Flowers Galore

I know, I know.  This blog is usually about food, sometimes about exploring Paris/France and rarely about flowers.  However, my last post and this one are both flower-themed.  Why?  Well, because springtime in Paris means beds and beds of beautiful manicured flower gardens.  And I just can't help but take 1,000 photos of them and marvel at their beauty.  Today I want to share a small piece of my Parisian flower safari with you.  If you close your eyes (after looking at the pics, thank you), you can almost smell the fresh flowery scent.

Gardening Oasis in the City

It's easy to get caught up in the historic architecture that lines every street in Paris.  One can easily spend an entire trip staring and marveling at buildings.  If that is your aim while in the City of Light, go for it.  However, if you want a quick oasis filled with flowers and plants without spending time loitering in one of Paris's many parks, you can head to Ile de la Cité (the larger of the two islands in the Seine) for the daily flower market.  Spend your time popping in and out of all the gardening shops that line the small side street to nowhere.  It's fun and definitely a change of pace to stroll through these shops, taking in all the plants, flowers and accessories that are offered.  On Sunday at this location is a bird market, which is admittedly a bit odd and was certainly frightening during the Bird Flu breakout.  However, it is nothing if not a spectacle so you might want to check it out all the same.

Sandwiched between large and imposing buildings lies the marché aux fleurs.

In addition to the plant life, you can also pick up a few souvenirs without having to brave the tacky and often times overwhelming tourist traps throughout Paris.

Make sure to walk on the inner sidewalk where it's almost like walking through an exotic jungle.

The flowers, especially in spring time, are just gorgeous.

And the shops quaint.

You might just find ourself getting lost while exploring the various displays. 

And when you emerge from your flower-induced daze, you will find yourself smack-dab in the middle of the island with plenty more beautiful buildings to behold.

Marché aux Fleurs et Oiseaux

Place Louis Lépine

Ile de la Cité

4th Arrondisement

Paris

Blasphemy

If you have been to Paris, you have probably heard about or read about the iconic ice cream shop Berthillon.  Maybe you have even visited it already.  Even if you haven't been to Paris you might have heard about it - it's just that well known.

Due to that fact, I hate to do what I'm about to do. Parisians will naturally accuse me of blasphemy, but I could not care less.  I call it like I see it and that's how it is.  In this case, I just do not think the ice cream at Berthillon merits the "highfalutin" status given to it. To me, there is much better ice cream in Paris and in the world at large (especially if you include gelato). Sorry Paris, but at least to me, it's true. Note: I'm no fool. Don't think it is an accident that I am stating this while not physically in Paris. :)

However, on the subject of Berthillon, I will say this: the sorbet there is worthy of all the prestige bestowed upon the shop. I have simply never tasted sorbet more flavorful or satisfying than that found at Berthillon. So, if you have been dying to check out this Parisian institution, never fear. Simply order the sorbet and you will not be disappointed.

The fancy shop on Ile St. Louis (the smaller island in the Seine) is typically teeming with people, so be prepared to stand in line.

There is also a salon attached to the shop where you can sit and enjoy your afternoon sugarfest.

You can even order gorgeous looking desserts like this.

Or you can take your deliciousness to the streets of Paris like I did.  Since I couldn't decide what sorbet flavors to get that day, I decided to fat-out and get four different kinds: peach, mango, wild strawberry (which has little bits of fraises des bois in it!) and black currant.  Next time, I will go nuclear and just get the black currant (cassis) and maybe the wild strawberry (fraises des bois) because they are out of this world.

Berthillon

www.berthillon.fr

31 Rue Saint-Louis en l'Ile

4th Arrondisement

Paris

One last thing: there are several cafes, brasseries, and restaurants that serve Berthillon ice creams and sorbets.  However, I think it is best to go straight to the source.  Of course, if you happen to be in Paris during the months of July and August, you are out of luck.  It might seem totally counter-intuitive (remember, though, that this is France we are talking about), but the Berthillon shop is typically CLOSED during the hottest months of the year.  Yep, an ice cream shop closed in the summer.  As my grandmother always said, "Beats all I've ever seen!" 

When you think about it, though, can you blame them?  It's obvious that they make enough money the rest of the year to not even bat an eye at closing during what other ice cream shops consider the "money" months.  Props to them for that.

