france

How to have the best Christmastime trip to Strasbourg, France

/ beccalev / Leave a comment

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Food you should eat:

Sausage (you’re so close to Germany, why not?)

Sauerkraut (same reason as above)

Spaetzle (I’m sensing a theme)

sausage and baguette! france and germany combined

Hot Cider (because it will be cold)

Vin Chaud aux épices avec du miel (hot, spiced wine sweetened with honey? what’s not to like?)

Bamboules (chocolate covered gooey marshmallows. Yum.)

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Tarte Flambé (not a tart, it’s like a cross between a pizza and a panini)

Chocolat Chaud at Bistrot et Chocolat (it’s worth it)

Man-shaped thing (doughnut/beignet or pretzel is recommended)

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Gouter at Christian (it’s precious)

Dinner at Aux Armes de Strasbourg (despite some uncomfortable attention you might receive from waiters, it’s a nice and reasonably priced place to eat)

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Things you should know:

Ask for directions for how to get to the biggest market. There will be maps, but the markets are a bit disconnected.

Walk around La Petite France. It’s gorgeous.

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Popping over into Germany is super easy and weirdly convenient, but they don’t speak French at all, so it’s weird.

YOU MUST GO TO LA MAISON DE HANSSEN ET GRETEL

 

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There’s a super cool museum about the history of Strasbourg that was free for some reason while we were there. Try doing that because it was really fun and you could try on great hats.

Maybe look into going to Zanzibar (we had a fab recommendation from some guys at the hostel)

The cuckoo/astronomical clock does not go off on Sundays.

Bring a camera. There are photos ops EVERYWHERE.

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For more detailed descriptions:

Look at my full-length blog post/diary entry on my travel blog from while I was abroad.

The Best Pastries to get in the “Land of Pastries” that is Paris, France

/ beccalev / 1 Comment

DSC00883Going abroad to Paris and Aix-en-Provence was the best decision I’ve ever made. I stayed away from the US for the whole year and developed a deeper relationship with the amazingness of food. Especially pastry, which France is renowned for! While not all of the treats on this list are ones I could afford every day, the ones that have made it to my top tier and special bites that are worth the splurge and ones that I keep recommending to everyone I know as my some of my favorite pastries in the world.

While these are obviously not the only options available in the city and these do not include every pastry I’ve ever eaten in France, this list includes the places I went back to as often as I could, the places I dream about revisiting, and the places recommend to people who are going to Paris. This is the short list (as short as I can make it):

Croissants from Poilâne

Right near the Bon Marché is the world-renowned boulangerie, famous for its country bread (pain de campagne) and old-style techniques in an ancient oven. While the croissant itself may look to be less yummy than some others that you might see in any patisserie on the street (such as Eric Kayser, for example), trust me, the minute you put a piece of this croissant (as close to the early morning as you can get one since it will be fresher) you won’t be able to eat another croissant without comparing to that of Poilâne. Since Poilâne is more of a boulangerie than a patisserie, I had figured their croissant would be bread-ier than most, but no! It’s buttery, flaky outside and fluffy, lush inside was enough to win me over, and there was not a single bad bite in the whole treat.

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While you’re there, you might as well pick up a quarter (“quart” pronounced “car”) of the pain de campagne (those giant breads with a P carved into them) or a tiny rustic apple tartlette. Both of those are delicious as well. And another plus of this being a boulangerie: the costs are very low! The croissant is about 1 euro! It’s absolutely worth a stop to this world-renowned boulangerie, even if it’s just to take a peak in the window.

Éclair from Carl Marletti

This little hole-in-the-wall shop just off the end of Rue Mouffetard smells delicious as soon as you get close. While you may walk past it the first time, you will not be able to miss the aroma. There’s a kitchen working in the back of this little shop that keeps churning out such delicacies, but my clear favorite is the éclair caramel au beurre salé.

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It’s absolutely decadent, and the extra sugar crunch on the outside of the pâte au chou makes it a cut above in the delicious department, and the cream inside is to die for. As you bite into it, the cream comes spilling out the other side, so watch out, because you don’t want to lose any of the perfect creaminess.

Pasteis from Comme à Lisbonne

While it may seem strange that I’m recommending a Portuguese delicacy as a necessary stop in Paris, I swear this is the best pasteis I have had outside of Lisbon. If you’re not planning on making it to Portugal anytime soon, pick up one of these warm custard filled pastries.

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It’s only 2 euros, always warm, and dusted with cinnamon (always say “oui” to cannelle), and the pastry from this tiny store in the Marais never disappoints. It only sells pasteis and coffee, so you know you’re getting the best every time, and they make new batches all day, so if they’re running out, they’ll soon replace it with piping hot pasteis. Plus, this little store (and most of the Marais) is open on Sundays, meaning you can pick one up on the down days in Paris.

