20 Little Cities » Where to eat

Pizza e fichi: Roma in Paris.

admin — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:03:11 +0000

Pizza e fichi has some delicious pizza sold by the slice (al taglio). The meet and cheeses used for the pizzas come from Italy. The dough is made every 24 to 48 hours and the toppings vary daily — they are made with fresh ingredients (except for the mushrooms when they are not in season.) Slices costs 3,80€ (classic) or 4,80€ (gourmet). I love their pizza dough, it is soft in the middle and slightly crunchy on the outside—just enough to feel a slight resistance when biting.

Pizza e fichi
17 Rue Alexandre Dumas
75011 Paris
tel: 01.43.67.50.11
Metro: Rue des Boulets, Alexandre Dumas

M-F: 12pm-3pm / 6.30pm-9.30pm
Closed Saturday and Sunday

Retro Bottega in Paris: Drinks and Italian goodies on a side street.

admin — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:02:20 +0000

La Retro Bottega is a nice spot for an apéro or a simple lunch; it is located on a small street, right off the Faubourg Saint Antoine’s dense traffic. Sit around their makeshift-like tables for a plate of homemade Italian food or buy some charcuterie and a bottle of wine to go, either way you’ll enjoy their products.

Retro Bottega
12 Rue Saint-Bernard
75011 Paris
tel: 01.74.64.17.39
Metro: Faidherbe-Chaligny

40/60 (40X60) Pizza In Teglia: Gourmet Pizza in Paris.

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 22:20:12 +0000

“Attention, pas plus de 150°C!” (Be careful, not more than 150°C!) the man exclaimed when I told him I’d warm up his pizza (which could be mistaken for a foccacia) for a later lunch that day. Yep, you don’t want to mess with their food!
Baked on a 40x60 cm sheet, the rectangular pizzas are sold by the slice. Vegetarian or not, the toppings are delicious and abundant, and the dough excellent; the restaurant is cosy and tastefully designed, and the two men who own the place make a very charming French-Italian team.
The seating is limited and the place quite popular so be ready to order your food to go (there are quite a few parks in the neighborhood in case the place is full.) Also, the restaurant can be rented for private parties during week nights.
You know how Italians are: If the food isn’t good they won’t it eat it. Well, 40/60 (40X60) is full of Italians.

40/60
44 rue Trousseau
75011 Paris
tel: 09.53.57.58.18
Metro: Ledru-Rollin, Faidherbe-Chaligny

Tu-Sat: 12pm-3pm / 7pm-11pm
Closed on Monday

Patisserie-Confiserie Louis Etoré in Paris

admin — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 15:28:10 +0000

It doesn’t look like much from the outside, however this pastry/confectioner’s shop has been in business since the begining of the past century and in the hands of the same owners for the past forty-five years. Aside from the classic pastries (mille-feuille, St Honoré, religieuse, éclair…) this shop specializes in traditionnal French candies such as the hand-crafted réglisse de Montpellier, or the pâtes de fruits and violet candies. As the owner would say: “it’s all the old candies from back in the days, here nothing has changed except our faces.”

Louis Etoré
92 rue de Charonne
75011 Paris
tel: 01.43.71.49.99
Metro: Charonne

Tu-Sun: 7.30am-8pm
Closed on Monday

Pink Flamingo in Paris: A different kind of pizza.

admin — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 20:00:44 +0000

*UPDATE: PINK FLAMINGO OPENED IT’S FOURTH PIZZA JOINT IN PARIS. IT IS LOCATED IN MONTMARTRE (18TH ARRONDISSEMENT.)

If you want a regular (as in classic flavor) pizza, you might want to try a different place. Aside from La Dante (tomato-mozzarella-basil) or La Cantona (8 cheeses), Pink Flamingo likes to offer flavors that will make you travel, which can be very useful if, for example, you can’t decide between pizza and Indian food (try La Gandhi: sag paneer, baba ganoush and mozzarella), or pizza and Spanish food (try L’Almodovar: pizza paëlla), or pizza and North African food (try La Macias: chicken cooked tajine style with cured lemon and olives)… Among the less unusual ones there’s also La Björk (smoked salmon, lumpfish roe and crème fraîche), La Basquiat (cured ham over gorgonzola and figs) or La Marcello (roquette with olive oil and balsamic vineger and parmesan.) As you might have noticed the pizzas are named after inspirational people who have made a difference in this world. While the pizzas are made in a traditional way—they use organic flour and all of the toppings are made with quality ingredients and fresh produce bought daily from the farmers market—Pink Flamingo likes to think of its product as something that stands out by its quality and novelty. And for dessert you can order some cheesecake.

