Other Food Experiences in Paris

The French passion for food is evident everywhere.  Even the Galleries Lafayette department store cafeteria is great (and popular) for lunch.  Cold plates, cheese plates, salad bar, grilled food - they have it all.  I have a roast beef plate, Laura has a salad and a cheese plate.  Along with 1/2 bottle of red wine.  That'll keep us going a few more hours.

Lunch at Galleries Lafayette

And afterwards, an espresso (with sugar and chocolate)

Another day, we stop by Pizza Vesuvio on the Avenue de Champs-Elysées.  Sharing a Pizza Regina (tomato, moazarella, ham, and mushrooms), along with a carafe of wine, is a great lunch.  And, we get to watch all the people go by on the Champs-Élysées.

Lunch at Pizza Vesuvio

Sitting right on the Champs-Elysées

The next day, we stop by Pizza Vesuvio for a glass of wine on our way to dinner at Léon de Bruxelles and they recognize us from the previous day, stop to chat and offer to take our picture.  As we leave, the hostess tells Laura to wear her purse in front just to be safe.  Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and professional - that's almost always our impression of the local people we meet in Paris.

 A glass of wine at Pizza Vesuvio

There is also good food right on the street.  This crepe cart in Place de la Concorde is doing a lively business.

Crepe cart

One stop we always make is at E.Dehillerin, the great cookware shop on rue Coquilliere, near the Louvre and the Les Halles shopping mall/transit hub (formerly the Paris central fresh food market), in business since 1820.  The narrow aisles are always packed and we all squeeze by each other as we admire the equipment and make a small purchase or two.

 E.Dehillerin

 Narrow aisles, lots of great stuff!

But, enough cookware, let's visit some local neighborhood markets.  Our first day, we wander through a market near our hotel.  Several days later, we find one a few blocks from the Louvre as we are walking to E.Dehillerin.  We stop and admire the fresh meat, fish, bread, cheese, and produce.

 

 Neighborhood market

We wish we lived here and could purchase some of these great ingredients and take them up to our kitchen.  Maybe someday, even if only for a short stay.