The 5 best things I ate in Paris: Extended Edition

I found myself facing the most fabulous dilemma this summer: my job in Paris finished at the end of June, but my job in Italy didn’t start until September. (Really put the fun in funemployment, if you can imagine.) So how was I to ever pass all that time?

By eating. A lot.

Obviously.

In fact, I did little else but eat and drink for two months (and travel — sleep was a distant fourth). I discovered new favorites in Paris, revisited old ones; rediscovered old places that became new favorites.

So — adding in the fact that I now live in Italy and this will likely be one of the last of the (regular) “5 best things I ate: Paris” postings — I happily present the 5BTIA: Extended Leaving Paris Edition.

1. Cheese, ham, cheese, beer, cheese — 38 Saint Louis

38 Saint Louis, Paris by Expat Edna

I’ve always been a sucker for a good picnic, but this summer my habit kicked into overdrive (especially after I moved to Île Saint-Louis, which meant the Seine was less than 150 meters — literally a two-minute walk — from my door).

When I felt blue? Impromptu picnic at Parc de la Villete.
When I felt summery? Brought Belgian whites to Parc Buttes Chaumont.
When I wanted to bask in sunshine and funemployment? Picnic along the river.
When I felt like sitting on the couch drinking beer and listening to Daft Punk? Picnic on the coffee table.

So of course I frequented several shops in the area for picnic supplies, but my favorite of the lot happened to be just around the corner at 38 Saint Louis. We popped in once for chèvreand ended up walking out with two cheeses, freshly sliced ham, bread, and chilled bottles of Goudale, a tasty blonde from northern France.

More than ‘just another fromagerie’, 38 Saint Louis quickly became my one-stop picnic shop.  The young entrepreneurs who run this place are passionate about their cheese and only serve product that is ripe and at peak perfection; there’s a strong emphasis on quality here, and it shows. Definitely worth a visit, even outside picnic season.

2. Cocktails — Red House

Cocktails by Expat Edna

These are cocktails very similar to the ones you’ll find at Red House, though this is is not Red House, because I have the common sense not to ever bring out my DSLR on a night that involves Red House.

I still remember the first time I walked into Red House. It reminded me of my favorite dive bar in China, but with Tex-American flair, like the longhorn skull hanging above the bar and a slogan proclaiming themselves Home of the ne-goddamn-groni. It’s the rare Paris establishment where you can enjoy a classy cocktail while wearing chucks and ripped jeans and still feel totally at home.

It’s not obvious from first glance, but this place is quite popular amongst the Paris cocktail crowd for their impressive menu, run by competent bartenders who use fresh ingredients and actually know their stuff (a welcome change from bars with bored staff you hardly trust to open a bottle of Heineken, never mind mix a decent old-fashioned).

I find the more I love a place, the harder it is to describe it. So let me just put it this way: I pretty much lived here for two months. Joe, the owner, and his staff are some crazy cats — sort of like the laid-back, edgy guys in college I always wanted to befriend, but didn’t think I was cool enough to hang out with — and I loved heading here for brunch, happy hour, going-away parties, welcome-back parties, pre-dinner drinks, post-dinner drinks, nightcaps, and “it’s nearly 2 am let’s go close down the bar” drinks.

The cocktail board is always changing slightly, but a popular and solid staple is the Wild West Side (tequila, lime, cucumber and pepper).

3. Brunch — Emperor Norton

Emperor Norton Cronuts at Red House, Paris by Expat Edna

You may have seen Emperor Norton around Paris — run by Californian power duo Omid and Alannah, they’re the ones behind your banana bread at Loustic, hot dog buns at Glass, bourbon pecan sticky buns at Telescope, you get the idea. They’re all over the city and highly creative (their first brunch I attended featured kale-cannon, a play on the Irish colcannon), something most evident at their monthly brunches.

