Le Marais by Mouth

In the course of researching restaurants in Paris, I found the blog Paris By Mouth that seemed to have good recommendations on the best places to eat in the city. I noticed that they also offered food walking tours of different areas of the city. I decided to splurge a bit and signed us up!

We were given instructions to come to a little bakery/cafe in the Marais at 10:00 am sharp. We decided to walk there from our hotel so it took about 30 minutes and it was lovely to see the city waking up on a Saturday morning. Once we arrived at the cafe, we met the other people in our group of 8. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, most of them were young couples like ourselves and all of the girls were celebrating their birthdays.

Our guide was an adorable American woman who moved to Paris about 10 years ago after a life long love affair with French food and wine. She took us to a variety of shops and eateries and explained in detail about the different foods and drinks that we were sampling. It was a delightful way to spend an afternoon getting to know the Marais and swapping tips with other food-obsessed travelers.

Below is an overview of the places we went, all of which are worth a visit:

Poilâne bakery at 38 rue Debelleyme, 75003
This bakery served delicious pan au chocolate and is world renown for their true-to-tradition way of preparing the bread. Be sure to order a cafe creme, because if you don't already know, cappuccinos don't exist in Paris! Well, actually...they might at Starbucks.

Jouannault cheese shop at 39 rue de Bretagne, 75003
This place was off the chain on a Saturday morning. We sampled various types of cheese, including a Roquefort, Brie with truffles and Comte. Our guide explained that Roquefort is literally aged in rocks and thats where it gets its name.

Caractère de Cochon at 42 rue Charlot 75003
A wonderful couple runs this shop and they had a great time telling us (in English) about where the different charcuterie comes from and why some countries have hard meats (Germany) and why others have lighter ones (Spain). It all has to do with the wind patterns and the way the meats are aged. Pretty interesting stuff.

Marché des Enfants Rouge
About half of the places we went to were located around this adorable market that I am sure I would shop at every weekend, if I lived in Paris. Its definitely worth checking out for the beautiful, fresh food and there are several places that you can stop to grab a bite to eat.

Goumanyat spice shop at 3 rue Charles-Francois Dupuis, 75003
If you are interested in taking home some souvenirs, this is the place to get them! This store is a cook's dream, stocked with every single spice or cooking additive you could imagine.

Jacques Genin chocolate shop at 133 rue de Turenne, 75003
This place is run by a very eccentric man who takes perfectionism to the extreme, so much so that he only serves his signature pastries once every 3 months. By some stroke of luck, we happened to be there on one of those days and got to try famous bicycle wheel (I forget how to say it in French) and it was amazing.  Even if its not one of the special pastry days, you still have to go to this place to try the amazing candies. I had a mango flavored carmel that changed. my. life.

Birthday in the Best City in the World, Paris!

After the TGV from Stuttgart delivered us to the heart of the 10th district at Paris Est in less than 3 hours, we were in celebration mode and ready to eat and drink our way through the City of Light.

We quickly stashed our bags in a locker and walked 20 minutes along the Quai to Restaurant Pierre Sang in Oberkampf. I had first read about this restaurant in an NYT article and was intrigued to see how Sang combined his South Korean heritage and his French upbringing in his cooking. The meal did not disappoint. For a mere 35 euro per person, we enjoyed a 5 course lunch (wine extra) that was inventive and delicious. The waiters changed it up a bit by presenting the food, letting us try it, then coming back to see if we could guess what it was. I don't want to toot my own horn, but I was pretty good at it. I was even able to identify the tripe course. Oh yeah, you should probably be willing to try anything when you go because its a tasting menu, meaning the chef presents what he pleases.

Although stuffed from lunch, we managed to find room for dinner at Bistrot Paul Bert. While generally recognized as one of the best Parisian bistros by almost every dining authority, we weren't particularly wowed by the experience. Sure, the steak was tasty and the sauce savory, but it seemed overhyped. Not to mention everyone in the restaurant was American. I guess we need to keep searching for our authentic Parisian bistro.

