The Steak Place

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Throughout my travels in Europe, I’ve learned something about myself: I have really keen senses.

They transport me back to memories I’d forgotten – smelling trees like the Red Woods we used to visit when I lived in San Francisco, catching a whiff of my mom’s perfume on the bus, or biting into a piece of food that transports me back years ago.

My family first visited Paris when I was in the lower school, and though I remember loving it, the few specific memories I have come from pictures, including the Christmas card photo we took in front of the Arc de Triomphe.

When my sister’s friend came to town and treated us to a beautiful dinner at Le Relais de l’Entrecôte in the 8th arrondissement (the first one of the famous chain as my factual sister pointed out), I had one of these flashbacks. One bite in and I was transported to the memory of eating the meat with my family at least 10 years ago.

The waitress asks you how you like your steak cooked, scribbles it down on your paper tablecloth, and returns with a simple frisée salad with walnuts and the best vinaigrette you’ve ever tasted. Oh and baguette. Always baguette.

steak and fries

Then, you receive a plate of steak with fries, the perfect vehicle for the sauce which is so unbelievable that the recipe is still unknown to outsiders. It’s buttery, herby, creamy, saucey…the list goes on. By the last bite, you’re a bit full, but wish you had just one more bite.

Then comes 4 more pieces of steak and a refill on the fries. Heaven? Heaven.

If you can make room, get a bit of dessert. My pick was the profiteroles.

profiteroles

If you don’t mind being a bit spendy and like a good piece of steak, this place is definitely for you. Come hungry, but expect to stand outside in line for at least 30 mins (even on a Tuesday night).

Le Relais de l’Entrecôte
15 Rue Marbeuf, 8ème Arrondisement

Sunday, Monday, Happy Days

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It’s amazing what a bit of good weather will do for your mood. Any stress you feel is momentarily cast aside so you can enjoy a bit of time out in the fresh air soaking up some Vitamin D.

That’s why with the recent weather change in Paris, I’ve been having a hard time staying indoors with the three papers I have to write. As much as I usually put my schoolwork above everything else, it’s only 74 degrees in Paris every so often.

Here are some of my suggestions for what to do on a beautiful Paris day like what we had yesterday and are presumably having for the rest of the week. Enjoy, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Go out and enjoy the sunshine!

  • Paris has numerous parks and gardens – from the Luxembourg Gardens and the Tuileries to Monceau and Buttes Chaumont. You can wander endlessly, then linger in the grass with a picnic of cheese, bread, and wine. The only trouble you’ll run into is trying to find a patch of grass not already taken!
Luxembourg Gardens

Luxembourg Gardens

Parc Montsouris

Parc Montsouris

  • The Place des Vosges in the heart of the Marais (the Jewish quarter) is the perfect place to spend part of your day. After shopping in boutiques, stuffing your face with falafel, or just doing endless walking, the Place des Vosges is the perfect place to put up your feet and relax. It’s been around since Henry IV and Catherine di Medici; with a birthdate like that, it’s got to be worth your while!

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  • “Walks along the Seine” is more than just a lyric from “Our Last Summer” by Abba. Taking a walk along the famous river is the perfect way to spend the day with someone you can talk to for ages. And if you run out of space to walk and still have things to say? Swing around and walk back up the other side! It’s a great way to see numerous tourist spots, too! If you’re looking for something a bit less touristy and a bit more chill, try the Canal Saint Martin for a similar activity with a different vibe.
Seine

Pont des Arts across the Seine, looking onto the Louvre

  • Visit a local market! Paris is covered in open-air markets in all different neighborhoods. From the more famous ones to the ones just around your corner, these markets are a great way to pick up some groceries, talk to some real French artisans, and enjoy the weather.

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  • Lastly, if all you want to do is sit in one place but still enjoy the outside weather, you’re in luck. Sitting outside in Paris is not only a past-time but also a hobby; people watching, eating, drinking, laughing, what could be better?

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Skimming the Surface

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I always wish I was better informed. Really, I do. Ask me about pop culture? I can tell you about all of the hot celebrity break-ups/ hook-ups. Ask me about the gun control debate? Oh, hear that? The crickets?

It’s something I’ve tried to change about myself many times. But no matter how many times I set my homepage to the New York Times website or try to follow a current event in the news, I never seem to succeed. That is until Cupcakes and Cashmere showed me something that I am completely obsessed with.

