While I’m not used to finding fresh rabbit and blue lobsters in my supermarket at home, seeing these foods and more in the open-air markets of Paris was a big part of the foodie fun during a recent trip to the City of Light.
Bustling with shoppers, even in the rain, the weekly street market stretching along the Avenue du President Wilson was an eye-popping spectacle of peppers and pastries, spices and seafood, flowers and fromage. Visiting the Louvre and other must-see Parisian sites was on the list, but my travel objectives were motivated by mealtime.
My first lunch was a leisurely paced three-hour tour of tastes in the elegant Le Gabriel restaurant at La Reserve Paris Hotel near the famed Avenue des Champs-Elysees. The meal began with savory bites of foie gras in dark chocolate. A fish course followed with just in season cepes (mushrooms). The highlight of the culinary adventure was experiencing chef Jerome Banctel’s specialty dish of cocoa-marinated pigeon (or squab) with the bird’s little feet intact, served with organic buckwheat pasta. A cheese course preceded no fewer than three desserts including cloudlike meringues with a tart sorbet of aloe and lime, a wild strawberry creation and then dark chocolate served with tiny brioche. Wait! If this is how those French women stay so trim, I’m moving here!
City of Light eaters
Author of the bestselling book "French Women Don't Get Fat," Mireille Guiliano recommends bread, Champagne, chocolate and romance as key ingredients to a balanced diet and lifestyle. I was willing to put it to the test and take time to observe the native's eating habits. A young woman who works at the Dior restaurant in St. Tropez told me that she was taught to eat slowly so that the meal is more satisfying. Dinner most nights might be a simple soup with bread, a piece of cheese and fresh fruit. Portions are definitely smaller in France as compared to the U.S. That's a good thing because it allows for a variety of tastes. The multi-course lunch I enjoyed at the one-star Michelin La Table du Lancaster left me feeling satisfied and energized, not stuffed and tired. An ample two-ounce portion of beef was paired with sautéed red grapes.
Life in Paris comes with a hefty serving of walking, too. Many days we racked up six kilometers. Add to that the breath-defying 284-step climb up the Arc de Triomphe and running to catch Metro trains and Paris is a great getaway for food and fitness.
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