square of lasagna sitting in a pool of buttery cream sauce and topped with a few salad leaves and a cherry tomato. I couldn't wait to dig in once I saw it. The lasagna combined delectably tender vegetables layered with hot pasta (cooked to perfection) and gooey layers of parmesan, ricotta, mozzarella, and goat cheese - and it all worked together beautifully to form the Holy Grail of lasagna. If you're a lasagna fan and you're in Paris, don't miss this dish.
I was so happy with my choice to have cheese for dessert at lunch today that I ordered cheese for dessert again. I know what you're thinking: how could I go to an Italian restaurant and not try the tiramisu? Well I just couldn't help myself. And the cheese dessert consisted of one of my favorite kinds of cheese ever: gorgonzola. The dessert plate consisted of a hearty slab of the gorgonzola cheese, a small arugula salad, a helping of fig jam, and plenty of bread to spread the cheese on. The funky flavors in the gorgonzola were a perfect contrast with the bitterness of the arugula and sweetness of the fig jam. I savored each and every bite. Also, I hope I can find some fig jam back home because that stuff is delicious.
My caramel butter afternoon delight
The Holy Grail of Lasagna
Oh cheese, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways....
July 7, 2010
I can't believe I only have two more days to eat French food! And I'm stuck in a classroom from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. today, so that doesn't leave me much time for dining. Woe is me.
I still have 2 vanilla pudding cups in my refrigerator I need to eat, so I had one for breakfast. Looking back, I probably should have used my last day at school as an excuse to have one last apricot Danish, but oh well.
I just had lasagna for dinner last night so what are the odds that they'd be serving lasagna for lunch today in the cafeteria? I'm not a betting woman, so I wouldn't know, but I can tell you that it happened. This lasagna was not even in the same league as last night's lasagna, but it was tasty nonetheless. Very basic: the only two flavors were cheesy and tomato-y. I chose fried onion rings as my side, but they were a little soggy. The asparagus I selected as a vegetable was fresh and tender. Bonus: the asparagus came with a piece of smoked salmon, which is always delicious as long as it's fresh, which it was. But the real star of today's lunch was the appetizer I chose: thinly shaved slices of raw beef drizzled in olive oil, sprinkled with salt and cracked pepper, and topped with big shavings of Parmesan cheese. I love that the dish had freshly cracked pepper, since I've been using those little pre-packaged pepper packets for all my pepper needs at school thus far. I would've been happy with this as my main course because it was bursting with flavor.
I already have tomorrow's meals planned out, (since it's my last day) but there's one thing that tomorrow's menu is missing: crepes! So that is what I wanted to have for dinner. I went to a creperie recommended by one of my guidebooks, but it was already closed by the time I got there, so I just chose another creperie nearby. I had a crepe stuffed with roasted chicken, mushrooms, onions, and cheese, accompanied by a glass of rose wine. I don't know what else I can say about my love for crepes except "Yummmm....." I actually ate far fewer crepes on this trip than on my last trip to Europe (even though I was never in France on that trip). Even though I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for crepes, I guess I just wanted to sample everything I could on this trip, which left less time (and money and room in my stomach) for eating crepes. At least I had my last crepe hoorah!
I'm down to only about 50 or 60 euros for the remainder of my trip (one day in Paris plus one day of traveling), so I decide to forgo dessert at the creperie no matter how tempting. The funny thing is that I finally gave into temptation a few hours later, when I realized I needed some sustenance for all the sightseeing I was trying to cram into my last hours in Paris. So instead of spending 6 or 7 euros on a dessert crepe at dinner, I ended up spending 5 euros on a Ben and Jerry's ultimate sundae later that night. I probably would have been happier had I just ordered the crepe. What was I thinking: I can order Ben and Jerry's back in the U.S.?! But after 5 hours of sightseeing on foot, I was dying for a sugar rush, and Ben and Jerry's just happened to be there and open late. I was just going to get one scoop too, but then I saw the ultimate sundae, with two huge scoops of ice cream with a tunnel of chocolate sauce through the middle (in a pint-size cup), topped with whipped cream and nuts and chocolate sprinkles. However, it wasn't that great for two reasons: 1) I got strawberry cheesecake and praline for my two ice cream flavors, which did not taste that good together, and 2) it was way more ice cream than I needed to be eating. Oh well, I've always known I was a sucker for ice cream.
