My boyfriend and I are going to Paris for the first time in mid-October. We are very adventurous and want to eat what the locals eat. Can someone recommend cheap to moderately priced places where we can get escargot, frog legs, rabbit (stew if possible!) and I dare say, if any restaurants do actually serve horse meat, we would love to give that a shot, too!
We are also open to any other foods that we don%26#39;t regularly eat in the US. We will be staying in the Latin Quarter next to the Sorbonne but will go anywhere in the city. Thank you!
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Well, you could always try Chartier. I like it (although I am sure that I will get a lot of disagreements here) because:
1. The place probably hasn%26#39;t changed in 100 years
2. The food is definitely traditional French. I am looking at a Chartier menu now and you will find dishes like Oeuf dur Mayonnaise, Saumon Grille Sauce Bernaise, Pave de Rumsteack Grille Frites, Tete de Veau, Choucroute, Andouilletee de Troyes, and for dessert, Peche Melba Chantilly, Creme de Marron Chantilly (that one will stay in your stomach for a few days), and Tarte Aux Fruites des Bois
3. The price is right. You can have a whole meal including Entree (that means appetizer), Plats (that means Entree), Dessert, Wine or Mineral Water for about 20 euro.
4. If the food is not great, it is at least a very fun place to go to.
5. And of course, the waiters are brusque and can be rude. But if you stand up for yourself and let them know who is the boss, they will be your best friend. It adds to the %26quot;dining experience%26quot;.
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You will find adventurous eating in many restaurants of the city. I%26#39;ll give you _my_ selection as a local (but I love string tastes, and I may be a little off-road even by French standards).
Steak tartare. It%26#39;s raw beef flesh, served /préparé/ with egg, onion, capers and parsley. There%26#39;s a very nice little restaurant that has all kinds of tartare you may dream of (and their quality is superb, so don%26#39;t worry about hygiene): Les Tontons, rue Raymond Losserand, 14th district (near Montparnasse).
Andouillette. Well, that%26#39;s a _strong_ taste ... it%26#39;s a sausage made from pig%26#39;s intestine and stomach, served fried with mustard and French freis. It%26#39;s actually _delicious_ , although high on kcal !
It%26#39;s a typical /brasserie/ meal. Be sure the andouillette is labeled AAAAA (that%26#39;s 5 A%26#39;s in a row), ask the waiter.
Andouille is andouillette%26#39;s big sister, served sliced in a sandwich with mustard.
Boudin noir is... well, I have to tell you... coagulated pig%26#39;s blood in a sausage. It tastes wonderful. Served with mashed apples.
%26quot;Abats%26quot; (Offals) are quite popular in France. Liver and kidneys are the most popular of all. %26quot;Foie de veau aux haricots%26quot; is veal liver with green peas... hmmmm !
As for snails, they%26#39;re quite popular as a starter course. Served with garlic butter, but the taste is quite disappointing (garilc butter gives the meal most of its taste).
Don%26#39;t forget to try cheese that you won%26#39;t bring back home (fer of infectious agents) : époisses (hmmmmmmmmm!) and if you%26#39;re really adventurous, cancoillotte...
Horse meat is really rare in restaurants, but can be found in supermarkets.
Cheers and bon appétit!
S.
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STRONG tastes and not string tastes... My, my!
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Oh, my - I keep looking at the Chartier menu (every so often, I%26#39;ve heard good things about it), and am not sure if any of it is more normal (not intestines, raw, snails, etc.)
I tried putting some of the items in google translate, but it can%26#39;t figure it out! Is there anything on there that might be just normal steak? :)
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Here%26#39;s my translation of the main dishes:
Entrecote grille pommes frites
%26gt;%26gt; Rib steak with French fries
Pave de rumsteack grille frites
%26gt;%26gt; (Thick) grilled steak with FF
Pave de rumsteack grille bearnaise
%26gt;%26gt; same as above with béarnaise sauce
Pave de rumsteack au poivre frites
%26gt;%26gt; with pepper sauce
Piece de boeuf a la bordelaise frites
%26gt;%26gt; Beef steak in wine sauce, FF
Steack hache pommes frites
%26gt;%26gt; Minced steak, FF
Steack cru sce tartare (sans garniture)
%26gt;%26gt; Tartare rocks !!!!!
