The McDonalds on West 84th Street in Manhattan is still one of my favorite branches
The $6.00 McDouble Value meal is still one of my favorites
The Mc Arabia that I had in Abu Dhabi I still think should come to the States
I have to have two of these once a year to complete my fix on the Shamrock Shake
Our group outside the bakery enjoying the croissant.
The selection of bakery items, candies and sandwiches at Maison Thevenin.
I could not believe how fast the trip to Paris went. We were there for five days and then done and off to the next class in Prague. It was an informative and interesting trip and what a way to spend a week walking around one of the most exciting city’s in the world. It was an open air classroom for me.
All I know is that I had a productive week. My walking tour of the Gourmet Stores and Shops went by really well and I learned a lot from it. When we had the wrap up class on Friday afternoon, everyone complimented me on the tour and how much they enjoyed it. One of my classmates said it best, “It could have been a disaster with all the twists and turns but you made it fun.” I filled them full of candy, fruit ices and chocolate and paid for all the samples they ate so it was an engaging walk and not just “Here’s a store. It’s wonderful.” Altering the program did not make me happy but I understood and reworked it so that everyone benefited. I just had a collective sigh of relief when it was done and everyone liked it.
My last morning in Paris was wonderful. I did not have to get up for a tour early and run around. I was already packed and ready for Prague and had checked out of my dorm. The rest of my class was staying on Saturday and had planned a picnic dinner on the Quad of the University of Paris for that night. Most of them were taking their free day off going shopping or going to the museums or exploring Paris on their own time. We were so busy that we did not have much free time for ourselves. Remember this was a class and not a vacation.
What I was bummed at is that I never got to explore the Louvre and see the “Winged Venus” sculpture and Botechilli’s “The Birth of Venus” painting, which I have wanted to see since I was four years old. We did not have the museum in our agenda. I also did not get to see Le Nain Bleu, the Children’s toy store or Galeries Lafayette or Printemps Department Stores and barely scratched the surface at Bon Marche. For the next trip to Paris I figure. Those were things on my bucket list and I will have to come back. At least I know Paris really well now.
I got up late and walked around the campus by myself with a lot of quiet which I enjoyed. No 8:00am wake up calls and no running around. I ate breakfast on my own time and just relaxed.
The University of Paris campus in the mornings
There were not too many places open at that time and I did not want to eat at the residence hall cafeteria so I ventured outside and walked around the campus. With the help of Google Maps (I am turning into a Gen Z now) and my What’s App on Paris, I was ready to go.
The University of Paris in the mornings is so quiet
Our group shot from the day before on the University of Paris campus
What was nice was there was a branch of Bakery Thevenin two blocks from campus so I could go there for those incredible croissant. I walked over to bakery which was only three blocks away and got to finally have the time to explore the neighborhood. The University of Paris was right on the border of Left Bank of Paris and was a unique, racially diverse neighborhood that you could see was starting to gentrify. It was a mix of students, middle class families, immigrants and business people all vying for space. I thought it represented what cities all over the world are all about.
Bakery Thevenin at 14 Rue Daguerre had the same selection as their Saint Germain branch
My review on TripAdvisor:
I stopped at Bakery Thevenin at 14 Rue Daguerre and had breakfast. Even though it was a smaller branch of the one we went to on Wednesday, it had the same assortment and was just as mouthwatering. I don’t think that staff had seen an American with an appetite like mine for breakfast. I ordered a mini Quiche Lorraine, a Beignet filled with cream, a Croissant and a large Orange Juice. In my broken French I ordered the whole thing and they warmed the quiche for me. They guy who served it did not speak much English and was floored about how hungry I was that morning. I am like the English and I love a good breakfast.
I ate it outside and got to finally enjoy a quiet breakfast on my own. I sat at the little cafe table they set up outside and watch the neighborhood come to life. What really got to me was that I never had the time to explore the neighborhood because the second I got to Paris, I got off the plane, got to the dorm and it was run, run, run, run and run (see My Walk in Paris-Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Six: https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/32933). It was so nice to just sit back and enjoy the moment.
Did I enjoy the breakfast! The croissant here is truly the best in Paris and it was a pleasure to eat them again and not have to stand up. I really dug in. I don’t think a group of French people saw an American eat so much, so fast and really enjoy it. I was in high heaven as I love breakfast so much and this was such good quality and such a great assortment of baked items. The woman who waited on me so how happy I was and she had a smile on her face.
Me digging into breakfast. I was in heaven! Everything was delicious!
After breakfast was over, I got back to my dorm room, checked everyone one more time and checked out of my room. I had the security guard call me a cab and I handed in my key. I thanked him in my broken French and he continued to talk to me in French where I could pick up every third word. I guess he thought I knew more than I did.
My cab driver was an older, well dressed Frenchman who proceeded to grab my heavy luggage and throw it in the back of the taxi with gusto and we were on my way to the airport. This guy must have been doing this for years because he was amazing how we got to the airport so quickly and so professionally. When we arrived at Charles Laguelle Airport, he got me right to the gate and I was on my way. He even added in his own tip (those clever French!).
United Airlines arranged Business Class for the flight to Prague so I got through the airport really quickly and got to the gate. What was nice was we were in our own section and we had this amazing little bakery cafe at the airport where everything in the case looked amazing. I was ready to eat again but I did not want more in my stomach before a flight. I said goodbye to Paris and boarded my flight to Frankfurt, Germany and then onto Prague. We got there in record time and then I had a six hour layover.
