Roo de Loo, the street where Julia & Paul lived while in Paris.
This month my book club read "My Life in France" by Julia Child. I picked up the book about a year and a half ago and for what ever reason I never finished reading it. So when Baking Grrrl, recommended the book I was excited to start reading it again. And this time... I fell in love with the book. This beautifully written memoir read more like a love story.
Through Julia's words you slowly see how she falls madly in love with France... it's food, the people, and their culture. I truly enjoyed reading "My Life in France" and didn't want the story to end. The book also describes moments of her loving relationship with her husband along with bits from Paul's journal & letters to his brother. I loved that Julia married later in life which for her time was such a rare thing. Julia discovered her passion for cooking at a late age as well which I found very inspiring. And what I loved most about Julia was how committed she was to learning how to cook traditional French foods.
The France that Julia knew is quite different then the France I've experienced. Not that it's bad because it's not... just different. France is absolutely beautiful & I'm completely fascinated every time we visit Paris. But I can only imagine what France must have been like in Julia's time. World War II had just ended so French people viewed Americans differently than they do today. And I'm sure not many people in Paris spoke English like they do today nor were there as many tourists and Americans living abroad. Oh, how wonderful would it have been to see the France that Julia fell in love with. Sigh. ;)
Since we live so close to France my bookclub thought what better way to celebrate Julia's book than to visit the city she loved so much... Paris! There were three things I wanted to do while in Paris: see her apartment on 81 Rue de l'Universite', eat fabulous French food, and visit E. Dehillerin (Julia's favorite cooking store). And maybe visit one of the Mariage Freres tea shops if we had time.
Researching which restaurant we would dine at proved to be a challenging task. Since Julia & her husband loved to dine at 2 star Michelin rated restaurants I began doing research on restaurants that met that criteria. I found lots of great articles on various Michelin rated restaurants along with restaurant recommendations from different travel forums. Some of the things I noticed about these Michelin rated restaurants were that they classified themselves as Haute not Traditional French cooking and many weren't open on the weekends. As I continued my research, I found an interesting article by Gourmet magazine about restaurants in Paris that refused to change their decor, style, or menu. With these restaurants it was all about traditional French cooking. Reading this article made me think... "If Julia were in Paris today where would she dine?" I had a feeling a haute restaurant with crystal chandeliers & enough artwork that made you feel like you were at the Louve was not exactly Julia's perference. Now... a little brasserie tucked into a neighborhood where only locals dined was more along her style. Julia was all about eating good food and didn't really care about fancy, shmancy restaurants. So I put all my efforts into finding the perfect little brasserie. I finally chose the first restaurant mentioned in the Gourmet article, l'Ambassade d'Auvergne. I was a bit worried though... would my friends enjoy the lunch.. would the food be as good as I was hoping?
When we arrived in Paris our first stop was 81 Rue de l'Universite' or as Julia like to call it...Roo De Loo, Julia & Paul's apartment. It's a beautiful building tucked away in the 7th Arrondissement, a block away from the Seine. My friends & I would have loved to see the inside of her apartment
but seeing that people actually lived there it was out of the question.
Julia & Paul occupied the 2nd & 3rd floor of this apartment building (left corner).
A little cafe right next to the building where Julia & Paul lived.
After we took some pictures we went to Les Deux Magots for some coffee.
Photos courtesy of Greek Grrrl
Being that our reservation was at 1pm I didn't want to eat too much so Greek Grrrl & I split an order of Brioche toast which was delicious.
Photo courtesy of Greek Grrrl
As we sat outside eating & drinking it was fun to take some time out and people watch. I couldn't believe the number of men wearing purple & pink dress shirts. I guess when we saw all those purple clothes at the Bologna flea market last spring it should have been a sign of things to come in the fashion world. I wanted to whip out my camera and do an episode of "On the Street" like Bill Cunningham does in NYC except I'd be tracking the Parisians. Now that would be a fun job. As we left the restaurant I spotted another man wearing a raspberry colored v-neck sweater. It looked gorgeous on him. And these men weren't feminine looking at all but they wore the colors fabulously. Note to self: buy S a raspberry sweater. ;)
Blonde K, our awesome Parisian navigator lead us to Ladurée a gorgeous little pastry/tea shop from 1862. They're quite famous for their macaroons, two small round cakes with a ganache filling. Every season they create a new flavour.