I still have 2 vanilla pudding cups in my refrigerator I need to eat, so I had one for breakfast. Looking back, I probably should have used my last day at school as an excuse to have one last apricot Danish, but oh well.
I just had lasagna for dinner last night so what are the odds that they'd be serving lasagna for lunch today in the cafeteria? I'm not a betting woman, so I wouldn't know, but I can tell you that it happened. This lasagna was not even in the same league as last night's lasagna, but it was tasty nonetheless. Very basic: the only two flavors were cheesy and tomato-y. I chose fried onion rings as my side, but they were a little soggy. The asparagus I selected as a vegetable was fresh and tender. Bonus: the asparagus came with a piece of smoked salmon, which is always delicious as long as it's fresh, which it was. But the real star of today's lunch was the appetizer I chose: thinly shaved slices of raw beef drizzled in olive oil, sprinkled with salt and cracked pepper, and topped with big shavings of Parmesan cheese. I love that the dish had freshly cracked pepper, since I've been using those little pre-packaged pepper packets for all my pepper needs at school thus far. I would've been happy with this as my main course because it was bursting with flavor.
I already have tomorrow's meals planned out, (since it's my last day) but there's one thing that tomorrow's menu is missing: crepes! So that is what I wanted to have for dinner. I went to a creperie recommended by one of my guidebooks, but it was already closed by the time I got there, so I just chose another creperie nearby. I had a crepe stuffed with roasted chicken, mushrooms, onions, and cheese, accompanied by a glass of rose wine. I don't know what else I can say about my love for crepes except "Yummmm....." I actually ate far fewer crepes on this trip than on my last trip to Europe (even though I was never in France on that trip). Even though I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for crepes, I guess I just wanted to sample everything I could on this trip, which left less time (and money and room in my stomach) for eating crepes. At least I had my last crepe hoorah!
I'm down to only about 50 or 60 euros for the remainder of my trip (one day in Paris plus one day of traveling), so I decide to forgo dessert at the creperie no matter how tempting. The funny thing is that I finally gave into temptation a few hours later, when I realized I needed some sustenance for all the sightseeing I was trying to cram into my last hours in Paris. So instead of spending 6 or 7 euros on a dessert crepe at dinner, I ended up spending 5 euros on a Ben and Jerry's ultimate sundae later that night. I probably would have been happier had I just ordered the crepe. What was I thinking: I can order Ben and Jerry's back in the U.S.?! But after 5 hours of sightseeing on foot, I was dying for a sugar rush, and Ben and Jerry's just happened to be there and open late. I was just going to get one scoop too, but then I saw the ultimate sundae, with two huge scoops of ice cream with a tunnel of chocolate sauce through the middle (in a pint-size cup), topped with whipped cream and nuts and chocolate sprinkles. However, it wasn't that great for two reasons: 1) I got strawberry cheesecake and praline for my two ice cream flavors, which did not taste that good together, and 2) it was way more ice cream than I needed to be eating. Oh well, I've always known I was a sucker for ice cream.
Here's my lunch, but unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera to dinner and dessert
July 8, 2010 - Last Day in Paris
I planned out my last day to a T. There were still so many things I had to do, one of which was to eat delicious French food one last time. But seeing as I was down to less than 50 euros (with a couple last-minute souvenirs to buy too), I pretty much had to choose between paying money to see sights (like the Arc de Triumph or the Eiffel Tower) or having awesome dining experiences. Don’t worry, I chose food, especially since I can still walk right up to the outside of those two monuments for free. So I used my Great Eats: Paris book and City Walk sightseeing cards to direct me towards good food around the sights I wanted to see.