Au Revoir

As the sun sets on my time here in Paris, I simultaneously cannot believe it has been a year and feel like I have been here my whole life.  It's weird how time works like that.  I guess it is for the best because it leaves me with no regrets.  Getting on the plane (way too early) tomorrow morning, I will be happy to be heading back to my real home and to my husband.  Will I be sad to be leaving a place that feels like it is a part of me?  Sure.  Do I know that I will be back one day soon?  Yes.  So, with a happy heart I head home to Texas, where the weather is warm, the people are friendly and there is more than enough delicious Mexican food to keep my culinary desires satisfied for the foreseeable future.

However, I'm not done telling my French story just yet.  There is more to come.  I have many more posts to, well, post regarding my French adventures.  There are so many more places and culinary delights to share with you before moving on.  So, continue to check the blog in the coming months.  I promise to not disappoint.

Until then, rest assured that my last meal in Paris (foie gras, thank you) was worthy.

Village St. Paul

If you find yourself in the Marais one day, head to Village St. Paul. It is a a group of buildings with an open courtyard that houses artists, restaurants, antique shops, etc. Never too crowded, it is a nice escape in the center of the city. Plus, there's great shopping and who can resist that?  To find it, head to Rue Saint Paul in the 4th Arrondisement and look for the sign you see above.

An outdoor café.

An artist's studio.

An antique shop.

One of the many passageways that leads to another courtyard with even more shops and cafés.

Galerie Vivienne

Paris has several covered passages, many of them called galeries where you can find an assortment of shops.  It's the perfect place to go in cold or rainy weather.  Plus, it just has a neat historical feel to it.  My favorite one is Galerie Vivienne where you can stop in to buy a piece of artwork, a new outfit, a cup of coffee or a glass of wine at a great wine bar.  Now, that is one stop shopping and in a gorgeous setting.  Wal-Mart, take note.

One of the entrances to Galerie Vivienne.

Even if you can't take the time to enjoy the shops this galerie has to offer, take the time to simply walk through it.

You can do some "window-licking" as the French call it.

If you are hungry there is a little salon where you can refuel before hitting the streets of Paris again.

This is the aforementioned wine bar, LeGrand.  It's an old institution in Paris; so go in, sit down at the bar and soak up the history this place exudes.

They have a beautiful tasting room where you can sit and enjoy some spectacular wines with a cheese plate.  Upstairs is a boutique where you can shop for wines and wine related gifts.

Galerie Vivienne

http://www.galerie-vivienne.com/

4 Rue des Petits-Champs

2nd Arrondisement

Paris

Battle Gelato

In the right corner, represented by baby cupid is Amorino.  In the left corner, wearing blue shorts and sporting a devious smile, is Grom.  They are about to duke it out in Paris's first ever Battle Gelato, and you happen to be a lucky spectator to this fight to the death.  Who will end victorious?  Read on to see and don't hesistate to weigh in on the matter yourself.

Amorino

Amorino is a popular gelato shop in Paris as evidenced by the long lines and no less than 13 shops in the city. 

Look at that line!

Amorino was my introduction to gelato in Paris, and I fell hard for it.  How could I not?  There were so many delicious flavors from which to choose: dark chocolate, speculous, stracciatella , noisette.  The best part was that I could pick as many flavors as I wanted. because Amorino doesn't limit flavors.  Pick a size and they will try to fit whatever flavors you want into that size.  Now, that is customer service like I have never seen in France!

Plus, if you get a cone, they make it look like a beautiful flower.  It makes you almost not want to eat it, it is so pretty.  Of course, you quickly get over that after your first bite when you are launched into a gelato-induced high.

Grom

Grom is also quite popular and frequently has long lines as well.  The difference is that there is only ONE Grom in all of Paris.  Luckily for me, it's in my neighborhood.  (Sidenote: How in the world did I get so lucky?)

Grom has a different approach than most gelato or ice cream places.  You can't see the gelato in the case.  It's hidden beneath a stainless steel cover.  At first, this was very distressing for me.  I needed to see the flavors to know what I wanted.  Soon I realized, though, that 1) Grom employees are always happy to let you taste as many flavors as you want 2) You really can't go wrong with any flavor.  So, I got over my not-being-able-to-see-the-gelato-phobia.  Are you proud? Can I get a round of applause for that?  Thank you.  Hard life, I know.

At Grom, they do limit the flavors you can get which means I usually get a moyen (medium) sized cone so that I can get three flavors.  They don't make it pretty, but there is NO need to do so.  It gets devoured so quickly that you don't care what it looks like.  I can't even begin to describe the utter deliciousness that is Grom gelato.  It's so flavorful, creamy and smooth (unless you get Crema di Grom which has chocolate bits and special cookie pieces in it!!!!).  It is without a doubt nothing short of perfection - especially the caramel au beurre salé that is sadly no longer available.  I almost cried the day they told me it had been taken out of rotation, and that is not an exaggeration.