Tartelette au citron (Lemon tartlet) from Arnaud Delmontel

On the lively Rue des Martyrs, this fabulous patisserie has a display window with a line of these perfect yellow domes amidst the other pastries. While the pastry itself may look like it would be dense or rich, this citrusy pastry cream melts away with an airiness that leaves you satisfied but wanting more. It’s perfect. And it’s beautiful to boot.

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This perfect dome is worth the splurge because you really have to taste it to believe that something that small can pack a powerful punch and melt into nothing. It’s really the perfect lemon tart.

Popelini from Popelini

This up-and-coming pastry seems to be heading toward taking over the macaron fad in Paris, so watch out for these little goodies. They’re like the best cream puff you’ve ever had.

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They come in a bunch of flavors, and the packaging of these treats is really aesthetically pleasing. The place only sells Popelini (hence the name), so you know you’re getting the best. Now there are more locations springing up all over Paris, so you won’t have to go up to Rue des Martyrs to pick up one (or a few) of these treats.

Saint Honoré from La Patisserie des Rêves

This pastry is unreal, as if from a dream (see what I did there? relating the name of the place to the fantasticalness of the desserts it sells?). The flaky pastry topped with sweet cream and caramel covered cream puffs is decadent to say the least.

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The crisp cookie bottom holds up the crunchy coated cream puffs on one side and a smooth, creamy chantilly on the other. It’s a little daunting to eat (and I recommend eating it while sitting down), but it’s definitely worth the effort!

Carrot Cake from Sugarplum Cake Shop

If you’ve been in France for a while (like I was) and are desperately craving some great American desserts, look no further than the great American bakery, Sugarplum Cake Shop. Everything they serve screams America, and they prepare each treat the way it should be, with great ingredients, picture perfect presentation, and love.

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From rice krispie treats and cheese cake to muffins and peanut butter bars, almost any American dessert prepared the right way can be found here. You’re met with a friendly “Hello” when you walk in, and with the cake and coffee, you may never want to leave. Big pluses: free wifi on the weekdays, free refills for filtered coffee (although it is 4 euros to start), comfy couches and English speaking personnel, and, of course, Le Carrot Cake 🙂

Tarte au Citron Meringuée from Le Loir dans la Théière

While the mile-high meringue may seem insurmountable, the tarte is definitely an experience (even without being able to finish the pile of fluff on top of the lemon tart).

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Le Loir dans la Théière is a great place to get brunch, lunch, or a snack in the Marais, selling great tartes both savory and sweet. The freshest of ingredients are used to create these fresh tartes, making them taste that much better. While this isn’t a place where you can easily come in and take something to go, it’s worth a break from a hard day of walking (and it’s delicious to boot)! This lemon tart, to compare it directly with the other lemon tart on this list, is much more of a novelty than a delicacy, and it’s hard to take away with you. But it’s definitely great to take pictures with and tell stories about, and the other, freshly made savory tarts and quiches are worth the trip.

Millefeuille à la Minute from Jacques Génin

This new craze about the millefeuille made to order is starting to circulate, but the only one that I have heard fabulous things about (and can corroborate) is the one from Jacques Génin. While this man is already a famous chocolatier, with delicate chocolates and caramels (pick up a bunch of those), his pastries are also incredible.

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By filling the buttery, flaky, crunchy cookies with luscious pastry cream and a raspberry coulis (if you order the raspberry one as I did), Génin creates a fantastic dessert (or snack) that comes out slightly different every time. This treat is an expensive one, I’ll give you that, but the atmosphere of the room and the deliciousness of the treat might overpower the price.

Overall, the pastries in Paris are incredible, and this is not a complete list, but this is the start to a lifelong journey of finding the best of the best.

Addresses:

Poilâne

8, rue du Cherche-Midi (6ème)

Carl Marletti

51, rue Censier (5ème)

Comme à Lisbonne

37, rue du Roi de Sicile (4ème)

Arnaud Delmontel

39, rue des Martyrs (9ème)

Popelini

44, rue des Martyrs (9ème)

La Patisserie des Rêves

93, rue du Bac (7ème)

Sugarplum Cake Shop

68, rue Cardinal Lemoine (5ème)

Le Loir dans la Théière

3, rue des Rosiers (4ème)

Jacques Génin

133, rue de Turenne (3ème)

Best French Macaroons in Paris

/ beccalev / 1 Comment

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While the craze for these petite treats is going from fiery passion to fizzling spark, I figured I would get my two cents in while the going was still at least lukewarm. Unlike the America macaroon, the French macaroon, or “macaron” as I prefer to call it, is an almond flour meringue cookie sandwich stuffed with ganaches and pastry creams and jams and other delicacies. The way to tell a great macaroon from a not-so-great one is not only the texture of the cookie but also the quality of the filling.