Breakfast was at Cojean, what the guidebook calls the “fast food” of Paris, not far from the Arc de Triumph. I didn’t realize it was pre-prepared food in fridges, and you choose your selection and then pay for it at the counter. They didn’t offer much hot food. I couldn’t decide between the delicious looking fruit, yogurt, and granola parfaits and something heartier. I was so tempted by the word ratatouille (I love the movie and the food) that I got the ratatouille topped with a poached egg. I’ve never had ratatouille served cold and, after having tried it, I think it’s probably better served warm. Plus a few of the vegetables were a little too crunchy/toothsome for my tastes, but they all tasted very fresh. I always love seeing the golden yellow egg yolk running out of a perfectly poached egg onto the rest of my meal. And I always love the flavors of ratatouille: it’s a perfect medley of fresh vegetables (usually including the always tasty combination of onions, garlic, zucchini, and tomatoes) and French Provencal herbs. It’s one of the few dishes that deserves a whole movie title to itself.
For lunch, I was planning on going to Tart d’Arts, but it wasn’t the same restaurant anymore. So I picked a nearby restaurant with a reasonably priced lunch menu (considering I wanted to save 30 euros for dinner). The lunch prix fixe menu was very limited, (3 entrée choices, 2 plat du jour choices, and 3 dessert choices), but I was happy to go along for the ride. Unfortunately, my budget limited me to the type of menu where you can have an entrée OR dessert, not both. But that was an easy choice, since I already knew I would probably be eating sweets later in the afternoon. I ordered a duck terrine for my first course, although I would’ve called it a pate, not a terrine. I liked the bursts of flavor from the green peppercorns in the dish, but this pate was not as smooth and delicious as the first pate I ate in Paris. Or is that because it’s really a terrine? But I can never get enough of those cute little cornichon pickles that always come with pate. I could only choose between “salad with mushrooms” and “chicken braised with red peppers” for my plat du jour. Considering I wanted to eat heartily enough to sustain myself through many hours of sightseeing ahead of me, I chose the chicken. The dish consisted of half a chicken doused with a thin tomato sauce and then topped with bell peppers and onions. The sides were French fries and glazed carrots. The carrots were probably the best part, although the chicken was tender and tasty. The fries were boring. I guess I just love a carrot cooked and seasoned to perfection, as simple as it sounds. And maybe I’ve been spoiled by all the duck I’ve eaten on this trip, because chicken just doesn’t light my fire anymore. Too bad duck is so expensive back home. Now I’ll have to wander somewhere else to find my dessert.
I stopped into a store called L’ Epicerie Fine to buy my grandmother some souvenirs. The woman in the store was extremely helpful (and happy to speak English to me, which isn’t true of every French person) and directed me towards a sampler pack of Dijon mustards and a tub of freshly harvested honey from southern France. I had no idea that gingerbread- flavored mustard was a specialty of the Dijon reason. I hope my Grandma lets me try a bit. The sales lady even sealed the honey in multiple airtight layers so that there was no chance of getting honey on my clothes whilst inside my suitcase on the way home. Boy, that would be a drag, wouldn’t it? Of course, I was more than happy to browse the aisles of coffee, tea, oils, vinegars, and wine while she wrapped my gifts. Added bonus: I got to sample a piece of caramel candy.
My sightseeing cards led me past the famed Lenotre’s, a store selling pastries, prepared foods, and chocolates, but it was too expensive for my budget. Luckily, the sightseeing cards led me past another patisserie just a little while later. The shop, Dalloyau, has been in business over 100 years, so they’ve had plenty of time to perfect the art of pastry-making. I decided to get just one macaroon, since that was a classic French cookie I’d yet to eat here in France. They come in a rainbow of flavors and colors, but I opted for caramel with a not-so-exciting light brown hue. Regardless of the color, it was one spectacular cookie. It’s a sandwich cookie, with a layer of dark, rich caramel ooze between two airy, delicate cookies. If only I had more money, I’d buy a dozen.
I had no real reason to despair though, since my sightseeing cards later led me past the famous Poujauran bakery. Though the bakery is more famous for its bread, the card recommended I try the canele, a tiny French cake. I have no idea how they make these little cakes, because it’s a mystery to me. The outside is cooked until it is dark brown and slightly chewy (in a good way), but as soon as you get past the chewy skin, (I promise it tastes better than that sounds), the inside is white and moist, even bordering on doughy. In some ways, it’s like a tiny pound cake, but then again, that doesn’t describe it accurately. You’ll just have to try one and then you’ll know what I mean. Everyone go to France and eat a canele, OK?
