mmm-yoso – Page 77

Where in the world are we?

December 2, 2022 mmm-yoso France, Travel

In case you're wondering where the Missus and I are. We're in the midst of a month long vacation…longer than we've ever taken before. So, of course we started with a couple of nights in our favorite city and started things off with coffee at our favorite "people watching cafe".

The weather was wonderful.

And we got to visit a place we'd had on our "list" for a while.

We had two dinners, the first was of the Michelin, prefix menu type.

The other….well, I think the photo says it all……

We then headed off by train to our next stop. An interesting city of contrasts. Founded in the Middle Ages, there are medieval streets snaking its way through out the old town.

Along with a wonderful main square.

One of the oldest universities in the world was founded here in 1220. And to this day a good amount of the population are students. So, there's also a very modern vibe to the city as well.

And some interesting architecture.

With a very relaxed, genial vibe throughout.

Our meals were quite varied here. Ranging from some pretty good and well-priced ethnic cuisine.

To fine dining.

Speaking of medieval cities. That was out next stop on our journey a city topped by a fortress that dates back to 100BC.

It was quite interesting.

Sadly, the top 4 restaurants I had on my list were closed. Apparently places close around this time because things slow down a bit. I never came across that in my research. On the positive side; there weren't very many tourists around and we found the locals to be a hoot!

And we obviously didn't starve.

And the region is known for a specific dish that I make at home, so the Missus was eager to see how my cooking matches up.

You couldn't beat the views here.

We then headed to the fourth largest city in this country. The city is known as "La Ville Rose" due to the local pink bricks which form many of the structures.

There's not much in the way of travel guides to this city; which we enjoyed.

Our hotel was located right on the main square where the Christmas Market was going on.

That's the view from our window!

Our location made getting to and from the train station a snap and we did a quick day trip to one of the outlying villages as well.

We had some nice meals, but due to timing and other things (no online reservations) we'll need to return to try some places. That said, we had some good meals.

And had some traditional dishes as well.

The city is not very touristy, at least in terms of Americans, a fact we really enjoyed. The place was quite lively with folks enjoying weekend and evening socializing, something that people here have made into an art form.

It did rain while we were here, but then, the evening after the rain we took an evening stroll, and it was beautiful.

And now, we're at our final destination….well sort of, as we have a short overnight stay planned. We're enjoying things and hope all is well with you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Paris (2022) – Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond

November 27, 2022 mmm-yoso France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

We'd had a pretty busy day. And then I got the notice that our flight time had changed to very early in the morning. I had reservations about getting up at 4am, then managing to get to CDG for our early flight. So, much like what I did on a previous visit, I went and booked a night at the Sheraton in CDG Terminal 2. We'd have dinner and what not, then vacate the apartment, heading to the airport via the RER arriving around 9pm or so.

While having our no-so-good dinner at Pirouette, we noticed another place in the square was doing some major business. I looked up the place; named Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond, in case you don't know, a Bouillon (like the broth) is traditionally a restaurant that serves traditional French meals, for good prices, that serves the working class. We think of it as kind of a "diner", but with definite French touches as most Bouillons have wonderful, traditional decor. In recent years the Bouillon has been making a comeback in Paris. I had been eager to check one out and here was the opportunity. Plus, Pharamond is open from noon to midnight daily; making a very non-Parisian dinner at 530pm a possibility. Plus, we'd beat all the dinner crowds.

We managed to just walk in a snag a table with no problem. We loved the decor of the place.

And lest you think it was only tourists eating that this hour; I present this gentleman.

He strolled in, took a table, knew all the staff, never needed a menu and they just brought him his dinner. There are many apartments in the area, so perhaps he lives in one of them?

We each ordered one entree and one plat.

The Missus started with the Terrine et Poulet (6,9 € – $7.25/US).

This as quite nice; tender, great balanced offal flavors with a hint of sweetness.

I got the Bone Marrow (6,5 € – $6.75/US)

Simply seasoned with sea salt, this was so buttery and beefy. It was heaven with the baguette.

Speaking of the bone marrow; one couple saw a gentleman and his friendly pooch having an apero at one of the outdoor tables. They asked and got permission for this 70 kilo (we asked) sweetheart to get his own "entree".

