Dear Friends and Family,
Okay, one more. Had too much material, so last post was all Right Bank and this one will be all or predominantly Rive Gauche. We walked the Left Bank on mostly a very cloudy day, so keep that in mind, but on the other hand, it's very atmospheric. As a teenager, the Left Bank was where everything was happening and the Right Bank seemed stodgy and full of banks and large department stores. These days the Right Bank has gotten a lot more trendy (than times past).
Okay, one more. Had too much material, so last post was all Right Bank and this one will be all or predominantly Rive Gauche. We walked the Left Bank on mostly a very cloudy day, so keep that in mind, but on the other hand, it's very atmospheric. As a teenager, the Left Bank was where everything was happening and the Right Bank seemed stodgy and full of banks and large department stores. These days the Right Bank has gotten a lot more trendy (than times past).
Menacing plant roots near the ancient Roman arena
Animal fantasy which was a little difficult to find. We sought it out.
Speaking of animal fantasies, we heard from Ms. O. She and family also had a goose for Xmas dinner, slaughtered, plucked and cooked by the hubby. She says it was a mean goose and they now have enough feathers for a down pillow.
Total cutie-pie
Beautifully painted former boucherie.
Detail
A reminder that the French gifted us the Statue of Liberty; financed, at least partially, with donations from the people of France
Stopped for a light lunch at the Islamic tea house (which also has baths)
Finally made it to the Gobelins tapestry factory. Not overwhelmed, but the tours of the workshop were not available that day.
The beautiful entryway of the medieval Cluny Museum
Inside the Cluny; museum viewing is hard work.
By now we have worked up an appetite and fortunately we are meeting the Wilds at Les Enfants Rouges, a new-ish restaurant. It is on the Right Bank, rue de Beauce.
My starter (& Michael & Jill's) an absolutely delicious very lightly cooked fish; almost a sushi. Was it sea bass? Sorry, can't remember.
Don's was an egg with beans and bacon, which he said was delicious and reminiscent of an excellent English breakfast
Don's main, beef steak
I think this was Borja's, lamb with root vegetables. Michael, Jill and David all had sweetbreads with the same vegetables. I didn't get a good photo of it, but I did get a taste. Yum.
My main was some type of game in a very rich, slightly teriyaki sauce. Truffle mashed potatoes.
Michael eyeing his Baba Rhum.
That's more like it.
My dessert, a walnut cake, delicate and crumbly
Borja was still a little wan and unsatisfied after that plentiful meal, so we all walked over to the Falafel stand.
Nearby graffiti
A tip from the doctor landlord of our Paris apartment. He highly recommended Picard, a chain of food stores in Paris which flash freezes their food and has all non-GMO. It is now illegal for a French or Parisian restaurant to serve frozen food and claim it is made in-house. Totally understandable, as Picard food tastes very much like, perhaps better, than some of the bistros where we have eaten in past trips. Of course, it does not compare to the fine restaurants of Paris or to Michael and Jill's cooking. Michael Wild won't have anything to do with them and didn't even want to be mentioned in the same email, but if you're in Paris, and you don't have Michael and Jill cooking for you, and you get tired of eating out every meal, or tired of paying for it, we recommend you check it out. Please find the link below to a blog about it. It seems that maybe the writer is from our own Oakland, California. If anyone knows her, please let me know. I tried to comment on her blog, but was not able to post it.
This is what I tried to write:
In Paris for the holidays 2013, staying in an apartment on Ile St Louis, and just discovered Picard. Couldn't agree more. Had the creme de langoustine soup, the spinach, potatoes with truffles. So convenient to have these presented to you in tablespoon size frozen nuggets. Didn't know it was all non-GMO and flash frozen. Wonderful! Right at this moment preparing the guinea hen stuffed with mushrooms.
Of course, shopping in the little stores and markets is one of the joys of Paris, so we are doing that also.
Picard is amazing, though, and since we are from Oakland, CA, also in complete agreement to bring more Picard products to the Trader Joe's there where I am certain they would be very popular. We will mention it to the manager at Lakeshore.
Of course, shopping in the little stores and markets is one of the joys of Paris, so we are doing that also.
Picard is amazing, though, and since we are from Oakland, CA, also in complete agreement to bring more Picard products to the Trader Joe's there where I am certain they would be very popular. We will mention it to the manager at Lakeshore.
We ate our Picard food after the Wilds left. Also had the most wonderful Boudin Blanc sausages ever, ever, ever from the same amazing boucherie (J.P. Gardil) where our Xmas dinner meats were purchased, and which was right down the street from us. These were flavored with truffles and really, no rival in sight.
Below we leave you with a photo of the stuffed guinea hen from Picard.
Guinea hen stuffed with sausage and mushrooms from Picard; excuse the not exactly gourmet presentation.
Love and Best Wishes for the New Year for all of us and our beautiful World!
Era and Don