The Frankfurt Airport looked brand new and was so well organized. I just had to go two gates over and I was at my gate. I was going to start working but I was now getting hungry again. I am not sure where my appetite was coming from but I think it was from finally relaxing. I did not want any more baked items or sandwiches because I had enough of them in Paris. I passed this small restaurant near my gate and thought everything coming to the tables looked good. I had the time and ate there. It was a great decision because I ate one of the best burgers I ever had in my life since Jeff’s Pirate’s Cove in Guam.
I ate at Goodman & Filippo, which is in Terminal A at the Frankfurt International Airport and I highly recommend it. The food, service and views of the grounds around the airport makes you feel that you are not even in an airport terminal. The whole meal was reasonable and delicious.
The Goodman & Filippo Restaurant in Terminal A is fantastic!
https://www.frankfurt-airport.com/en/locations/g/goodman-and-filippo/goodman-and-filippo.html
My review on TripAdvisor:
The food and service were great for an airport restaurant and I wish more restaurants were like this at Newark Airport. Everyone was so friendly and professional. I felt like I was in a three star restaurant on the way they treated me, speaking perfect German English ( the German’s speak better English than most Americans) and the meal came really quickly. I had a Bacon Cheeseburger with BBQ sauce, crisps (potato chips) and a tiny but flavorful side salad. I could not believe how good everything was for lunch and the quality of the food.
The Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger at Goodman & Filippo was excellent!
I later told the waiter who cooked everything because the burger was so good and everything including the pastas coming out of the kitchen looked wonderful. He pointed to this older German woman who looked stern and ran a strict kitchen. The kitchen looked immaculate and she looked no-nonsense with the staff. God could she cook! I would visit this airport again just to sample her pasta.
After lunch, I just sat at the terminal until 9:45pm when the flight to Prague was called and I got into Business Class again. This is when I met this jerk from Toronto who by mistake I sat in his window seat. Do you know that he had the gaul to say to me, “Are your in my seat. Do you know your on your way to Prague? Are you sure your in the right section?” I was about to tell the guy off but then I remembered all those videos of people on planes fighting and I just remained calm, acted like the gentleman I am and changed seats. I just said, “I thought I had the window seat” and changed seats without a fuss. When he knew that he didn’t get to me, he proceeded to talk to me the whole flight and would not shut up or stop bragging. I could not wait to land to get away form this jerk!
We got into Prague with no problems and since the airport was not that ibig, we got our luggage pretty quick and I ran as fast I could to the Prague Courtyard Hotel to get away from the jerk. What was nice about the hotel was that it was brand new and it was located between the two terminals.
The Marriott Courtyard Prague at Aviatická 1092/8
https://www.courtyardpragueairport.cz/
My review on TripAdvisor:
I walked over the Marriott Courtyard at the Airport for the evening. I could not check into my room at the dorms until the next morning and was lucky that this hotel was located between Terminal I and 2 at the airport. I needed a good night’s sleep after never getting any rest in Paris and never really getting over the jet lag.
I ‘slept like the dead’ that night and woke up completely refreshed knowing that I did not have to be anywhere until later that morning. The cab would not be picking me up until 11:00am and I could sleep in and relax and have some breakfast without rushing around.
The breakfast buffet at the hotel was really nice. It had the usual Marriott breakfast with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes and breads, cereals and yogurt. The thing was that it catered to a more International crowd so there was rice, miso and kimchi and most of the breakfast meats were not the Americanized ones but the European ones.
I relaxed for a bit and then it was time to get to the dorms and settle in. The shuttle service got there on time and we got off to the dorms. I did not know Prague at all in comparison to Paris on what to expect so when we got to the dorms, I was pleasantly surprised. The residence halls were located in an old historic Ham Factory building and that it was part of a complex that included shops, offices and a small cafe, Osada, that was terrific for breakfast. I felt like I landed in a hipster neighborhood.
The NYU Residence Hall is located in an historic Ham Factory building
You need to look at the beauty of the building
The detail work in the building
The founder of the Ham Factory, our new home from home, Josef Jerabek
I got to my room and settled in. The best part was that I had the whole room for myself. The room looked like a small studio with a view of the trees and the outside neighborhood. I swear I could live here it was so nice.
Cafe Osada and the courtyard just outside our residence hall room
Once I settled in I wanted to explore the neighborhood and discovered what a vibrant hipster neighborhood that NYU was located in. We had a great array of restaurants right around the block. We had a fantastic pizzeria, a great Vietnamese restaurant and innovative bakery just around the corner.
Isadore is a hipster Tapa bar and Coffee Shop
We also had an art gallery, a music bar and several great design shops just a block down. The graffiti art was amazing and I should known when later on our tour guide called this neighborhood the ‘Williamsburg’ of Prague. It did look like a former warehouse industrial district.
The inside of Isadore with its tables and paintings
The artwork was so creative
I talked with the RA for our hall, Eva and she gave me some great recommendations to eat. She recommended the Vietnamese restaurant around the corner for their glass rice noodles. I knew where I was eating that night. I had to get my laundry done, get my paper written and get some journal entries done so there was a lot to do first. That took up most of the afternoon and I was still jet lagged.
Pho C & A at Osadní 642/23, 170 00 Praha 7-Holešovice
My review on TripAdvisor:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/11827258?m=19905
After I finally got all that done, I went for dinner. I tried Pho C & A, the restaurant that Eva suggested for dinner and settled outside for dinner. I had not eaten outside in a Vietnamese restaurant since I was in Vietnam in 2016. The food was excellent.