For Her plat, the Missus ordered the Andouilette Grillee – the grilled sausage (11,5 € – $12/US)

The sausage had a nice "snap" with a herby-garlicky flavor. The jus had just the right amount of salt for our taste and those mashed potatoes were quite nice.

I got the Beef Tartare (11,9 €, $12.40 US).

Man, this was much better than I expected. The beef, while perhaps chopped a bit more finely than I like was nicely chilled, with a clean finish, loved the ratio of capers and scallions to beef. But the most surprising thing were the frites, which were crisp outside and creamy inside.

Service was efficient and fast. Man, to think that this dinner with wine was around $45 US….and remember, this is France, where the 15% service fee is included (not added) in the pricing.

We'll definitely check out more Bouillons when we're wanting a more traditional French meal in Paris.

Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond
24 Rue de la Grande Truanderie
75001 Paris, France

After dinner we decided to take a nice stroll past all those familiar places.

Traveling has changed me a bit…..and for some reason France has as well. When walking past the Louvre I saw this Nona struggling to get up on one of the stone photo thingies outside the Louvre.

I'm not sure why; but I decided to "lend my shoulders" to the effort.

Which was a success and we all go a good laugh out of it.

I hope she made it down safely!

There's something about Paris that we love. We can't really put our collective fingers on it. It's vibrant, full of surprises, excellent food, and also there are those other moments.

I'm not sure where I read it; but the city still defines itself as a conglomerate of "villages"…..

And a beautiful one at that!

Ah Paris, we can't wait to return!

Thanks for stopping by!

Paris (2022) – Menkicchi Ramen

November 26, 2022 mmm-yoso France, Japanese Restaurants, Paris, France, Ramen, Travel

On our last day in Paris, we started the day by heading to our favorite cafe for people watching on Rue Montorgueil to start things out.

We love sitting here and watching the world go by.

Once we had completed our "Montorgueil ritual" we headed off to the 2nd and did some shopping. On the way we stopped by Galerie Vivienne, which I think is one of the most beautiful of the existing Covered Passages in Paris.

We did a bunch of shopping in the 2nd, but my credit card came out unscathed!

While heading back to the apartment on Rue des Petits Champs, the area I've heard folks call "Paris's Little Tokyo", the Missus was feeling like some ramen. I'm not sure what it is about Paris, but we enjoy grabbing a bowl of here once in a while. I'd heard about a newish shop that made their own noodles called Menkicchi nearby, so we headed down Rue Sainte-Anne and found the rather discreet shop.

This tiny shop would not be out of place in Japan. Oh, and the fragrances wafting in the air; it all seemed so right.

As we often do when getting ramen; we ordered a bowl, in this case the Shio Tonkotsu and a rice bowl, the Shisen Don.

The noodles were really good, doughy and chewy. The tamago was cold, but nicely cooked and marinated. The chashu was on the tough side and needed more flavor.

Speaking of needing more flavor; the tonkotsu broth was quite thin and not rich enough and the flavor very weak….another soup made with the "wave method" it seems.

The pork rice bowl was quite tasty and the rice was decently cooked as well.

The pork was nicely marinated and fairly tender. Good soy-sweetness.

I'm guessing the ramen here is all about the noodles. Speaking of all about the noodles. While we were eating, a younger, dapper Japanese gentleman entered the restaurant, he took the table next to us and fairly soon we knew he was a Japanese national. First, he ordered ramen along with a bowl of rice on the side. Second, when he started on his ramen…oohhhh the slurping! Such great memories of Japan. Then it must have suddenly struck him. No one else in the place was slurping. After all, this is Paris! You could just tell by how he raised his head that this was his "Toto, we're not in Kansas Kansai anymore moment!" I felt kinda bad for him. So, I decided to go for it and started slurping away. And he smiled and tucked in! The brotherhood of ramen, right? And all was good on Rue Sainte-Anne on this day!

Menkicchi
41 Rue Sainte-Anne
75001 Paris, France

Thanks for stopping by!