By the end of my nine month sojourn in France, I was able to properly enjoy a perfect macaroon and could not stand to eat one that was not perfect. Here are my favorites of any macaroons I tried in Paris:

Pierre Hermé

This master of pastry not only sells delicious macaroons, but also some of the fanciest desserts I had in Paris. He is world renowned as the creator of fantastical renditions of traditional treats as well as new twists on old favorites. Everything he creates is obviously yummy, but it’s his macaroons that originally made him famous to other people who weren’t pastry chefs!

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The flavors of these range from the classic (caramel, raspberry…) to the kooky (olive oil, asparagus…) but all of the flavors are equally great. The cookie is the perfect blend of crunchy and soft, the fillings are fresh and natural, and the presentation is, as expected, superb.

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This is my number one choice of anywhere to get a macaroon in Paris, topping traditional favorites like Ladurée and Gerard Mulot.

Ladurée

While one may be considered a tourist for holding the famous mint green bag, it’s worth it to pick up of few of their delicate macaroons. This famous patisserie has now expand into an international chain (with a post in New York City (!!!!)), so it’s no longer a Paris original, but it definitely tastes better on this side of the ocean.

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The macaroons they make are definitely worth the price, but sometimes I feel like they’re not worth waiting in the long line for. Yes, they’re yummy, but they’re much smaller than those of their competitors at Pierre Hermé and have less originality in the flavors. They seem to have stopped trying to create the new and focused on trying to expand. They are content with living up to the expectations of tourists instead of trying to exceed them, which is a real shame since with a touch more of creativity, they could have maintained their top spot in my list.

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I have to say this, though: the fact that they fill their caramel macarons with actual caramel au beurre salé instead of a caramel flavored pastry cream puts that macaroon at the top of any list (even above Pierre Hermé). Stop in just to pick up one of those (although be prepared to wait in a long line of tourists).

Carrette

This fancy salon de thé right by the Trocadero (with the best view of the Eiffel Tower) has a glitzy take-away counter right inside, past all the glamorous people eating their fancy treats with tiny cups of espresso. And from there, you can get their macaroons to go.

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The macaroons themselves are both beautiful to look at and yummy to eat, plus you can pick up a bag of them and walk right over to the Eiffel Tower and stare at its glory while you munch on these delicacies.

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While they may not top the list in either texture or flavor, their location alone is a reason to stop in for these cute treasures. And they’re delicious, so that’s a plus!

Gerard Mulot

A household name in Paris, the man produces some more reasonably priced macaroons in imaginative flavors and colorful presentation. His store sells both the sweet and the savory (a cross of a patisserie and a boulangerie), so it’s a great place to come buy your entire picnic lunch!

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The macaroons themselves too are very nice and are done the right way, which is always a great thing to see when a shop tries to do everything. It’s a great place to go, and the area it’s in is just fun to be in anyway, so this quick detour is an bonus!

Places you could definitely skip:

Dalloyau

This chain is all around Paris, and while I would step in here to get a slice of their famous Opéra cake, I would skip the macaroons. The cookies are a bit too almond-y and the fillings did not cover up the nuttiness that took over each flavor.

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Basically, go here for the Opéra, not the macarons.

Georges Larnicol

This famous chocolatier has his decorative display of macaroons prominently placed in the center of the main store on Boulevard St Germain, but don’t be tempted by the beauty: the texture isn’t quite right and the fillings are a bit too sweet.

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Overall, while I would stop in here to pick up the amazing chocolates, I would not recommend you go in just for the macaroons.

Addresses:

Pierre Hermé

72 rue Bonaparte (6ème arrondissement)

Ladurée

75, avenue des Champs Elysées (8ème arrondissement)

864 Madison Avenue  New York, NY

Carrette

4 Place du Trocadéro (16ème arrondissement)

Gerard Mulot

76 Rue de Seine (6ème arrondissement)

Dalloyau

2 Place Edmond Rostand (6ème arrondissement)

Georges Larnicol

132 Boulevard Saint-Germain (6ème arrondissement)

Best Hot Chocolate in Paris

/ beccalev / 1 Comment

I spent my junior year abroad in Aix-en-Provence and Paris, taking classes, exploring the cities, traveling to other amazing parts of the world, and of course eating ridiculously amazing food. I’ve been putting together lists of places I went to and loved for people who want to go back and recreate some of the experiences I had. I kept a blog of my time there which now hasn’t been updated in just over a year, but I still get requests for my favorite places to go in Paris and Aix!