I had the Spring rolls that were excellent. The were full of ground pork and fresh vegetables and fried perfectly. I ordered for the main dish which was the Chicken Tempura with a curried cream sauce that was different from anything that I had before and was nice with the white rice. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
The delicious Chicken Tempura dish I had that evening
When I showed the owner my pictures for our social media site for the college (I also put them on TripAdvisor) and she seemed amused. She just laughed and tapped me on the should. I think she approved. Both her and her husband seemed to like the idea. It is just nice to enjoy good food while dining outside.
Their delicious Spring Rolls
After the nice dinner and all the laundry was done from the Paris class, I decided to walk around the neighborhood that would be my home for the next week. What I discovered was interesting restaurants, hip coffee shops and bars, interesting artwork and pocket parks. There was a lot in this neighborhood to attract college students and tourists alike. You can tell there is an edginess to the neighborhood catering to musicians, artists and college students.
Interesting names of restaurants
Interesting Street Art
Community Art work
Graffiti Art
New uses for old buildings like this firehouse now a club and wine bar
Unique architecture proves what’s old is new again
This concept being put to creative use.
Before it got dark I got to walk around a very busy ‘pocket park’ around the corner from the campus which had a bar and small restaurant and a games are for kids. This is what makes a neighborhood. It would be fun to explore and try out other restaurants over the next week.
The pocket park on the edge of an edgier neighborhoods
It was an interesting and productive day and night and I was rested and ready to go on another busy week of classes in Prague. What adventures lie ahead.
We will see in the next week.
Me leading the Culinary Retail tour with a group shot in front of Lady Liberty in Le Jardin de Luxembourg Park on May 24th, 2023
Well today I lead my tour on the ‘Gourmet Retail Shops and Stores’ in the Saint Germain section of Paris on the Left Bank of the city. This is one of the best and unique shopping areas in Paris with all sorts of quaint and quirky independently owned and operated shops with some of the most innovative concepts that I have seen in a while. I really had to do my homework and learn this neighborhood online as best as I could considering that I had never been to Paris before. It took a lot of time to research these stores and see when they were open. I prayed to God every night that we would have perfect weather for the walking tour and my prayers were answered. It was a gorgeous clear and sunny day and the temperature hovered around 67 degrees. What a day to walk!
We started our day at the Cafe Cercle Luxembourg at 1 Rue Gay Lussac right on the northern section of the Le Jardin de Luxembourg and it had a beautiful view on the park. I had planned something else but was pleasantly surprised by the food and the service. When I asked my professor later on why he chose this place was because “the door was open and we walked inside.” It’s an interesting way to choose a restaurant.
Le Café Cercle Luxembourg at 1 Rue Gay Lussac
https://le-cercle-luxembourg.business.site/
My review on TripAdvisor:
The waiter was not prepared for twelve people to enter the dining room at once considering there was only three small tables in the restaurant but like all the French waiters I met on this trip handled it like a pro. They had an “English Formula” breakfast that consisted of Orange Juice, a Croissant, a Hot Beverage (I chose Hot Chocolate) and two fried eggs with ham. Even though the croissant were slightly better the day before, the breakfast was wonderful and it was a great way to start the tour. The waiter started to kid around with some of the women at the table and it was said by more than one person commented that they liked them speaking English with a French accent.
The inside of Cafe Cercle Luxembourg that morning
the entrance of Cafe Cercle Luxembourg
The start to the perfect “English Breakfast”
The Ham and Eggs were so good that morning
There is nothing like a great breakfast to start the day
After breakfast was over, we walked a few blocks and visited the Pantheon which was right around the corner from the restaurant. This was perfect because most of the stores did not open until 10:30am and it would give us a chance to see more of the city. The Pantheon is located in the center of the “Latin Quarter” of Paris atop the Montagne Sainte-Genevieve in the center of the Place du Pantheon (Wiki/Tour guide).
The Pantheon at the Place du Pantheon
https://www.paris-pantheon.fr/en
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panth%C3%A9on
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Pantheon has originally had been built as a church between 1758 and 1790 and was designed by architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot for King Louis XV of France. The king has hoped to dedicate the church to Saint Genevieve. With the outbreak of the French Revolution, the king did not live long enough to see its completion and over the years it had many uses. It is now used as a mausoleum and religious services. It is also a major tourist attraction (Wiki).
Entering the Pantheon
I was impressed by the architecture and by the statuary all over the building. This was a church that was meant to last the centuries which it has. I wonder if Louis XV ever realized what it’s future would be almost three hundred years in the future. In each of the corners, there are amazing details to the building. Since we had plenty of time, I just walked the entire building and enjoyed it.
The inside of the Pantheon
After we left the building, our professor explained the significance of the building in film as the steps were used in the film “Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen when Owen Wilson kept being picked up by the carriage. I had not even thought of that.
The ‘Midnight in Paris’ steps at the Pantheon
Then around the corner was the small park and restaurant used in the TV show “Emily in Paris”. I would not have known that since I have never seen the show. What I love about Paris so much is the small parks tucked into neighborhoods and the tiny restaurants and shops that dot them.
‘Emily in Paris’ Park: Place L’Estrapade
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_de_l%27Estrapade
https://www.unjourdeplusaparis.com/en/paris-insolite/histoire-place-de-lestrapade
You see this only in certain sections of New York City and like Paris, mostly the older sections. It was such a beautiful little park. Right across from the park where the restaurant is located where her chef boyfriend worked. It really is a great little neighborhood.
“Emily in Paris” Park: Place de L’Estrapade
“Emily in Paris” Restaurant: Ristorante Terra Nera
The review on TripAdvisor:
The “Emily in Paris” trailer-you will see these sites
It was then off to La Jardin du Luxembourg to start my “Culinary Gourmet Stops and Store” with my class. I was really nervous. I knew what I wanted to do and the stores and restaurants that I wanted to visit but my professor wanted me to change the tour and flip it so that we started the tour at the gardens and ended at Bon Marche Department Store instead of starting with Breakfast at Bon Marché’s Gourmet Department. I was scared because I had planned and rehearsed the locations that other day (we would get lost twice).