Check out Pink Flamingo’s menu.
Deliveries are between 7pm and 11pm. They are made by foot or bike, hence the limited delivery area. Pink Flamingo cares more about the environment than getting the pizza to you super fast (that said, it’ll still get to you in a timely manner.) Last but not least, if you want to eat your pizza somewhere along the canal, you can order it at their restaurant in the 10th, leave with a Pink Flamingo balloon and when it’s ready they’ll come look for the balloon!
For food to go and to eat along the canal there’s also Le Cambodge restaurant.

Pink Flamingo 3rd arrondissement
105 Rue Vieille du Temple
75003 Paris
tel: 01.42.71.28.20
Metro: Filles du Calvaire

open 7/7
M-F: 12pm-3pm / 7pm-11.30pm
Sat, Sun: 12pm-4pm / 7pm-11.30pm

Pink Flamingo 10th arrondissement
67 Rue Bichat
75010 Paris
tel: 01.42.02.31.70
Metro: Goncourt, Jacques Bonsergent

Tu-Sat: 12pm-3pm / 7pm-11.30pm (last order and delivery at 11pm)
Sun: 1pm-11pm
Closed on Monday

Pink Flamingo 12th arrondissement
23 Rue d’Aligre
75012 Paris
tel: 01.43.43.47.07
Metro: Ledru-Rollin, Faidherbe-Chaligny

Tu-Sun: 12pm-3pm / 7pm-11.30pm (last order and delivery at 11pm)
Closed on Monday

Pink Flamingo 18th arrondissement
30 Rue Muller
75018 Paris
tel: 01.42.23.14.17
Metro: Château Rouge

Blé Sucré: A must-try pastry shop in Paris.

admin — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:27:20 +0000

The first thing that amazed me when I walked in Blé Sucré in Paris was the beautiful pastries. The second thing was how cheap everything was. After having worked at luxury hotels such as Le Bristol and the Plaza Athénée in Paris, or the Hotel Martinez in Cannes, Fabrice Le Bourdat opened his own bakery/pastry shop in Paris and named it Blé Sucré (sweet wheat). Blé Sucré is a high end pastry shop with very sweet prices—a first in Paris. The morning pastries at Blé Sucré are a must—the pain au chocolat (chocolat croissant) has been voted the best one in Paris. I have to say that their chausson aux pommes (apple turnover) and pain aux raisins (raisin roll) are as good as they can get. Those are the morning pastries you want to experience when you come to France, the kind that will never taste as good anywhere else. Blé Sucré has a few tables outside where you can eat your pastries or have lunch: the 6.60€ menu offers a sandwich, mini pizza or quiche, with a drink and a dessert (count 6€ for the food to go.) Or you can eat their sweets in the lovely square Trousseau just across the street from them.
The café-restaurant Le Square Trousseau, located a few doors down, serves their croissants and pain au chocolats for breakfast.

And while you are at Blé Sucré buying a morning pastry thinking about all the other things you could try in the bakery, please do ask for one more thing: a bag of madeleines and/or a bag of financiers. Trust me, if there’s a place where you should buy some madeleines and financiers in Paris it’s definitely there. One more thing: do not leave without trying their Raboliot bread—a decadently tender bread made with hazelnut flour, halzelnuts and raisins. It is so good that you will eat it like a pastry—you won’t leave any for later!

Blé Sucré
Square Trousseau
7 Rue Antoine Vollon
75012 Paris
tel: 01.43.40.77.73
Metro: Ledru-Rollin

Tu-Sat: 7am-7.30pm
Sun: 7am-1.30pm
Closed on Monday and in August.

Le Samouraï: Authentic Japanese food in Paris.

admin — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 23:20:47 +0000

Le Samouraï restaurant in Paris closes on the days the wholesale market Rungis is closed because they only want to serve fish that is fresh from the day. Located near the marché d’Aligre, Le Samouraï is the Japanese restaurant to eat at in the 12th arrondissement: the fish is super fresh and the sushis are made to order. The restaurant may be busy for lunch and rather quiet at night but in the kitchen they are always busy working: a lot of orders are placed to go and can be placed by phone up to an hour before the restaurant opens for dinner; most of the customers are neighborhood regulars and Japanese businesses. I particularly recommend the Suzakana salad and the scallop nigiri. Le Samouraï opened 18 years ago and it is still ran by the same owner and the same chef.