Paris (2022) – Edwart Chocolatier and Dinner at Le MaZenay

November 25, 2022 mmm-yoso Chocolate, France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

On the way back from lunch we passed this chocolate shop. We were given samples and the Missus ended up buying a variety of items.

This was Edwart Chocolatier and would end up being Her favorite chocolate shop during this trip.

Edwart Chocolatier
17 Rue Vieille-du-Temple
75004 Paris

So I'm certain we'll return the next time we're in Paris.

We then worked our way back to the apartment stopping at a few shops along the way. This was back in May so the days were fairly long.

We headed out for our dinner destination at bit early…the better to do some shopping you know. As we headed up Rue St Denis we came across a couple of women, probably in their 40's-50's, tons of make-up, dressed somewhat provocatively, just standing around. From which this short conversation arose….

Me: "Hmmm…..must be the remnants of the old Saint Denis" (It used to be the Red Light district but is now gentrified)
Missus: "No, way…maybe they are hairdressers taking a break"
Me: "But I see no salons around here…."
Missus: "Maybe they're taking a smoke break from work."
Me: "But none of them are smoking…"

Bless Her heart….

For dinner I had made reservations at Le MaZenay, a modernish bistro, located in the Marais.

The setting was quite simple and the service friendly.

As with how we typically order, we ended up getting 3 entrees and one plat, with a side.

The Missus really enjoyed the Ouef Confit.

The buttery, creamy egg yolk went so well with the petit pois, which brought a nice, mild sweetness to the dish. The sauce, made with creme fraiche was lighter than it looked and went well with the dish. The croutons added texture.

I got the Tartare de Veau and when it arrived totally drenched in sauce, I was a bit hesitant.

It was still a bit too much sauce, which was nicely flavored. The cut of the protein was to my liking, the meat was tender, and it was chilled well.

We enjoyed the rustic Chicken Liver Terrine.

The rustic terrine wasn't overly offal-ish, had a mild sweetness and went well with the cornichons. It had a pleasant texture and there seemed to be mashed potato in the terrine as well. This was a lot milder in flavor than we expected.

For the main, we chose one of the specials of the evening, the Skate Wing.

A very pleasant dish. The skate had been nicely prepared, buttery in texture, good black pepper, though perhaps a bit more salt would have helped. Very moist and tender. The accompanying veggies were fine and the caper butter sauce did well with the fish.

We also ordered the Pommes Dauphines which were excellent, crisp on the outside, light and fluffy inside.

This was a nice meal and like I mentioned earlier, the service was quite friendly. At the table next to us sat two women who seemed to be regulars, the chef and his wife, who runs the front of house came out to chat with them. The women were from London and arrived via the Eurostar. Something I'd like to do in the future!

Le MaZenay
46 Rue de Montmorency
75003 Paris, France

It was a nice evening and we took our time heading back to the apartment.

Tomorrow would be our last day in Paris before heading home and we wanted to make the best of it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 24, 2022 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

I just thought I'd take a moment to wish everyone a most joyous, safe, and happy Thanksgiving! Well, it's not quite a traditional Thanksgiving meal where we are.

There's so much to be thankful for these days. And every day there's something to appreciate. For instance, last night I found out that a train derailment meant that all trains out of the location we were at were cancelled…until Saturday at least! So, it meant we had to find a way to get to our next destination. After doing a bunch of searching….much of hampered by my poor language skills at our destination, I was able to book us a bus to our current location.

Anyway, we just wanted to express our thanks for your visits and comments all these years! And wish you the most wonderful Thanksgiving!

Paris (2022) – Chez Meunier (Rue Rambuteau), Musée Carnavalet, and L’As du Fallafel

November 19, 2022 mmm-yoso Bakery, Croissants, France, Israeli Food, Middle Eastern Restaurants/Cuisine, Paris, France, Travel

We had asked the owner of the AirBnb we were staying at for a croissant recommendation. He lived in the apartment part of the year, so I was interested in what he would choose. He told us that his regular spot was down Rue Rambuteau across Rue Beaubourg. An outpost of Chez Meunier.

Chez Meunier has several locations in Paris and this didn't look too promising, but I thought we should try it.