The entrance to the fountains at Le Jardin du Luxembourg
We started the walk in Le Jardin du Luxembourg, which to has to be the most beautiful park in Paris. It is a place that I would want to meet Audrey Hepburn for a stroll. It had been a former estate and palace that was now one of the most beautiful parks in central Paris.
La Jardin du Luxembourg at the Rue de Médicis
https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum-monument/71393/Jardin-du-Luxembourg
My review on TripAdvisor:
Situated on the border between Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter, the Luxembourg Gardens, inspired by the Boboli Gardens in Florence, were created upon the initiative of Queen Marie de Medici in 1612. The gardens, which cover 25 hectares of land, are split into French gardens and English gardens. Between the two, lies a geometric forest and a large pond (Paris Tourism Office).
I can not tell you how in awe at the beauty I was of this park. It was more gorgeous than the pictures I had seen online. The fountains and the statuary and then of course the beautiful palace that was in the middle of the park. This blew Central Park away in a heartbeat and I still consider it one of the most wonderful parks in the world.
The beauty of the park was seen that morning by the palace in the park
The park had such amazing places to take pictures
The park is where I had originally wanted to end the tour with a picnic lunch from two of the cafes I had researched online. This was now the starting point after the wonderful breakfast and the tour of the Pantheon and the “Emily in Paris” sites. It is great when things work out in the end because it left us plenty of time to relax in the park and take our time taking pictures. Everyone in my class was floored by the beauty of the park as well as I was that morning. The pictures online do not do the park justice.
Our starting point in the park that morning was the Statue of Liberty located at the west side of the park. This statue I found out later on in my research is a copy of the original that has since been moved to a museum because of its age and maintenance but the statue has stood in the park since the original was created back in the late 1800’s.
The copy of the original “Liberty Enlightening the World”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replicas_of_the_Statue_of_Liberty
This version of the statue was created for the Exposition Universelle of 1900 by sculptor Frederic Bartholdi of the original “Liberty Enlightening the World”-The Statue of Liberty. It was cast in 1889 and he then donated it to the Musee du Luxembourg. In 1906, the statue was placed outside the museum in the La Jardin du Luxembourg where it stood until 2011. In 2012, it was moved to the entrance hall of the Musee d’Orsay after it’s conservation and the statue we saw is a replica (Wiki).
This is where I wanted our group shot to be but we ended up having it at the beginning of the tour. With everyone in awe of the park and the beautiful weather on my side, I knew it would be a successful tour. I only got us lost twice (my Google Maps went down when my Internet service gave) but isn’t that the fun of a city like Paris? To get lost and see other wonderful things? It worked to my advantage as we were able to spend a bit more time at some stores and pass by others that had not been on the list. I learned a lot from the experience.
Our group shot at the Statue of Liberty in La Jardin du Luxembourg
After we left the park and all our picture taking, we started the door. The first time I took the wrong direction is when we left the park. They were landscaping the exit that I had planned right next to the statue and we had to go out of the southern entrance of the park. This is when we got lost for the first time. Google Maps was working fine and I got us on track immediately. We started the tour on the Rue de Fleurus with stops at Cafe Fleurus and Bread & Roses, two wonderful bakery/cafes right next to the park and two wonderful places to go to lunch.
Because it was so early, Cafe Fleurus was just opening up for a late breakfast/early lunch and we were able to take a peek inside this wonderful little cafe. This was one of the two places that I had suggested for lunch that afternoon for a picnic in the park. The food was highly rated on both TripAdvisor and Google and their pictures online were just amazing. The food looked so good and it was a small but very nice looking restaurant.
Cafe Fleurus at 2 Rue de Fleurus
https://www.facebook.com/fleuruscafe/
https://restaurantguru.com/Le-Fleurus-Paris-2
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Cafe was just getting really busy with people coming in for a late breakfast when we passed by so it was tough to get inside
The second bakery/cafe we stopped by that morning and my second suggestion for lunch for the original tour was Bread & Roses Cafe, another wonderful cafe just down the block from Cafe Fleurus. This delightful cafe was small also and is more for take out. This was another wonderful choice that had been recommended for planning a picnic in the park. I could see why with all the wonderful choices and the mouth watering pastries on display. There was a lot to choose from.
Bread & Roses Cafe at 7 Rue de Fleurus was also opening up for the day but their bakery section is opened early for takeout. Don’t miss their delicious pastries.
My review on TripAdvisor:
I led a quick tour inside the bakery section of the restaurant where the pastries were on full display. I was going to have the group stop but the bakery was getting really busy and I did not want to bug the staff with the lines that were there. Still it is place that I want to revisit again on my next trip to Paris.
The selection at Bread & Roses Cafe and the lines of people buying their delicious food
The selection at Bread & Roses. I was able to sneak a picture in of their savories in between the crowds.
The delicious bakery products were flying out of the store that morning they were so busy.
Even though we had just eaten breakfast and was still stuffed, I wanted to buy a few things here but I figured I would get back at another time. I will have to wait until that next trip to Paris to sample the delicious treats here. The sandwiches looked wonderful and their selection of beverages would have made the perfect lunch in the park.