All Ladurée Photos courtesy of Greek Grrrl
Since the shop was really crowded & I'm not particularly crazy about macaroons I waited outside but after seeing these beautiful photos Greek grrrl took I was sorry I didn't go in. These little cakes are to die for.
We then made our way to l'Ambassade d'Auvergne for lunch.
Photo courtesy of Greek Grrrl
When we got closer to the restaurant we saw the maitre d' outside waiting for us and he greeted us with a smile once we told him we had a reservation. Inside the restaurant looked exactly like it did online.
I was especially happy when I saw the restaurant filled with what looked like locals. There was not one tourist in site when we arrived. Definitely a good sign.
The maitre d' was a sweet little man with a great sense of humor. He definitely made my lunch experience memorable.
Before we began eating we all had a glass of wine and I made a toast, "... to Julia, because without her we wouldn't all be here today."
For an entree' I ordered the Carpaccio de Veau d'Aveyron à l'Huile de Noix (Veal Carpaccio with Walnut Oil ) which was good but a bit tough. One of the great things about going to lunch with a big group is that you can try other items on the menu.
For instance, I tried Kiki's Millefeuille d'Aubergines & Chèvre Frais au Miel de Montagne (Aubergine with Fresh Goat Cheese and Honey) which was fantastic!
My friend, the Southern Belle had the Salade Tiède de Lentilles Vertes du Puy (Green Lentils Salad with Bacon)
which was incredible! I've never tried lentils before so this was a
great introduction. Now I can say I feel in love with lentils in Paris!
lol!
As my main meal I had the Cuisses de Canette Rôties, Poires & Figues au Caramel de Marcillac (Roasted Duckling Leg , Pear & Fig with Wine Caramel) which was good but there was no Wow factor. And for dessert most of us ordered the Mousse au Chocolat.
A few of the girls like Blonde K, Baking Grrrl, and Greek Grrrl had the Saucisse de Parlan & Aligot (Country Sausage & Aligot with mashed potatoes and Laguiole cheese, garlic) which l'Ambassade d'Auvergne is known for.
I definitely made it a point to try the Aligot and it was quite delicious. But the presentation of the Aligot was even more fun to watch.
Throughout our meal the maitre d' scrutinized our plates to see if we ate everything and if we didn't he joked about not letting us order dessert.
One of the things I loved about the restaurant was that some of the dishes were served family style like the Salade Tiède de Lentilles Vertes du Puy & Mousse au Chocolat. I'm not sure if this is normally done or perhaps it was because we were such a big group. Nevertheless, I loved it.
After we finished our lunch we headed over to Julia's favorite cooking store, E. Dehillerin.
This is a no frills cooking store that has everything imaginable. It's a cook's dream. The store doesn't look like it's changed one bit since it opened back in 1820. When you enter this shop it's a bit dark and there are copper pots lined against the wall for you to choose your favorite.
There are no prices listed on the items instead you have to look at a catalog to find the prices yourself. Of course, the sales people will gladly help but I didn't want to be THAT needy, American who couldn't do things herself.lol! The aisles are very narrow and a bit dusty but selection of cooking items is impressive. Every imaginable pastry mold and pan you could ever desire along with a wonderful selection of knives, cooking utensils, silicone molds can be found here.
Lined from floor to ceiling are metal & copper containers and the wooden shelves are filled with products stacked not in the most stylishly manner but it really adds to E. Dehillerin's atmosphere.
The sales people work on commission so my guy was quick to grab me and begin listing my items on a receipt. I'm not sure if my friend Kiki knew they worked on commission because when the salesman saw that she was working with another man he yelled, "Why do you ask me questions, when you are working with him!" I told Kiki, "They work on commission here and they take it very seriously." I can understand why when some of the pots are so costly. I was actually quite surprised by how helpful and nice the sales people were considering I read an article several months ago that painted a completely different picture.
