We needed a good, multi-generational family trip this December, one that would satisfy grandparents who want to hang out with their grandkids, parents who like to see interesting sites and eat good food, and a location that was easily accessible from the East and West coasts. As a rule, we also like to travel in the off-season, and Washington DC in December is definitely not the height of tourist season.

For our group of six, we rented an apartment on the Southwest side of the Mall, close to the Waterfront. The apartment was great for our family, with three bedrooms, a nice living room and functional kitchen. Plus, the owner really likes have guests, so there were all sorts of nice touches including Christmas decorations and a well-stocked pantry.

Highlights of our trip include:

Food – lunch at National Museum of the American Indian Mitsitam Cafe; Pain Quotidien for Belgian pastries and hot chocolate; Oyamel Cucina Mexicana; Tackle Box; Rasika especially Palak Chaat, Tandoori Salmon, Chicken Makhani and Paneer Chili Garlic. They also had an outstanding dessert menu. Pre-theater specials were a deal!

Tour of the Capitol Building, along with visits to the House and Senate Chambers. Book the Capitol tour ahead, through your congress person.

Spy Museum where the entire family participated in Operation Spy. Honestly though, while the kids really liked the operation, the adults would have preferred to stay in the museum longer. So many interesting artifacts!

National Portrait Gallery – I loved the presidential portraits, the Big Guy and I spent time in the contemporary art gallery enjoying neon and video pieces, and the Little Girl and her grandparents were down in the Education Center re-creating interesting pieces of art. There is also a nice outdoor area with a water installation which is a nice place to relax.

Evening walk to the Lincoln Memorial, WWII Memorial, and Washington Monument. The Washington Monument is still closed from the earthquake, but lit up at night, it is a beautiful site. The Mall is also undergoing a good bit of construction, so we did not have the experience of looking down the Mall from one place to another and enjoying the tranquility of the water. The kids had a great time collecting stamps for the National Park Passports, the Visitor’s Center at the Lincoln Memorial has about 9 stamps for local sites.

Eastern Market for breakfast and dinner shopping – we did this without kids and grandparents and had a nice walk through this open, European-style market. We also agreed that the Capitol Hill area would be a nice place to stay next time.

Ice Skating in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden – great!!

Air and Space Museum on New Year’s Eve was the best! Almost no crowds and they stayed open until 7:30pm. We learned how to make paper airplanes, saw a show at the Planetarium, watched a 3D movie of the Hubble in the IMAX theater, and the kids went on a simulator ride. Yes, the museum is free, but all these items cost extra. If your party is good sized, it makes sense to buy a Smithsonian Membership.

National Museum of Natural History for dinosaurs and the Hope diamond; and the National Museum of American History for Julia Child’s kitchen and First Ladies exhibit of gowns and china patterns.

Washington National Cathedral – we (without kids and grandparents) walked up from Dupont Circle on a gorgeous, and crisp, winter day. Beautiful cathedral with a tower which provides nice views of the city.

White House Visitor’s Center – we enjoyed the visitor’s center more than the White House tour, which IMHO, was a lot of fuss for just a little visit. Get there early, no handbags, no cameras, go through three security lines, walk through 6 rooms in the East Wing, out 15 minutes later. The kids hardly had time to finish their Jr Ranger books! The Visitor’s Center was more relaxed and had an interesting video that gave way more details. But hey, at least we can say we have been to the White House! The White House tour was also booked through our congress person’s office.

Old Post Office Tower – great, free, wonderful views of the city. Another Jr Ranger badge completed.

National Archives – before our trip, we watched the Nicholas Cage movie, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, so we were all interested in seeing the Archives. This was probably the place we experienced the most benefit from traveling off-season, as there were absolutely no lines. We were able to walk right up and view the Declaration, Constitution and Magna Carta. There was also an interesting exhibit on how our government influences food, and the main archives exhibit was very detailed and well done.

Our trip ended with a visit to Arlington Cemetery (administered by the Army) and Arlington House (administered by the National Park Service). We witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown, saw the JFK memorial, and spent time learning about Arlington House.

