Mostly for Foodies . PARIS . March 2017

Greetings from Paris as we pack to return to California.

Very very short detour through Paris (48 hours) as we head back to California following a short and intense 4 days in Geneva visiting Mike’s brother and family. Geneva was fine and we managed to make a short afternoon trip to Annecy (France) with Richard and Elizabeth; most of the rest of the time we were at their home or working in our makeshift set-up in the Geneva hotel. It was a good and important visit. It was easier to fly out of Paris than Geneva, so we decided to stay for two days.. Work during the days and eat at night.

Given that Paris is familiar, no really interesting things to report except how quickly the city changes. We stayed in the 11^th arrondisement (Oberkampf) where I’ve walked on past trips, but never stayed. This area is being gentrified rapidly. Anyway, I’m going to stick to food rather than local politics, because other than walking the streets (and setting up a makeshift office in the hotel room so that both of us could keep up with work), we mostly ate. Oh, we also walked everywhere – average about 5-6 miles on each of the two days.. but so much eating.. not sure the walking is enough to neutralize.

Rainy Thursday night dinner (late – after arriving by train from Geneva):  Le Baratin – An old-fashioned French bistro located on a very small and hilly street in Belleville – an anchor of the neighborhood. Very simply decorated with wood tables and a narrow zinc counter in the bar area. The chef is Argentinian, I think, and the menu is recorded daily on a large blackboard (portable) that the waitperson somehow lugs to each table. We shared two appetizers (which were large enough to eat as the main course) – huge oysters in vinegar and room temperature veal tongue on a bed of wonderful lettuce and some kind of parsley salsa. We then shared the sweetbread main course which melted in your mouth. They have an extensive wine list (managed by the very present owner), and topped it all off with a tarte tatin… We taxied back in the rain, quite content. Three of the approximately 15 tables had non-French and we all wound up sitting on the same side of the room. To our right, was a guy who owns several restaurants in Toronto (He’d come to this restaurant three times before on three separate trips, but never eaten here because he couldn’t get a reservation.. He lingered hoping a table would open up but it never did, so he just had wine on those other occasions. This time he had a reservation. The place serves until they run out of food and that’s it! This guy from Toronto is some kind “award-winning” bartender. We chatted quite a bit and next time in Toronto ……. As it turns out on our other side were two young women (early 30s) who were also from Toronto and they were cooks at restaurants this guy on our other side knew. Small world. We and the Toronto bartender sort of closed the place up.      Friday – dinner

Au Passage –  (Been here twice before, but ever inventive and interesting). Small dishes served by tattooed wait staff. Menu changes daily. Eclectic setting sort of like an old sailors’ bar. Packed to the brim, reservations a must… They had some specials for “tables” but way too big for the two of us, although they looked great. We opted for guinea fowl with kale and some luscious walnut sauce; smoked salmon with very thinly sliced apples, and a lime yogurt and dill; oysters with fennel and some other stuff (I think also very thinly sliced apples too); veal tripe with egg, greens, and a spicy red sauce, and some sausage… Quite divine. Ended with a dessert which was gone in a whiff, but don’t even remember what it was.. Oh all the wines are organic (and as in most small French restaurants) quite inexpensive, except if you order and reorder.

Saturday Lunch – Temps Au Temps

A wonderful small (18 tables?) traditional (with some modern updates) restaurant in the 11^th on Rue Paul Bert.. I’ve eaten here a few times and always happy. Mike and I opted for the two course deal (either starter and main or main and dessert) – Mike got starter and main and I got main and dessert.. and in that way we shared a starter and shared a dessert — didn’t miss out on anything! Began with shrimp and greens with asparagus, sitting on some kind of blended tomato concoction (yummy) and followed with Mike-pork and me-veal cooked in a traditional stew-style with carrots and vegetables and a few pasta tubes. Ended with an amazing white chocolate mousse with some kind of espresso sauce…

Tonight we head to Le 404 for our last dinner… Moroccan… We’ve been here many times – both together and alone. Looking forward to our usual appetizer of pastille (of pigeon —  we ate this pastille for the first time in Morocco, and order it whenever it is on a menu in a Moroccan restaurant, which in the states is not usual) followed by a great tagine. This Moroccan restaurant is always great and lots of fun – usually jam packed. Amazed we got a reservation. Le 404 is close to the Center Georges Pompidou in the 3rd arrondissement. It’s sort of shabby-chic and lively, with décor that is authentic and is in a 16^th century building.  OK… That’s it. Have to pack now. We leave very early in the morning and we land around 11 am (Sunday). See you all stateside. I said it was all about food. And now that I think about it, we returned to many old favorites.. not what we usually do.

Fern