One last food store before dinner, but it’s the food store to end all food stores: La Grande Epicerie. This is the store I went into during my first week and was so taken aback (and lacking in time and money) that I had to force myself to leave. This time, I reserved a whole hour for exploring. The store has everything under the sun for food lovers like me, and it’s all gorgeous, high-quality, and expensive. The salespeople yell at you for taking pictures, but I was able to sneak a few, so take a look below. The dairy section was probably the most impressive, since it seemed big enough to be a store of its own. They sure love their yogurt in France – I counted four yogurt sections: organic yogurt, regular yogurt, dessert yogurt, and artisan yogurt. I don’t even know what artisan yogurt means exactly. The olive bar was bigger than most salad bars. A big leg of pork was sitting on a slicer, with the hoof still attached, looking like it could’ve been part of a living, breathing pig just minutes ago. Of course it was cured, so it couldn’t have. I saw a jar of pure goose fat, which my boyfriend would love to get his hands to cook with. The store had about 10 different houses made out of various candies on display, and they were BIG houses compared to the typical gingerbread house. I saw the most expensive bottle of water I’ve ever seen, with rhinestones on the bottle, for a whopping 13 euros. They even had a section for non-food items where I found Sudoku and crossword toilet paper. One of the most interesting sections was the American food aisle. It makes me wonder why they chose the items they did. The aisle had peanut butter (which one of my peers complained about not being able to find in France), macaroni and cheese, BBQ sauce, Tabasco, bottled salad dressing, popcorn, pancake mix, beef jerky, factory-style marshmallows (even though the homemade kind is so much better), and corn syrup (why would you need that in France?). They even had a Tex-Mex section!! The section had cocktail wieners (those aren’t Tex-Mex….), taco seasoning, tortillas, tortilla chips, and salsa. No wonder the French look down on American food, if that’s what they think a good representation of American food is.
My last dinner in France, sigh. How sad. I made reservations at a place that the author of Great Eats: Paris has on her “short list of favorite restaurants not to miss”. Also, it’s a short walk from the Eiffel Tower, where I wanted to stretch out and digest my meal on the lawn. The tiny, hidden restaurant is called Bistrot Le P’tit Troquet. I don’t think there were more than a dozen tables between the two dining rooms there. They had a prix fixe menu for just under 30 euros, which I had saved my money for. It’s a bummer that I’m out of money for wine though. The first course was so easy for me to choose: escargot, a dish I’d hoped to eat while in France, and here was my chance. Actually, the dish wasn’t just snails, but was whole snails tossed with mushrooms, herbs, and a handful of spinach leaves. I remember eating snails (from a can) in culinary school and thinking that they weren’t worthy of eating without being smothered in garlic butter, but I stand corrected. They had a bit of chewiness to them, but no more than you’d get from a piece of tender squid or a not-quite-cooked mushroom. They’re still not my favorite appetizer or anything, but I would eat them again. My main course was fish with diced tomatoes and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette, served with a rice and zucchini. Fish hasn’t ever been my first choice of protein in my time here in France, but I was in the mood for something lighter tonight since I had been eating all day. The fish was actually so hefty that I don’t know that it really qualifies as a lighter meal anyway. I always love a flaky, moist piece of fish paired with the tangy zing of balsamic. The zucchini was super flavorful, but the rice by itself was somewhat bland. Finally, I had a chocolate tart for dessert. The crust was light and crumbly, almost like a graham cracker crust. The chocolate was dark and just slightly heavier and runnier than a mousse. It’s hard for me to eat anything with chocolate in it and not love it, this tart included. Overall, not the best meal I’ve had in Paris, but certainly in the top 10. My last meal in Paris, sigh.