One of my favorite Emperor Norton creations is pictured above, from a Fourth of July brunch where I was joined by Ashley at Red House for bloody marys and these bastardized cronuts with a whisky cream filling. Because nothing rectifies the monster that is the cronut like a creamy boozy center.

While the brunches used to be held at Red House (because I didn’t spend enough time there already), I believe they’ve changed venues — best to follow them on Facebook or Twitter for updates on upcoming brunch, not to mention pretty pictures of the food they’re sending out into the Paris wilderness.

4. Hand-pulled noodles, cold dishes — Pâtes Vivantes

Pates Vivantes, Paris by Expat Edna

It pains me to think of all the times I walked past this place once I moved to Île St-Louis, all the times I’d searched Paris for decent and cheap Asian food, not knowing the answer sat literally five minutes across the river.

The handpulled noodles, both hot and cold, are pretty standard and run around ten euro — but their tofu with century egg and cucumber with jellyfish almost made me cry. One taste and I felt like I was back in Shanghai again; except you know, without the melamine and fake cooking oil.

Oh, plus ridiculously cheap carafes of decent house wine. Sold.

(Huge thanks to Niki and Jeff for taking me here.)

5. All the coffee — La Caféothèque

Cafeotheque, Paris by Expat Edna

Like Pâtes Vivantes, this one’s another ‘rediscovery’ for which I’m now kicking myself. I’d been to Caféothèque once before but for some reason it didn’t strike me as extraordinary — even though yes, I did appreciate that they roast and grind their own beans, and the resulting heavenly smell that wafts through its doors; and yes the décor is pretty sweet, with their four or five sitting rooms decorated so that each has a completely different feel to it.

But then I moved to the island, and decided to give it another try — and by give it another try, I really mean, “have coffee dates with friends there because it was the closest option and I’m lazy.”

And that’s when I discovered: this place is a godsend for Paris coffee. My mistake the first time around had been to order a latte — forget anything with milk in it, the beans here are so good that the best drinks are black (and especially iced).

I became so enamored with their menu of selections from around the world — especially the roasts from Guatemala — added to the cozy atmosphere perfect for chatting, that this became my go-to whenever someone asked to catch up…and even then I still hoped more friends would call me up so I could pay Caféothèque another visit.

6. Burger — Le Signal

Le Signal, Paris by Expat Edna

Um, how has no one thought of this before? It’s a hashbrown. On top of a burger. (A hashburg? Brownger?)

One day my friends Niki and Jeff had a brilliant idea to host a sushi brunch: you gather rice and seaweed plus breakfast foods (scrambled eggs, bacon, avocado, salmon, etc), invite your friends to roll their own sushi creations, then cut them up and serve with wine and mojitos. Next thing you know it’s nighttime and the sushi’s gone and you’re finishing off the whiskey and cognac and suddenly hungry again.

That’s when a burger at Le Signal was suggested, and it was the perfect meal for a casual evening out with good friends: flavorful, not too heavy, hitting all the right spots of burger satisfaction with the warm goodness of fried potatoes on top. Perfect with either wine or beer and a glorious find, even when you haven’t spent nine hours eating homemade sushi.

7. Ice Cream  Glaces Glazed

Glaces Glazed, Paris by Expat Edna

In the gelato world where you’ve got classic standbys like Pozzetto, Berthillon, Amorino, and Grom, Glaces Glazed are the French rock stars shaking things up, serving scoops out of their ice cream truck in inventive flavors like “Black Sugar Sex Magic” (chocolate, wasabi, ginger), “Pump Up the Volume” (mango and espelette pepper), and “Cococaine” (coconut sorbet and hyuganatsu).

I can’t be bothered to chase down food trucks but luckily they came to an event at La Cuisine Paris, where I indulged in the above: Black Sugar Sex Magic and Billie Jean – brousse and graines de pavot, otherwise known as the crazy yet surprisingly good combination of goat cheese and poppy seeds.

