TRAVEL — Lauren Mossberg

Here are some more random snippets from my time in Paris. The weekdays are workdays, but we find time to explore before or after.

Sun Nov 26

It was our first quiet Sunday in Paris. We took our time rolling out of bed, doing laundry, and sipping coffee. In the early afternoon, we left our apartment in the 11th Arr. and walked to the 3rd Arr. We meandered leisurely, poking our heads into shops and jotting down new restaurants that intrigued us. We walked by the Hôtel de Ville all decked out for the 2024 Olympics being held in Paris.

We walked through Marché des Enfants Rouges, a buzzing food market. Turns out it’s the oldest market in Paris, dating back to the 1600’s. There were restaurant counters and grocers inside.

Then we wandered back towards home and realized we were very close to L'As du Fallafel. The line for takeaway was only about 20 minutes, versus sitting down, which was closer to 45. We patiently waited for our falafel pitas with all the fixings. They were totally worth it, even though I dripped sauce onto my light blue jacket and stained it.

Mon Nov 27

After a rainy workday, we went grabbed a quick cocktail down the street at Fitzroy. Then went next door to Brasserie Rosie for dinner, just down the street from our apartment. The food at Rosie was so good. We shared an artichoke appetizer, then I got the lamb shoulder entree. The cockails came out with a cheeky napkin with a phone number on them. It was so cute.

Tues Nov 28

Finally some clear blue skies! We took a mid-afternoon stroll along the Seine for about an hour and it was glorious. After work, we walked to Le 17.45 Paris République. It’s a wine bar where you can build your own cheese and charcuterie board. There’s a full menu of individual of cheese and meats. You pick and choose what you want. I found a new favorite cheese: tete de moine. It’s a semi-hard cheese that’s shaved into florets that look almost mushroom-like.

Cheese and charcuterie Le 17.45 Paris République

Wed Nov 29

Manicure day for the girlies! I had to do some deep web research to find a dip powder manicure in Paris. I booked a salon in the 15th Arr. (Smile Nails & Spa), but my girlfriends opted for gel closer to our apartment at Color Forever.

After a post-workday stroll through the neighborhood, I went to Bofinger with one of my girlfriends who hadn’t been with me when I last visited the restaurant. We both ordered french onion soup, she got mussels, and I got sauerkraut and pork which was served over a mini burner at the table to keep it hot. On such a chilly evening, the soup and the sauerkraut really hit.

Strasbourg-style sauerkraut at Bofinger: white sausage, Strasbourg sausage, smoked pork belly, pork loin, and boiled potatoes, all over sauerkraut

Thu Nov 30

Took a morning walk to get a matcha at Noir. I hadn't had matcha in so long; I missed it! It was delicious, but priced like NYC.

Then we paid a visit to the official Paris 2024 Olympics store. We weren't overly impressed by the selection of merch, but we did learn where the idea for the mascot comes from. It's shaped like the hats that they wore in the French Revolution, the Phrygian caps.

After work, we Metro’d to Kodawari Ramen (the Tsukiji location) for dinner. We just beat the rush, and sat down nearly immediately after arriving. This location was decorated like the famous Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. All of the fish on display were fake, though! The ramen was so good. I had never had fish-based ramen broth before, that I could remember. I ordered the sea bream royale ramen, with a soft boiled egg, pork chashu, and spicy paste. We ordered edamame to start, too. And shared a dessert: a miso and coffee ice cream with pumpkin seed crunch and sake syrup.

Paitan de Daurade Royale at Kodawari Ramen (Tsukiji)

After dinner, we took the Metro to Trocadéro to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle. The sight of the Eiffel Tower never gets old! My friend’s cousin was visiting, so we wanted to make sure she saw it at night.

Sun Dec 3

It was a lazy chilly Sunday that I wanted to fill with walking and shopping, aka French cardio. We left home and headed west towards Les Halles and Place des Victoires, then through Gallerie Vivienne to see the decorated Christmas tree. The destination was Polene Richelieu, where we had to wait in an outdoor queue before going into the store. After assessing the inventory and chatting with the store associates, we also went to Polene Marais.

We saw a Ricola Pop Up Shop and just had to go in. They had a wall of every single cough drop flavor, Ricola merch, advent calendars, and a photo op with a swing. It was so quirky!

After a brief rest, we walked to Gruppomimo for dinner in the 11th. We shared an artichoke salad which was delicious and then each ordered our own pizzas, of which we ate about half and took the rest home for lunch the following day.

Tues Dec 5

We took a lunchtime walk to the Westfield Mall at Halles. I was mostly window shopping, but my girlfriends were looking for Christmas gifts for their family. Inside the mall there was a big pharmacy, so I did end up buying a couple of products for myself.

After work, we took the Metro to Galleries Lafayette, the Champs Elysse location. There was a nice Christmas tree at the entrance. We window shopped all the way up and down the mall, just wasting time before dinner.

We joined the queue for Le Relais de l’Entrecôte around 6:20, though they open at 6:45. Even 25 minutes before it opened, there was a line wrapped around the corner. We sat shortly after the restaurant opened. And boy oh boy, was it worth the wait! The salad was great, but the steak frites was amazing. And their secret au poivre sauce is stellar.

After dinner, we walked down Ave. Montaigne to see the holiday decor at Dior, Chanel, and Ralph Lauren before going home.

Wed Dec 6

I booked Musée Yves Saint Laurent tickets for early afternoon. The timing was perfect. The place was basically empty. It was neat to learn how Yves Mathieu-Saint-Laurent actually gained popularity by starting at Dior.

