Paris Restaurants & Eats

As Brian and I prepared for our trip to Paris, we both researched food extensivelyyy. Yelp and TripAdvisor were my closest friends for a little while. I mean, let’s face it: how many chances were we going to have to go to Paris? (a rhetorical question - do not answer). We wanted to eat the very best Paris had to offer. But with only four days in the city, there's no doubt we missed out some things. What we did eat was amazing, and here's a little peek.

And, with Paris just about 4,000 miles away from Richmond; and thus the food is totally, unquestionably out of my reach. I feel like having a temper tantrum when I think about this. It's a difficult reality to swallow.

Pierre Herme

What's a Paris trip without macarons? We stopped by Pierre Herme within a couple hours of getting off the plane - clearly we hit the ground running. These delicate, sweet, meringue-like cookie sandwiches were at the tip top of my food list, and we heard Pierre Herme was the best. Spoiler alert: they are! Rose petal and salted caramel were the most tasty.

Chez Prosper

We stayed somewhat near this great neighborhood restaurant close by the Nation stop on the Metro. It was packed on a Sunday and we quickly found out why. It's definitely a festive, lively place to enjoy a Parisian meal with what seemed to be a lot of locals on the night we went. Not to mention, the food was superb (Nutella tiramisu!) and so classically French (steak and frites!) at a reasonable price. The patrons and the staff were very friendly even to us Americans. USA!

Tiramisu, in a jar. My new normal for desserts.

Chez Gladines

The portions are large and the prices are low at this popular Paris restaurant. We arrived at 10:30 pm and it was packed! There are a couple locations, and the one we went to had the feel of a diner with tables in close quarters and lots of loud conversations. It almost felt like home, except the conversations weren't happening in English! The duck with roquefort cheese sauce and the potatoes with melted cantal cheese and salty ham slices were meals so good they're burned into my memory. Brian ordered a cassoulet and the meat was so tender it fell right off the bone. The salad looked perfect, came in a huge mixing bowl and was enough for two. Absolutely to die for!

Gladines was so popular, we had that bottle of wine sitting on our table for a good 10 or 15 minutes before the restaurant had any available glasses to give us. We came close to straight drinking from the bottle...not that I've ever done that before.

Le Deux Magots

This is a famous, old café in the charming Saint-Germain-des-Prés area, frequented back in the day by famous artists. It still serves an important landmark of Parisian culture. We had a late lunch here one day after eating our first lunch at Sugarplum. We squeezed around a table on the crowded patio area, which is great for people watching, grabbing a bite (try the open-face croque monsieur), or imbibing in a glass of bubbly.

Willi's Wine Bar

I kept referring to this place (on accident) as "Wet Willie's" - the frozen drinks/daiquiri bar located all over the South. However, these two places could not be any more different. Willi's in Paris is a fun, happy, bright wine bar/restaurant near the Louvre. It's not especially cheap, but the location is central and the atmosphere is enjoyable. The wines were excellent and the food was delicious. Be sure to pick up some poster artwork as a souvenir - they have a different poster each year and they're darn cute.

This was some kind of heaven - caramelized onion crumble tart thingy that I need to figure out how to recreate immediately.

Mini Phyllo Cup Bites: Pimento Cheese & Bacon, Brie & Fruit Jam

I'm well aware that a large part of the NFL fanbase includes girls and women, but I'm just not one of them. My kind of gals watch the Superbowl for an excuse snack all night on bad-but-so-good-for-you food. I'm not even that into the commercials anymore, really -- just the food.

Regardless of what reason you watch or don't watch the 'Bowl, these Pimento Cheese Bites are the perfect easy appetizer to make for your guests or to bring to a party.

You can use store bought pimento cheese (Libbie Market has the best) or make your own. I went the super simple route and bought pimento cheese with jalapeño peppers. I then mixed it with crumbled bacon fried earlier in the day, stuffed the mixture into these darling little phyllo cups until they were about to burst, and popped them in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 F.

Taking these pictures was torrrrture. I couldn't wait to eat them! And neither will your guests. So definitely make a hundred (or two)!

Ohh, and one more minor detail. For your classier events, they are a-ma-zing with a hunk of melted Brie and a dollop of some fruit jam (think strawberry, fig, apricot).

Absolutely zero health benefits equals good football food!

PS - here are more Bevy appetizers for the big game!

Chunky Guacamole - What kind of party would it be without classic guac?
Cucumber Salsa - A healthy dip to combat all the cheese-eating.
Baked Goat Cheese with Honey - Okay, more cheese - but trust me, this is one of the more simple yet fabulous appetizers you can make.
Gouda Puff Pastry Twist - Puff the magic...pastry. Gouda cheese and spicy mustard baked in pillowy braided dough until melty.