Chez Meunier
18 Rue Rambuteau
75003 Paris

After picking up the Croissant we headed to our destination for the morning heading down Rue des Francs Bourgeois. We passed this cafe, Le Voltigeur along the way. Notice anything interesting?

Notice all the Teddy Bears? Apparently, various cafes across Paris used these over-sized stuffed animals as tools for social distancing during the pandemic! And now they are just hanging around enjoying the fruits of their labor!

There was also some interesting street art along Rue des Francs Bourgeois as well.

As for our destination. I had read that the Musée Carnavalet had just reopened after renovations two months before our visit. The museum, which is dedicated to the history of Paris resides in two former mansions. And best of all; admission is free!

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As with many museums we've visited, we took our time. And heck, admission is free and we're sure to return to Paris and can always return.

We especially enjoyed the gallery of shop signs.

Some were pretty easy to figure out.

Others might keep you guessing. Guess the business of this sign.

According to the attached "sign" this was for a cheese maker and hung in the cheese district around Les Halles when it was Paris's central market!

We basically viewed the displays and rooms up to the 198th century and decided to leave the rest for a future visit.

The cafe area is also quite beautiful.

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We decided to get some coffee and got us a table in the courtyard.

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And had the croissant from Chez Meunier.

Which wasn't very good. Not enough butter, not light and flaky enough, and too doughy.

Oh well, at least the setting was great!

Musée Carnavalet
23 Rue de Sévigné
75003 Paris, France

Finishing our coffee we headed on out. We decided to grab something light for lunch and headed on over to Rue des Rosiers. The area around here is considered the Jewish Quarter of Paris and Rue des Rosier right before Rue Vieille-du-Temple is pedestrian only and is packed with Jewish/Kosher/Middle Eastern Restaurants. There's one place that is quite "famous" and always has a line. L'As du Fallafel. The line on this day wasn't as long as usual, So, we decided to actually try the fallafel sandwich.

The line moves quickly and it was a twenty minute wait.

The guys working here work hard and fast!

The fallafel sandwich looked quite good!

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We loved the tender and warm pita and all the tasty veggies. As for the fallafel, well, even though this was better than anything I've ever had in San Diego, I guess our trip to Israel has really spoiled us. The fallafel here were on the harder, drier side and the interior was grittier than we prefer.

Still, in spite of the wait, it made for a decent lunch. And that line stretched all the way down the block as we left.

L'As du Fallafel
34 Rue des Rosiers
75004 Paris, France

We're glad we tried it.

We had a bit of shopping to do before heading back to the apartment. We had dinner reservations and one more full day in Paris. Time just seems to go so quickly when we're visiting.

Paris (2022) – Musée d’Histoire de la Médecine, Au Petit Versailles du Marais, Dinner at Pirouette, and Some Revisits

November 18, 2022 mmm-yoso Cocktails, Desserts, European Restaurants, France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

After enjoying our croissant at Square Samuel-Paty, I took a look at the time. It was perfect; the museum we wanted to visit, The Musée d'Histoire de la Médecine would be opening in five minutes. We headed on over the two blocks to Paris Descartes University and was instantly confused. I quickly stepped into the local tabac shop and the really nice gentleman pointed me in the right direction. The museum is located on the second floor of the College of Surgery.

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The first floor features statues of well known practitioners of medicine. In fact, if you look at this painting…..

And then the accompanying "guide", you might recognize some names.

The building itself is quite impressive. It was build between 1769 and 1775 by Architect Jacques Gondouin and was the original location of the Medical School which was founded in 1803.

For us, the main focus was the collection of medical instruments. The museum is famous for having the bag and tools of François Carlo Antommarchi which was used for the autopsy of Napoleon Bonaparte.

I think I'll leave the verbiage here; you'll be able to figure out what all these medical instruments tools were used for. Some are fairly cringe worthy.

And while not quite as enjoyable as the Surgeons' Hall Museums in Edinburgh, this was an interesting stop.

And was well worth the 4 Euro entrance fee.

Musée de l'Histoire de la Médecine
12 Rue de l'École de Médecine
75006 Paris, France

This was back in May and it was a beautiful day.

