It's my last day in Paris
bit of a bittersweet day
When I tend to take a little slower, I like to spend the day exploring
with no time constraints or schedules
It usually involves hitting a market where I really get a chance to immerse myself with the locals
Practice a little of my French cordon and taste some incredibly fresh and unusual foods
It also most likely includes a walk along the sin
Which gives me plenty of time to enjoy the beauty of Paris as well as reflect on my time here to end the evening
Dinner at one of my favourite bistros for some classic French fare and then over to the Eiffel Tower
To join everyone else that's gathered for the magical show of lights. It was the perfect day
We are in truck Adaro the sixteenth are on this month
Which is one of the best
district to stay in if you're looking for authentic Paris and we are gonna start first by exploring an
Open-air market Marche Wilson. Let's check it out
There are a myriad of colors and textiles foods and flavors
YUM
You'll find vendors selling everything from silk scarves to fresh meats
Sandwiches and bakery you can even buy socks and underwear here
I
Quickly was drawn to a merchant selling the most beautiful scarves Oh
With the skulls, and of course I had to have one
We are in Paris after all and it is the look through the mole thing
Oh, yeah, what I loved was the diversity in people and culture at the market that you can literally taste
Within seconds, I was drawn to the savory and robust smells of a Lebanese food Sam
We can whoop it on the for like Obon, okay
Okay that both open my eyes and taste buds to some really incredible flavors visit events
I tried the manakish a flatbread and classic Lebanese food one
I have to try to make it home in Arabic manna quiche means to sculpt or carve out
Meaning after the dough's been rolled flat its pressed by fingertips to create little dips for the toppings to Lyon
This is fantastic how yeah the dough's are cooking all around the dome of this heat?
okay, I
Think that's good. Okay
Manakish can be sliced or folded and it's usually simply prepared with thyme olive oil a little sea salt and some wheat seeds
That is exactly what I had. My manic quiche was cooked on the dome of a hot gas oven beautiful. Oh
That's all with all the little blue flames. Yeah, and you could see the dope bubbling beautifully
This was one of those moments where I found myself counting down the seconds before I got to eat it. Oh
I had to try another and this time I got the one with cheese
It'll be delicious when it is fresh
And it didn't stop there I can make sandwich with the chicken, okay? Okay again
You can choose this a lot like vodka. Okay with the chicken. All right, this is sandwich
Let's do it. Let's do it. I
Then tried the most incredible chicken kebab wrapped in flatbread and seasoned with paprika and spices
accompanied by some hummus a little tabbouleh tomatoes onions and parsley and
Some eggplant salad and topped with feta chicken kabob
delicious
This takes a classic euro to a whole new level it was then on to a stand for some classic French food
You see we we
said we we
Missy the veal sausage and ham had my name all over it. It was so moist and so delicious
You just cannot get this food anywhere else
It is seasoned with all kinds of French herbs and spices and it's shaved extremely
paper-thin so it's gonna be very moist very
Juicy, because that ham was just sitting and all that juice. Look at that. I
Also snagged some mortadella, which is by the way my absolute favorite deli meat
Containing large chunks of fat
Peppercorns and pistachio, it's similar to Bologna but so much better. It was then time to get something a little sweet
So I headed to a nearby stand that had some beautiful pastry eat chocolate almond croissant dusted with a little powdered sugar
Then I tried choux ket's a choux pastry
so think cream puffs with pearl sugar the result was an
Explosion of a moist sugary doughnut in my mouth donut in my mouth donut in my mouth
Good
Marche President Wilson is a market you cannot miss when coming to Paris
it's only open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from the morning until early afternoon and
Don't forget to bring some cash because most of the merchants deal only in cash. This is heaven
When I'm in Paris and need to get anywhere
I usually take the metro and so do most Parisians for that matter whether you're trying to get across the city or out of it
Or simply around the corner. The metro is the way to go
It's easy to use it's convenient
Entrances to stations are located on what seems like every corner and if you're lucky
You'll get some quality entertainment as you make your way through the tunnels
Short for metropolitan
The metro got its name from the Paris
Metropolitan railway company which operated much of the rail network when it opened on July 19th
1,900
Today the metro is second only to Moscow as the busiest urban transit system in Europe and
the 10th busiest in the world
Hearing over 4 million passengers a day. It's one of the densest metro systems in the world boasting over
245 stations within a 34 square mile radius of the city and in 2016
It was ranked as the best public transport system in the world ahead of both, London and New York
While the Metro is one of the best ways to get around the city
walking is by far the most rewarding I
Like to start my walk from Trocadero in the 16th
Walking along the river all the way to Hotel de Ville in the 4th R&D small
There is so much to see that you would otherwise miss by taking the train if you're worried about getting lost
Don't be an easy rule of thumb is stick to the Sun
Walking along the river is a natural compass to navigate the heart of the city. It's also an absolute
Must you experience
One tradition I enjoy when I travel is saving a really special dinner for my last night in the city
This is the quintessential French bistro
tables are simply dressed in white linens the
Atmosphere is cozy and the dining room reminds me of something between a speakeasy and eating in the comfort of your own home
Now when you come to shade do Monet it's important to keep in mind that this is truly a local establishment
From the menu to the staff don't expect to see or hear much English
while it helps to speak a bit of French
Don't let that keep you from coming because the old trick of point and smile works just fine
You go
Okay, thank you, thank you let's do that
Mr. German the wine I selected was a
2015 CROs Armitage by Etienne de Gouw or Iggy Gow in the Rhone Valley
Very dark and rich in color Iggy gal is one of my favorite French producers
Founded at the end of World War two this vineyard is in the coat rôti appellation and has been exploited for over
2,400 years making this estate one of the very first estates in the Rhone Valley and believe it or not
This wine is not hard to find in the States and it's quite affordable at just 14 to 16 dollars a bottle
To the nose. It has hints of cherry strawberry and wood and in the finish
Black currant and vanilla the wine is perfect Celso, please would a surprise an Ambu bouche from the chef?