Day 1: Depart for Paris on Air Tahiti Nui

Did you know that Air Tahiti Nui is a flight partner with American? I was able to use American frequent flyer miles to book this trip. Very convenient schedule through LAX directly to Charles de Gaulle in Paris. For breakfast before we landed, our choices were scrambled eggs with teriyaki sauce or pancakes with chocolate syrup. Needless to say, I was a little hungry when we landed.

Day 2: Arrive at CDG, Paris, about 8:30am, take the Metro into the City

We rented an apartment in the 7th, very close to the 6th, for our trip, as there were 5 of us traveling together. The apartment had three bedrooms and could have slept 6. We also had a nice sized kitchen, as well as a relaxing living/dining room at our disposal. This was our base of operations. After settling into the apartment, Erica and I headed over to Barthelemy for cheese, Poilane for bread and Nicolas for a bottle of bubbly. Just laying in some supplies.

Dinner was at the Hotel Lutecia Brasserie, a nice French way to start the trip. I had oysters.

Day 3: Market Day - we hit the Bird Market, Organic Market on Boulevard Raspail, and the Marche Parisien de la Creation (Arts & Crafts Market). Loads of photos taken in all places, and I bought an interesting piece of art at the last market.

Dinner was a special deal, the Hidden Kitchen, which I did manage to write up after we returned. Outstanding, fun and unique. Highly recommended.

Day 4: Walking tour of the Marais, including the Pompidou Center, Musee Picasso (which was unfortunately, closed) and the Jewish Memorial. Lunch was at the best falafel place in Paris, L’As du Falafel, which was true to its name. Portions are ginormous, I would consider sharing next time. The sun came out in the afternoon and we spent a while sitting on a park bench in the Place de Vosges, watching the world go by. Relaxing.

Dinner that night was at Ze Kitchen Galerie, a recommendation from my neighbor at home who visits Paris often. Interesting Asian-French fusion menu. Recommended.

Day 5: Visit the Musee D’Orsay (I love this converted train station museum!), then walk through the Jardin des Tuileries. We had a little snack and I think this is where I may have come down with a tummy bug. By the time we had finished visiting the Jeu de Paume museum, I was not feeling well at all, but managed to drag myself along to Fauchon and Hediard, as well as a beautiful Laduree shop on Boulevard de la Madeleine. We also tromped over to E. Dehillerin, an outstanding kitchen supply shop in the 1st on rue Coquillere. Next time we visit, I will be sure to bring home some of their beautiful copper. And maybe a whisk.

Dinner that night was at our apartment, since I was by now quite sick. My traveling companions visited Bon Marche and came home with soups and other light dinner items.

Day 6: Being sick while traveling sucks, especially when the majority of the plan is to eat and look at food and take a cooking class at the Cordon Bleu. Oh, yes, the cooking class was today!

I dragged myself out of bed, showered (which made me feel much better) and put on clean clothes (thanks Suzy and Erica) and we went to lunch first at Helene Darroze. The lunch prix-fixe is the way to go, with wine, and we left after touring the kitchen and the collection of vintage alcohol. I think Erica smiled nice at the maitre ‘d.

Crispy Desserts was our cooking class at the Cordon Bleu, and it was just exciting to be there. The class was ok – I doubt I will ever make phyllo dough tarts with almond cream and apricots ever again – but being the classroom was exciting, and our chef-teacher and his translator were very entertaining. I managed to write up this experience after we returned home, you can read the details here.

Dinner that night was on our own – I went to visit Parisian friends Sophie and Thierry, who took me to a great seafood restaurant in the 11th, L’Ecailler Du Bistrot. I think I have a picture:

Oysters again. Don’t talk to Suzy about it, she thinks that was how I got sick in the first place. I think not.

Day 7: Last Day in Paris, but I am still not feeling 100%, so we canceled our visit to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre. Next time. Suzy and I had last minute shopping to do on the Ile St Louis, and we made it out to a wine and chocolate tasting with David Leibovitz and then walked over towards the Eiffel Tower for a little night time viewing.

Day 8: I was off in the morning to meet my family in Venice, and the rest of my traveling companions were departing later, so we bid farewell at the apartment and I headed over to the RER to catch a train to the airport for my flight. Au revoir Paris, see you soon!

Swiss chard fritatta

Focaccia

Bagna Cauda

Veggies for Bagna Cauda

If you are looking for a similar menu for your next family gathering, I put together an Italian feast with Foodily!

