I arrived in Paris yesterday afternoon and after getting situated in my apartment in the Marais, I set out to walk around and explore. I had zero plan, except I knew where I wanted to have dinner so I had a general direction that I was walking in.

 

I hadn’t had lunch because I was on the train but decided I would dive straight into macarons instead of anything actually substantial. As I was walking I came across Pain de Sucre, which was a place recommended to me for macarons, so naturally I had to go in. Mint was the flavor I was told was a must here, so I got one of those and a hazelnut. OMG – mint from Pain de Sucre has taken the lead! It tasted like it had fresh mint in it, in a way I’ve only experienced with the mint ice cream from The Meatball Shop in NYC. The cookie was perfect, the mint filling fantastic, and just a thin piece of chocolate rested on top of the filling. Divine! The hazelnut was a close second, but the mint was special.

As I walked around the Marais and got my bearings, I walked into galleries, christmas vintage pop ups, and other boutiques. I spotted a number of eateries that I will be going to this week, and basically just got a lay of the land.

As day turned into night I started to make my way east to the 11th, so that I could walk into 6 Paul Bert at 7:30, when they opened, in hopes that showing up early would ensure me a seat…and luckily that walk wasn’t for naught. I took a seat at the bar, and was actually seated next to another American, so I had a dinner companion of sorts for the night, which was fun. It’s also worth noting that I heard more English being spoken here, in one restaurant, than I’ve probably heard in one day anywhere else I’ve been this month. But anyway back to the food…

They do a set 4-course dinner, with choices for each course, for a really good price. I made my selections, got a glass of wine, and enjoyed the small plate of freshly sliced salami that they put in front of me. First up was a Sea Bream Carpaccio with a little bit of sea urchin, radish, and pomegranate juice. Wow! Second course was pork with a couple clams and fennel. Next up was the leg of lamb, off the bone, with clementines, chanterelles, pumpkin seeds, and almonds on top of a wedge (of sorts) of roasted squash. This dish was awesome, and quickly took me back to the first time I ever had lamb, which as I was eating I remembered was in Paris, with my grandparents when I was 11 or so. As I cut the fat away from my lamb chop I remember my grandpa telling me that lamb fat tasted really good and I should eat it…he was right, and I’ve been eating it ever since! Lastly, for dessert, I had the white chocolate yogurt cream with citrus sorbet, segments of orange and a financier. There was not a misstep here – each dish was seriously great and the plating so beautifully done. It was the perfect way to kick off my stay in Paris.

I walked all the way home, stuffed, and hoping to feel a little less full by the time I got home. Unsuccessful, I went to bed so that I’d be ready for a day packed full of museums in the morning. Slight change of plans, however, as I woke up to an unexpected email letting me know that L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon had confirmed my reservation for lunch that day. I had emailed asking for a reservation a few days ago, and there was radio silence, so I had almost forgotten that it was even on the table. But of course I was going to go – so I just reorganized my day around it. The only problem was that I was still full from last night’s meal. I decided I just wouldn’t eat until lunch in hopes that by then I would be hungry again :). And, luckily it worked!

Because of the location of the restaurant I decided I would start the day with the Rodin museum, followed by lunch and then Musee d’Orsay. I walked down from the Marais, passed the Louvre, walked through the Jardin des Tuileries, and then crossed the Seine to get to Rodin.

As I was getting close to the museum I had a strange moment of deja vu. Without realizing it I was walking up to the hotel I stayed at my first time in Paris, 22 years ago or so, with my grandparents. I wouldn’t have remembered the name, unprompted, if you paid me, but as I approached the hotel and saw its name on a sign overhead I remembered…it was crazy!!

I continued on to the Rodin museum, and this time was brought back to a seminar I took in college – an entire semester devoted to Rodin. I was reminded of not only how much I love his work, but also how much I enjoyed that class and all of the art history classes I took in college. I think this was my 4th time to the museum (last time was over 10 years ago though), and even though I knew exactly what I would find there today I was surprised by how new it all felt to me. Luckily I got to this museum before the rain sets in this week, so I was able to take my time in the garden and really enjoy.

 

I walked through St. Germain to get to lunch, and stumbled upon this crazy store housing a really fun exhibit. It turns out the store, Deyrolle, was actually in Midnight in Paris. It’s essentially a taxidermy shop, for lack of a better description. It looked as if it was an old-school natural history exhibit, with things in jars and behind glass, but then the exhibit is about fantastical creatures, like unicorns, etc. What an accidentally fun little stop to kill a few minutes before lunch!

Across the street was L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, my lunch destination. The interior of the restaurant is mostly taken up by an open kitchen with 2 different bars enveloping it. I was seated at the bar, ordered the tasting menu and a glass of champagne, and settled in for a nice, long meal.

First up was an amuse of Crab with thinly sliced daikon and radish. So fresh and so clean, delicious.

Next followed a series of 6 appetizer plates:

1) Caviar on a potato chip sitting on top of a piece of crispy-skinned salmon

2) A soup of sorts, made of chestnuts with bacon smoke, celery smoke and finely sliced black truffles. This was outstanding!

3) Scallop served on the shell, with celery foam, potato with lime zest, and white truffles. The potatoes tasted like key lime pie, I loved it.

4) Foie Gras with a hibiscus drizzle, and a slice of young potato. Hard for it not to be great.

5) Chicken & Leek Gyoza in an Asian-style broth. Not my favorite, I’m not going to lie. It was okay, but didn’t have as much flavor as the color on the plate suggested.

6) John Dory served with droplets of sweet citrus and almond mousse. Fish was cooked perfectly and I loved the citrus mousse.

The entree course was baby lamb chops with thyme. Everything on the plate was miniature.

Dessert was comprised of two dishes:

1)Pink Praline cream puff with a square of citrus gelee. YUM!

2)Chocolate Ganache, Mousse, and 3 other forms of chocolate, all in one dish. The gold ring is also chocolate, so you break it with your spoon and it falls into the bowl. A rich and delicious way to end the meal.

A truly memorable meal and afternoon experience!!

I decided to digest while walking through the d’Orsay. One of the best looking museums around, with an amazing collection. I loved walking through the halls of Toulouse-Latrecs and Monets – it’s surreal! I could’ve stayed up on the 5th floor, where the Impressionism works are, forever, but unfortunately the museum was beginning to close and they start with the top floor. I have a Paris museum pass for the week so I might have to go back again before I leave.

From there I was in need of a break, so I walked back across the river, through the woods (or the Tuileries) and up home to the Marais. What a full day – I couldn’t even eat dinner tonight…just 1 macaron (another of the chocolate passion variety, from Pain du sucre this time). That flavor really blows my mind!!

2 days, 2 great meals, 2 great museums…not a bad start!