On the way back to our accommodation, the Missus wanted to stop by what She called a "nice café" that She had enjoyed the previous day when I was taking the baguette class, so we headed on over to Au Petit Versailles du Marais. I cracked up when I saw the sign….

The Missus didn't understand why I cracked up. I told Het look at the sign, it says "Christian Vabret, Meilleur Ouvrier de France". She said "So….." And I had to explain "think of it this way, it's competition for the best in France in different categories." Once you win you hold the title for life. So you found the Boulangerie of a "master". And all by accident.

The Missus then told me; "I was wondering why all these tour groups were stopping by this place while I was enjoying my pastry and coffee…..it was so annoying!"

You gotta love it.

It's a lovely little shop with many temptations.

The Missus made Her selection and we both got coffee…..

And the Missus really enjoyed Her treat!

Au Petit Versailles du Marais
1 Rue Tiron
75004 Paris, France

We then headed back to the apartment for a nice little break. We decided to have dinner nearby. I had read some good reviews on Restaurant Pirouette which was basically a block from where we were staying, so we decided to see if we would be able to grab an early dinner there. Since it was fairly early, there were outdoor tables available.

**** Restaurant Pirouette has closed

We ordered 1 entree (appetizer) and 2 plats, starting with the Langoustine "Tempura" (18 €).

Notice the quotation marks around "tempura". This wasn't deep fried. It was also overcooked, chewy, and under-seasoned. The fennel did add a nice anise-crunch and textural contrast. The pesto rosso; sun dried tomato pesto, was pretty much sun dried tomato oil. Not very good.

The Missus got Razor Clams and Cockles (25€).

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The white wine sauce was nicely done, it had a nice, pleasant acidity. Unfortunately, there was a good amount of "grit" in this dish which made eating a bit unpleasant. The potatoes were really dry, though the razor clams were tender and sweet.

I got the Lamb Shank, Chard, and Thyme Jus (28€).

The lamb was super tough and there just wasn't enough of the thyme sauce to go around. The leaves of chard were basically uncooked.

Service was a mixed bag; the young lady working was wonderful, but it seemed that the gentleman working just wanted us out of the way.

This was the most disappointing meal of the trip.

Restaurant Pirouette
5 Rue Mondétour
75001 Paris, France

After dinner we took a short stroll, then headed back to the apartment to watch the sunset. We relaxed, caught up on emails and then decided to head on out for a nightcap. We had enjoyed our previous visits to Jefrey's on Rue Grenata. So, we headed there.

**** Jefrey's has closed

I don't know if Covid had really affected things, but the drinks tasted watered down and the service was not as welcoming as on our previous visits.

Jefrey's
14 Rue Saint Sauveur
75002 Paris France

Man, it was kinda sad, we were "oh-fer-two" on favorites of ours during this trip. We headed down Rue Tiquetonne on the way back to the apartment and came across a familiar site.

The Golden Promise Whisky Bar. When waiting for our table at ERH, we'd had a drink here. Hmmmm…..well, we decided to givre it a shot and this time, instead of drinking at the bar on street level, we headed downstairs to the bar. Which had almost a speakeasy like feel to it.

Not wanting to mess around with another cocktail, I just had a Yamazaki Single Malt, which was a nice end to the evening before calling it a night.

It was quite interesting as the other folks at the bar seemed like regulars.

Golden Promise Whisky Bar
11 Rue Tiquetonne
75002 Paris, France

Arriving back at the flat, we decided to get to sleep fairly early. But not before enjoying the sites from the window.

Pelicana Chicken (Balboa Avenue)

November 14, 2022 mmm-yoso Chains, Chicken Wings, Korean Restaurants

I noticed that Pelicana Chicken was opening in a post last month, the latest in the "KFC invasion" of the Kearny Mesa area. In fact, I think there are more places serving KFC than pho in the area these days! Then just a few weeks later, while running some errands, I noticed that Pelicana was in soft opening mode. So, the next time I had some late errands to run (Pelicana currently opens at noon), I decided to stop by and do a takeout order.

