The best bread in Paris isn’t made in any Parisian boulangerie, it’s made chez Christoph, the home of an affable German fellow who stunned me at a party a few months back when I savored more than my share of his excellent, hearty, homemade multi-grain bread. He told me that each Saturday, he bakes just two loaves of multi-grain bread to last him through the…
A couple weeks ago, someone sent me a thoughtful gift from the US. A few days later, I get a bill from the delivery company; 42 euros for taxes (the gift was valued at 80 euros, making the tax about 55%.) So I head to the office of the delivery company, where they show me the official rules for gifts sent and received in France:…
So I’m in the supermarket line with my basket of groceries. The man in front of me unloads his basket, then dumps his plastic basket on top of the neat stack of other shopping baskets. But instead of nesting it snugly within the other baskets, he just drops his basket on top, askew and cock-eyed, handles facing upward. So I need to put my basket…
A favorite late summer treat in France is the Pêche de Vigne, or ‘peach of the grapevine’. These fuzzy heirloom peaches have a dull, very fuzzy dusky exterior that gives little clue to the dazzling flesh within. But slice one open, and…wow! The rare Pêche de Vigne appears only for a short time; just during the fleeting, final weeks in August. Their taste is a…
If you’re looking for Asian ingredients in Paris, this is the place. Everything from mangoes and Thai basil, to fresh ginger and other vegetables, as well as meats, sauces, nuts, oils, and noodles, you’ll find at Tang Frères. Tang Frères 48, avenue d’Ivry, 13th Tel: 01 45 70 80 00 Mètro: Porte d’Ivry (Closed Monday)
Ladurée makes what I consider the best macarons anywhere. And apparently so do many others: the four shops of Ladurée in Paris sell 12,000 macarons each day, over four million per year. Many Americans raise an eyebrow when confronted with their first French macaron, since macaroons in the US are normally chewy, egg white-based cookies heaped with shredded coconut. But both the French macaron and…
Raimo…Glaciers depuis 1947 Raimo 59-61 Boulevard de Reuilly Tel: 01 43 43 70 17 Mètro: Daumesnil For a listing of ice cream shops in Paris, check out Les Glaciers of Paris
Because of the congés d’été, almost every boulangerie in Paris shuts down for one month of vacation. Luckily it’s carefully coordinated with the other bakeries in each neighborhood so that Parisians never have to go too far to find fresh bread daily, one of life’s necessities in France. le Boulanger de Monge I see it as an excuse to leave the confines of my quartier…
Forget Catherine Deneuve and Carole Bouquet. The most photographed and revered woman in Paris is Denise Acabo. With her braided pig-tails, necktie, and crisply-pleated kilt, Denise is the sweetest woman in Paris. Her shop, A l’Etoile d’Or, has an ethereal selection of artisan confections and chocolates from France and whenever I go, I invariably find something new to try, something tasty, something that is so…
Join me on my Spring 2026 book tour for my latest book, The Great Book of Chocolate
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