1. We rented a stand up paddle (SUP) board from Lake Surf in Fargo, ND. Michael arrange to get the board out to us in Park Rapids, and it was an ideal lake sport. Mornings and evenings were best, when the motor boats had gone to bed and the water was calm and smooth. And various kids in our group enjoyed it too, definitely a family activity.

Stand Up Paddle in Minnesota

2. We saw some amusing attractions along the road, including:

Purple Pie Place

Wall Drug, South Dakota

Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota

And 3. We had some good food. But more about that later this week.

Mt Rushmore with thunderstorm

Our trip started with visits to National Parks in South Dakota. We felt patriotic watching the evening performance at Mt Rushmore (especially with thunder and lightening amplifying the show); then we moved onto Jewel Cave National Park, where we had a lantern tour underground (duh, that is where the caves are!) and an overnight in Custer State Park; and finally ended our trip with a visit to the Badlands, where we saw buffalo, donkeys, prairie dogs, and lots of wide-open spaces. I even talked the husband into stopping at Wall Drug, an amazing mecca of touristy knick-knacks in Wall, South Dakota, worthy of a visit. The highway leading up to Wall is plastered with signs promoting Free Ice Water and loads of other goodies.

On our drive through South Dakota, on our way to Minnesota, we stopped in Mitchell for the night (lots of hotels to chose from, good stopping place) and I was able to visit the Corn Palace. My family declined to leave the car. Oh well.

Our trip started in Salt Lake City, which worked well for us because we visited family friends, stocked up on car trip supplies at Whole Foods and Target, and decompressed with visits to Park City, treats from Nielsen’s Frozen Custard, and a great dinner at Cucina Toscana. Others choose to start such a trip in Las Vegas or if you skip the eastern parks, in Phoenix.

Day 1: Arrive in Salt Lake City, two nights at the Springhill Suites by Marriott

Day 3: Depart for Zion National Park and Springdale, Utah

On the way in, we stopped at the Kolob Canyon Visitor’s Center, to stretch our legs and have our first view of Zion Park. In Springdale, we stayed two nights at the Cliffrose Lodge. In addition to being a mere 200 YARDS from the front of Zion Park, the room was also comfortable and the kids loved the pool area. The garden area is gorgeous (we won’t talk about how much water it probably uses to keep it that way) and the hotel was within walking distance of the Spotted Dog Cafe, our new favorite dinner spot. We also enjoyed a great breakfast at Oscars Cafe, on the outside patio with great brunch specials.

In the park, we took the shuttle from the visitor’s center and enjoyed the narrative on the way through the park. We had 1.5 days in the park, and on the full day, we took a hike to Emerald Pools Trail to the Upper Emerald Pool, which was a great hike for our kids. Since our hotel was so close to the park, we got an early start and finished the hike in about 2 hours. A quick stop at the deli cafe at the Zion Lodge for lunch, then we caught the shuttle again to the end of the line, Temple of Sinawava, for the Riverside Walk. This easy mile long hike was flat and scenic and fully paved. The kids actually raced down and back, timing themselves to get a mile-time at altitude. Weird-os. At the end, you can see the start of the Narrows hike, which was off limits in April due to high water.

While in Zion, we also managed to catch a viewing of Hop at the Zion Canyon Theater, the largest screen in the United States at 6 stories high. Pretty impressive to see all that bunny love magnified. During the day the theater shows Treasure of the Gods, a film about the origins and history of Zion Park.

Day 5: Depart for Bryce Canyon National Park, overnight in Kodachrome Basin State Park at the Red Stone Cabins

We took Highway 9 out of Zion National Park towards Bryce Canyon, along a very scenic drive. I wish we would have stopped outside the East entrance to play on the massive rocks jutting out sideways. There were a few places to pull off, but I never found the perfect one. Oh well, next trip.

The visit to Bryce was pretty quick. Stopped in at the main Visitor’s Center and picked up the Jr. Ranger information. Headed over to the Rim Trail and listened to a ranger program on geology. Then we hiked down to the Queen’s Garden, a nice walk through the Hoodoos with good photo opportunities. I could see that it would be very hot in the summer, so take water and wear a hat. Total time in Bryce was about 3 hours, although there were more hikes we could have taken if we stayed longer. The Bryce Canyon Lodge looked like a good place to stay, but they were full when I tried to make reservations, so we went down the road a bit to Kodachrome Basin State Park and the Red Stone Cabins.