The next night was the eve of my 30th birthday so we decided to go all out. L'Ami Jean seemed like a fun place, they spoke English on the phone and accepted our reservation so that's about all we could ask for! Located in a residential part of the 7th, this restaurant was a little hole in the wall and barely noticeable from the street. Inside was a different story. The place was a non-stop whizz and whirl of waiters rushing around cracking jokes with the cooks in the back yelling and shouting instructions to each other. Guests were crammed practically on top of each other so a romantic evening was definitely out the window. However, we were seated next to a very friendly, food obsessed couple from Singapore, so we had a great time exchanging opinions on which restaurants and cafes have best food in the city.  We opted for the tasting menu and a bottle of red burgundy. Immediately we were presented with an appetizer of pate with rustic farm bread. We were served wonderful food over the course of the night but the highlight of the meal was the risotto with a squid ink sauce topped with shaved squid. I also loved the ride pudding with salted carmel for dessert.

For my birthday brunch, Kent found Un Dimanche a Paris in the heart of St. Germaine. Attached to a very famous chocolate atelier, we dined on baguettes with chocolate, smoked salmon omelets and assorted pastries, before packing up and catching the train back to Stuttgart.

When in Rome...

Here is a quick list of some of my favorite things in Rome:

Gelato! 

Gelateria del Teatro: This newly remodeled gelato place has unique and enticing flavors like prickly pear and cinnamon. They will also let you combine multiple flavors into one cup- amazing for those of us who can't make a decision when there are so many amazing options. The gelato is made on-site and you can see those dear Italians hard at work from the street thanks to a large window into the workspace. The next best thing about this place are the stairs that are directly outside the shop so you can sit, enjoy your gelato and watch people go by. Its on Via die Coronari, which is a wonderful street featuring boutiques, antique shops and cute cafes. 

View of Teatro from the street

Inside of Teatro

San Crispino: Located 2 streets back from the Trevi Fountain, this place is a haven among horribly touristy restaurants and stores. There's no seating and the place is very basic and unsuspecting but totally delicious. My personal favorite is the banana. Be sure to get a sample of your choice selection because some flavors can be creamy while others can be more ice-y. 

First gelato of the trip!

Gelateria dei Gracchi: This one is on my list for my next trip to Roma. Its a nice break if you are close to St. Peters and the Vatican. 

Drinks!

Le Cupole Bar at Grand Hotel De La Minerve: I love this place for so many reasons. First would be its location right off Piazza della Minerva, which features one of my favorite sculptures in Rome, Bernini's Elephant and Obelisk, and best loved churches, Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Second would be the amazing Art Deco decor inside the hotel and third (and favorite) is the incredible sweeping views of the city provided by the rooftop bar. 

Bernini's Elephant

Interior view of Santa Maria sopra Minerva

  

Drinks on the rooftop bar

View of St. Peters at sunset

Antico Caffe della Pace: I am obsessed with this cafe and this area. I'm not quite sure what the neighborhood is called but its in the centro storico and optimizes old school Italy. A few winding streets behind Piazza Navona, this section has tons of adorable cafes, restaurants and boutiques. This cafe is right in the heart of it. The building itself is covered in busy, green ivy and has several little tables set out front. The inside is decorated with beautiful, funky antiques and the waitresses are friendly hipsters. Its a wonderful place to take a break from sightseeing and enjoy the Italian pace of life. 

Enjoying a drink at Caffe della Pace

Bar del Fico: Located around the corner from Caffe della Pace, Bar del Fico is a funky cafe and restaurant with a decent amount of inside seating and free wifi. Warning: the website is NSFW but should be seen for sheer wonder. 

Tree lined streets in centro storico

Eat!

Da Francesco: Again located in the centro storico next to Bar del Fico, this restaurant is the epitome of an Italian eatery. Crazy, hectic, entertaining, a little rude but delicious. Get there early or be prepared for a bit of a wait. And don't expect your own spacious table, especially if you sit outside. You will be right on top of your neighbors but who cares if they are Italian and cool.

Sleep!

Hotel Fellini Inn: My friend and I stayed here for two nights last September and it was nice, clean and centrally located (only 2 or 3 blocks to San Crispino! and the Trevi Fountain). Its nothing out of this world but it suited our needs. They do offer a complimentary breakfast that was basic but had good coffee. It was a little tricky to find because I kept trying to ring the wrong door. I didn't walk far enough but I eventually figured it out. 

Trevi Fountain

See!