Escalope de veau au jus champignons
%26gt;%26gt; Veal scallop in sap, mushrooms
Gigot d%26#39;agneau pommes rissolees
%26gt;%26gt; Lamb leg with browned potatoes
Canette a l orange pommes rissolees
%26gt;%26gt; Duck with orange sauce, browned potatoes
Poulet fermier roti pommes frites
%26gt;%26gt; Farm roasted chicken, FF
Poulet fermier froid mayonnaise
%26gt;%26gt; Cold farm roasted chicken with (French) mayonnaise
Langue de veau sauce zingara
%26gt;%26gt; Veal tongue (that%26#39;s adevnturous, but good) in sap, tomato%26amp;mushroom sauce
Choucroute alsacienne
%26gt;%26gt; Sauerkraut
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Main MEALS ! My dear superheterodyne, you%26#39;re tired or what !
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I found some of the most interesting eats in the street markets and the small shops. Our room had a table and chairs overlooking a boulevard and what we enjoyed was gathering an assortment of cheeses , pates, marinated veggies , and oh those desserts from around town, along with a bottle of wine and a loaf of great bread and dining sumptuously in our room. That way if something pleases your eye you can try it- we ate lots of stuff we had never tried before ( rabbit pate etc ..) and loved everything , actually. I recommended assembling your own buffet at least once while you are there. Prepared food is displayed so beautifully for sale you will want it all.
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Superheterodyne - THANK YOU!!!! I looked on Google Translate, in my Rick Steves translation book, and elsewhere and couldn%26#39;t figure much of that out. Pave just means thick, so all of that is good to eat (the steaks). Yay!
I don%26#39;t mind others who are very adventurous eaters - I just grew up with a very limited menu, and don%26#39;t think of all animals in a food way (duck, rabbit, goat, lamb, horse, quail, etc.) I have stretched my palate since then, but am still sticking with my beef and chicken. :)
I will priint that out and bring it with me, I wanted to go to Chartier last year, but we were guests of someone who had a chef. :) I told our hosts about it, that the waiters were supposed to be rude, the restaurant crowded, and that it was very French. They were wondering why I wanted to go!
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Mazzybird, there is probably a restaurant that specializes in each of those %26#39;meat%26#39; items... (I don%26#39;t know if the restaurants are good, you%26#39;ll have to find out)
Frog legs: La Grenouille - 26, Rue des Grands-Augustins 75006 Paris Téléphone: 01 56 24 24 34
Rabbit: Monsieur Lapin - 11 rue Raymond Losserand 75014 Paris, Tel 01.43.20.21.39
Escargot: L’ Escargot Montorgueil - 38, rue Montorgueil - Paris 75001. Tel : 01 42 36 83 51
Horse: L%26#39;Ane Rouge - 3, rue Laugier 75017 Paris - Metro: Ternes Tel: 01.43.80.79.97
%26quot;L%26#39;Ane Rouge (The Red Donkey) is not just a restaurant. It%26#39;s a cabaret which produces stand-up comedians and humorous shows. Besides the show, the place is also known to be one of the very last restaurants to serve horse meat to gourmet dinners.%26quot;
paris-eiffel-tower-news.com/paris-restaurant…
Pig feet: Au Pied de Cochon - 6, rue Coquillière, Paris, 01 40 13 77 00
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Thanks to each and everyone of you for your invaluable knowledge and input! We are far from grossed out and are indeed very intrigued and excited about trying out your suggestions when we are in Paris. I%26#39;m just happy that there are kindred spirits out there who share our food interests. Please keep the suggestions coming if you can think of anything else! Thank you all!