Pelicana 01

I parked and walked into the shop and was greeted in a very cheerful and smiling manner. I was told that the place had only been open for less than a week at this time. So even though the place opened at noon, it was empty.

Pelicana 02

I know prices like this are pretty much the norm these days, but the amounts on the menu still gave me pause.

Pelicana 03

I placed my order and was told 30 minutes. So I made a quick Nijiya run and returned. I waited another 5 minutes and my order was good to go. At least it wasn't sitting around, right.

I was wondering how the wings would hold up on the drive home, so I ordered the 9 piece Original Fried Wings ($15) and got the Original Sauce on the side which added another $1.50. It's free if you order it on the chicken.

Pelicana 04 Pelicana 04b The chicken held up quite well after the drive home. This batter is more of the "laquer" type and it was still quite crunchy. Not much seasoning though, so it really needs a sauce. The sauce came in a presealed container and was like a sweet (emphasis on "sweet") chili sauce that was kind of weak overall.

The Mul Kimchi was also provided in a presealed container.

Pelicana 05

This was not as crisp as I enjoy and much too sweet. Man, read that ingredient label. You know, sometimes I'd rather not know. It has sodium saccharin and aspartame, i.e. Equal®, and sugar (glucose) no wonder it's so sweet. Oh, and in case you didn't get your daily allowance of aspartame and want an extra one of these….well, that'll be $1.50.

Pelicana 06

I also considered getting the Sea Snail Salad, but really didn't want to pay another $24, so I just went with an order of fries ($6). As well as the wings held up on the drive home, the fries were a total fail.

Pelicana 07

You can tell by the color, these weren't fried enough. It was dry and they barely seasoned it at all.

Well, at least the chicken wings held up quite well.

A week later, I decided to give Pelicana another go. This time I decided to have the wings sauced and I figure I'd cover myself by ordering the "Crispy" Chicken Wings ($16) and went with the Soy Based Sauce. The young man working was awesome and efficient and I did the same Nijiya run. Timing was great as my order was approaching the counter as I walked into the restaurant.

These wings are more heavily battered.

Pelicana 08 Pelicana 09 The wings were somewhat unevenly battered, the pieces on the top were quite crunchy, but for some strange reason, even though I liked the fact this wasn't swimming in sauce, the bottom pieces had gone mushy. For some reason, the meat of the wings were drier as well. This soy based sauce was also too sweet for my taste.

Personally, I prefer the "original" prep to the "crispy", which is actually more "crunchy".

I'll chalk these visits up to the "soft opening" for now. Though the presentation, menu, and food has a definite corporate "feel", the folks working were very pleasant. We'll see what things are like in a couple of months.

Pelicana 10

Please read Soo's post here.

Pelicana Chicken
7767 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Sun – Thurs 12pm – Midnight
Fri – Sat 12pm – 1am

Sunday Sandwiches – A Revisit to Sandwich Emporium

November 13, 2022 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

After a recent roadtrip, I dropped my car off for a wash. I was a bit hungry, so I decided to drop by Sandwich Emporium and grab a bite while I waited for my vehicle. It had been a while since I last visited. The place is so close to home, I really should be dropping by more often. Especially since it was one of the places I first posted on way back in May of 2005 (it was post #3)! Having known the "twins" since then, I had even visited all their other now defunct locations as well.

Sandwich Emp Rev 01

Things have changed a bit since my last visit. There's now outdoor seating which I liked. This meant I could order my sandwich and have it outside on this nice, sunny day.

Sandwich Emp Rev 02

The interior looks much the same. The twins weren't present on this morning. I decided to go with one of my "usuals" here; the Spicy Julio ($10.79) It was ready in a jiffy. I took one of the tables outside and opened things up.

Sandwich Emp Rev 03

This was a bit messier than what I usually get and the bread a lot crustier. You can use this as a reference. As usual, I enjoyed the zip from the jalapenos and the interplay between the meaty roast beef (which I think they still make inhouse) and the creamy avocado. The bread actually did an admirable job holding up with all that sauce.