Hot chocolate has definitely been a staple for me growing up, so of course while I was abroad I was looking to continue having the best of the best. Here are my four most memorable cups of cocoa in Paris.

Angelina, which is the obvious choice.

It’s really incredibly delicious. Despite the long line (which moves fast) and the room filled with lots of tourists, it retains its old-time Paris feel and serves up its always delicious albeit expensive small pitcher of chocolatey goodness and a small cup of freshly whipped cream. The sensation of pouring this rich, chocolatey goodness into the china tea cup is something I truly enjoy.

Each time anyone came to visit me, I would bring them to Angelina, just because I knew it was a place with both a wow-factor for the place and the food. As a college kid on a budget, it may seem strange that I would recommend splurging 7 euros on about 1.5 cups of cocoa, but trust me, it’s worth every cent. If you split 2 orders between 3 people and get one pastry to share, that would still be plenty and you would DEFinitely be getting your money’s worth at this amazing place!

Un Dimanche à Paris

This is another fancy salon de thé (or, as they call it, a salon de chocolat) which prides itself on its pastries, chocolates, and of course its hot chocolate. In a little hidden alleyway by the Odéon, it feels like you’ve found this hidden gem of a place. Half of the store is to buy objects to take away with you while the other half is the salon. And another fact that makes it even more appealing: it’s open on a Sunday, a rather rare occurrence in Paris.

What could be better than that? Something that I truly appreciate as a student: they offer small cups, about a dixie-cup-size full of their delicious hot chocolate to go for only 2,50 euros! That way you can drink this thick, sweet chocolate while strolling around the 6th arrondissement and not have to confine yourself indoors.

I believe that this option is only available in the afternoon, but it’s a perfect time to pick up a “gouter” (the French version of snacktime, usually spent chilling out at a café, drinking something and eating a pastry, helping keep the French satiated before their late dinners). Plus, having that amount of delicious hot chocolate for the price of 2,50 euros is definitely a sweet deal.

Merce and the Muse

This tucked away café is so eclectically decorate, it feels more like you’ve stepped into someone’s living room to hang out. Then you start to notice the pastries on display and the professional espresso machine on the counter and you realize this quirky space is a groovy spot to chill and sip coffee, or in my case, this lavender hot chocolate.

Normally, I tend to think of lavender scented foods as tasting more like soap than a tasty treat, but this hot chocolate was the perfect balanced of silky dark chocolate with just a hint of floral undertone. It was perfect for the chilly day outside, and the almond cake we had with it (a special of the day) complemented beautifully.

They  were recommended to me for their coffee and pastries, but their hot chocolate was definitely worth the trip. And if you have the time, stop by for their brunch on Sunday: bountiful, fresh food that doesn’t leave you feeling gross, just content.

Sugarplum Cake Shop

This American-style bakery in Paris is sometimes just what you’re searching for, especially if you’ve been away from home and America as long as I had at the point I had found this place. It is just a little slice of home, where many students studying abroad walk in and say,  “I just want to live here!” (Seriously, I’ve heard it said dozens of times there). And their food, coffee, and, of course, hot chocolate are delicious to boot.

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The down-home feel adds to the charm, and the big chocolate chip cookies and fifties-style icebox layer cakes feel like home. Plus you can get peanut butter baked goods, pecan toffe bars, cheesecake, and carrot cake (their signature dessert), all of which are nearly impossible to find in France. Plus, being greeted upon entering with a “Hello” is always music to an English speaker’s ears in a foreign country. To those looking for a place to hang, there’s wifi on the weekdays and couches to sit on, so it’s a good pit stop all around.
Places in which I would love to have tried the “chocolat chaud” but did not get a chance to:

Jacques Génin

His chocolates and caramels and delicious, his pastries and delectable, and he has a beautiful sitting area. I’m sure if I had sat down one day to drink a cup of hot chocolate, it would have made the list, though it always seemed a bit on the expensive side to me.

Jean-Paul Hévin

The chocolates and macarons they sell are yummy, so I’m sure the hot chocolate would have been something to talk about as well, though again this seemed like another pricey place.

Ladurée

Despite the fact that it’s a chain now, and is also available in, you guessed it, New York City, this place still serves up some delicious pastries, so I’m sure that their hot chocolate would live up to the high standards set by their world famous macarons. I would also beware the price in this place, because if the pricing of the macaron is any sort of indicator, the price of the hot chocolate could be steep.

Addresses:

 Angelina

226 rue de Rivoli, Paris 1er

Un Dimanche à Paris

4-6-8 Cour du Commerce Saint André, Paris 6eme

Merce and the Muse

1 bis Rue Dupuis, Paris 1er

Sugarplum Cake Shop

68 rue du Cardinal LeMoine, Paris 5eme