8. Reuben  Frenchie To Go

Reuben, Frenchie To Go, Paris by Expat Edna

Here’s my rundown: Frenchie restaurant? Don’t feel like reserving months in advance. Frenchie Bar à Vins? Gets a bit pricey, not to mention crowded (and slightly pretentious, if we’re being honest [victim of its own success, possibly?]).

I debated even putting this on the list, because I’m getting tired of reading about rue du Nil all the time, but I have to admit Frenchie To Go is a good solution: quality you’d expect from a Greg Marchand production, but cheaper (€12 for the above reuben) and with a much quicker turnaround time – making it easy to meet someone for breakfast or lunch, or grab takeaway and avoid the Frenchie crowds altogether.

Plus, they carry craft beers, and homemade ginger beer and pickles, which are really all I need for a good ol’ Anglo lunch.

FYI, don’t be deceived by the reuben — I thought it looked a bit small when it arrived, but I was struggling to finish it by the end. (More on FTG by Sugared & Spiced here.)

Don’t worry, this isn’t the end of 5BTIA: Paris — I’m headed back next weekend armed with a long list of places I’ve been wanting to try!

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57 Comments

  • Reply
    Mardi (eat. live. travel. write.)
    October 20, 2013 at 22:00

    A great list Edna – adding it to my neverending “to try in Paris” list :)

    • Reply
      edna
      October 20, 2013 at 23:09

      Thanks Mardi! Oh I have such a tortured relationshp with my ‘to try in Paris’ list, it’ll never end…better to have too many options than not enough though, right?

  • Reply
    Lauren @ roamingtheworld
    October 21, 2013 at 04:14

    You’ve come along way. I remember you were battling trying to “just like” and “appreciate” Paris and now you can’t get enough! Sounds like Paris is a never-ending paradise for eating, drinking and socializing!
    Enjoy your trip back!

    • Reply
      edna
      October 21, 2013 at 08:27

      I know! It’s all in the people — good friends make all the difference!

  • Reply
    Ashley of Ashley Abroad
    October 21, 2013 at 08:13

    Oh. Dear. God. We left Paris, why?

    • Reply
      edna
      October 21, 2013 at 08:28

      I know dude. I know.

  • Reply
    Kristen
    October 21, 2013 at 09:43

    Hey! Love the reco for the pulled noodles. I was just thinking the other day how I really wanted cold pulled noodles – and here we go. I probably would have just sent you an email anyways since you have all the best recos! Hope Dubai is fun!

    • Reply
      edna
      October 21, 2013 at 09:56

      Perfect! Glad I could help :) Hope things are well back in Paris!

  • Reply
    Louise
    October 21, 2013 at 09:58

    Yayyy you’re back! And that coffee looks incredible… *tootles off to go and make a much inferior version using instant coffee granules, sigh*. Miss you! x

    • Reply
      edna
      October 21, 2013 at 17:28

      Thanks Louise — miss you too! We should have a Paris reunion sometime x

      • Reply
        Louise
        October 22, 2013 at 17:19

        Ouiiii, j’suis d’accord! We’ve recently booked to go the first week in May (6-11th) if you can schedule that in. I’m also still researching coming to Italy!

        • Reply
          edna
          October 23, 2013 at 15:30

          Oh goodie! Not sure about May yet (I know I’ll be in Azerbaijan until May 2) but keep me updated!

  • Reply
    Jenna
    October 21, 2013 at 10:27

    I’m officially drooling. That rueben, those noodles, the picnics, the cocktails… I officially need to move my life to Paris. Pure foodie heaven!

    • Reply
      edna
      October 21, 2013 at 17:28

      I’d definitely recommend it ;)

  • Reply
    Ceri
    October 21, 2013 at 20:29

    I feel a bit like I’m dying when I read your food posts. My God, so much deliciousness. <3 I do plan to move myself to Paris in the future when I need to be closer to my family (as they get old) and god help my waistline. ;-)

    • Reply
      edna
      October 23, 2013 at 15:26

      Haha thanks Ceri — and don’t worry, you’ll walk it all off!

