Cafes, Crepes, Croissants & Confections
With this being our first trip to Paris, we felt obliged to visit the famous Laudree for a box or two..or three of their macarons and confections. I must admit, I loved their packaging and gorgeous shop more than the macarons. Except for the Caramel Sea Salt. That macaron is in a league all it's own.
Since this was a suprise to me, I feel I owe you a heads up...Laudree is packed. Jam packed every single minute they are open. And we went to several locations. Bodies are squished together like tight uncomfortable sardines. So be prepared to get comfy with strangers who are also waiting for their sugar fix.Oh, and they don't allow photos so you'll have to be very, very sneaky. ;-)
We were probably in Paris for 7 or 8 days before we finally had a crepe. I know! The creperie located in the Tuileries seemed to have the best variety of both sweet and savory crepes. We tried the Chocolate Banana and the Nutella with Chantilly Cream. Both were delish!
And the little beignets in the photo below were from a vendor at the Rue Cler market...also very yummy!
It was so charming that many of the cafe waiters were dressed in black tuxedo pants, crisp white shirts with vests or long aprons. Sure wish they did this here in the US. Makes your ham sandwich seem more refined...and expensive.
The famous Eric Kayserbakery was only a short walk from our apartment and we found it to be a great place for our morning Petit Dejuener. This consists mainly of a croissant or tartine, fresh pressed orange juice and hot coffee or tea. Occasionally, we would splurge and have an herb omlette with fresh greens.
And the afternoons often included slipping into a boulangerie for more cafe cremes or hot chocolates followed by a pain et chocolate or eclair. This is how we powered through all the walking we did. Caffeine and chocolate.
My absolute favorite spot for afternoon tea was at the Musee d'Orsay. The museum is in an old train station (amazing!!!) and houses paintings from the most famous artists in the world. I loved this place. If you are only going to visit one museum in Paris...this should be it. They also have a gorgeous restaurant that serves the most delicious lemon tarts.
All in all, Paris was delicious. Including the japanese noodle house we popped into for hot bowls of udon noodles and dumplings. And the friendly Italians with their tiny little pizza shops and incredible tiramisu. Heavenly.
Still to come...flea markets, shopping, my finds and a giveaway! You know I would never forget to share the flea markets with you!
