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 I have now been monitoring my food (in other words, I have been dieting!) since March now - with pretty good results, thank you very much ;) - but today I passed by the shop of Pierre Hermé and for once there was no line outside (yes, it can happen!). I could not resist buying - and eating right away - 2 macarons... I know it's bad but when you're at the doorstep of heaven (or is it hell?) how can you resist? For those of you who would have never heard of Pierre Hermé, let's just say he's one of the most talented Pastry chefs around (see more on Wikipedia and/or on his official website).
 It's been a while since I've posted a food photo ;) This one is fresh from last night (Saturday), I took it at L'Incroyable (the Unbelievable), a restaurant located 26 rue de Richelieu in the 1st arrondissement where I was invited to a birthday dinner. What is hard to believe in this restaurant is the kind of mixture they dare doing: coca cola vinaigrette, foie gras bonbons (candies), fish and Chorizo... Portions are a little small for my taste, but the menu is reasonably priced and the flavors are truly unbelievable!
 Who said only dogs drop things on the ground in Paris, humans do too LOL! I hope this ice cream did not belong to a child whose mother said " It serves you right, I told you to pay attention. No, I'm not going to buy you a new one!" That's all for today. Not a very typical Paris photo - except for the pavement of course, which is part of the jardins du Palais Royal! - but a one that seems to say: "It's the end of the summer!".
 Last night (Thursday) I managed to take some time off to go to the restaurant with some friends and I had a very Parisian dish: un steak Tartare. That is raw beef, prepared with a mix of ingredients (including Ketchup, egg yoke, onions, Worcester sauce, etc.) In this restaurant (General Lafayette) they even add nut chips and blue cheese chucks. Yummy! Well that is if you like raw meat of course ;) I looked everywhere and could not find the origin of Steak Tartare for sure, but one thing seems to be certain; originally it was meant to be horse meat. My friends told me that in the US, restaurants would be reluctant to serve raw meat, because of liabilities...
 A picnic in the sun, right on the esplanade of the new National library (la bibliothèque nationale de France), may sound nice enough but if I tell you that on top of that the food was provided by a bunch of famous chefs and that the entrance fee was only 5 euros you will probably understand why this unusual picnic - organized by Alexandre Cammas and Emmanuel Rubin, two restaurant critics and founders of Le fooding movement - attracted so many people. And all this for a good cause: all the money goes to Action contre la faim ( action against hunger).
 I did a little compilation of your contributions [thank you very much for that] for the CNN survey and it was really interesting to see how, for most of you, what best defines France's reputation is... food! I then could not help but posting what I had for lunch today when I met Elisabeth - one of the earliest visitors to PDP - who is currently in Paris at the moment (see a photo of her with Michael on the making of). Yes people, in Paris, on the Place des Vosges, at La Guirlande de Julie's, red snapper is served with its head! I did not eat the latter, but enjoyed the dish very much. Have a nice week.
 When I saw what the June theme day was I immediately thought of the local shop I was going to photograph: La mère de Famille, the oldest confectionery shop in Paris, which happens to be right at the corner of the street I live on. The place was founded not later than in 1761 and sells everything what that France has to offer in terms of confectionery ( pâtes de fruit, berlingots, bergamotes, anis de Flavigny (yummy!) and all sorts of chocolate). Needless to say, it's a place I highly recommend if you're looking for non global food ;) BTW, don't forget to continue reacting to the CNN survey about France that I mentioned in yesterday's post. 174 City Daily Photo blogs participate in the June them day. See what a little shop around the corner looks like in Singapore, London, San Diego, Accra... Click here to view thumbnails for all participants or visit each blog individually.
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 Just like everywhere in the world apparently, anybody could walk into a Ben & Jerry's today and get a free ice cream! I went to one of their sales points today in the Saint Germain area to check and, well, yes, it was true! Of course, it was not exactly the best day to do this in Paris because not only has it been pouring all day, but it was very cold too! Of course you will ask "why on earth would a Parisian go to Ben and Jerry's whereas the best ice creams are to be found at Berthillon?" Well, maybe because Berthillon has only one outlet (and a few resellers, OK), because they have a lousy website with no English version, because they're not open on Mondays and Tuesdays, because they don't deliver, they don't accept credit cards...). LOL!
 Fauchon is probably the best luxury food shop in Paris. It has several stores now (including a recent one in Beijing), but the original one, the one that was founded in 1886 by Auguste Fauchon, is located on Place de la Madeleine, at the back of the church. They really have good stuff! I remember, when I was much younger, I used to live near there and every Sunday I would buy croissants from them. Yes, they are to die for! Now I live further away, but I pass by La Madeleine every morning on my way to work, and that is how I got to take this photo. Service Voiturier means Valet Parking, by the way. 11 to 15 people are already attending this year's PDP Picnic on May 7, why don't you join? Please check this topic.
 On Sunday, right after coming back to Paris from the Internet Festival of Romans, I had the opportunity of visiting Le Laboratoire, a place created by David Edwards and dedicated to experimental art and design creations... I went there to check the current exhibit by famous chef Thierry Marx and physicist Jérôme Bibette who teamed up to create new tastes in molecular gastronomy. For example, they invented a new technology that allows to embed tasty solutions in small salmon size "marbles". I did not get the chance to try this but I tried the "whif bar" where you "inhale" chocolate powder through a sort of plastic cigarette. If you're in Paris before July 2008, give it a try, but make sure you book ahead (see all info here).
 What would you say about opening a little Coffee shop (well rather a tea shop..) in Paris? That's what Aimee (on the right in the photo - the other young lady is called Louisa) was dreaming of, in her native Kansas... And she did! Just six months 2 weeks ago, on the Butte aux Cailles, a pretty trendy area in the 13th arrondissement. " I love everything about France [including her French hubby!], she said, except that I'm far away from my family and that it's hard to get peanut butter and Blue cheese dressing in Paris!". Do pay her a visit ( 1, rue Jean-Marie-Jégo) if you're into tea and want to see a typical, yet not so touristy part of Paris. Update: Aimee also has a blog.
 I know I'm going to make some of you very jealous! But yes, yesterday, I had one of these delicious baguette sandwiches for lunch... Fresh, crunchy, fully loaded, just like I love them. Not to mention that this kind of baguettes - called La flûte Gana, created by Bernard Ganachaud - is one of the best kinds I ever tasted. I've tried to look for more info on the baguette, but I 'm unable to know if it was created under Napoleon or much later, in 1920. More info here or on Wikipedia.
 Just behind the Georges Pompidou Centre, on the small place at the corner of the streets Brisemiche and Saint-Meri, a good address to tastes crêpes not lacking in originality is the Crêperie Beaubourg. Here I show you my choice, the Larzac crêpe (ham, gizzards, egg, salad). You have to get there early to get a spot on the terrace, but eating inside means you'll have a quiet spot to enjoy your homemade delicacy. This one was particularly good as you can see by the texture. Mmmmmm. And if you want to make your own, here is the recipe.
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