The Skimm is a daily newsletter that summarizes some of the most important things going on in the world. It starts with a quote, recently from figures like Anthony Weiner and Chelsea Clinton, and then goes on to tell you “The Story” and “The Why” (the why being, “Why do I need to Skimm?”). After getting the basic idea of different stories, you can also follow a link to newspaper piece for more information.

The Skimm Screenshot

My favorite part of the email is the “Repeat after me.” They are clever (yet sometimes seemingly impossible) ways to introduce what you’ve learned into everyday conversation. One of my favorites from today? 

“What to say when the barista asks for your name… Anything but Clark Rockefeller. Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a German man who called himself by the Rockefeller name for years, was found guilty of murdering John Sohus, his landlady’s son…”

Cute anecdotes like these and many more are why I eagerly read the email every morning. Sign-up for The Skimm here. It’s one daily email you won’t go deleting from your inbox.

Tea Time in Paris

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British culture has always been a shared passion among my family members (see this post for more on my obsession with Downton Abbey and Jane Austen). When I did a Eurotrip with one of my best friends before our freshman year of college, our last stop was London. We went to a proper English tea, and it’s been something I’ve been trying to do in Paris.

Scone and strawberry jam

The weather in Paris has been particularly gross, and the grayer the sky gets, the more my energy level/ attitude are affected. In an effort to get myself out of the apartment for a while, I headed over to Pain et Chocolat, a quaint place I found on Lost in Cheeseland.

Scone and strawberry jam, Pain et Chocolat

There weren’t many people there around 3:00pm, which probably had something to do with the weather and with the awkward timing. But after turning off my phone, I happily sat on the banquette with a book, sipping on a café crème and indulging in a scone and some strawberry jam. It’s as close as I’ve gotten to a proper English tea in Paris, and it satisfied every craving while bettering my lackluster mood.

Coffee, Pain et ChocolatScone and strawberry jam, Pain et Chocolat

Pain et Chocolat around the corner from where I take my classes, but I had never crossed its path. It’s funny how we tend to take the same routes to the same places every day. This little treasure is definitely going to entice me to get myself lost or take the long way home.

Pain et Chocolat
16, avenue de la Motte-Picquet, 75007

Paris Geography Lesson

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The other day, my friend was super excited to share something with me: “Did you know that the last two digits in the Paris zip codes is the arrondissement?!” I laughed; of course I knew! That’s HOW I get around in Paris! But apparently, this was newfound information for many other of my friends.

As funny as I thought it was, I realized that there were probably many other things about geography in Paris I didn’t know about. I came home and did a little research. For anyone who has never had to fend for themselves in Paris, here are some basic/ interesting facts about the City of Light:

Paris Geography Lesson

Eggs in Purgatory

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I love tomato sauce (or “gravy” as my dad would correct me) many different ways, including but not limited to: tangy, cheesy, cherry tomatoey, spicy, chunky, smooth.

It’s is one of those things every Italian girl tries to master. It’s an essential in the kitchen. My mom would make a vat big enough to swim in every Sunday, and for the rest of the week, if we had nothing else to eat or just needed a little snack, it was there for us.

Hot antipasto

Flashback to hot antipasto baked in my mom’s tomato sauce at Christmas

So when my sister was running late and needed me to throw something together for dinner, she recommended I just made a pot of tomato sauce. Simple right? Confession: I’d never made it before. Why tamper with something my mom makes just so perfectly?

I loosely followed my sister’s recipe here, adding a can of tomato paste as per her additional instructions. I didn’t want to leave it there though. With a little extra dried basil, a splash of red wine, and a garlic clove, I made it my own.

It turned out deliciously. It was tangy, tomatoey, and just chunky enough (an immersion blender is key).

The next day, I made eggs in purgatory for lunch.

Runny egg + crunchy toast + creamy goat cheese + tangy sauce = bliss.

eggs in purgatory

eggs in purgatory

Imagination Rules The World

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Imagination rules the world.
-Napoleon Bonaparte

My architecture class is always surprising me. I had been to Invalides with some friends, but when I revisited with my class, it took on a totally different meaning. For example, I embarrassingly had no idea that Napoleon’s tomb was the Église Saint-Louis connected to the war museum.

Chapel Roof

Chapel Roof

The chapel was referred to by my professor as the most baroque building in Paris. Paris isn’t known for it’s extravagantly decorated buildings, and this building definitely strays from the pack. It’s gilding, marble, and detail all prove that it’s baroque.