We went on to our next and most popular location, Bakery Thévenin Saint Placide at 5 Rue Notre Dame des Champs, a excellent bakery at the corner of an intersection of Rue de Rennes and the Rue Notre Dame des Champs right off the Rue de Fleurs. It was a major intersection of many roads and the subway stop and came highly recommended on Google, TripAdvisor and the “Les Frenchies” videos as the “Best in Paris” for their croissants. I swear, no one was lying about that.
Bakery Thévenin Saint Placide at 5 Rue Notre Dame des Champs
My review on TripAdvisor:
When I talked about Bakery Thevenin Saint Placide (there was another branch closer to campus that I ate at the last day in Paris), I explained to everyone that these were voted the best croissant in Paris and that we had to try them. No one seemed to believe me so I said “If anyone wants to try them they are on me.” That got everyone into the store.
The inside of the Bakery Thevenin
I explained to the sales people at the bakery who we were and that we were NYU students on a Culinary Tour. I explained to the three women that I had read that they were the best croissant in Paris. She replied in perfect American English, “They are the best in the whole city. You have to try them.” I proceeded to buy seven of them for everyone who wanted to try them and then all three women started to talk to me in English about the bakery. The croissant (in both locations) were the best that I had when I was in Paris.
The wonderful selection of baked goods at Bakery Thevenin
Everything else in the case looked amazing as well including all the pastries and the sandwiches. One of the women in my group commented she wished we could have had breakfast there. I agreed and said we probably would have loved it. The staff was so excited that we came to visit.
To any doubters, they were the best croissant I ate in Paris!
From here I got us lost for the second time by walking up the Rue de Rennes instead of the Rue Saint Placide and then we had to double back. It is hard to control a crowd of eleven people some of whom are walking so fast ahead that they are missing most of the talk. Even Blaine did not have these problems even with the changes to his program but he did not have as many stops as I did.
L’Etoile du Berger at 56 Rue Saint Placide
My review on TripAdvisor:
We finally turned around and we walked up the Rue Saint Placide to make our next stop, the wonderful little pastry shop L’Etoile du Berger at 56 Rue Saint Placide. Since I had just filled everyone up with croissant at Bakery Thevenin, I just showed everyone the colorful pastries and the merchandising concepts of the pâtissiers’ of Paris. Each one of these unique shops beautifully displayed their products so nicely.
The beautifully displayed desserts at L’Etoile du Berger looked mouthwatering
Our next stop was supposed to be Le Cafe Pierre Herme but we had already had been to the other store the previous day and they were so rude to us, I just skipped it. We had already seen their concept anyway and tried the pastries in the other branch. There was nothing wrong with the pastries but the service. Oh God!
Cafe Pierre Herme Paris at 43 Rue Saint Placide we by passed
https://www.pierreherme.com/en/
My review on TripAdvisor:
I made another wrong turn and we missed La Maison du Mochi, a Asian rice inspired dessert concept but we were beginning to run a bit late and we did not want to double back to the store. Maybe the next time I am in Paris.
La Maison de Mochi at 39 Rue du Cherchi-Midi we missed because we were now on a time budget but their reputation was excellent online.
accueil
My review on TripAdvisor:
We continued up the road and stopped next at La Meringaie Cherche-Midi at 41 Rue de Cherchi-Midi and I stopped in to talk to the woman working at the counter. I again spoke in French to her asking her if we could come in and look around.
La Meringaie Cherchi-Midi at 41 Rue de Cherchi-Midi
She only spoke French and let us come in. A couple of people came in to look around and I bought a bag of merianges to take out of the store so that we could sample them. I knew it would be tough on her to help us. She looked like she appreciated the sale.
https://www.lameringaie.com/fr/
My review on TripAdvisor:
The meringues were packaged so beautifully and there was a variety to choose from. I got a bag with raspberry crystals on them and passed them out to everyone. The group seemed to enjoy them. We would finish munching on them on the boat ride later that afternoon.
The beautifully arranged candies and treats on the shelves of La Meringaie Cherchi-Midi
Our next stop at the end of the block was Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse, a high end chocolate shop created by famous French chef Alain Ducasse 47 Rue du Cherchi-Midi. This is an extremely tiny store and we were only able to go in a few at a time but the store could not have been nicer and more generous to us.
Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse at 47 Rue du Cherchi-Midi
https://www.lechocolat-alainducasse.com/fr/
My review on TripAdvisor:
I explained to the woman who was working the counter that we were a group of students from NYU and I had not even finished the sentence when she said in perfect English, “Please have everyone come in and try a sample of the chocolates.” What a nice invitation from her and everyone in the group stopped inside and she gave each person a sample cube of the chocolate, which was very generous of the store since one piece is so expensive. They have me as a customer now.
The beautiful display of product at Alain Ducasse
The mild chocolate sample that I tasted was smooth tasting and was delicious. Since everyone got a taste and more people walked in the door after us, she got busy with them and I decided to head to the next store. Still I was able to look over their displays and they treat their product like a jewel in a jewelry shop. With such care and refinement.
The wonderful products at the chocolate shop
After everyone left the store very content after the light snack, we walked to the next store Mille & Un to look at their beautiful displays.
My classmate, Blaine in front of Millet & Un at 32 Rue Saint Placide
https://restaurantguru.com/Mille-et-Un-Paris
My review on TripAdvisor:
The wonderful sandwiches and quiches at Mille & Un
The bakery products like the other stores in the area were very impressive and I could see by this point in the morning, my classmates were getting hungry for more than samples and stopped in to get some baked goods. When I walked in, I was really impressed by the selection of baked goods and the way the products were displayed. I had to hurry everyone along as we had to head to the next store. Everyone was walking out with bags of pastries when we visited the next spot.
