June 25-26 Paris

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DAY 1

FLIGHT TO PARIS

It was my first time boarding the plane through the tarmac (instead of a walkway).


From my bird's eye view, I noticed that the layout of the land near Milan consists of cluster of houses surrounded by small fields for farming.


We also passed through the Alps, bordering Italy and Switzerland.


FIRST IMPRESSIONS
It felt like the New York of Europe, with the organized bustle.
In addition to the many expected bread and cheese shops, there were many bookstores.
Also, I was pleasantly surprised to see a large proportion of African and Middle Eastern food, especially Lebanese! The kebabs looked pretty good.

LUNCH
Quiche - looks like people here enjoy caramelization, but the eggs were not overcooked at all. I enjoyed the pungent Roquefort cheese in it too.


Brioche au sucre - there's literally a chunk of sugar in the middle of the bun. Could have been fermented for longer, but sugar helps to compensate for some of the lost flavor and texture.


MUSEE D'ORSAY


They're pretty proud of the Statue of Liberty around here.


We went there for the Impressionist paintings, but there was also lots of other interesting things.


It was cool to see artists experimenting with different ways to portray the same scene.


My favorite was the Gates of Hell. It was so cool to see how Rodin's figures can exhibit so much emotion.



HANGING OUT WITH KATE IN THE 5TH ARR / LATIN QUARTER

View from Kate's apartment

AU PETIT BISTROT - 89 RUE MOUFFETARD
  • Croustillant chevre et miel - phyllo wrapped goat cheese with honey
  • Gratin de moules - mussels with a velvety orange sauce (tomatoes, butter?)! My favorite of the night!
  • Soupe a l'oignon - French onion soup. Rich, beefy broth. 
  • Aile a raie - skate fish with capers. Buttery green beans! Mashed potatoes
  • Escalope de saumon - salmon
  • Condit de canard - duck confit. Relatively tender. Crispy potatoes!
  • Cotes du Rhone - red wine, semi dry, full bodied, aromatic at the end
AU PTIT GREC
We waited for an hour for crepes. Not sure why this place is special...it's famous? But Kate said I had to learn to give up the NY mindset of needing fast lines.

Dark chocolate and candied oranges
Just the right amount of sweetness, slightly numbing oranges

DAY 2
(Ignore that we fell into a tourist trap and got breakfast where they reheat frozen pastries. Place is named Paul.)

PERE LACHAISE
Making the pilgrimage to...

...visit Chopin's grave

GRAINE D'ARTISTE
  • Baguette! Fresh from the oven. Crunchy on the outside, chewy and hydrated on the inside. Not too much flavor though, a preferment would be nice ;)
  • Tarte fine aux pommes - apple tart. Some parts were (overly) caramelized. Light crispy crust.
  • Tartelette with pistachio cream and apricots - soft tart crust, dried apricots, toped with apricot jam / gelee sprinkled with pistachios. Not too much apricot flavor, but I like the fruitiness.
  • Financier framboise - light buttery almond cake (dyed green), raspberry jam added a tart bite
  • Eclair cafe - glaze has gelatin, decorated with chocolate molded into shape of coffee bean. What you might expect...
There's definitely lots more to see (including the Eiffel Tower lol). Two half days was definitely not enough. See you soon, Paris!














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