The 5 best things I ate in Paris: November 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. 

This was a month of feasting. 

Two weeks of hosting duties meant that (after I had showed my guests every single one of my favorite places in Paris) I finally had the opportunity to knock a few items off my Paris restaurant bucket list. Also during those two weeks, my mom taught me how to make one of her homemade soups, which I have made and eaten for dinner every single night since she left. It’s that good.

Then there was the Salon du Chocolat in town, a giant chocolate exhibition…full of chocolate vendors…giving away free chocolate. Nothing I tried was life-changing, but there certainly were a few unique concoctions (I’m looking at you, chocolate soda).

Of course, November also means Thanksgiving.

I won’t include it on the list because I already wrote about it {here}, but just to recap, in case you didn’t read the post: My French bosses cooked me a fabulous turkey dinner. And my American friend made bacon-wrapped potatoes with homemade BBQ sauce and baked brie with cider jam and caramelized onions.

So for November the top three were easy to choose, but considering how many Paris establishments I dined in this month, numbers four and five were tough calls. Not the worst problem in the world to have, really.

1. Breizh Café

This place brings the best of Brittany to Paris: galettes, cider, and salted butter caramel. To attest to how much I loved this place, I ate here three times in ten days, and a total of four times this month (how I wish they had a loyalty card program). For galettes I’d recommend artichoke or mushroom; for crêpes the salted caramel — plain, to really savor the caramel — or chestnut. (For a proper write-up, see Ann Mah’s post on Breizh.)

Tip: If you arrive before 13:30 for lunch or 19:30 for dinner, you should be able to get a table without calling ahead. After that, they’re packed and turn away those without a reservation.

2. Café Constant

Raved about by every Paris foodie I’ve met, I finally had the chance to see what all the fuss was about when my mom was in town — and man is it ever well-deserved. The shrimp ravioli tasted like a fancy spring roll (that’s meant to be a compliment), but the crowning glory was the pumpkin velouté — served over walnuts and chestnuts, it had the most luxurious texture of anything I have ever tasted in my life. Even my mom was still talking about it days later, and she is not the gush-over-meals type.

Since it’s located just a couple blocks away from the Champs de Mars, if you’re sightseeing, Café Constant makes for the perfect post-Eiffel Tower meal.

 3. Les Cocottes

Another Christian Constant creation just a couple doors down from Café Constant, this place serves up hot casseroles in cast-iron Staub cocottes. My beef shoulder with potatoes was so tender it fell apart at the slightest touch, and the red wine sauce was so hearty I mopped up every last bit with my remaining bread. The starter was fab too — a tangy crayfish casserole with artichokes, arugula and white kidney beans — though far too small a portion for €9. (For better photos, see Sugared & Spiced’s review.)

 4. Charcuterie and cheese plate, Le Garde Robe

Located in the 17eme (although there’s also a branch in the 1eme), this tiny wine bar had a very cozy neighborhood feel, and the two women running the show definitely knew their wines, meats, and cheeses. I usually don’t care for charcuterie plates at bars — they all taste the same — but this mixed plate was fantastic. Judging by the ridiculously good looking dishes being brought out to the all-French clientele around me, their entrees and mains are worth trying too.

Cheeses clockwise from top left: Saint Maure (goat cheese), Trappe d’Échourgnac (apparently matured in walnut liqueur — a surprising flavor), Tomme De Brebis (tasted like a good cheddar), and Saint Nectaire (too mild for my taste).

Meats from top to bottom: Saucisson sec d’Ardechè, smoked filet mignon (AMAZING), pâté pur Porc d’Ardechè (tasted like really delicious meatloaf).

5. Tarte potiron + bleu d’Auvergne, Le Loir dans la Théière

I don’t like repeating restaurants on this series, and I already featured Le Loir dans la Théière previously for their epically-sized lemon meringue pies. But this pumpkin tarte topped with bleu cheese was too delicious (and pretty) not to include. You wouldn’t think that flavor combination works, but oh — it does.

Next month: It’s Christmas market season in Paris. Hot wine and hot cheeses are guaranteed.