European Holiday Part 3 – Perfect Ending in Paris

After our 3 days in Beaune we took the train to Paris for the last leg of our trip.
We stayed at the Hotel Universite in Saint-Germain, a nice contrast to our last time in Paris in the Marais.
Lucky enough to have visited Paris a few times in my life, this time was all about finding those unique, non-touristy experiences in the city, visiting old favorites while also exploring new neighborhoods.  We walked, we shopped, of course we ate, and managed to find a brocante street market full of fun goodies!  A perfect end to a perfect trip.  I’m already scheming my next trip!

Can’t believe a week later the bridge collapsed under the weight of all those locks!
We visited two vintage “brocantes” one at Porte Vanves, which occurs every Saturday and Sunday, and then we stumbled upon a seasonal brocante near Parc Monceau.  Lots of fun treasures for the finding!
Mr. and Mrs. Cookie

 

Total score!  The perfect vintage LV camera bag
Mom in her element!

All that shopping made us hungry, we paused in Parc Monceau for a perfect afternoon picnic and watched the Parisians take their exercise!  I was so happy to explore this new area, it was absolutely gorgeous!

A few food highlights……
Had to come back and visit my crepe guy at the Les Enfantes Rouge Market in the Marais!
Paris isn’t complete without macarons!  We stayed away from Laduree now that we have that in NY and sampled some local places with fun flavors, blackberry basil and chocolate fig included!
One of my favorite finds of the trip – so good we went there twice!  The tapas bar at L’Avant Comptoir.  Next door to the popular bistro, this standing room only bar has amazing tapas, great wines, and perhaps the best bread and butter of the trip, and that’s saying a lot!
Salty butter on the counter for sharing, spoon please!
A perfect glass of Pico chablis, savory citrus macaron with fois gras and salmon croquette.

Our first dinner in Paris was at Chez Dumonet, a spot I had read about last time but we didn’t make it to.  World renowned for their duck confit and Grand Mariner soufflé, I had to check it out this time around.  Mom used to make Grand Marnier soufflés at dinner parties in her 20s, we tried recreating it at Christmas but it was a bit of a flop so I couldn’t wait to try the real thing.  While the service was poor at best (trip advisor reviews are accurate) the food truly was amazing.

David Lebovitz mentioned Poilane as one of the best croissants in Paris, so I was happy to find that there was an outpost a short 5 minute walk from our hotel.  The croissants truly were amazing, light, flaky, and oh so buttery!

For Saturday night we originally had reservations at Bistro Paul Bert, I was dying for some steak frites and again according to DL this was the spot for some of the best, but we decided to stay close to home and stumbled upon Au Pied de Fouet.  With 3 locations throughout the city, the restaurant has been serving classic French dishes for over 150 years!  Alas they didn’t have frites with their entrecôte so I decided I couldn’t pass up another opportunity for duck confit, we also shared the steak tartar both with delicious crispy potatoes.  Reasonably priced, a gem of a find!

So crazy how it stays late until almost 10pm!
Not pictured was our last dinner at Semilla.  A farm to table concept with fresh takes on French classics and good, clean, food.  Honestly not my favorite and didn’t live up to the hype/reviews.  That being said, we had been eating and drinking for 10 days straight at that point so maybe I was a bit over-exerted!

A afternoon crepe for good measure in the Marais
We spent our last morning lingering over breakfast and the infamous hot chocolate at Angelina’s.  I’d like to start every day with a cup of that creamy goodness!

And that’s a wrap!  Now…..where to next??
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3 Comments

  1. xoxo June 29, 2014 at 3:30 pm

    More Burgandy? Champagne? Or South Africa???

  2. Shirly Dufek November 25, 2018 at 6:32 am

    Hiya, This is a lovely website, thank you for the detailed article. Have a fantatstic day.