Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard
I was just in Paris a few weeks ago, and Mr. English had to miss our train and stay back in London until dinnertime. Hate to admit it, but I wasn’t totally disappointed! Sorry, love. I got to do two of my favorite things entirely undisturbed: go shopping at Petit Bateau, and have lunch in Paris.
There are only some cities where you can feel completely comfortable eating by yourself. And Paris is the best place of all the places. The chairs at all the cafés face out into the street. Even if you are eating with someone, there’s no way they’re as interesting as the mismatched couple sauntering by, he with a dirty grin, she with an Hermes bag. Or the old friends that embrace just the second longer than is natural, and you think to yourself how you will be just like that with your best friend when you’re eighty. Or the other American darting across the street that you could have spotted a mile away. It’s as filling as the meal. And the meal, well that’s another thing altogether.
Croque Monsieurs I eat early in the morning or late at night, though it’s a lunchtime Parisian staple. For lunch, I love French onion soup, asparagus vinaigrette, even a bowl of mussels. A big pizza I can carve with a fork and knife. Or falafel in Le Marais. Or picnic food. In the Luxembourg gardens or on the Pont des Arts, I like to bring a baguette and a wedge of cheese or a pot of caviar d’aubergines, and a bag of fruit. Or I like to have a tartine of meats and Poilâne bread in the Place Dauphine, watching the petanque players. Will I ever get tired of talking about those petanque players? Not likely, because I never get tired of watching them! But my favorite place to have lunch in Paris? On tip of the Ile de la Cité, with cheese crèpe bought at L’Avant Comptoir and transported hastily to the spot where I sit with my legs dangling over the wall towards the Seine. Those naughty little sparrows are company enough for me, as I watch the tourists on the Bateaux-Mouches, the pompiers on their flotillas, and the lovers strolling on the banks across from me. I like to imagine all that has gone on on the river, for hundreds, even a thousand years. Lunch in Paris is such a treat. And I don’t like sharing my treats.
When I was asked to review Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard when it first came out, it reminded me just of lunch in Paris. Because it was a treat. Written by an American who fell in love with a Frenchman (who can blame her) and picked up and moved to Paris without even knowing the language, or what she wanted to be, or who her friends were, she sheds such comedic insight on Americans and French and the differences that make them so attractive to each other. It is poignant, and romantic, and deliciously filled with the recipes that pepper any life in Paris.
With Lunch in Paris just out in paperback, Elizabeth’s publisher has agreed to give away a copy of this truly lovely book to one French Revolution reader. This is our first giveaway–I hope the start of many! So, do us all a great service, and tell us where the best place to have lunch in Paris is, in the comment section of this post. That way, we’ll all have a destination next time we’re in town. I will pick one at random at the end of two weeks, and you’ll get the book in the mail! I can’t wait to discover all these new Paris places!
This giveaway has closed and the winner has been contacted. Thanks so much for all your wonderful Paris comments!
The best place for me to have lunch in Paris was sitting on the lawn in front of La Tour Eiffel or any other picturesque part of the city, munching on a freshly baked baguette, homemade jam, and a selection of cheeses. Nothing says bliss like that!
Nothing indeed! I love this. Keep them coming!
Hi Kerry! I’ve been LOVING your blog and posts as I too am a francophile and foodie/amateur (in every sense) chef. I’m heading to Paris Thursday next for a week and will submit my favorite new place as soon as I experience it, although my favorite to date has to be having tea at the Georges V with my Grammy when we went for a month. The champagne bubbles exploded with more celebration; the ingredients sang with freshness; and the men who Grammy sent a glass of champers to were charming, gorgeous, and better dressed than anywhere else… just because it’s Paris! The interiors of the V are the most elegant as they meld the old world charm of quintessentially Parisien silks and formal furniture with wickedly modern, mindblowing floral arrangements. A bientot!
I’m more of a late (and large) breakfast person, so for me its Les Deux Magots: cafe noir and an omlette nature.
Hey Kerry!
Thanks so much for your post- it made me feel like I was sitting in Paris alongside you. Croque Monsieurs are such a classic. I haven’t been to Paris in years but am definitely looking forward to trying out all the suggestions you and others have made when I study there next year! I’m wondering if you have any suggestions for low budget students in Paris- I know Paris is pricey but let me know if you know of any cute little spots! Thanks again for a great post.
I am so excited to have a lunch in Paris recommendation from the author of Lunch in Paris, Elizabeth Bard. Definitely one I’ll be trying:
As spring has sprung, a terrace is definitely in order. For something central, try the Cafe Palais Royal, on the rue St Honore, just next to the Louvre – great salads (I love the smoked salmon), and people watching!
Café Palais Royal
202 rue St Honoré
75001 Paris
Love the blog…I’ve been searching for a good French Food Blog and stumbled across yours today. If I wasn’t hooked already, this posting taking me back to Paris was perfect.
My favorite lunch spot is at Les Halles, I sit and people watch and imagine what it looked like hundreds of years ago, a huge open market where people sold the freshest ingredients it was once known as “the belly of Paris”.
As for the menu, sitting in the park, I bring along a baguette, beautiful cheese and whatever fresh fruit I pick up at the local market.
Lunch in Paris. What a beautiful thing. What is it about that city that makes even the simplest foods taste like the best thing you have ever eaten?
The first time I brought my husband to Paris, we had only been married a year and we packed as much of the city into the few days we had as possible. We sadly didn’t take time for the long, leisurely lunches that are oh-so-French, but what we had was memorable nonetheless. The one that really sticks out in my mind, though, was on our first day. We were making our way up to the Sacre Coeur, walking up the myriad steps, and noticed there was a lady selling baguette sandwiches from a little window just off the stairway. We grabbed two salami sandwiches, a coke, and a Heinecken, and sat there, right on the steps, marveling at where we were. I believe my husband’s words were ‘Only in Europe are the beers cheaper than the pop, and no one hassles you for enjoying it in public! It’s so civilized!’
It’s not anyplace particularly scenic or gourmet, but I think it illustrates well how much of an influential ingredient the city itself is in making any meal enjoyed there memorable!
We always make it a point to go to the take-away crepe place on Ile St. Louis and have a glass of sparkling cold cider with a savory buckwheat crepe – then just down the street to Berhillon of course. We hang out along the river to enjoy our picnic. But we also visit the Jewish Quarter and wolf down falafels at L’As du Falafel. There we aren’t proud – just stand up where there is a place!
I just wish I lived there too! I’ll take any snibble of info about my Bucket List place to be!