A word about state parks in Utah – in my opinion, there is a reason some parks are national and some are state. National parks are truly awesome and awe inspiring. Not all state parks are that way. Kodachrome Basin is a nice state park, but paled in comparison to Bryce and Zion, and Grand Staircase-Escalante, which was right next door. And the Red Stone Cabins, while conveniently located inside the park, are a bit dated and the beds are SMALL. I should have booked two cabins, or packed an inflatable mattress or two with some sleeping bags. We would have been much more comfortable. In addition, there are no services near the park, so unless you bring your pick-i-nick basket, be prepared to drive for dinner. In the little store next to the cabins there were convenience foods and toasters, microwaves and I think a toaster oven, so clever campers and backpackers would have been well served.

Day 6: Visit Grosvenor Arch, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and drive to Torrey, Utah

10 miles down a primitive (read: dirt) road is the Grosvenor Arch (side note: we had a delightful conversation with the two rangers in the GSENM Visitor’s Center about the pronunciation of Grosvenor. I, along with one of the rangers, pronounce the word with the “S’. Dear husband, and the other ranger, pronounce the word Grovner. It was funny at the time, trust me) which was worth the drive, simply because you can walk right on up to the arch. Beautiful photo opportunities and the chance to get a little dirt on your rental car.

One of the reasons we stayed in Kodachrome was because we wanted to be fresh and rested for the drive from Escalante to Torrey, which is one of the most beautiful in the state. Next time, I might look around for better lodging options further along towards Escalante, although we did not reach Kodachrome until about 5pm, so that would have made for a long day. But, the drive between Escalante and Torrey was beautiful and worth the visit. Stopping at the Petrified Forest State Park was not worth it (see above discussion about state vs. national parks). The Dixon National Forest, which you enter and exit several times along the way, is attractive and we noticed a few campgrounds that looked promising.

In Torrey, we stayed the night at the Best Western Capital Reef, which has a pool, laundry facilities and a decent breakfast. Dinner that night was at the delightfully eclectic Cafe Diablo. Next time, we are going to order two appetizers and a 3 desserts with 3 scoops of ice cream. My recommendation.

Day 7: Depart Torrey, visit Capital Reef National Park, onto Bullfrog and Lake Powell

This day started out super well, with a visit to Capital Reef National Park and Fruita. Fruita is one of the original Mormon settlements and because of a nice convergence of soil conditions and weather, the area was built up with fruit trees and orchards. If you can, camp there in the Fruita campground, set among fruit trees. Also, there is pie at the little Historic Gifford Homestead, and you know we are suckers for pie.

We drove into the park, but construction made it difficult to continue, so we drove as far as the Grand Wash and enjoyed the one mile drive in to view massive rocks. After eating pie, we hit the road for Bullfrog, where we had planned to spend the night, take the ferry across Lake Powell the next day, and continue through Natural Bridges National Monument onto Moab.

Unfortunately, best laid plans sometimes fail. Upon arriving in Bullfrog, we found that the ferry would not be running the next day, because the water was not quite high enough in the lake. Not only that, a wind storm was kicking up, so spending time on the beach was out, and then to top it off, the hotel we had booked looked dreary and depressing. So, we got on the horn to Moab and managed to find the last room at the Best Western Canyonlands Inn and hightailed it out of Bullfrog.

Going back the way we came, we encountered a severe sand storm with near white-out conditions, which made the drive that much more unpleasant, but we made it up to Moab in about 2.5 hours, in time for beer and a burger at Eddie McStiffs. The Best Western Canyonlands was a great hotel; we would definitely stay again. The rooms were comfortable and the breakfast was plentiful and green. Compostable plates and utensils, or reusable, your choice. I loved it.