Breakfast was at Cojean, what the guidebook calls the “fast food” of Paris, not far from the Arc de Triumph. I didn’t realize it was pre-prepared food in fridges, and you choose your selection and then pay for it at the counter. They didn’t offer much hot food. I couldn’t decide between the delicious looking fruit, yogurt, and granola parfaits and something heartier. I was so tempted by the word ratatouille (I love the movie and the food) that I got the ratatouille topped with a poached egg. I’ve never had ratatouille served cold and, after having tried it, I think it’s probably better served warm. Plus a few of the vegetables were a little too crunchy/toothsome for my tastes, but they all tasted very fresh. I always love seeing the golden yellow egg yolk running out of a perfectly poached egg onto the rest of my meal. And I always love the flavors of ratatouille: it’s a perfect medley of fresh vegetables (usually including the always tasty combination of onions, garlic, zucchini, and tomatoes) and French Provencal herbs. It’s one of the few dishes that deserves a whole movie title to itself.
For lunch, I was planning on going to Tart d’Arts, but it wasn’t the same restaurant anymore. So I picked a nearby restaurant with a reasonably priced lunch menu (considering I wanted to save 30 euros for dinner). The lunch prix fixe menu was very limited, (3 entrée choices, 2 plat du jour choices, and 3 dessert choices), but I was happy to go along for the ride. Unfortunately, my budget limited me to the type of menu where you can have an entrée OR dessert, not both. But that was an easy choice, since I already knew I would probably be eating sweets later in the afternoon. I ordered a duck terrine for my first course, although I would’ve called it a pate, not a terrine. I liked the bursts of flavor from the green peppercorns in the dish, but this pate was not as smooth and delicious as the first pate I ate in Paris. Or is that because it’s really a terrine? But I can never get enough of those cute little cornichon pickles that always come with pate. I could only choose between “salad with mushrooms” and “chicken braised with red peppers” for my plat du jour. Considering I wanted to eat heartily enough to sustain myself through many hours of sightseeing ahead of me, I chose the chicken. The dish consisted of half a chicken doused with a thin tomato sauce and then topped with bell peppers and onions. The sides were French fries and glazed carrots. The carrots were probably the best part, although the chicken was tender and tasty. The fries were boring. I guess I just love a carrot cooked and seasoned to perfection, as simple as it sounds. And maybe I’ve been spoiled by all the duck I’ve eaten on this trip, because chicken just doesn’t light my fire anymore. Too bad duck is so expensive back home. Now I’ll have to wander somewhere else to find my dessert.
I stopped into a store called L’ Epicerie Fine to buy my grandmother some souvenirs. The woman in the store was extremely helpful (and happy to speak English to me, which isn’t true of every French person) and directed me towards a sampler pack of Dijon mustards and a tub of freshly harvested honey from southern France. I had no idea that gingerbread- flavored mustard was a specialty of the Dijon reason. I hope my Grandma lets me try a bit. The sales lady even sealed the honey in multiple airtight layers so that there was no chance of getting honey on my clothes whilst inside my suitcase on the way home. Boy, that would be a drag, wouldn’t it? Of course, I was more than happy to browse the aisles of coffee, tea, oils, vinegars, and wine while she wrapped my gifts. Added bonus: I got to sample a piece of caramel candy.
My sightseeing cards led me past the famed Lenotre’s, a store selling pastries, prepared foods, and chocolates, but it was too expensive for my budget. Luckily, the sightseeing cards led me past another patisserie just a little while later. The shop, Dalloyau, has been in business over 100 years, so they’ve had plenty of time to perfect the art of pastry-making. I decided to get just one macaroon, since that was a classic French cookie I’d yet to eat here in France. They come in a rainbow of flavors and colors, but I opted for caramel with a not-so-exciting light brown hue. Regardless of the color, it was one spectacular cookie. It’s a sandwich cookie, with a layer of dark, rich caramel ooze between two airy, delicate cookies. If only I had more money, I’d buy a dozen.
I had no real reason to despair though, since my sightseeing cards later led me past the famous Poujauran bakery. Though the bakery is more famous for its bread, the card recommended I try the canele, a tiny French cake. I have no idea how they make these little cakes, because it’s a mystery to me. The outside is cooked until it is dark brown and slightly chewy (in a good way), but as soon as you get past the chewy skin, (I promise it tastes better than that sounds), the inside is white and moist, even bordering on doughy. In some ways, it’s like a tiny pound cake, but then again, that doesn’t describe it accurately. You’ll just have to try one and then you’ll know what I mean. Everyone go to France and eat a canele, OK?
