Escapade in Paris for my Birthday
Picture taken last october, just before we left Paris, of Le Chateaubriand, our favourite restaurant in Paris.
The week of my birthday had started very well. Sandra from Malice et Pain d'Epices had organised a great bloggers pique-nique on Monday and it was a really pleasant evening in spite of a threathening storm. We enjoyed each other contributions:
- Sandra and her great sorrel terrine were a sucess
- Alhya from the blog A Turtle in a Kitchen was such a pleasure to meet thanks to her spontaneity, her bright smile and her large production of fuits and vegetables cakes
- Venor, from Un Dimanche Matin à Lyon, had carefully prepared an unbelievable flaming yellow apricot pie, flavoured with saffron and lavender honey
- The discreet but so lovely Aude, from Epices et Compagnie, fed us pretty little matcha flavoured financiers and a very refreshing iced tea
- Thalie from Côté Cour...Vanille et 7ème Art impressed us with her great suhis
What a great pleasure than sharing our blogging and culinary passions without, for once, any screen to hide us. Behind the blogs real people met and new relationships were initiated.
Later during the week, my birthday was coming up but I was expecting a gloomy day: it was really really too hot in Lyon and Gregoire was going to Paris for his job. Eventually on my very birthday, I decided to buy a train ticket and to meet him in Paris, grabbing the opportunity to enjoy a shopping trip and the evening of the semi-finale with our friends.
And that was such a good idea: what a change of atmosphere, what a pleasure to wander in the streets of Paris and recognize dear friends, areas and addresses I miss in Lyon. As soon as I arrived I headed to the Marais for a home decoration shopping trip I had awaited for a long time. It was very hot, and as I was looking for a fabric shop, I found myself in front of Le Loir dans la Théière. I did not give it a second and I entered the tea room full of hope for an iced tea at least as good as the one Aude had brought us for the pique-nique earlier in the week. I wasn't disappointed as the one I was served was a great accompagnying fresh drink for the indecent lemon tart I had gone for. Real quality time for me, true happiness.
Later I went rue Francois Miron, for a little visit to Izrael, where I found fine foods and a lot of great advice from the lovely lady of the house. I left with hibiscus flowers, a highly flavoured lemon verbena, a small jar of horseradish, a bottle of hazelnut oil, another one of white balsamic vinegar and a vanilla pod so fleshy, beautiful and flavoured that using just a centimeter is enough when your recipe calls for a whole ordinary vanilla pod.
At night, it was the world cup semi-finale, and we took the opportunity of the half-time to drink champagne (a teeny tiny glass for me) and eat delicious cakes. And I got spoilt with food goodies: Piment d'Espelette, and mango, cranberry, lime/coriander organic jams and a pack of palm sugar. Aren't those well-inspired friends? What a lucky birthday girl I've been!
On the next day, a little walk in my old neighborhood, avenue Parmentier in the 11th, revived many memories, and I was meeting my friend Marion for lunch at Le Chateaubriand. Grégoire and I loved this restaurant, its neo-bistrot cuisine, its lovely english lady owner, who had the most unforgettable china doll face, the cheeky, but always sweet and caring team, the retro surroundings, not to mention the wine card. The owner had changed, as well as the team, a few months after we left for Lyon, but the new chef, Inaki Aizpitarte, is one of the rising stars of the Parisian restaurant scene and we enjoyed a great lunch for 13 €: Effiloché de Canard et Légumes Croquants (frayed duck with crunchy vegetables), instead I had potatoes, as a side dish, roughly mashed. And while I was having a delicious Pannacotta and Strawberry Coulis for dessert, Marion had an unbelievable chocolate cake, which was more a fondant, with a very dense texture, seasoned with olive oil and fleur de sel: a great combination of flavours. I really feel like going back and taste the evening menu, but let's face it, this is not going to happen soon.
It was an excellent birthday, and I came back to Lyon loaded with beautiful and delicious things, clear-minded after this impromptu Parisian escapade. This week I went for another quick trip, to London, which makes me full of new things to tell you.
Le Loir dans la Théière - 3 rue des Rosiers 75004 Paris Tel: +33 (0)1 42 72 90 61
Izrael - 30 rue François Miron 75004 Paris Tel: +33 (0)1 42 72 66 23
Le Chateaubriand - 129 avenue Parmentier 75011 Paris Tel: +33 (0)1 43 57 45 95
oh great !
ici mon coup de jalousie n'a pas lieu d'être ma belle Flo ;o)
Lots of love ;o) xxxxx
Posted by: Thalie | 21 July 2006 at 14:46