The 5 best things I ate in Paris: March 2013

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

Occasionally people will tell me, “I read your blog and can’t believe you eat so much.” And I’ll say, Really? I think I eat a proportionally acceptable amount of food needed by a person to survive, or at the very least, the average amount for someone living in Paris. But March was one of those months where I looked back on my photos and had to agree: I eat a lot. So if the next time you see me I’m rolling out the fat pants, here’s why:

Raclette

Raclette is cheese fondue. That you can melt at home. And eat with bacon (and other meats that are also delicious, though not as good as bacon). Let’s be honest, there’s no way this wasn’t going to be the best thing I ate all month. (Many thanks to Emily for letting us come over and showing us the ways of the home raclette machine.)

Comme à Lisbonne

The Portuguese egg tarts here are, as the name of the shop suggests, like they are in Lisbon. Not that I’ve been to Portugal, but the line out the door suggests it’s true — and said line also ensures you some extremely hot and fresh egg tarts due to them flying off the rack so quickly. Don’t forget to ask for cinnamon on top — it changes the flavor of the egg tart from wonderful to heavenly.

Le Petit Italien

The food here is solid, probably your standard Italian dishes (I wouldn’t know, I haven’t been to Italy either…I know, I know, I’m working on it) but the real reason Le Petit Italien is on the list is because of its memorably wonderful service. And the giant snifters of limoncello. The tiramisu and four-cheese ravioli aren’t bad, either. Basically, I would consider this a perfect date-night restaurant.

Carette

Look, after you’ve sat down to a table of 150 macarons and tested 25 different flavors from five different macaron houses, you have a pretty good idea of who has the best macarons in town. For me, Carette’s salted caramel won hands-down — and their other flavors weren’t far behind either. Ignore the peanut gallery who might say otherwise (like, “macarons on steroids“? Lies).

Un Dimanche à Paris

My one complaint about Un Dimanche à Paris is that the portion sizes are too small, especially for the price. But the salon space is beautiful (and huge!), the flavor combinations are innovative — especially their weekend eclairs — and the mint hot chocolate is a good rare find in Paris. I’d say go at least once for the ambience, and to wave hello at the patisserie interns in the open kitchen while you browse their large pastry case.