seeing 4 different vats of good olives sitting side by side stops me dead in my tracks. this is a picture taken through the window of a random store in the 2nd arrondisment. i was in too much of a rush to write down the name or enter the store which also sold all kinds of nuts, oils and spices. it's hard to believe all i managed to take in this day, while also spending about 6 hours at the louvre. and speaking of which, when visiting the louvre, i highly recommended taking a break to lunch around the corner…
having to wait to be handed a larger than you blackboard in order to read the menu isn't very efficient. but it's still the norm in paris and i know i'm going to miss it. i read about the beautiful makeover of le louvre ripaille on design sponge, and i also read that i must go there in their paris guide. it was a good recommendation. i loved the design and the food was delicious–just good french food. the betteraves et chevre "mille feuille" (below as it came and cut open to reveal the many layers) would have been sort of predictable if not for the whisper thin fried crepe, basil oil, balsamic reduction and what i think was a spicy paprika oil that it was served with. the foam-covered salmon had a tail of perfectly made couscous and the mushrooms in my omelette were well seasoned and seared before added to the eggs. i enjoyed a red sancerre again–another one of the wines i ended up bringing back because i liked it every glass i tried.
e. dehillerin
if you've read julia child's biographies or about french chefs, you know about e. dehillerin (julia's picture hangs above the cash register there). if you didn't and you liked cooking at all, and stumbled into this place, you just might scream at discovering it. i almost screamed and i knew what i was getting into. imagine a store selling every type of cooking utensil and vessel of real use (in western cooking) without any of the crap or brand names. then imagine every single one of those items in every single size and variation needed. i only had about 20 minutes to shop there before they closed, which was a very good thing. after walking around the maze of the store, i started grabbing things i never thought i would buy (3 of the same rectangular 3 x 12 tart pans and a 12" pie pan…i don't bake…) and only one thing i actually need which is a good big whisk. i was about to grab a few chef knives when my shopping buddy tried to calm me down and remind me of weight restrictions on planes and other rational things. whatever. i'm totally excited to make 3 different tarts this weekend. and he can't have any…
le jour a peyrassol