And, yes, I swear this is a medium sized cone.  Can you believe it?  It is HUGE.  My hips can attest to this if you don't believe me for some reason.

Grom is on a quiet side street of St. Germain and has ample outdoor seating for a lovely spring or summer evening.

So, after re-reading the post, I think it is pretty safe to say who I favor in Battle Gelato.  To me, Grom has Amorino beat hands down.  It just seems to be made with the best quality ingredients possible and in a manner that makes it a perfect consistency.  Believe me, many taste tests were made before coming to this determination.  So many in fact that the people at Grom now know me and say things like, '"See you tomorrow," which is a bit embarassing.  But, hey, you only live once, right?  And I certainly only live once around the corner from the best gelato known to man.  So, I'm over my embarrassment. 

The fact that Grom is the victor does not mean that Amorino is not good.  It's just not as awesome in my humble opinion as Grom.  So, if you stumble across an Amorino (and with 13 stores in Paris that is highly likely) while in town, go in with an open mind.  You will not be disappointed.

Just for good time's sake, let's take another gander at the victor of Battle Gelato!

Grom

www.grom.it/ita/

81 Rue de Seine

6th Arrondisement

Paris

Amorino

www.amorino.com/fr/

Multiple Locations

Paris

Les Bouquinistes (the real ones)

Ah, the Seine. While you might be tempted to walk along the lower banks while visiting the city of light, do take some time to stroll along the upper banks and see the plethora of treasures that line the sidewalk. (Plus, it smells a whole lot less like urine up top than it does under the bridges down there.  Sorry, but it's true).

The infamous booksellers along the river Seine are called les bouquinistes (not to be confused with the restaurant along the Seine by the same name about which I have already posted). I love les bouquinsites because they are not pushy salespeople. They typically allow people to leisurely browse whatever they have for sale and then go along their merry way if nothing catches their eye. I like that style because most of the time I am just there to enjoy the sunlit bank of the Seine and soak up the classic Parisian atmosphere that les bouquinsites embody.  If that sounds like it is something up your alley, check out the photos below.

It can admittedly get a bit crowded on the weekends. So, I like to head there on a week day afternoon if possible so as to minimize the crowd control tactics needed when fighting tourists and locals alike. However, if you are only in Paris for the weekend, still take the time to browse what les bouquinistes have to offer. You'll be pleasantly surprised, I think.

La Derniere Goutte

I heart my sixth arrondisement neighborhood so much. There is just so much character here in the small, winding streets. New (to me at least) restaurants, stores and galleries abound - hidden gems just waiting to be discovered. I believe I have mentioned before that my husband is the ultimate discoverer of such places. He just has a knack for sniffing out the cool neighborhood spots I seem to walk right past.

La Derniere Goutte was no exception. It's a small wine shop owned by French speaking ex-pat Americans that are as equally knowledgable about wines as they are friendly. If you are in the neighborhood (and I personally think you should be), stop in and stock up on some fantastic French wines.

 

We recently did!

La Dernière Goutte

www.ladernieregoutte.net

6 rue Bourbon le Château

Sixth Arrondisement

Paris

P.S. Every Saturday brings a free wine tasting and who doesn't love that?

Le Christine

Before B left, we dined at Restaurant Le Christine on a whim.  It's not far from our humble abode and we have always liked the looks of it. We just had never tried it.  The other night we decided to live dangerously and walk in without a reservation.  To my ultimate surprise, they sat us immediately.  I'm not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing, but the fact that we didn't get any flack for not having a reservation was definitely appreciated.  It quickly became obvious that this was a place frequented by English speakers (read Americans).  Why?  Well, first of all we were brought ice with our water and secondly there was much American english being spoken by both the clientele and the waiters.  For some this is a good thing, for others it's not.  For me, it didn't matter because I was spending one of my last night's in Paris with my husband.  We enjoyed ourselves.  The service was excellent and the food solid but not spectacular.  If you are looking for a tourist friendly joint with food a notch above most other touristy locations, try Le Christine.

Amuse Bouche: gazpacho. 

First course: Spanish ham and tomato rubbed bread.

First course: snails in a cream sauce with hazelnuts.

Main course: breaded sweetbreads with lemon spaghetti.

Main course: crispy langoustines on "black rice".

Restaurant Le Christine

www.restaurantlechristine.com

1, Rue Christine

6th Arrondisement

Paris