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Mini Pimento Cheese Bacon Bites

• 1 cup Pimento cheese, homemade or store-bought
• 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Frozen mini phyllo cups, 15 count
• Green onions, sliced, for garnish

1. In a small bowl, combine pimento cheese with bacon. 

2. Remove the phyllo cups from the freezer and fill with about 1 tablespoon of the pimento cheese.

3. Place the cups on a large baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cheese mixture has melted.

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Mini Brie Bites

• 1 wheel of creamy Brie cheese
• Honey 
• 2-3 tablespoons fruit jam 
• Frozen mini phyllo cups, 15 count

1. Slice Brie cheese into 1/2 inch chunks. 

2. Remove the phyllo cups from the freezer and fill with the Brie cheese. Top the cups with fruit jam or spread of your choice. Squeeze one or two drops of honey on top of the jam/cheese mixture.

3. Place the cups on a large baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cheese and jam mixture has melted.

Double Header: Healthy & Hearty Herbed White Fish and Cannellini Beans

No, I didn't mean to say "pork and beans" -- eww. That's literally the exact opposite of what scrumptious meal I'm sharing today. I didn't mean to say "fish and chips" either.

You read the title right! I meant fish and beans.

I'm excited to share one of my favorite new recipes, one that's healthy as well as hearty. Pan-seared, flavorful halibut seasoned with fresh rosemary, thyme, and grated lemon zest atop white cannellini beans and sautéed shallots -- also seasoned with fresh rosemary and thyme.

The fresh herbs in the beans and on the fish marry together and make this meal flavorful and fresh. I also like to add lemon juice and zest on top of the fish to make it a little more bold.

Once the fresh herb prepping is out of the way (thyme is a paaaaiin to chop), this dish comes together quickly. Like, less than 30 minutes quickly. The halibut filets take 6-8 minutes to cook and can be done while the beans are simmering and absorbing yummy chicken broth. Or veggie broth, whatever is your fancy.

Once the bean mixture is thick like a gravy, scoop a large spoonful on a plate and top with a piece of cooked fish. Then, for some extra zing, slice a lemon in half and squeezed one half on top of the fish. There you have it - a fiber and protein packed meal in less than 30 minutes! If you're really hungry and want a side vegetable, well, roasted broccoli is perfection.

As you can probably guess, we had tons of extra beans. Since they make fabulous leftovers, we enjoyed them a second time around with baked chicken breast, which was seasoned exactly like the fish.

This recipe is one of my new favorites and I may or may not have added it to our weekly rotation of meals. I can't wait to sample what else pairs perfectly with these delightful cannellini beans!

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Pan-Seared Lemon and Herb Halibut

• 2 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless halibut fillets
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
• ½-1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary and thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons butter

1. Heat 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.

2. Season halibut fillets with rosemary, lemon zest, salt and pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until browned and cooked through. 

3. Serve on top of white beans. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on top if desired.

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The Best Cannellini Beans

• 2-3 shallots, sliced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté shallots in olive oil until translucent. 

2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer over medium heat until beans are hot and chicken stock is semi-absorbed.

Velveeta Sausage English Muffins

I hope those of you who were lucky enough to have MLK Day off yesterday enjoyed it! For the first part of it, I relaxed, drinking strong coffee while curled up in blankets on my couch catching up on Nashville. I should have just stayed in that position -- my afternoon consisted of showering with my dog after he decided to go swimming in a puddle while playing at the park. Nice play, Wally.

Brian and I love making late breakfasts on the weekends, especially ones that are three days long, and yesterday was no exception. It's so fun to wake up around noon 10o'clock  to the smell of coffee, with no plans except frying up some bacon or cooking my favorite omelette (which is spinach and goat cheese, by the way).

But sometimes we still want a hearty, delicious weekend breakfast without all the mess to clean up afterwards (I'm looking at you, bacon grease).

That's where ^^ these ^^ come in.

Paris, France: Part Deux

Here we go with Part Deux of our trip to Paris!

Fire Roasted Tomato Basil Soup and Herbed Ricotta Bruschetta

So last week during that super fun polar vortex, I totally omitted mentioning the weather on Bevy and pretended that it was autumn and I was back in Paris. But alas, in reality, I was freezing my bejezus off with the rest of the country. I just assumed that you, like me, were tired of hearing about the cold on literally all forms of media.

Anyways, weathermen are seriously awesome. I love that I'm able to know a week in advance that its going to be -800000 degrees and I can start planning warm, comforting meals to bring up my body temperature. I decided to make a warm tomato soup for dinner one night during this vortex. Typically soup alone won't satisfy me, so I also included grilled bread topped with ricotta cheese and fresh herbs to accompany the soup.

