The 5 best things I ate in Paris: October 2012

In this series, I round up the five best things I ate in a particular city or country. Each month on the 15th, I feature a destination from my past travels; on the last day I recap the best of the month in Paris. 

Somehow, after returning from Azerbaijan, I became quite fond of life in Paris. I don’t know if it was the sudden change of weather (I love autumn) or feeling like I had a fresh start after spending four weeks in a country so different to France. Maybe it was just knowing I was going to see my fiancé soon after five months apart. Regardless, I took that energy and invested it in good food with good friends. It was a good month indeed.

1. Steak and frites, Le Relais de L’Entrecôte

It’s such a simple concept: a restaurant that only serves steak and frites. You sit down, the waitress asks how you’d like your steak, she writes your order down on the tablecloth, and that’s it. The fries are skinny and crisp, the sauce has hints of mustard and goes perfectly with the steak — and the best part is, after you’re finished with your first helping, they come around WITH SECONDS. Simple, delicious, done. A must do in Paris.
(Thanks to Lindsey for bringing me here.)

2. Laotian platter, Lao Lane Xang

A tiny but busy restaurant in the 13th, Lao Lane Xang is the place to go for Laotian, Thai, and Vietnamese food. After spontaneously deciding one night that we wanted to try Laotian cuisine, my friend Danielle and I came here and ordered a mixed platter of Laotian specialties and a plate of small rice cakes. I couldn’t tell you what specifically came in the mixed platter — there was a coconut curry, some warm meat jerky, and an incredibly spicy pickled vegetable section — but my favorite was the salty-and-sour beef that tasted a little bit like beef tartare, and looked like it might possibly have been made of tripe (not that it mattered, we demolished it all).

3. Pumpkin gelato, Pozzetto

Pozzetto, the Italian gelateria in the Marais, often features special flavors in addition to their usual offerings. Obviously with Halloween coming up, this month that special flavor was potiron, or pumpkin gelato. It was every bit as delicious as you’d expect from Pozzetto, especially when mixed with a large helping of stracciatella gelato. With November on the doorstep, I’m missing potiron already.

4. Cheesecake, Merci

It took me ten months to finally get to Merci, and now I’m kicking myself for it. This cheesecake is basically pure cream cheese. Like a tub of cream cheese got together with a stalk of vanilla bean and decided to rest on a bed of oats. That’s this cheesecake. (Plus the decor is old cinema, and the place is generally pretty cool. Thanks to Diane for finally introducing me to Merci — and blogging about it here.)

5. Pancake bavarois, Claus

The pancake bavarois pomme amandes (Bavarian pancake with apples and almonds) was a mouthful to order and the menu warned it would take at least fifteen minutes to prepare. It was mostly worth the wait, especially the crusted almond edges (at first I wished the portion had been bigger — but it actually surprisingly filled me up for lunch). It reminded me of kaiserschmarrn except in whole pancake form, and it will probably be perfect comfort food in the cold winter months ahead.

Next month: There will be a lot of chocolate involved…and hopefully a little turkey too.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

You Might Also Like...

21 Comments

  • Reply
    Susan
    November 1, 2012 at 14:51

    The tartare tasting stuff is laab/larb/laap/however-you-want-to-spell-it. At least that’s what the mound of meat at 7 o’clock on the Lao plate looks like. I miss it soooo much. Don’t worry about what it’s made of! Organ meats are in almost any sausage anyway!

    • Reply
      edna
      November 16, 2012 at 10:37

      Ahhh thanks good to know! I usually don’t eat meat but man that stuff was tasty.

  • Reply
    Jacki
    November 1, 2012 at 16:29

    And now I’m hungry!

    • Reply
      edna
      November 16, 2012 at 10:37

      I’ve been craving steak and frites every night since I discovered L’entrecote!

  • Reply
    Kristen @thekaleproject
    November 1, 2012 at 17:56

    woo hoo! love that the claus pancake made it! x

    • Reply
      edna
      November 16, 2012 at 10:37

      Claus in general was pretty cool, thanks for the suggestion!

  • Reply
    Daisy
    November 2, 2012 at 22:16

    Ah! Le Relais de l’entrecôte! So kitsch and so reliable! Love their frites!

    And it’s good to see some good ol’ American flavors like pumpkin make it to Paris :-)

    • Reply
      edna
      November 16, 2012 at 10:37

      Me too, Daisy. You have no idea. Me too.

  • Reply
    Ashley of Ashley Abroad
    November 6, 2012 at 10:28

    Oh wow, the steak and frites look delicious, like everything else. I think the first restaurant would be fun to try because I’m always craving Asian food in Paris, thanks for the tip!!

    • Reply
      edna
      November 16, 2012 at 10:39

      Me too…my mom came to visit last week and she taught me how to make one of her Chinese vegetable soups; I’ve had it every night since, I miss Asian food so much!

  • Reply
    Steph (@ 20 Years Hence)
    November 8, 2012 at 04:58

    Oh my goodness… this post is torture! We are having a blast here in the Philippines, but the food is not one of the strong points here and I pretty much want to stuff my face with everything you have featured here… likely in a single sitting. I cannot wait for the food of Paris, high prices or not! :D

    • Reply
      edna
      November 16, 2012 at 10:39

      Thanks Steph — when you guys get to Paris let me know, I know some cheap but just as tasty places to go!

  • Reply
    Emily in Chile
    November 8, 2012 at 15:11

    This all looks incredible! I want to go to Paris purely to eat everything…I can burn off the calories walking around sightseeing, right?

    • Reply
      edna
      November 16, 2012 at 10:40

      Oh, absolutely. I spent the last two and a half weeks sightseeing with my fiance/mom/friend; I ate a ridiculous amount of sweets and butter and carbs and still lost weight. Paris is good for tourists like that (not so much the expat who doesn’t exercise…)

  • Reply
    Jessica
    November 11, 2012 at 21:27

    Oh man, this all looks so amazing! Looks like a great month for eating. :)

    • Reply
      edna
      November 16, 2012 at 10:41

      Every month in Paris is a great month for eating :) Though yes, this last one was pretty good.

  • Reply
    Hannah
    November 12, 2012 at 23:22

    Pancake bavarois pommes amandes is on my list of things to eat next time I’m in Paris! I love this series, Edna. You do such a great job exploring the variety of food available in Paris. Have you been to Pink Flamingo, the pizza place in the Marais, yet? I have a fond memory of being mistaken for Quebecoise there. When the French group at the next table found out I was actually American, they were thrilled to be able to talk about the election (it was 2008). Anyway, Pink Flamingo offers a 10 cheese pizza which, yes, has camembert on it. It’s actually pretty good.

    • Reply
      edna
      November 16, 2012 at 10:42

      Thanks Hannah! I haven’t been to the Pink Flamingo but it’s on my list now. Camembert on pizza…so French.

  • Reply
    Julika
    November 15, 2012 at 20:47

    This all looks so incredibly delicious! I really, really want to have an apple pancake with pumpkin ice on top and cheesecake on the side right now! :)

    • Reply
      edna
      November 16, 2012 at 10:43

      Now that’s my kind of meal.

  • Reply
    The 5 best things I ate in Paris: February - Expat Edna
    March 1, 2013 at 01:44

    […] when I discovered L’Entrecôte or Breizh Café, for example, I immediately knew they’d be […]

Leave a Reply