Eating in Paris

After living in one place for 5 weeks, a girl is bound to have formed her favorite places to eat.

To satisfy your hunger in Paris, I recommend the following places:

Lili's Brownies Café

Where: On Rue du Dragon off of Rue du Four

What: A tiny café that has a soup du jour, sandwiches, an assortment of tea, and an extremely wide variety of cakes and desserts similar to American pastries. I've had a really delicious tomato bean soup, and an equally delicious spinach soup. I've also had a slice of banana nut bread and a slice of carrot cake bread. For each bread choice you have the option of frosting or not.

Be aware: They have no patience for a beginner in french. I've gone in their trying to speak french and they just stare at you and say "qoi?" Where most stores would either speak english or help you out by guessing what you want or relying on pointing, they just huff at you and wait. So in this rare case it's better to just speak english and apologize.

Photo Courtesy of: New York Times

L'As du Falafel

Where: Le Marais. 34 Rue des Rosiers. Metro St Paul.

What: BEST falafel I've ever had. And it's vegetarian! There is a process that you must know before you go. 1) Go inside and ask for "une falafel" at the register and pay the 5 euro. 2) Take the ticket she gives you and go wait in line outside. (When it's really crowded they'll have a guy out there and you can buy your ticket while waiting in line). 3) When you get to the window, hand over your ticket. 4) Watch the art form of packing a pita with hot falafel, diced veggies, eggplant, and sauce. 5) Feast.

Be aware: This place tends to have really long lines. Once I was there at the same time that a camera crew was interviewing half the staff.

Photo Courtesy of: Amorino.com

Amorino

Where: All over Paris.

What: Gelato. They have a ton of flavors and there is always a line because eating gelato from here is heaven. Recently some friends went to Italy and I couldn't get them to admit that gelato in italy was any better than gelato from Amorino. You can get a small but pick however many flavors you want to be included in that small. They'll just put a smaller amount of each flavor but fill your cup. If you order a cone, they'll shape the ice cream like a flower. (See above)

Be Aware: Of returning for gelato every day.

La Grande Epicerie

Where: Corner of Rue du Sèvres and Rue St-Placide

What: Gourmet grocery store. This store is below half of Le Bon Marché, a designer and très expensive mall. The store itself is beautiful. I always buy lunch from here because they have great pre-made food like at Marks & Spencers in the U.K. They have a counter for nuts, a counter for coffee, a counter for fish, a counter for meat, a counter for cheese, a counter for desserts, a counter for fresh bread products, and a counter for pre-made dinner food.

Be Aware: It can get very crowded before and after work hours. You may want to buy everything in the store and start cooking immediately. It can also get very pricey.

There are still a few food places on my list to visit, and I'll let you know how they are once I've tried them. I'm anxious to get a hot chocolate from Angelina's, which was featured on Oprah, but since it's 7 Euro for a cup of their world famous hot chocolate, I think I'll wait until Mom gets here and see if she'll take me and Morgan.