literally meaning mouth amuse, er
The amused bouche is often served in
Fine French restaurants to prepare gas for the meal and to offer insight into the chefs approach to the cuisine
This savory green pea soup with just a little bit of oil and crispy crumbled croutons
Made for a perfect start to the meal
So when you're having your next dinner party think about serving something different like soup, but soup can often be a little cumbersome, right?
It's heavy and it's hot and it brings it comes out in a big bowl
But think about serving it in a cute little glass like this and think about keeping it cold or room temperature
It makes for great
presentation and a very unique hors d'oeuvre
best photo
Khanna Oh God is very nice
It's a party of dark cat is make the house. No car seat desk, or I call X alone. Excellent
Yes, my first appetizer has arrived a luxurious and classically prepared frog wah
simply seasoned with salt and cracked black pepper
Served alongside toasted bread
frog wah
meaning fat liver is
Prepared using the liver of either a duck or goose that has been extremely fattened according to French law
To be considered foie gras
The liver must be fattened by force-feeding corn to the duck or goose through a feeding tube a process known as gavage
Gavage actually dates back to 2500 BC
where ancient Egyptians kept birds for food and
Intentionally fattened them through force-feeding though controversial the production of gavage based
Foie gras is protected under French law as part of the protected culture and gastronomical heritage of France the key to eating foie gras
is to enjoy it with the wine at the exact same time because the wine
Helps a fall Gua take on a completely different complexity. It's fabulous
I then try the house-made terrine a rich composition of pork white wine and spices
topped with fresh cracked black pepper corns roasted garlic
Some more crispy crumbled croutons a sprig of thyme and a light green
Salad, so you can see how beautiful it is and how jiggly the terrine is the more jiggle the more flavor
Dinner has arrived. The first dish I tried was a Chateaubriand
Which by the way is one of the fanciest dishes around you'll see it's very much I filet
Roasted and served alongside potatoes and a Chateaubriand sauce made with shallots a beef or veal stock
white wine
tarragon and a little butter and I ordered it say no, which means
Rare in Paris. When you order a beef like a Chateaubriand or filet the tenderloin
What you'll have
especially in some of the best most
Authentic bistros is you'll have only two options of how you would like to order the book the beef
you can order it blue which is blue or absolutely not cooked or you can order at the same Knoll which is
Traditional rare. Other than that you're not getting the beef unless it's one of the two
Legend has it that Chateaubriand was named after a French aristocrat
Francois Rene de chateaubriand
Who's chef invented a method of cooking a large boneless cut of beef by wrapping it in low quality steaks. Then tying it up
Grilling it until charred and then tossing away the outside steaks
The perfectly cooked inner roast was deemed the Chateaubriand as you can imagine
This opulent dish was exiled during the French Revolution
My next dish because one can never have enough duck
Was the house specialty of chez do Monet the duck confit?
The duck confit is the dark piece of meat of the doc. We have the leg here and the thigh and
Of course my favorite part
the crispy skin
duck confit is made by melting duck fat and
Pouring it over the seasoned duck leg or quarter in a large Dutch oven and then cooking it low and slow
For several hours until the duck is tender the best part about it is that you can store it in the refrigerator
in its fat for three months the longer you let it sit the more flavorful it becomes and
The best part about this is it as an instant dinner when you're entertaining simply take it out of the fridge
Let it come to room temperature and/or melt over the stove
And then all I have to do is sear in a pan and you have instant why not?
Missy I saved the best for last my favorite dish at Chez Duman a the beef burger we known
tender chunks of beef usually a rump roast braised low and slow and a rich
dark espresso colored beef and mushroom sauce
It was so rich served over buttered noodles
the meat just fell apart at the touch of the fork and
Simply melted in my mouth. I think classic French is a classic. Yes
This is a dish I will not dare attempt to recreate at home. I'll come back to Paris simply for this
Although I was on the verge of needing a timeout. I could not pass up dessert the Grand Marnier soufflé
Wow, he's just as
Radiating off at the top of this souffle. Look at how beautiful and high
lightly dusted with powdered sugar this fluffy and pillow-like souffle rose to perfection a
Shot Oh Grand Marnier served on the side and to eat it. You break open the souffle and pour in the shot
It was heavenly vanilla hens Oh orange and Grand Marnier made this my all-time favorite dessert
It's back to truck Adaro to watch the eiffel tower twinkle
one last time
At night truck Adaro Gardens is electric. There are literally people
Everywhere gathered to watch the Eiffel Towers magical display of lights music and dancing an array of light and color
vendor selling trinkets toys and souvenirs and
Concession stands for a late night sweet crap or ice cream. It's a bit of a mixed bag that has something for everyone
But Paris captures most beautifully is community together Ness people from all walks of life
Sharing in a moment creating a memory I found myself in this moment
Reflecting on the magic of the city the people that I've met the experiences
I've had and shared the incredible food and wine the places
I've explored and the things I've learned from rooftops in fashion to markets and secret bars
This has been the adventure of a lifetime
Thank You Paris