Day 8-9: Moab, with visits to Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park

Our last few days of adventures in Utah! Canyonlands is a beautiful park to visit, without many barriers, so you can get really close to the edge and freak yourself (or your parents) out. We only explored the Island in the Sky district, the closest area to Moab, and spent about 3 hours driving through the park, stopping and hiking to outlooks on the way. We were pretty tired at this point (actually, we were tired back in Torrey) so our energy was low and kids were not motivated to get out and hike. As a result, we visited the Mesa Arch in shifts with one of us staying back in the car with the kids. Fortunately, the movie back at the Visitor’s Center was great and we did feel as though we absorbed some of the more important aspects of the park.

The last day in Moab was spent at Arches National Park, which we all agree was one of the best parts of the entire trip, because we enjoyed the ranger-led Fiery Furnace trip so much. I booked this trip ahead of time, $10 for adults and $5 for kids, and it was worth every penny. The three hour tour starts at the Fiery Furnace Viewpoint and the ranger leads you through the slot canyons and fins. The kids stuck close to the ranger and enjoyed scrambling in the rocks. You can also book a special permit to explore on your own – this can be done up to 7 days in advance in the Visitor’s Center and requires watching a video of the area. Go with the ranger tour, it is fun.

Day 10: Depart for Salt Lake City and flight home

One of the reasons we flew in and out of SLC is because we wanted to do a circle tour of the state, without back tracking. The trip from Moab back to SLC took about 3 hours and on a Sunday morning was a pretty easy drive. Before leaving Moab, we stopped at the Love Muffin Cafe for super awesome muffins and red quinoa hot cereal breakfast before leaving. Thus fortified we hit the road for an uneventful trip back to the city. With easy car rental drop off at the airport (although gas stations nearby were difficult to find) and a 1.5 hour flight home, our trip was complete.

Final tally – 1150 miles driven, three movies viewed (in theaters), 5 National Parks, 2 State Parks, 1 National Forest, more hamburgers than I care to admit, 2 Best Western Hotels (new family favorite), 1 miss, a couple of raging hits and a great trip all around.

Lately when we travel, we like to stay in short-term rental apartments. We like the extra space and the flexibility of having our meals in, rather than out at restaurants. We have stayed in fabulous vacation rentals in London, Paris, Healdsburg and Lake Tahoe.

Our recent vacation to Donner Lake reminded me that there are things I like to bring from home to make our rental kitchens more comfortable. Here are 5 I would consider throwing in my carry-on the next time we hit the road.

1. Knives

Rental home knives are notoriously dull, and by that, I mean, not sharp. I would rather bring a small set of sharp knives to make cooking easier and less dangerous. If traveling by plane, I would consider a sharpening rod or small knife sharpening tool as an alternative.

2. Salt

On vacation, when buying things for a temporary kitchen, most people go for the cheapest product available. Most of the kitchen cabinets I have seen in rental places have Morton’s Iodized Salt, or even worse, generic brand salt and pepper shakers. Now I pack my own little container of sea salt, which is fine even in a carry-on. I also buy salt when traveling, especially overseas, as it is a great, non-perishable souvenir.

3. Coffee

We have been doing this for years, even when traveling to visit family in the midwest – we bring a pound of decaf and a pound of regular coffee from Peets when we travel, along with a single-cup drip basket. Allows us to enjoy tasty coffee from many balconies on our adventures.

4. Peanut Butter

When our kids were young, this was more of an issue, especially when traveling overseas. Peanut butter is very comforting to my family; perhaps your family has something else equally as important. I am sure there are Italians who never leave home without a jar of Nutella tucked under their arm. Whatever it is, having a jar along can make a cranky kid instantly happy.

5. Corkscrew

Nothing worse than wanting to explore the local wine without a cork. I know you could probably pick one up at the wine shop where you purchased the bottle, but isn’t being prepared the Boy Scout motto?

What do you pack for your vacation kitchen? Other non-kitchen things I cannot live without; small containers of clothes detergent, gallon-size Ziploc bags and earplugs. Lots and lots of earplugs!

Hanging Table

Seriously? And I thought texting and driving was a bad idea.

During our visit in Paris last month, only one class was offered for “food enthusiasts” – Les Croustillants Sucrés, or Crispy Desserts. The three-hour class promised us almost nothing, the description being decidedly not descriptive. Nevertheless we were thrilled to sign up, at 90€ a pop, for the chance to be in the actual building where Julia Child made her culinary breakthroughs.

