Paris, France We have arrived in the City of Light, but it is as rainy and grey as London. Tomorrow should be better.
We traveled here on the Eurostar, which has changed since our last trip. It used to be somewhat luxurious. Now, the seats have shrunk, (no, it’s not us) and it takes a bit of acrobatics to get into the window seat, as there is absolutely no legroom. However, that does not seem to deter hundreds of passengers lining up for every train.
We got sorted in our hotel room, and then walked around the neighborhood. There’s a Pret á Manger, for our sandwiches for just-in-case, a Monoprix for various sundries, and lots of clothing shops. We found a lovely brasserie, so we’re all set.
Don’s Food Corner
There is a dizzying array of categories of French eateries from bistro to brasserie to café and on to boulangerie, bouchon, creperie, “salon de the” — all delivering slightly different approaches to food and service — until you get to an actual restaurant. We passed by examples of every one of these categories before settling on a brasserie. This was complete with a vast outdoor seating area on the sidewalk. And even in cold and rainy weather, the outdoor tables had a surprising number of customers.
We were ready for something “typically” French and, of course that started with French onion soup. The version served here was classic, serving bowl and all. The broth was unusually rich and deep, with a telltale jolt of sherry in it. I’ve tried many recipes for French onion soup, but somehow I’ve never been able to replicate the way it is made in France.
Another favorite of ours since our first trip to France, over fifty years ago, is eggs mayonnaise — appearing on almost every menu, no matter the category. When we were first in Paris, we would have this dish with every meal. We wanted to tasted the different flavors of the various homemade mayonnaises. The traditional presentation would feature two hard-cooked eggs, yolks down, with a slathering of mayonnaise on top. Today’s version was hard-cooked eggs, cut in half with the yolk side up, and with mayonnaise piped decoratively on top. The mayonnaise was definitely homemade, with a decided lemon taste. These eggs are not “deviled.” The yolks remain intact with the mayonnaise placed on top.
We moved on to a shared main course, a flank steak in a shallot sauce, accompanied by mashed potatoes. The flank steak was huge. Did it come from Paul Bunyon’s sidekick, Babe, the Blue Ox?
No one asked how we wanted the flank steak cooked, so it came very rare. Very, very rare. Very flavorful also, although not particularly tender.
The star of the whole meal, however, was the serving of mashed potatoes, obviously run through a food mill to get that perfect texture – smooth without being gummy and not a hint of a lump. Then, clearly, those spuds were drenched in just the right amount of butter and cream.
Don’t tell my cardiologist, but this is what you come to France for.