I guess if its your first time to Rome its important to see the Coloseum, St. Peters, the Sistine Chapel, the list could go on and on. I have a love/hate relationship with these places. On the one hand, they are amazing, incredibly important contributions to history and art and humanity, but you will be there with nothing but other Americans and foreign tourists, in line and waiting for most of it. So be sure to take your time walking from one destination to the next to wander down side streets, step into random stores, look in as many churches as possible, to see the most of Italy as possible. 

Enjoy your trip!

Wonderful fountain on Italian side street

More views of Rome at sunset

Luxembourg Road Trip

Driving through the countryside on our way to Luxembourg, we observed rolling hills, sweeping valleys, rows of crops and cows grazing in the fields. This landscape is pretty par for the course in Germany so when my friend Katie and I arrived in Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg, we were pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful, old city with grand, ornate buildings and cobblestone streets perched atop a massive cliff. Gone were the A-frame, half-timbered houses that the Germans so dearly love.

Only 4 hours away from Stuttgart, I was excited to explore Luxembourg because 1) I didn’t even realize it was a country until I met a boy from there while studying abroad and 2) despite the fact that the entire country is only the size of Rhode Island, it boasts the second highest GDP in the world and has roughly 500,000 residents.

As always our GPS had some difficultly navigating the car through the one way streets, many of which were blocked off due to construction, so after about 15 minutes of driving in circles, we located our hotel for the night.  Modern, clean, pet-friendly and decorated with modern art, Hotel Simoncini offered large rooms, unfortunately without the comfort of air conditioning, as is the trend in Europe. After dropping our bags off, we ventured out for dinner to Caves Gourmands, a French restaurant that was highly rated on TripAdvisor. We sat at a table outside and ordered off of the special menu that allowed us to pick an appetizer, entrée and dessert for a set price (one of my favorite French customs). I elected the fois gras terrine, lemon-caper sole and macaroon with berries while my friend ordered pork knuckle, chicken with chanterelles and ice cream with hot chocolate sauce. To drink, I ordered a glass of Chablis that the waiter promptly opened and poured for me. After a few bites of the amuse bouche and sips of the wine, the waiter returned to ask me how I liked the wine. I responded that it was good then he proceeded to tell me that the wine was actually undrinkable due to a rotted cork. This was slightly embarrassing since I hadn’t noticed the problem at all but he suggested a local Pinot Gris that I reluctantly accepted hoping another awkward situation would not occur. On the way back to the hotel we wandered around the town and discovered many hip restaurants and bars packed with patrons, which was surprising to see given it was a Tuesday night.

The next morning we woke up early and set off to explore the city. The first stop was the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin, originally constructed in 1613 in late Gothic style with Renaissance influence. It boasts bright stained glass windows in wonderful jewel tones and glimmering mosaics. The kind overseer even allowed us to bring in my friend’s dog so long as he was held.

From there, we wandered along the streets that bordered the Cliffside and overlooked the old town below. This path offered numerous photo ops. From there we found ourselves at the historic casemates, the city’s ancient military defense system. While the foundation of the casemates was originally constructed in the 10^th century, Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Holland and Prussia all took part in expanding the fortifications when each country had control of the city so that they grew to be over 23 km long. Today only 17 km of casemates remain and provide one of the top attractions in Luxembourg as tourists wander through the dark caves and peak their heads out of the holes that used to fit cannons and other weaponry.  While we only had time to see the casements, other tourist sites in Luxembourg City include the Neumunster Abbey and the modern art museum.

From there we drove about 10 minutes outside the city to the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial where more than 5,000 American soldiers were laid to rest, including General George Patton, Jr. White marble crosses and Jewish stars commemorated the heroic efforts of the allied forces as they strove to defeat Germany’s last major counteroffensive in December 1944 in what is famously remembered as the “Battle of the Bulge.”

 After another stop in the beautiful city of Trier, Germany, we headed back home to Stuttgart, just in time for rush hour traffic.  

Beyond Heineken

In Amsterdam while exploring the Red Light District (strictly for anthropological purposes) my friend Heather and I stumbled across a place that we didn't feel like total creeps hanging out at. That would be Brouwerij de Prael, a hip and fun oasis in the middle of a lot of sex and weed shops. You can take a tour of the brewery then head around the corner to their new bar/restaurant to sample some beers, all of which are named after Dutch singers. While Heineken and Amstel are definitely the most well known Dutch beers, its fun to try some other types of brews that are trying to different things.