One last food store before dinner, but it’s the food store to end all food stores: La Grande Epicerie. This is the store I went into during my first week and was so taken aback (and lacking in time and money) that I had to force myself to leave. This time, I reserved a whole hour for exploring. The store has everything under the sun for food lovers like me, and it’s all gorgeous, high-quality, and expensive. The salespeople yell at you for taking pictures, but I was able to sneak a few, so take a look below. The dairy section was probably the most impressive, since it seemed big enough to be a store of its own. They sure love their yogurt in France – I counted four yogurt sections: organic yogurt, regular yogurt, dessert yogurt, and artisan yogurt. I don’t even know what artisan yogurt means exactly. The olive bar was bigger than most salad bars. A big leg of pork was sitting on a slicer, with the hoof still attached, looking like it could’ve been part of a living, breathing pig just minutes ago. Of course it was cured, so it couldn’t have. I saw a jar of pure goose fat, which my boyfriend would love to get his hands to cook with. The store had about 10 different houses made out of various candies on display, and they were BIG houses compared to the typical gingerbread house. I saw the most expensive bottle of water I’ve ever seen, with rhinestones on the bottle, for a whopping 13 euros. They even had a section for non-food items where I found Sudoku and crossword toilet paper. One of the most interesting sections was the American food aisle. It makes me wonder why they chose the items they did. The aisle had peanut butter (which one of my peers complained about not being able to find in France), macaroni and cheese, BBQ sauce, Tabasco, bottled salad dressing, popcorn, pancake mix, beef jerky, factory-style marshmallows (even though the homemade kind is so much better), and corn syrup (why would you need that in France?). They even had a Tex-Mex section!! The section had cocktail wieners (those aren’t Tex-Mex….), taco seasoning, tortillas, tortilla chips, and salsa. No wonder the French look down on American food, if that’s what they think a good representation of American food is.
My last dinner in France, sigh. How sad. I made reservations at a place that the author of Great Eats: Paris has on her “short list of favorite restaurants not to miss”. Also, it’s a short walk from the Eiffel Tower, where I wanted to stretch out and digest my meal on the lawn. The tiny, hidden restaurant is called Bistrot Le P’tit Troquet. I don’t think there were more than a dozen tables between the two dining rooms there. They had a prix fixe menu for just under 30 euros, which I had saved my money for. It’s a bummer that I’m out of money for wine though. The first course was so easy for me to choose: escargot, a dish I’d hoped to eat while in France, and here was my chance. Actually, the dish wasn’t just snails, but was whole snails tossed with mushrooms, herbs, and a handful of spinach leaves. I remember eating snails (from a can) in culinary school and thinking that they weren’t worthy of eating without being smothered in garlic butter, but I stand corrected. They had a bit of chewiness to them, but no more than you’d get from a piece of tender squid or a not-quite-cooked mushroom. They’re still not my favorite appetizer or anything, but I would eat them again. My main course was fish with diced tomatoes and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette, served with a rice and zucchini. Fish hasn’t ever been my first choice of protein in my time here in France, but I was in the mood for something lighter tonight since I had been eating all day. The fish was actually so hefty that I don’t know that it really qualifies as a lighter meal anyway. I always love a flaky, moist piece of fish paired with the tangy zing of balsamic. The zucchini was super flavorful, but the rice by itself was somewhat bland. Finally, I had a chocolate tart for dessert. The crust was light and crumbly, almost like a graham cracker crust. The chocolate was dark and just slightly heavier and runnier than a mousse. It’s hard for me to eat anything with chocolate in it and not love it, this tart included. Overall, not the best meal I’ve had in Paris, but certainly in the top 10. My last meal in Paris, sigh.
Terrine or pate? The restaurant says terrine, I say pate.
A rustic, simple, and satisfying lunch
Pretty little macaroon
How do they get caneles so dark on the outside....
...and so doughy on the inside??