I know there are lots of tomato soup recipes out there, but we have a favorite from a chain (gasp!) Italian restaurant -- Carrabba's. Their tomato soup is seriously delicious and it's such a comforting meal to enjoy on a cold night. And most everything you need is inexpensive and probably already in your pantry.

To start, heat a heavy pot on medium high heat and pour in the olive oil and saute in diced sweet onion and carrots until translucent.

Add the chopped garlic and a pinch of dried oregano and basil for about four minutes, until vegetables are fully cooked.

Next, add three cans of Hunt's Fire Roasted Tomatoes (including the juice) to the pot and cover for about 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Uncover and add the chicken broth and heavy whipping cream and bring the pot to a simmer.

Definitely taste-test this pot of deliciousness as you go along.

When the mixture comes to the right consistency, add strips of fresh basil (reserving some for a garnish) and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Lower your heat to medium and cook for five minutes more.

Using an immersion blender that went directly into the soup, we pureed the soup until it was soft yet still slightly chunky.

We kept it on low heat while preparing Barefoot Contessa's Herbed Ricotta Bruschetta.

We combined fresh dill, parsley, chives, and green onions with ricotta cheese and spread it over grilled bread. The blend of the herbs with the creaminess of the ricotta on a slice of warm toasted garlic bread is incredible. And, to get in our veggies, we had a side of simple greens dressed with fresh lemon juice and Extra Virgin olive oil.

Serve these two together and it's a beautiful thing.

Is there anything better this time of year?

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Fire Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

• 3 (14 oz) cans of Hunt's fire roasted tomatoes
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• ½ tablespoon dried basil, crushed
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Pinch of dried oregano
• 10 fresh basil leaves, rolled and cut into a chiffonade
• salt and pepper

1. In a heavy pot on medium high heat, pour in the olive oil and saute in the onion and carrots until translucent. Add the chopped garlic and heat with the onion and carrots for about four minutes.

2. Add basil and cook until vegetables are completely soft, about five minutes more.

3. Next, add the cans of fire roasted tomatoes including the juice to the pan and cover for about 15 minutes. Make sure you stir your mixture every few minutes. With the lid off the pan, add the chicken broth and heavy whipping cream and bring the pot to a simmer. The mixture should start to thicken as it reduces. This should take about 10 minutes. You want the soup to be somewhat thicken but not soupy. If your soup is a bit thin, let it simmer a bit longer while occasionally stirring. 

3. When it comes to the right consistency, add the fresh basil (reserve some for a garnish) and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Lower your heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes more. 

4. Using either an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree the soup until smooth. Be careful if using a regular blender as the soup is (obviously) hot! You may need to puree the soup in several batches.

5. Serve with a small sprinkle of the reserved bail as a garnish. 

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Herbed Ricotta Bruschettas

• 2 cups ricotta, store-bought or homemade (recipe here)
• 4 tablespoons minced scallions, white and green parts 
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 round sourdough bread
• Good olive oil
• 1 whole garlic clove, cut in half

1. Prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals or turn a gas grill to medium-high heat.

2. Combine the ricotta, parsley, scallions, dill, chives, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and set aside. Cut the bread in half and cut each half into thick slices..

3. When the grill is hot, brush the bread with olive oil and grill on each side for 1 ½ to 2 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the grill and rub each slice of bread with the cut side of the garlic clove. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread with the herbed ricotta.

4. Serve two slices per person with a green salad on the side.

Paris {Sweet} Eats - Sugarplum Cake Shop

While we were in Paris, at the recommendation of our friend and hostess, we made a point to stop at Sugarplum Cake Shop, a little bakery and coffee shop serving American specialties in the 5th arrondissement. The laid back, cozy atmosphere with American coffee shop tables is incredibly inviting - almost inviting enough to make you go back for that third slice of cake.

Even though they serve American-style baked goods, the French must love it - there were mostly French folks when we were there. I mean... there's cake. Pie. Coffee. Wi-fi. A lovely outdoor sitting area with a nice street view. Credit cards are accepted.

What's not to love?

We arrived in the early afternoon; technically lunch time, but who cares? We just really wanted this cake.

I ordered a slice of carrot cake and was more than pleased. The cake was spongy, flaked with orange goodness, and covered with smooth cream cheese icing.

The raspberry and lemon cake was tart and sweet at the same time. To die for.

Is there any greater pleasure in this fleeting life than a three layer cake with large spreads of icing in between?

That was not rhetorical. The correct answer is no.

The chocolate chip cookies were great - thick and chewy - but definitely go for a slice of cake. It's Paris. And here, you eat cake for lunch.

Sugarplum Cake Shop | 68 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine, 75005 Paris, France | +33 1 46 34 07 43