The delicious baked goods at Mille & Un
Our next store just down the block was Fruttini by MO and had another wonderful visit. This one was rather strange and proved to me that the Parisians like to test you. I stopped in and the talked to the woman behind the counter. I explained to her in my broken French that I was leading a group of students from NYU on a Culinary Walking Tour and could we come into her shop for a visit. She explained that she did not speak much English and I in return explained the same thing but with French and continued to talk in French.
The fun little dessert shop Fruttini by MO at 24 Rue de Saint Placide
My review on TripAdvisor:
I asked people if they wanted to try a dessert on me and that I wanted to treat who ever wanted to try something for a snack. That in turn had the whole conversation in English from then on. She really tested me but she and her partner were the highlight of the visit. One of the owners who pretended to give me a hard time Marie-Laure Pollet and her partner in the business, Olivia Berdah could not have been nicer to everyone and joined us for dessert and pictures.
Owner Marie-Laure Pollet talking to our class and taking our orders for dessert
The beautiful display of fruit and ices at Fruttini by MO
We sampled the Passion Fruit ice, the Banana ice and the Strawberry Fruit ice and they were very cleverly scooped out of the fruit, mixed with the ingredients and then put back very carefully in the fruit shell and frozen and then put on display. It was very different from desserts that I had seen before. The quality and the amount of time these ladies put into their product is just amazing. The displays were so unique.
Where the magic happens at Fruttini by MO
Two of my classmates with co-owner Olivia Berdah after having the Banana Ice dessert
My professor and classmate Blaine sampling the delicious desserts
The co-owners Marie-Laure Pollet and Olivia Berdah could not have been nicer to us and more generous with their time. They were both the highlight of the tour and I could not have been more appreciate of their kindness.
We had such a great visit with the owners of the store!
The “Les Frenchies” video that the ladies were talking about when I visited on their store
After the great visit and enjoying our wonderful desserts with the owners of the store, it was time to go to the last two stores. Our next stop up the block was Maison Paries at 9 Rue Saint Placide and I knew at this point, I was starting to lose the class as they were tiring of seeing so many bakery and pastry shops and wanted to head off to their lunches and take a break.
Maison Pariès at 9 Rue Saint Placide
https://www.paries.fr/content/16-paris
My review on TripAdvisor:
So we made a quick visit of it and looked at the displays of the store. No one was in the front of the store to talk to so we just popped our heads in the store and went to the last store before we got to The Bon Marche.
The selection of candies at the store
The selection of baked goods at Maison Paries
The wonderful chocolates at Maison Paries
We were beginning to run low on time before we got to The Bon Marche for our tour of the Gourmet Department so we had to bypass our last stop, a wonderful little chocolate shop Les Chocolats Yves Thuriès at 3 Rue Saint Placide.
Chocolats Yves Thuriès at 3 Rue Saint Placide
My review on TripAdvisor:
Our last stop on the walking tour and one of my favorites that I had wanted to see for a long time was The Bon Marche, one of France’s leading department stores and home to one of the best gourmet grocery departments in the industry. La Grande Épicerie de Paris is the food hall at Bon Marche and was specially built to house the all the delicious foods and drinks in the department and on the upper floors all the houseware and decorative items of the store to complete your gourmet kitchen.
The Bon Marche: La Grande Épiceries de Paris
https://www.lagrandeepicerie.com/
My review on TripAdvisor:
This is where I ended the tour for the afternoon. The store was crazy with customers as lunch hour in Paris was in full swing and everyone was coming into the store to buy their lunch for takeout.
I just concentrated on the very front of the store and told my group of the history of the store and how the department store built this particular section of the store because the department had outgrown its original department in the main store. We just walked around the entrance and the bakery and part of the grocery department because I had seen that everyone had had enough of the bakeries, dessert places and chocolate shops and wanted to get on with their lunch as well. I told everyone that this was a wonderful place to eat and they were now on their own for an hour before our boat ride. Everyone scattered to do what they wanted. I went into the store to explore the department more and have my lunch. What an amazing store!
The Bon Marche is nothing like its American counterparts, who got rid of the gourmet departments back in the early 1990’s during the recession. Macy’s and Bloomingdales led the way with their departments starting in the early 1970’s when both stores were renovated and Dayton-Hudson and Marshall Fields also once upon a time had wonderful departments as well. All of this ended in the 1990-1995 recession which between the buyout of American Department Stores by Campeau and the money crunch, the stores closed down departments with marginal profits.
At European stores like Bon Marche, it is part of the culture. This is part of the city grocery shopping experience. This department is not all gourmet foods but fancy grocery items that can be used in everyday cooking. It is a place you can shop for the weeks groceries but you would have to spend a bit more plus it is great for the tourist. Once department was more picturesque than the other.
The Bon Marche Petit Cafe where we ended the tour is perfect for coffee
The Bon Marche Prepared Foods Department where I started to look around for lunch options
The Bon Marche Fruit and Vegetable Department is colorful and well-organized
The Bon Marche Meat Department has its own butchers working cutting the meat in front of you
The Bon Marche Grocery Department
The Pasta Department at Bon Marche is extensive
The Deli Department at Bon Marche where you can get sandwiches
The Bakery Department where I eyed lunch
The Bon Marche Bread Department
The other Prepared Foods Department
The Bon Marche Cheese Department
Buying my lunch at La Cuisine was a tough choice
I had seen Anton Dupont eating the Croque Monsieur in the “Les Frenchies” video and I had to have that for lunch. They also warmed it up for me as well.
“Les Frenchies” Best Sandwiches in the winter-My inspiration for the stop
I went to the Bon Marche Bakery Department for dessert
I wanted the St. Honoré dessert but the woman took so long to come over and help that I ran out of time. She insisted that I order it at the Cafe next door and I did not have time for it. Well for the next trip.