I snuck a shot of the artful pastries at La Grande Epicerie
Perhaps the prettiest bowtie pasta in the whole world
Showing off some leg?
Who would pay 13 euros for a bottle of water?
The American aisle at La Grande Epicerie
Last meal in Paris
Boo hoo :(
I can't wait to return and eat more French food!
July 9, 2010 - Traveling back to home
I really wanted to eat breakfast before I left on a taxi for the train station at 5:00 a.m., especially since I still had 1 yogurt cup left in the fridge, but I was so busy packing and cleaning that I ran out of time. So when I finally got to the airport in London at 11:00 a.m. (10 Paris time), I have a little bit of time to kill before my flight, and some leftover pounds to spend too. I decide to get a caramel Frappuccino and a chicken and salsa wrap at the Starbucks across from my gate. I won't bother describing a Starbucks wrap to you, since you could probably get the same thing down the street from where you live, but at least they were kind enough to heat it up for me. Perhaps if I had known my flight was going to be delayed 4 hours, I would've taken the time to wander a little further from my gate.
Thankfully, after being stranded at the airport for 2 hours and not knowing how much longer I would be delayed, the airport staff gave everyone vouchers for a free meal (up to 7.50 pounds). I decided to spend my voucher on a plate of chili nachos at a diner not terribly far from my gate, in case they let us board soon. I enjoyed each and every cheesy, meaty, sour cream-y loaded chip. I enjoyed having jalapenos even more, although I can't wait to get back to Texas and eat real spicy food. I think it was just the right thing to keep me from complaining to everyone around me about the stupid delay. The airport staff must know what they're doing.
Once I'm finally settled on the plane, they serve us dinner. I choose the beef option and am treated to a thin, overcooked chopped steak in a brown gravy, with sides of rice and extremely overcooked vegetables. Although I said I liked airplane food in my first entry, this meal is wholly disappointing. Maybe I should've chosen chicken. But the salad and honey and herb vinaigrette is refreshing and welcome. Plus I got a roll with butter, crackers with cream cheese, and a brownie for dessert. So even if the food was mediocre, at least I had plenty to eat.
About five hours later, they served us a second dinner. With the time change and the delay, I would be traveling for 24 hours but still arriving around 9 pm Houston time on the same day. Perhaps I should call it a snack, not dinner. We had a small turkey and cheese sandwich (with mustard and mayo), a bag of chips, and a cup of ice cream. The sandwich suffered from way to much bread to meat ratio, but I'm always a sucker for ice cream. Plus I'm so close to being back in my boyfriend's arms that I'd be happy eating just about anything.
Thankfully, after being stranded at the airport for 2 hours and not knowing how much longer I would be delayed, the airport staff gave everyone vouchers for a free meal (up to 7.50 pounds). I decided to spend my voucher on a plate of chili nachos at a diner not terribly far from my gate, in case they let us board soon. I enjoyed each and every cheesy, meaty, sour cream-y loaded chip. I enjoyed having jalapenos even more, although I can't wait to get back to Texas and eat real spicy food. I think it was just the right thing to keep me from complaining to everyone around me about the stupid delay. The airport staff must know what they're doing.
Once I'm finally settled on the plane, they serve us dinner. I choose the beef option and am treated to a thin, overcooked chopped steak in a brown gravy, with sides of rice and extremely overcooked vegetables. Although I said I liked airplane food in my first entry, this meal is wholly disappointing. Maybe I should've chosen chicken. But the salad and honey and herb vinaigrette is refreshing and welcome. Plus I got a roll with butter, crackers with cream cheese, and a brownie for dessert. So even if the food was mediocre, at least I had plenty to eat.
About five hours later, they served us a second dinner. With the time change and the delay, I would be traveling for 24 hours but still arriving around 9 pm Houston time on the same day. Perhaps I should call it a snack, not dinner. We had a small turkey and cheese sandwich (with mustard and mayo), a bag of chips, and a cup of ice cream. The sandwich suffered from way to much bread to meat ratio, but I'm always a sucker for ice cream. Plus I'm so close to being back in my boyfriend's arms that I'd be happy eating just about anything.
I won't have to eat airplane food for long - Tex-Mex here I come!