One of the items I was hoping to buy was a mini Cocotte by Staub but when I saw them I started to think I needed more than just a mini. I was a bit concerned about lugging around a big, heavy cast iron pot all over Paris. I kept going back & forth - should I get it now or should I wait & buy it when I visit Paris with S. After talking to Kiki I decided to get it. The mini oval pot wasn’t too heavy and was perfect for cooking & serving hot dips. I couldn't find the price in the catalog but I didn't think it would be too far off from the prices I saw online. When I gave my guy the Cocotte he even had a hard time finding the price so another man went looking for the price in another catalog. Once he found the price he wrote it down on my receipt and gave it to me. When I looked, he wrote 79 Euros and change. Wow, was I wrong? Could this be right? I asked the man who wrote down the figure and he said, "Yes, it's correct. That pan is a very good pan. It is cast iron." When I looked at my notes with all the dollar prices for the various Cocottes I saw that I'd written $75 dollars for the small oval pan yet with the conversion rate I'd be paying $115 American dollars. There was no way I wanted to pay that much but I was a bit hesitant about telling my sales person I didn't want it. But that's a $40 difference... for that I could almost buy 2 Cocottes online. So I gave the pot back to my guy and told him I changed my mind. He was good though and just crossed it off and fluttered his eyes at me. There was no yelling involved so I was a happy girl.
After I paid for my goodies which included a silicone flan & bundt cake pan (with 3 different designs), a little knife to make slits in home-made bread (just 3 Euros...I have no idea when I'll use it but just in case I decide to make my own bread I'll be prepared), and an olive wood spice container.
The guy wrapping my items was a flirt and told me, "You live in Belgium but you don't have a Belgian accent when you speak French."
I told him, "I don't think I have a Belgian accent because I don't speak that much French."
With a big smile he said, "Then you must live in Paris for a few months"
I said, "Ooooohhh, I would LOVE to live in Paris for a few months."
Speaking with the cutest french accent he says, "But you can not have these American friends. You must get a French boyfriend!"
Jokingly, I told him, "Ok! As long as you find one for me!" lol!
After we left E. Dehillerin, we made our way to Fauchon. There were so many yummy things I wanted to try. Lots of cool spices, olive oils, teas, cookies, and chocolates. But I was good and bought a really cute pink silicone mini canelé pan and 2 bottles of jams (strawberry with rose petals and pineapple coconut).
We still had some time before our train ride home so we made a stop at Mariage Freres, my favorite tea shop.
There are several shops throughout Paris so it was nice to visit a different location. No matter how many times I visit this tea shop I can not get over how pretty it is inside. Walking into the store is like being transported into a different place & time. My favorites teas along with the Mariage Freres description are:
Casablanca: A fine marriage of green tea with Moroccan mint & bergamot flavoured tea. A refreshing surprise. "Play it again"
Chandernagor: A successful blend of spices commemorating a famous French trading post in India–cloves, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and pepper.
Wedding Imperial: A glamorous blend is steeped in the passion that weds the malty power of
golden Assam tea leaves to the sweetness of notes of chocolate and
caramel.
Noel: Festive tea blend flavoured with mild Christmas spices, including pieces of orange zest & vanilla
As you can tell from my favorite teas I'm definitely a spicy kind of grrrl. The boxes of tea are great when your guests want to try different types of tea plus the tea leaves are beautifully wrapped in muslim. But the loose tea is a bargain compared to the bags. I bought 200 grams of the Wedding Imperial and Noel which will be perfect for the holiday season just a few months away. I also wanted to try a little of the Abricot tea which I think will be great served cold. I bought a gift for one of my girlfriends back home too and the saleman gave me a sample of the Vivaldi tea. It was a nice surprise!
We left Mariage Freres and a few of the girls stopped by a wine shop and then it was off to the Gare du Nord.
Overall, my day trip to Paris was exactly how I envisioned. We visited Rue de Loo, ate French food (and even tried a few things I've never eaten before), shopped for cookware and enjoyed many of Paris's gourmet treats. I think it was a great tribute to Julia and her love of France. ;)