Classroom at CB

Upon arrival, we were whisked upstairs to a working classroom and met our instructor for the day, Chef Patrick Caals. His translator, Chef Ben Preston, was also on hand to ensure our understanding of the technique and instruction. Our class was made up of other Americans, a woman from Japan and a college student studying in Paris for the year. Unfortunately, because we were moving so quickly, I did not get a chance to chit-chat much with the others, except the college student, who said she takes classes at the Cordon Bleu whenever she can.

Chefs

Our dessert for the day was an Apricot and Almond Cream in a Crisp Pastry. The crisp pastry turned out to be phyllo dough, something I have worked with before. I was hoping (although not realistically, given the short class time) that we would learn how to make puff pastry. Oh well.

After washing our hands, we prepared the apricots for roasting in the oven. This mostly involved putting them in a pan, brushing copious amounts of melted vanilla-enhanced butter over the top, and roasting in the oven. We did not actually put anything in the oven, but we were able to watch the cooking assistants do that.

The phyllo dough was into 4″x6″ rectangles (approximately) which we then laid out, piece by piece, each one brushed with butter and stacked upon the pile, to create a sort of large squarish-type layered mass of phyllo. Then the phyllo dough was draped into the pastry rings, and more butter was brushed over. Did I tell you the nickname for Le Cordon Bleu is Le Cordon Buerre?

Phyllo dough in molds

Almond Cream was next, made very easily with equal amounts butter, sugar and ground almonds and one egg. We piped it into the bottom of the pastry rings and arranged the apricots neatly atop. More butter. More sugar. Then fold the edges over and in the oven you go.

Filled pastries

While waiting around for our pastries to bake, Chef Caals whipped together a little rum and orange drink, which was more than my darling stomach could handle. Champagne would have been nice, next time I will sneak in a bottle.

Baking

The class was over and done with in two hours, an hour short of the scheduled time, and at some points, a little too fast. The entire experience was memorable, and while I was sort of nervous at the beginning, I really enjoyed myself toward the end. The class did not teach me anything new, but I really enjoyed being in the classroom, in the Cordon Bleu and learning more about French food and culture.

Finished pastry

Hidden Kitchen Table

Sunday night, March 21st, we were fortunate enough to join a Hidden Kitchen dinner. The Hidden Kitchen is a private supper club in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, offering 10-course, prix fixe dinners four to five times a month for up to 16 guests. All in the comfort of their own living room. The secret part comes from the fact that you don’t actually know where you are going until a couple days before the dinner. Mysterious!

Laura and Braden, our hosts, were new to Paris in 2007 and decided to throw a dinner party to gather some of their new (and not-so-new) friends together. Word spread, and these days, their dinners are booked weeks in advance. Braden is the chef, with several years experience in kitchens back in the U.S., while Laura is the sommelier, matching lovely wines to all of Braden’s kitchen creations.

As we arrived, a cocktail of vodka, champagne, and lychee was served, and we introduced ourselves to the others, although with 16 guests, I did not feel as though I could possibly meet everyone. Since the dinner is 10 courses, we got down to business rather quickly, sitting at the table very close to 8:00 p.m.

With 10 courses, I had quite a few reactions, very few that I am remembering now (keep in mind, there were also six glasses of wine that went along with the dinner). From the notes I scribbled on the back of my menu, I apparently enjoyed the Quail Egg course, for its novelty; the Clams and Mussels because of the Sea Urchin Crostini; the Rabbit Saddle because the Grilled Celery was tasty and different; Beef Cheek Sliders because it was served on a page of the New Yorker; and the White Chocolate Cake, because it came with a candle for my birthday and because it was the tastiest thing ever!

For your drooling pleasure (or pain) here is a photo essay series with each of the courses. Special thanks to Suzy for letting me borrow her camera (forgot to bring my battery charger) and for making the photos look decent after I took them with full flash.