We needed a quick caffeine boost and a bite to eat, so we popped into Cafe Nuances and Boulangerie Liberte. Then it was time for La Galerie Dior. Even with a timed ticket, we had to wait in line outside. This museum was much more crowded, with people bottlenecking at the rainbow stairs to take photos. My favorite part of the exhibit was the outfits worn by famous women like Princess Diana and Jennifer Lawrence.

Princess Diana's 1996 Met Gala couture gown, deigned by John Galliano

Thu Dec 7

After watching countless Cedric Grolet videos online, I was dying to try some of his pastries. I knew the Cedric Grolet Opera location opened at 9:30, so I figured leaving home around 9:00 and taking the Metro would get us there in time to beat any crowds. I was wrong. We arrived around 9:30 and there was about an hour long wait to get into the tiny bakery. But I was already committed. I stood in line, catching the occasional whiff of buttery croissant, for about an hour and a quarter total.

Once we entered, we learned what baked goods they had available that day: croissant, chocolate croissants, and vanilla chocolate croissants. In addition to those, they had various tarts: vanilla, passion fruit coconut, hazelnut, and more. I opted for one of each croissant (the plain was my favorite) and the vanilla and passion fruit tarts, both of which were spectacular. It was well worth the wait.

Fri Dec 8

In the afternoon, we took the Metro to the Sacre Couer in Montmartre. We walked up every single step to see the chapel up close. It was pretty crowded with tourists, but manageable.

After wandering through the streets of Montmartre, we took the Metro down to Concorde. I wanted to see the US Embassy (which was beautiful, but I wasn't allowed to take any photos of the building), the Petit Palais, and the Grand Palais. Then we walked across Pont Alexandre III to see Hôtel des Invalides. We didn't go into any of these museums, I just wanted to see the buildings themselves.

For dinner, my friend and I went to Maythai, a highly rated Thai restaurant she had found online. It was so good; really hit the spot. We shared a couple of starters and entrees. Then went to L'Épicier, a speakeasyy, for a few cocktails.

Sat Dec 9

We braved the holiday madness to see the decorations at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, mainly the big Christmas tree. The place was packed, but it was nice to see.

Still on an Asian-food high from the night before, my friend and I found Big Bang IV for Korean BBQ. We arrived right as the restaurant opened, but shortly thereafter, the dining room was quite full. We split a variety of cuts of meat, all of which came out on a ferris wheel, with an assortment of banchan.

Mon Dec 11

I made a dinner reservation for Giorgio. The pizzas were very good. And we followed dinner with a drink at Mermaids & Divers.

Tues Dec 12

We needed to eat promptly before Crazy Horse Paris, so I made a 5:00pm reservation at Bouillon République. Then we took the Metro to Crazy Horse. The show was more risqué than Moulin Rouge, if that’s even possible.

After the show, we caught the Eiffel Tower lights from Chez Francis with a cocktail in hand.

Wed Dec 13

We walked down Rue Crémieux to see the colorful townhouses before catching the Metro to the Catacombs. What an interesting experience. It was informative and spooky at the same time.

After being underground, we needed some fresh air. There was a Christmas market at Square René Viviani, within eyeshot of Notre Dame, so we walked through that.

After work, we hustled over to Bar Hemingway at the Ritz. There was a line even 30 minutes before the bar opened. We were lucky and sat down once they opened. They claim to have the best martini, though they don’t specify whether it’s gin or vodka. I thought it was good, but not necessarily the best I’d ever had. The experience of being in the bar made it worth it, though.

We took the Metro to Montmartre and sat down at Le Bimbo for a snack and drinks. My friend wanted to go to Refuge des Fondus for dinner, so we made a reservation for the 9:00pm seating. It was very quirky to drink wine out of a baby bottle, and fun that the entire restaurant was packed for the dinner seating, but the fondue was average.

Mon Dec 18

We had our eyes on a local Italian sandwich shop, so after work we decided to grab one for dinner. It's called Focaccia Novettino and it was unreal. The foccacia was so crispy and fluffy.

Tues Dec 19

After work, we cracked a bottle of wine, waiting for the clock to strike 7:00pm. My friend wanted to sit down at Bistro Paul Bert, which opens at 7:30pm, but without a reservation, that wasn't a possibility. Chez Mamy was nearby and so we sat down. We had delicious butternut squash soup and steak frites.

Wed Dec 20

It was perfectly sunny outside. We took the Metro towards the Eiffel Tower. We walked through the Champ de Mars park then to Rue de l'Université to take some photos. Then we walked all the way towards Saint Germain. My friend wanted to eat lunch at La Jacobine, but it was closed. We were able to snag a table at Cafe de Flore, which was great. The onion soup was really good. I ordered a croque monsieur that was just okay. And we finished with the hot chocolate which was a 10/10.

For dinner we went to East Mamma for Italian which was bomb. Then we walked into Moonshiner, a speakeasy inside of a pizza shop. We ended the night in the downstairs of Mermaids and Divers with karaoke until 1:30am.

Thu Dec 21

I figured it was about time I visit a true art museum in Paris, so I accompanied my friend to the Musée de l'Orangerie. We saw paintings by Renoir, Cézanne, and of course Monet. The rooms displaying Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’ were breathtaking, never ending.

We were peckish for lunch and decided to try Schwartz’s, an American-style deli we had previously walked past. We ordered matzoh ball soups and shared a pastrami sandwich. It looked like NYC, but tasted rather average. I still think it was worth a try.

For dinner we stayed close to home and went to Bao Express, which was absolutely delicious. We shared a handful of dim sum: cucumber salad, Chinese eggplant, spring rolls, har gow, siu mai, char siu bao, and even a custard bun for dessert.

Fri Dec 22

I treated myself to Cafe Carette hot chocolate and a croissant as a last treat before leaving Paris. The hot chocolate was so thick and chocolatey. And the croissant perfectly flakey.