26.Sep.2011
Paris: Food Favorites + Discoveries
After a weekend of walking the Maison et Objet show, Chris and I headed to Paris Sunday afternoon for a day before flying back to Chicago. We couldn’t travel all that way without hitting a few spots in Paris! We stayed in a boutique hotel right off the Rue du Bac in St. Germain. After checking in and catching up on emails, etc., we set out for a late afternoon stroll and an early dinner.
Chris’ sister, Natalie, recommended we try Petit Zinc, a brasserie on Rue St. Benoît, just down the street from famed Picasso haunt, Café de Flore, on Boulevard St. Germain. She and her husband, Didier, love the Art Nouveau designed brasserie for its Crêpe Suzette. Every café and brasserie was brimming with people, but Bistro Zinc literally had about six people inside and no one seated outside under its awning. We trusted that the food was good but didn’t want to be the only ones there so we decided to move on. Directly across the street a line was beginning to form outside Le Relais de L’Entrecôte. After walking back around the corner to the other famous St. Germain eatery, Café Les Deux Magots, and sitting down, Chris and I looked at each other and both quickly decided we’d rather be waiting in line outside Le Relais de L’Entrecôte, despite not knowing what type of food it served! We were completely intrigued by the line.
In line, Chris googled the restaurant and found out “l’entrecôte” is the French word describing a sirloin cut of steak (or rib-eye) traditionally used for steak frites. The restaurant serves one meal – a simple green salad with a dijon mustard vinaigrette and walnuts and steak frites with a secret sauce. Your only first order is beverages and how you’d like your steak cooked. There is a full dessert menu, though, totally worth the calories!!
Back outside, we waited about 15 or 20 minutes for a table, but the night was gorgeous and it was fun to people watch. Most of the people in line were French, so we assumed we stumbled on something good, and boy, did we. We later found out from my friend, Emilie, who lives in Paris, that L’Entrecôte is a Paris “institution” and everyone goes there. Once inside and served, we quickly understood why.
We polished off our salads in about two minutes flat and waited anxiously for the next course, which arrived quickly thereafter. With no menus, the service is fast and super efficient. The fries were perfectly cooked and the steak and secret sauce was insane. Upon searching the web, I read that the sauce is a complex butter-based sauce containing tarragon, marjoram, dill, rosemary, thyme, basil, paprika, anchovies, and numerous other condiments and spices. The only ingredients I tasted in the sauce were butter, herbs, and pure delight! And a good thing for New Yorkers, L’Entrecôte has a sister restaurant, Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte, in midtown on Lexington Avenue and 52nd Street. I cannot wait to try it when I’m in the city!
Definitely save room for dessert. We highly recommend the Crème Brûlée and Glace au Chocolat, a dark chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate shavings mixed in. Again, insane!
Several years ago, a friend told me about Bon Marché’s gourmet food market, La Grande Epicerie de Paris, and now it’s a mandatory stop every time I’m in Paris. Thanks to my Catholic upbringing, I took the sign on the front door seriously and was too nervous to take photos inside the market, but I managed to take the photo above from the doorway. Inside, they have literally anything and everything gourmet you can imagine including a large assortment of international foods.
As usual, I bought a few containers of my favorite La Saunier de Camargue Fleur de Sel sea salt and discovered a few cool products that I had to bring home, too!
CAN À SAC specialty sugars are absolutely fabulous. I bought the sugar butterflies pictured above, but it was very hard to decide which ones to buy. As you can see, they have a very clever assortment of original sugar designs to dress up any cup of coffee or tea.
I wanted to bring back Maille dijon mustard but had no idea I had to decide between several different flavors of mustard! I settled on Maille’s Dijon Bleu which has been fabulous in my simple vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, dijon, olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, & a few cranks of pepper for salads. After perusing the Maille website when I returned home, I have to remember to hit their boutique in Paris in the 8th next time I’m there! Très chic!
More, more, more! Love hearing about your (food) adventures in Paris!
Late to the Paris party here with my comment but wanted to add that we LOVE L’Entrecote so much and happened upon it much the same way years ago! It then became a must-do every time we head to Paris. I just love that you can’t choose anything except the wine and dessert.
I can also add that I wouldn’t bother going to the NYC version. It is SO not the same experience and truthfully it doesn’t taste as good! C and I just tried the London one too literally a week ago which was better than NYC but still somehow just still isn’t the same as the original. I think its hard to repeat!
I think that one of my favorite parts about my site is learning things from family and friends I didn’t know about! T – you’ve been my best friend since we were 18 years old and I find it hilarious that we both love L’Entrecôte, but we would’ve never known that about one another unless I posted something on my blog!
Or, perhaps this means we’re totally overdue for a trip to Paris TOGETHER!! Thanks for sharing and for the update on NY and London.
This is wonderful. It makes me want to go to Paris right now and I would definitely go to this restaurant. Thanks for sharing these special and simple tidbits. They are delightful!