Sandwich Emp Rev 04

Because of the amount of spicy mayo on this, the tomatoes played an important role in keeping the richness at bay. The Pepper Jack cheese was fine, but I couldn't help but wonder, since this had more than enough spice, perhaps something milky, like Havarti might do well in this sandwich. Of course, it's typical to have thoughts like then when you've had a sandwich as many times as I've had this!

I did enjoy sitting outside in the sunlight, soaking up that vitamin D and the sandwich was fine, though I think I'll order it "easy on the mayo" next time. And of course, with my history with Sandwich Emporium they'll be a next time. Hopefully more sooner than later.

Sandwich Emp Rev 05

Sandwich Emporium
3054 1/2 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA

Sandwich Emp Rev 06

Paris (2022) – Matamata Coffee Bar, What’s Going with Notre Dame, Le Saint-Regis, and Still Our Favorite Croissant from La Maison d’Isabelle

November 12, 2022 mmm-yoso Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Croissants, France, Paris, France, Travel

On the morning after our previous evening's "carb-fest", we arose nice and refreshed. I had just planned for one place to visit during the day, so we could just kind of make things up as the day went by. The Missus wanted to try someplace different for this morning's coffee, so we headed over to Rue d'Argout right off of Rue Montmartre to Matamata Coffee Bar.

Man, all these boutique coffee places seemed to have popped up over the last couple of years. Anyway, the Missus ordered a pour over and I got a coffee and a scone to start my day.

The Missus thought the pour over here was a bit weaker than Motors. I enjoyed the scone. Service was quite nice.

Matamata Coffee Bar
58 Rue d'Argout
75002 Paris, France

It was a bright, sunny day and our destination for the day did not open until 2pm, so we could just do our Flânerie thing.

We stopped while crossing Pont au Change when we saw what looked like the police dive team either doing an exercise or perhaps actually searching for something?

We decided to swing by Notre Dame to see what was going on in terms of restoration and construction. Like so many, we were horrified to see and read about the fire at Notre Dame back in April of 2019.

I had read that Notre Dame is scheduled to reopen in 2024 and we were curious to see what work was going on.

Illustrations and photographs of the fire, damage, and restoration are posted on the boards surrounding the church.

And it's really difficult to determine what work is going on from where we stood.

We do hope that Notre Dame returns better than ever.

We walked the length of Île de la Cité and crossed over to Île Saint-Louis via Pont Saint-Louis. We were just here the previous day, but things seemed even more serene on the Wednesday.

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Check out this outdoor dining set-up! It's basically taking up a parking stall!
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We decided to take a break and grab one of the outside tables at Le Saint-Regis, which seemed to be a very popular café.

It was a great place to people and pooch watch as it was just steps from Pont Saint-Louis.

We could watch folks as they crossed back and forth, going about their daily business and routines.

The Cafe Allonge was quite good as well.

As was the service. I'm sure we'll be back to relax and people watch, possibly getting a breakfast as well. This café seemed quite popular.

Le Saint-Regis
6 Rue Jean du Bellay
75004 Paris, France

Bolstered by our caffeine fix, we crossed over to the 5th Arrondissement. We were still a bit early for our visit….so we decided to see how busy our favorite boulangerie for croissants was.

Must have been our lucky day, the line wasn't very long and unlike our previous visit, they weren't out of Croissant aux Buerre,

Things moved quickly and we were in and out in a flash.

La Maison d’Isabelle
47T Boulevard Saint-Germain
75005 Paris, France

Well, we decided to find a place to have our croissant. Close to our destination was a little park; Square Samuel-Paty.

This used to be named Square Paul Painlevé, but was renamed for teacher Samuel Paty who was murdered by an Islamic Terrorist in October of 2020.

It's a tiny park, but a nice peaceful green space, full of sculptures. We were surprised to see a copy of the Capitoline Wolf, which we had seen in Rome.

We had a seat on wall in the shade and opened up the croissant….it was every bit as good as we remembered.

Light and crisp exterior; fluffy interior, slightly moist, perfect amount of butter and salt for our taste. It's still our favorite here in Paris.

After our last disappointing visit to a old favorite of ours, we were glad that La Maison d’Isabelle still delivered. We smiled as we headed off to our destination for the day.

Thanks for stopping by!