  • Reply
    Jessica of HolaYessica
    October 22, 2013 at 09:32

    That ice cream looks sooo good! I always forget not to read your food posts when I’m hungry…

    • Reply
      edna
      October 23, 2013 at 15:27

      Haha thanks Jessica, I’ll take that as a compliment!

  • Reply
    Jessica Wray
    October 22, 2013 at 09:59

    I´m going to get a “Paris piggy-bank” now, and put coins in it solely for another flight to Paris to eat at all these places.

    *cue stomach growl*

    • Reply
      edna
      October 23, 2013 at 15:28

      That’s probably a good idea — and keep a piggy bank for all the food you’re going to eat too!

  • Reply
    Calli
    October 22, 2013 at 20:57

    After visiting Paris last December, I left a bit saddened that I didn’t fall in love with it immediately – Thank-you for giving me a very long list of wonderful reasons to give the city another try! Gelato with a name like Black Sugar Sex Magic, how can you not? At the very least just to brag about it.
    Calli

    • Reply
      edna
      October 23, 2013 at 15:32

      Glad to hear it Calli — hope you get to give it another chance sometime!

  • Reply
    Amanda
    October 22, 2013 at 22:18

    All of that looks seriously amazing… I am secretly glad you are moving away from Paris as the wanderlust for that city multiplies by 1000000 every time I visit your blog!

    • Reply
      edna
      October 23, 2013 at 15:29

      ha! thanks Amanda :)

  • Reply
    Kerry
    October 23, 2013 at 13:27

    These all look great! I especially love the sound of that cocktail bar…I agree that a good set of bartenders is a rare and wonderful thing.

    • Reply
      edna
      October 23, 2013 at 15:32

      They make all the difference!

  • Reply
    Phil in France
    October 25, 2013 at 11:09

    Emperor Norton are at Rice & Fish every Sunday now! They have a killer breakfast burrito.

    Thank you for pointing out the burger from Le Signal, it looks awesome! One note though, hashbrown-topped burgers are a thing in many chain restaurants – Au Bureau has like three different versions – but this one definitely looks like the most well-executed version.

    And Glaces Glazed… I thought Ben & Jerry’s was expensive… but how the hell do those guys get away with charging 30 F-ING EUROS for TWO PINTS? I mean, really, that price is just insulting.

    • Reply
      edna
      October 25, 2013 at 14:28

      Thanks for the heads-up Phil! And I know, those prices…two scoops were enough for me, thanks.

  • Reply
    Nicole | The Wondernuts
    October 28, 2013 at 20:03

    That Reuben looks delicious! I would love to try that. =D

    • Reply
      edna
      November 1, 2013 at 08:58

      Hate to admit it but yeah, it’s good stuff.

  • Reply
    Heather
    November 1, 2013 at 02:12

    This all looks so good! I should really put one of these together for my last months in Shanghai but am afraid it will make me miss it too much!

    • Reply
      edna
      November 1, 2013 at 09:00

      I know what you mean, it’s tough. The only reason I can keep this going is because I have more trips planned back, I don’t think I could write it up otherwise.

  • Reply
    John
    November 3, 2013 at 16:10

    The foods are very attractive. I wish I can grab real one right now. I’m a food lover and I agree that Paris is one of the places where foods are really awesome. I wish you luck in your next job. Keep writing about your experiences!

    • Reply
      edna
      November 11, 2013 at 13:35

      Thanks John. Will do.

  • Reply
    Kaley
    November 6, 2013 at 16:39

    Catching up on my Feedly, and just to say: everything looks divine. That Reuben! Mmmm. Also, cheese, always cheese.

    • Reply
      edna
      November 11, 2013 at 13:35

      Thanks Kaley! And yes. Always cheese, goat cheese especially.