Le Samouraï
12 rue Emilio Castelar
75012 Paris
tel: 01.43.07.52.30
Metro: Ledru-Rollin, Gare de Lyon

Tu-Sat: 12pm-2.30pm / 7pm-10.30pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday

Le Bistrot Paul Bert: Traditional French cuisine in Paris.

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:58:34 +0000

Le Bistrot Paul Bert and its neighbor L’Ecailler du Bistrot are owned by the same family. Le Bistrot Paul Bert is the quintessential Parisian neighborhood restaurant. It serves traditional French cuisine—vegetarians might want to skip this place—with a penchant for meat served rare. They like it blue (that means very rare as in barely warm inside) but you can still order it your way. If you crave red meat and fries head for Le Paul Bert’s entrecôte-frites (rib steak and fries). This is a typical French bistro frequented by regulars as well as tourists — it’s been written about everywhere. It’s very lively and if you have a late dinner you might get to hear rowdy French people sing in English. I would highly recommend the decadently buttery Tarte Tatin or the sinfully creamy Paris-Brest (said to be one of the best in Paris) to finish on a happy note. The lunch and dinner menus are 34€ for an appetizer+main dish+dessert (or 21€ for a main dish only and an additional 8€ for an appetizer or a dessert), to choose from the regular menu, with a cheaper lunch option at 16,50€ for an appetizer+main dish+dessert (or 11€ for a main dish and an additional 4€ for an appetizer or a dessert), to choose from a smaller selection of dishes. These prices do not include beverages. Reservation is highly recommended; Le Bistrot Paul Bert is a very popular place.

Bistrot Paul Bert
18 Rue Paul Bert
75011 Paris
tel: 01.43.72.24.01
Metro: Faidherbe-Chaligny

Tu-Sat: 12pm-2pm / 7.30pm-11pm
Closed on Sunday, Monday and one month in summer.

Du Pain et Des Idées in Paris: A treasure of a bakery.

admin — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 22:11:26 +0000

It is true what they say, Christophe Vasseur’s caramelized apple tartelette is to die for. It is simply the best one I’ve had—it probably came out of the oven a little before I bought it because it was still warm and that only added to my one-of-a-kind experience of apple tartelette consumption. It’s funny how some very simple pleasures can change the course of your day. I think I will forever associate that part of the 10th arrondissement with Du Pain et Des Idées bakery.
Christophe Vasseur is passionate about his trade. At 30 years old he left the corporate world to become the renown baker that he is; he opened his bakery Du Pain et Des Idées in 2002 and was elected Meilleur Boulanger de Paris 2008 (Best Baker of Paris) by Gault & Millau.
At Du Pain et Des Idées all of the breads and pastries are made the most traditional way (here a baguette is made in seven hours as opposed to the average hour and half) and with the best ingredients (only fresh seasonal fruits are used for the pastries.) Three-Michelin-star chef Alain Passard says of Christophe Vasseur’s Le Pain des Amis that it is the best he’s had.

Du Pain et Des Idées
34 Rue Yves Toudic
75010 Paris
tel: 01.42.40.44.52
Metro: Jacques Bonsergent, République

M-F: 7am-8pm
Closed on Saturday, Sunday

Jacques Genin in Paris: The caramels, chocolates and pastries you don’t want to miss.

admin — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:50:28 +0000

There are the classic caramels, the famous ones au beurre salé (salty butter caramels) from Brittany and then there are the flavored ones such as the passion-mango caramels from Jacques Genin that are absolutely decadent and probably some of the best in the world—I weigh my words. Other flavors are: pistachio, almond, hazelnut, coffee, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, licorice… They are so soft and buttery you wonder how they manage to keep their shape and you tell yourself you can’t eat more than one but you can’t stop going back to them. His chocolates drive me nuts—oh! the caramelized almond Rochers, mmm the hazelnut pralinés! They are made with the finest ingredients, the flavors are as delicate as the patterns drawn onto their perfectly square shape and their names are as playful as they are appetizing. And then there are Jacques Genin’s pastries: he has mastered the art of the classic French pastries (éclair, Paris-Brest, tarte au chocolat noir, mille-feuille…)
After years of working in his lab and selling his treats to high-end restaurants and hotels, Jacques Genin has finally opened his own shop/tea salon. It is located a few blocks away from the busy area of rue de Bretagne, its trendy cafés and popular shops.

Jacques Genin
133 Rue de Turenne
75003 Paris
tel: 01.45.77.29.01
Metro: Filles du Calvaire

Tu-Sun: 11am-7pm
Closed on Monday