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It’s the home to Napoleon’s tomb, a large wooden structure in a crater in the middle of its floor. It’s a huge tomb, which is pretty funny when thinking about Napoleon’s notoriously petit frame and the fact that he was cremated.

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Rumor has it, Napoleon requested that his tomb was placed lower than at the level of the spectators to ensure that people would always be bowing down to look at him.

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Interestingly, when Adolph Hitler came to Paris, he wanted to see the tomb of a man he so admired. He brought a mirror so that he could see the tomb without having to bow. However, he positioned the mirror in a way that caused his hat to fall off, consequently making him picking it up and “bowing.”

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Inundated with history, this chapel is a must see in Paris.

Passages

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After all of our Spring Break adventures – from Bologna to Berlin and to Prague – my friends and I have rekindled our love with Paris. We were doing so much exploring in other cities that we realized how little exploring we had done in our own city.

I have a huge list of things I need to do in Paris before I leave. On an overcast Saturday with not much to do, two friends and I went to the 2nd arrondissement to explore a new neighborhood.

We went to visit the “Passages” of the 2nd. These 19th-century commercial arcades were built when dark Paris lacked space for sidewalks. They are still bustling commercial areas that are perfectly hidden off of main boulevards. They remind me a lot of the Bologna arcades that line almost every sidewalk. They’re a perfect retreat from rainy Paris and are perfect for roaming.

Looking up

Looking up

A long passage

A long passage

Love old books

Love old books

Some antlers. Why not?

Some antlers. Why not?

El Guacamole

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My mom is a no-nonsense mom. You’re crying? There must be blood. You’re whining? You must be seriously mistaken unless you want to go sit in the car. You’re not eating what’s on your plate? You’ll eat it, and you’ll like it.

One thing that I think is super important to expose your children to at a young age is different kinds of food. When you go to a play-date, a cocktail party, or a work function, it is important to always find something to eat. When we were little, whether it was MacDonald’s, Chinese food, or Indian food, we always found something.

One of my favorites will always be Mexican (and Tex Mex – what can I say, I’m American).
El Guacamole in Paris satisfied every craving I was feeling for Mexican food. It’s a tiny taco bar that has only tacos and burritos. Three tacos and one Mexican beer was 14€, and in a city like Paris, that’s a steal. The staff was so friendly, and the food was exactly what I wanted. If you’re in the need for Mexican food in Paris, this is a must!

Madeline’s Menu:
-Entree of guacamole to share
-Caramelo (carne asada + cheese)
-Sincronizada (quesadilla + chorizo)
-Puerco en salsa verde (pork + tomatillo sauce)
-Corona (don’t forget to ask for a wedge of citron vert, or lime)

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El Guacamole
37 Rue Yves Toudic, 75010
(PS Thanks to Alex and her iPhone for the pictures!)

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Joyeuses Pâques

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Easter in France, like many religious holidays, is not as much about going to church as it is about spending time with loved ones and – of course – eating.

Everywhere you go in Paris, pastels, bunnies, and chickens greet you. Instead of pastel M&Ms, you can indulge in some mini egg-shaped Kinders.

Chocolate bunny

Chocolate bunny..sorry about your ears, Bud

Nest treats

Nest treats

My friends and I headed over to Stohrer (the home of the nests above) in the 2nd arrondissement for some wandering on the Rue Montorgueil a few days before Easter. Even with the entire street packed, it seemed that everybody in France came to this one bakery. With a line like that out the door and a date of establishment from the 18th century, you know this place has got to be good.

Stohrer's

Stohrer box

I heard about Stohrer from a link I found on Pinterest with the best sweets to try in Paris. It apparently has the best Puits d’Amour, or wells of love.

Delicately in their box

Delicately in their box

“Wells” are exactly what they are; when you break open their caramelized top crust, there is a well of cream waiting for you. The best way for me to describe this dessert, besides drool-worthily delicious, was that it’s like a mini crème brûlée with a flaky crust on the bottom. What could be so bad about that?

Stohrer Puit d'amour

Stohrer Puit d'amour

If you’re in the second arrondissement definitely pick up one of these treats. Oh, and don’t forget a flaky, dense, buttery croissant while you’re there.

Stohrer
51, Rue Montorgueil, 75002