Ah… Paris… 🙂 Yum!
We didn’t research very much before we arrived in Paris and even though great food is not hard to find in this gastronomic city, I think we lucked out in our restaurant choices. We were never once disappointed with what Paris served to us.
This little place was close to where we stayed and a little off the main road. We were specifically looking for some sort of a duck dish and just French stuff in general. I’m not going to lie, knowing some French (both me and my sister) helped a lot when deciphering menus.
The owner of the restaurant seated us at one of only 4 tables inside the teeny but cozy restaurant. She was so nice to explain to us almost everything on the menu. Most importantly though, she was more than happy to recommend dishes for us. She asked if there was anything specific we were searching for (duck) and if we were brave to try something very French (oui oui!).
The “something very French” was this “Beef Tartar”. It’s raw beef… so I was SO EXCITED TO TRY IT. I’ve always wanted to try other kinds of raw meats (other than fish). I loved it.
Next goal: Horse meat.
Next was our duck dish, as requested. We had never seen this spaceship looking pocket of meat, and apparently it’s called a Pastilla, and after some research, I found out that it is a Moroccan and Algerian dish. It was new and surprisingly good, it’s so fun trying something new and trying to figure out what it is and how its made. It was basically delicious duck meat wrapped in some sort of dough and there was some potato chunks in there too.
Sardines… My sister loves sardines, so this was all hers. Personally, I don’t like them, but I tried one, and yep, still don’t like them.
Mmm now for dessert. We were all about trying new stuff that day, so when given the choices between strawberries or figs, we went with figs. Plus, my parents love figs (old people love figs…)
I was a little disappointed when we all dug in and found out that our dessert was warm. Maybe because it was a hot day, but nonetheless, the flavor of the cooked figs was so pure and sweet that I really enjoyed it.
We stepped into another restaurant solely because crème brĂ»lĂ©e was on the menu, but we were pleasantly surprised with all the other dishes (though not all “French” things) we ordered.
Have to get steak frites in France!
Mmm and the crunchy, creamy crème brûlée certainly did not disappoint.
Exploring the culinary culture of a city is a big part of the traveling experience for me. When I travel, I like to research news and magazine websites and blogs for recommended places to eat. There’s nothing worse than being hungry and frustrated trying to find a place to eat after a long day of sight seeing.
If you don’t have time to research ahead of time, I have some tips that might be able to help you avoid ending up in a tacky touristy restaurant.
Things to avoid:
1. The man or woman with the insincere smile, saying, “Hungry? Dinner? Pizza?” as you walk by, trying to lure you into the restaurant
2. A “tourist friendly” menu written in languages from all over the world
3. Restaurants nearby or right next to big tourist hot spots (museums or churches…) as they can be pricey
4. Old plastic menus that seem like they have never been changed
5. Generic furniture (tables, chairs, counters…) pieces
Look for:
1. “User review stickers” and awards from magazines, websites (ie. Yelp, Tripadvisor…)
2. A chalkboard menu, it might indicate that they frequently change their menu items according to what ingredients are in season or a chef that is capable of making a variety of dishes
3. People inside the restaurant (preferably those that look like locals)
4. Decor that has some character, shows that the owner actually cares about the restaurant
5. Set menu prices. Sometimes a ton of choices is not such a good thing; sometimes when the owner/chef limits their patrons to a few choices for a set price, it asks for the customers to trust that the portions will be enough, the food will taste good, and that the food will pair well with one another.
ARE-YOU-BEE-WHY 