Amuse

Scallop tartar on squid ink cracker

HK-Amuse

Second Course

Spring Vegetables, Poached Quail Egg and Green Goddess Dressing

HK-QuailEgg

Wine: 2009 Chateau de Roquefort, Bouches de Rhone, Clairette

Third Course

House-made Tagliatelle with Radish Leaf Pesto, Ricotta and Pancetta

HK-Tagliatelle

Wine: 2007 Chateau Pierre-Bise, Anjou “Le Haut de la Garde”

Fourth Course

Clams and Mussels in Fennel and Habanero Broth with Sea Urchin Crostini

HK-Clams

Wine: 2007 Domaine Gilbert, Menetou-Salon

Palate Cleanser

Mint Julep Cleanser

HK-MintJulep

Sixth Course

Fried Rabbit Saddle with Tabasco Lentils and Grilled Celery

HK-Rabbit

Wine: 2005 Domaine Piquemal, Cotes du Roussillon Villages, “Les Terres Grilléess”

Seventh Course

Braised Beef Cheek Sliders with Pickles and Shoestrings

HK-BeefCheek

Wine: 2008 Martinelle, Cotes du Ventoux

Eighth Course

Fennel, Tarragon and Feta Salad

HK-Salad

Dessert

Caramelized White Chocolate Cake with Coconut Sorbet and Passion Fruit

HK-Cake

Wine: 2008 Chateau Pierre-Bise, Cabernet D’Anjou

Mignardises

Rhubarb Gelee, Apple Fritter, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cup, Rice Crispy Treat

HK-Mignardises

HK-Gudrun

Delightful.

Champagne

Our first full day in Paris, Suzy and I woke first, confirmed the rain had stopped and decided to get out and about, before the others were up. We were both eager to visit our first destination, the open-air food market on the Boulevard Raspail.

The five of us arrived on Saturday for a week-long adventure in Paris to celebrate my upcoming significant birthday. In addition to my friend Suzy, I also roped in my sister Erica and my mom’s college roommate Pat and her sister Linda. We rented a glorious apartment in the 7th, very close to the 6th, on Rue de Grenelle, and settled ourselves in for a week of food and culture.

A bit about the apartment, since it did work out so well – we found it on VRBO and after a little back and forth with the owners, decided that it was the right place for us. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, with a petite salon (which we used as a third bedroom), a grand salon with dining area and a very well appointed kitchen. The apartment also has an elevator, a requirement for our group, and a washer/dryer, another requirement. Living together for a week with a group this size meant we also needed enough personal space (bathrooms) in addition to comfortable public spaces. The location was also important, and this apartment did not disappoint – around the corner was Poilane, a famous Parisian boulangerie. Down the street was Berthelemy, an equally famous cheese shop. And the apartment was a 5 minute walk from Bon Marché, the large left-bank department store and food emporium.

Paris Apartment

Back to our plan for the day. Suzy and I decided to run out to the Marché Raspail, which on Sundays is an organic market. The market runs down the length of the street, between Rue de Cherche-Midi and Rue de Rennes. It was not hard to miss.

Our mission was to bring back food for breakfast; fruit, bread, cheese, yogurt. With our plan in hand, it was easy to move through the market without becoming too overwhelmed. I loved the colors of the fruits and vegetables; the beautiful cheese displays (I wanted to buy one of each); the difference in the meat displays (our butchers don’t usually display the chickens with their heads still on) and the fact that in one place, a shopper could find everything they needed for the week.

Marche Raspail vegetables

According to my friend Sophie, who lives in Paris with her husband Thierry, each of the four quadrants of the city of Paris has a market almost every day. Most Parisians do their shopping daily, or every few days. At the Raspail market, I was unable to determine who were the actual farmers selling their produce vs. the vendors who represented many producers. Also, even though it was an organic market, I did not notice signs indicating produce or foods that were organic. That could be because they all were, or because I don’t really read French. Either way, something to learn next time I visit.

Raspail Market

Suzy and I had fun completing our transactions in French, using my miserable high school French along with a good deal of finger pointing and hand waving. We followed the long lines to find the good vendors, and were disappointed that we did not need dinner, since the line in front of the fish monger was long indeed.

chickens at bird market

After breakfast back at the apartment, we set off with a larger group to visit the Marché aux Oiseaux (Bird Market) near Notre Dame, and then off to the Marché Parisien de la Création (Arts and Crafts Market) down in the 14th. The very helpful little book, Markets of Paris by Dixon and Ruthanne Long, provided us the information on the many market choices around the city.

Bird Market