The “Les Frenchies” video that I saw when I returned from my Paris trip
After lunch was over, I met the others for the boat ride on the Seine River. I finally decompressed after lunch was over as my tour was finished. I thought that everyone had a nice time and we had a good experience. We walked a lot of neighborhoods and visited a lot of stores and met many great people. We also sampled a lot of good food. I was just surprised that more people did not eat at Bon Marche. Their loss!
We walked around the Saint Germaine section of the city to meet up with everyone else who were eating a small bistro a few blocks away. I could not understand why they would spend that much money on lunch.
We met everyone else at Les Deux Magots who were finishing lunch
https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Deux_Magots
The review on TripAdvisor:
After we met everyone else, we walked to the boat ride on the Seine River. I like everyone else was exhausted at this point with getting up every morning and running around. I was coming down from a big high and I was just wiped out.
The Seine River sightseeing cruise down and around the city. We all were ready to fall asleep
https://www.seine-river-cruises.com/
My review on TripAdvisor:
Literally we were all blacking out on the cruise. I could see everyone nodding off. I knew I almost fell asleep a few times. If we were all not so nervous about pickpockets, we would have fallen asleep. Either that or had there been chairs, the whole group would have dozed off and missed all the sites we had seen on land. Still, it is an experience to see all of this from the river.
The Seine River is really beautiful
After we got off the cruise, it was time to start the other group’s tour of the Cafes. I have to admit it was not much of a tour. It consisted of them getting a reservation at a restaurant and confirming it. We walked around the Seine River again and passed the Eiffel Tower where we took more pictures.
Me after my tour, lunch and the river cruise. I was less stressed and could enjoy the rest of my trip.
We toured around the Right Bank for the rest of the afternoon and then prepared for dinner which I was not that hungry. We just kept eating. Dinner that night was at a classic French Bistro, Bofinger which was at 7 Rue de la Bastille and had been around since the late 1800’s.
Bofinger at 7 Rue de la Bastille
https://www.bofingerparis.com/en/
My review on TripAdvisor:
The inside and downstairs of Bofinger
There seemed to be a bit of confusion on the reservation and we ended up having a large table upstairs. Our captain was terrific and spoke great English.
The restaurant starts the meal not with bread but with pretzels that shows it German roots
They had a wonderful Prix Fixe menu and I decided to have the Fish & Chips, which seems to be a big bistro item and I started my meal with Escargots, which I had not had in years and they were excellent. They were loaded with garlic and pesto inside and as the sauce.
The Escargot at Bofinger was excellent
Thank God there was plenty of bread to soak that up. The fish and chips were perfectly cooked and came with a large side of French Fries. For dessert, I had the Floating Islands, which are Meringues in a Vanilla sauce. Some of my counterparts did not get them and didn’t want to eat them. I thought they were good.
The whole meal was wonderful and we had such a good time. The Captain and the back waiters did a good job at our table and the restaurant was not kidding when they said it would fill up. The place was packed by 8:30pm. The Parisians really do eat late in the evening. The restaurant was still going strong when we left at 9:00pm.
I collapsed when we got back to the dorms. It was a long day but a productive one. I could not believe the weather had cooperated so well and we had such a good tour. I was proud of the fact that I led a tour of a city I did not know where I did not know where I was going and it worked out so well. Later when we had the class wrap up at the end of the week, everyone in my class told me how much they enjoyed it and with all the sampling of the items we tried. People were still talking about the desserts at Frutti by MO and the croissants at Bakery Thevenin. I thought they were amazing too.
God does answer our prayers when we ask nicely!
I am not going to lie to you. Jeg lag is a serious thing when you arrive in a location.
I was taking a course in “Culinary Tourism-How the Culinary Arts play a role in Tourism” for a week in Paris and it was like planning on going to the moon! I have never planned for a trip or watched to many videos to prepare for a trip. I watched every “Les Frenchie’s” YouTube video at least four times before I left and became an expert on getting back and forth from the airport. That and how to maneuver around the subway system.
We all had to arrive on our own time, so we were coming from each direction and arrived at different times of the day. I got in early in the morning on May 21st and then got to Charles LeGault Airport and then had to clear customs when I was half dead from no sleep on a six-hour flight. Actually, I felt pretty good until I stood in line for forty-five minutes and that’s when it hit me. I got a personality minus cab driver at the airport who did not say a word to me and just dropped me off at the University of Paris and then left (mine with me).
When I arrived, I thought we had to stop by security and these three French security guards at the college looked at me like I had just arrived from a foreign planet. One of them actually followed me to my dorm to be ‘sure I got there’. I must have looked strange with all my luggage, totally Jeg lagged and tired lugging those bags. At least check in to my dorm was seamless and I was able to get to my room and relax for a bit.
After I settled in and took a nap and a shower (the two things my father always said to do when you arrive at a destination to acclimate yourself to the time zone), we met for what was supposed to be a short walking tour of campus. It ended up my professor decided that we would take a tour of the Montmartre and we toured the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre and the Square Louise Michel. For dinner, he had tried this restaurant in a very touristy area around the church named Au Clarion des Chasseurs for a light dinner. He had been there many times and wanted us to try it. Thank God I took that nap!
We stopped at the Anvers subway stop and walked up to the square to visit the church. I thought I had arrived at a French version of 42nd Street with all the tee shirt shops and tiny little tourist restaurants. These streets were totally geared to foreign tourists with the “I love Paris” tee shirts, the vendors selling small souvenirs and water and the bracelet vendors who chased after you to put those stupid bracelets on you. I had seen enough videos online where I was watching for them and the scammer cabbies.
