*** Yet another condensed post of our trip in November, 2019
As we strolled thru Passage du Grand Cerf, it really looked like the Missus still wanted to explore. And so, by the time we hit Rue Bachaumont, where this pooch was having a great time fetching the Frisbee, I decided to make another stop.
We pass the Church of Saint Eustache on a daily basis when we're in the area and had never visited, so I thought this might be a good time to check it out. There was also something I wanted to see.
The church took a century to build, from 1532 – 1632 and contains one of the largest organs in France; the nave is humongous!
The interior of the church is quite grand and I'd read about the stained glass and had one set specifically in mind.
The church is located right next to Les Halles, which was Paris's central market for almost 800 years. So, of course they would be benefactors of the church. In fact the professional pork butchers association, the "Corporation des Charcutiers" has their own chapel. When was the last time you saw sausages and a pig in stained glass?
This sculpture by Raymond Mason commemorates the closing of Les Halles; it's titled "Le départ des fruits et légumes du coeur de Paris, le 28 février 1969" ("The departure of fruits and vegetables from the heart of Paris, February 28, 1969").
There's beautiful stained glass and some beautiful art work at Saint-Eustache; we'll definitely visit again one day…..hopefully.
The Missus really enjoyed this stop and wanted to keep on going; so we ended up walking all the way to Sacré-Cœur!
And enjoyed the view.
We were getting a bit hungry on the walk down and decided to make a couple of stops.
On Rue du Nil, along with the very popular Frenchie empire, is a group of shops which includes a cheesemonger, a butcher, and of course a boulangerie called Terroirs d’Avenir. So we made a croissant stop at the bakery.
We then headed back down to Rue Montorgueil and to a place I'd read about named Fou de Pâtisserie.
This specialty shop is a conglomeration of curated pastries form some of Paris's most well known pastry chefs like Pierre Hermé.
The pastries looked beautiful and of course the Missus had a difficult time choosing just one.
But She finally made a decision and we had some tea which we took to one of the two small tables outside.
While the croissant fell short; nice texture, but the butter-salt ratio wasn't quite to our taste…..
The Missus loved Her choice, called
L'Equinoxe. So, here's another place I'm sure we'll return to.
Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Terroirs d'Avenir
3 Rue du Nil
75002 Paris, France
Fou de Pâtisserie
45 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France
After this we took a well earned break (nap). For dinner I had selected a restaurant that had just opened during the summer of 2019 and had created a bit of a buzz; Fleur de Pavé. Folks sang praises of this restaurant; the chef Sylvain Sendra had garnered a Michelin Star at his former restaurant, Les Itinéraires which he closed in 2017. He and his wife spent the next, almost two years travelling the globe and exploring various cuisines. The result of which is Fleur de Pavé. The restaurant is also very vegetable friendly as it gets much of it's produce from Asafumi Yamashita a farmer who only sells his produce to certain selected chefs of his choosing.
We were really looking forward to this meal. The restaurant was lovely, the staff very courteous, though service was quite slow. It actually took 30 minutes after we finished our meal and a "L'addition, s'il vous plaît" from me to get our check. Of course, the place is new; and as of 2020 they have received a Michelin Star, so I'm figuring they've straightened that out.
We decided to order form the menu and things started out with a trio of amuse:
From top to bottom; a Parmesian Tart with Tzaziki and Carrot; Blakc Rice Crisp with Labneh and Eggplant Caviar; and the thinly sliced Cauliflower with Madagascar Vanilla and Salt….which looked lovely and had a wonderful texture, but was a bit too sweet for our taste.
Up next was the "Scottish Bread", which looked like Parker House rolls…….but was a nice fluffy brioche.
We were excited to try the Salade du Jardin M Yamashita, which was topped with aged Parmesan.
The dressing could have used more acidity.
The Kabocha Carbonara with Mimolette sounded interesting.
Like other dishes; this was on the sweeter end of things and there wasn't enough textural contrasts for us….the dish just seemed to be mushy.
Our favorite dish of the night – the Scallop Carpaccio with Oyster Sorbet and Sea Urchin – so many complex flavors.
That worked together well.
Though the Roasted Monkfish with Pig Ear Tabbouleh and Red Wine Sauce was a bit much.
The Missus did enjoy the dessert and the wine pairing though.
Overall an interesting dinner; the place seems to be trying really hard and the presentations were wonderful……and I guess that paid off with a Michelin Star.
Fleur de Pavé
5 Rue Paul Lelong
75002 Paris, France