  • Reply
    Karisa
    November 11, 2013 at 09:57

    That Reuben looks UNBELIEVABLE!!! And now I’m hungry and I feel a strong desire to fly immediately to Paris!! <3

    • Reply
      edna
      November 11, 2013 at 13:56

      Me too man, me too…

  • Reply
    Alli Campbell
    November 11, 2013 at 12:16

    Yum! Now you’re making me miss Paris haha. And making me hungry. :)

    • Reply
      edna
      November 11, 2013 at 13:57

      Sorry Alli! :)

  • Reply
    Naomi
    November 11, 2013 at 12:51

    I’m craving Paris really bad now, although preferably with a better financial situation as I had previously!

    • Reply
      edna
      November 11, 2013 at 13:57

      That’s why picnics are so great in Paris – cheap and delightful!

  • Reply
    Agness
    November 12, 2013 at 06:54

    What a great culinary journey in Paris. Wow, all of these dishes look very delicious, but I would stick to noodles as I love craving them. I’m not the biggest fan of meat, so burgers would not meet up to my expectations but ice-cream mmmmm that would be nice to have some for a dessert.

    • Reply
      Edna
      November 27, 2013 at 14:39

      The noodles were such a great find, I crave them all the time too!

  • Reply
    Tom @ Waegook Tom
    November 12, 2013 at 22:05

    I know it’s winter and all, but I may have to return to Paris if only to scoff on the Black Sugar Sex Magic ice cream. I LOVE anything with wasabi. I had wasabi ice cream at a place called Sundaes and Cones in NYC and it was orgasmic. The Wild West Side cocktail sounds amazing, too. And cheese. CHEESE.

    • Reply
      Edna
      November 27, 2013 at 14:40

      Yes to all of the above.

  • Reply
    the lazy travelers
    November 19, 2013 at 14:29

    don’t mind me, just catching up about a month later. NEED MORE CRUNKNUTS. now.

    • Reply
      edna
      November 27, 2013 at 14:42

      You should have tried their maple bacon doughnut last week. Incredible.

  • Reply
    Alana - Paper Planes
    November 22, 2013 at 04:59

    I always click on these posts and then I always have to click away before finishing because seeing the food makes me crazy since I’m in Thailand…

    • Reply
      edna
      November 27, 2013 at 14:42

      I do the same on posts about Asian food. Let’s call it even. (what I’d do for pad thai…)

  • Reply
    Anna from The Blonde Banana
    November 25, 2013 at 02:42

    OMG this post just made me so hungry!! Love it.

    • Reply
      edna
      November 27, 2013 at 14:42

      Thanks Anna!

  • Reply
    Bethany ~ twoOregonians
    December 20, 2013 at 00:22

    Oh my, that cheese + ham + cheese + beer + cheese? YUM. Love it.

  • Reply
    PJ
    September 9, 2014 at 02:09

    Edna, Saw your older post about Segway Tours in Paris. We have several couples going in two weeks, and we were all set to do a tour…however, we now find out they operate RAIN or Shine. Concerns us a bit since we heard Segways are not great in rain. We are ages 62-74. Thinking about rain and tourists does not seem
    like a good mix. I just did a tour in Sonoma, Calif, and it was fabulous, then did one in Scottsdale, AZ that was a disaster….3 out of 4 people fell. Don’t want to be laying in the streets of Paris, plus your comment about the LONG tour makes sense. We stopped in Sonoma and got off the machine, we were gone for almost 4 hours, but broke up the tour. I would like your feedback about Segways in the rain, since once we book the tour, we go, no refunds!

  • Reply
    Life on the Move: October - Expat Edna
    November 9, 2014 at 17:00

    […] were subpar (but hey, not everywhere can be Red House). […]

  • Reply
    The 5 best things I ate in Paris: Spring 2015 - Expat Edna
    April 29, 2015 at 20:24

    […] by our favorite bartenders (Joe and Jen of Red House) as one of the best brunches in Paris […]

  • Reply
    taurusianfeminist.wordpress.com
    July 21, 2015 at 17:19

    Ohhhh! The white cheese

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