We started our walk up the hill at the Square Louise Michel, which was in full bloom in the late Spring. The park was packed with tourists and locals taking pictures, riding the merry go round and buying food. That late in the afternoon people were out and about enjoying the warm day.
The Basilique du Sacre-Coeur du Montmartre and the Sqaure Louis Michel in the front
https://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/
My review on TripAdvisor:
While the rest of my class took the tram up, I climbed the stairs passing dozens of tourists snapping shots of the church and the vendors who would not stop bugging me to buy things. It was interesting to see the French police walking around with machine guns and these guys running away quickly. I do not see this in Manhattan.
Walking up the Rue du Steinkerque past the touristy spots
One of the tiny restaurants on the Rue du Steinkerque that I admired.
The flowers and the lawn of the Square Louise Michel was so beautiful. All the flowers were in bloom at the same time (Paris seems to be a bit behind New York with the season) and people were out picnicking and talking on the lawn while enjoying the beautiful sunny day.
The gardens at the Square Louise Michel
https://www.paris.fr/lieux/square-louise-michel-1762
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Louise-Michel_(Paris)
My review on TripAdvisor:
Each set of stairs led to another level of the gardens and with each I got to set beautiful beds of flowers showing off their blossoms and the beautifully landscaped tiers of the gardens.
The gardens and lawns of the Square Louise Michel
The view from the top of the stairs by the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur was spectacular. You could see an amazing view of the city from this spot and really soak in how big Paris and its surrounding suburbs are in the borders of the city.
The views from the top of the stairs at Square Louise Michel are spectacular.
The fountains below the Basilique were beautiful and reminded me of some of the fountains in New York City that were created by Italian stone crafters during the late 1880’s. The stonework and the carvings were beautiful, and I took the time to admire them as I continued to walk up the steps.
The fountain at the Square Louise Michel
We walked through the Basilique du Sacre-Couer with its quiet elegance and many different dedications to the saints around the exterior of the pews. The church was a nice place to relax and contemplate a thought. People were inside praying, relaxing and taking tons of pictures which, we were asked not to take but everyone does it anyway. The is the power of cellphones today.
The Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montremarte at the top of the stairs
The detail work at the top of the church from below
I took my time and walked around the church, admiring the displays to the saints and relaxing myself in the pews. I was exhausted from the trip and could not believe that I was taking this tour when I was still jet lagged. Still, I carried on and figured that we would only be in Paris for five days and I wanted to see as much of the city as I could for this trip.
We walked around the church complex on the Rue du Mont Cenis and then down the Rue Norvins to a little restaurant cafe that my professor had been to many times. I thought it looked a little touristy, but the food and the service were wonderful, and we sat outside on this warm sunny night and the three of us with our professor enjoyed dinner and people watching.
Rue Novins with La Boheme Montremarte in the background in the Place du Tertre across from our restaurant
Another view of the Place du Tertre with the musicians in the background and the La Boheme Cafe to the right.
Since we were on a Culinary Tourism tour of the city for class, I kept snapping pictures of all the food, the service, the people and restaurant. I have really turned into one of those pictures obsessed tourists with a cell phone. I just could not believe how beautiful Paris is and how I underrated it in comparison to New York City. It is just as spectacular but in a different way. It is just older city but with just as many wonderful things to see and do.
We relaxed at the Au Clarion des Chasseurs Cafe and sat outside. It was fun to watch all the people walking by who seemed just as excited to be in Paris as we were that evening. It was a warm sunny evening and the perfect time to eat outside. I like the cafe culture of Paris where people take time to relax and enjoy their food and not seem rushed or have to be somewhere. I needed to sit because I could really feel the traveling catching up to me.
Our waitress spoke perfect English with a French accent and I could tell she was used to American tourists. We kept dinner light. My professor ordered for us, and we decided on a Meat & Cheese tray and a Salmon Pizza. I thought the food would be just okay in a spot like this, but the meal was wonderful, and it was just enough where I did not have a big meal in me before going to bed.
My professor with my classmates at dinner at Au Clarion des Chasseurs on the Rue Novins
The Place du Tertre was said to be a big artist hangout, but I mostly saw tourists walking by with cameras, people eating ice cream and crepes and typical French music being played by accordions as if on cue from a movie. I loved every minute of it. I am not as jaded as I thought I was and soaked it all in. It was just a place for people to gather and have a wonderful time and that’s what dinner was, just getting to know one another and the reasons why we took this class. Also to enjoy a good meal with people sharing an experience.
Our ‘light’ dinner of a Meat & Cheese tray stacked with different meats, cheese and pates and a Salmon Pizza with poached Salmon on top and the wonderful French bread.
The pizza that evening
The Salmon Pizza
Our Meat & Cheese tray which was more than enough food.
The wonderful French baguettes that our table seemed to inhale at dinner.
My meal I really enjoyed.
Part of my dinner: the wonderful Salmon Pizza and the Pate on the Baguette
After a wonderful relaxing dinner, we made our way back to the college for an early evening. I could feel the trip across the Atlantic Ocean catching up to me. After dodging an evening of pickpockets, wristband workers and vendors selling everything under the sun, it was time to go back to the room and just relax. Trying to go to bed was tough.
Just like at home, my window was right next to a highway so I get to hear traffic, ambulances and police cars and people walking around campus all night. Who says that home does not follow you around the world. It really dawned on me as I was walking down the steps at the Square Louise Michel.
I AM IN PARIS!!
mywalkinmanhattan 