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Le Campanier - The weekly grab bag of organic produce

Published

Ted

on July 5, 2008

in Fruit, farmers market and organic

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I love Paris markets. It’s truly one of the greatest joys of living in this city.

However, I also work long hours and can’t always make it to my local markets in the morning. This leaves Saturday or Sunday for markets that are a few metro stops away. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an organic produce market come to you?

This is the concept behind Le Campanier, a company delivers a weekly bag filled with seasonal, organic vegetables or fruit to your local organic grocery store. You simply subscribe to the service on their web site and pick up your bag on Tuesday afternoon. The bags also feature recipes and information about the farmers and food.

Sample Deliveries

Vegetable Bag

Fresh Corn (France)
Carrots (Italy)
Cucumber (Spain)
Tomato (Spain)
Lettuce (France - Manche)

Fruit Bag

Melon (Vergeze)
Peaches (Italy)
Mini Watermelons (Spain)

It’s worth noting that the produce included in the bags are often times hard to find in the markets. For instance, I have been looking for fresh corn in the markets without any success. They also tend to include some of the ignored vegetables of yesteryear.

Clotilde Dusoulier has a nice description of the vegetables she received one week:

I was really happy to get parsnips : they belong to what is sometimes referred to as “les légumes oubliés” (forgotten vegetables), those vegetables we used to eat a lot in the past, but which have been more or less abandoned : panais, rutabagas, salsifis, pâtissons, crosnes…

I have read that most of these were what people had to live on during the second world war, so they were promptly pushed aside after the war, because of the bad memories they brought back. Nowadays these vegetables aren’t very widely cultivated and can seldom be found at produce stands. Of course, I find the idea of forgetting a vegetable heart-breaking and cruel and terrible and saddening, it makes me want to save the vegetable and bring it back home and give it love and affection and decorate a little room for it with a little bed it can sleep in. Ahem. Anyway, I was glad to welcome those parsnips into my vegetable drawer.
Le Campanier - A lucky bag of produce

Prices are reasonable, but not super cheap. Vegetable bags are 8-12 Euros and Fruit bags are 10 Euros. However, it’s important to remember that you are supporting sustainable, organic farming and enjoying the convenience of fresh food delivered to your closest organic store.

Wanna Juice - Fruit Smoothies in Paris

Published

Ted

on June 24, 2008

in 1st Arrindissemont, Fruit, Vegan Friendly, cafe, organic, popular, soup and vegetarian-friendly

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Paris is a hot, sticky, muggy city during the summer months. You’ll need to find an occasional cold treat to cool your body. luckily, there are several Wanna Juice bars to quench your thirst.

Wanna Juice bars are small restaurants similar to Jamba Juice in the States. You will see a menu board of blended juices, a fridge with yoghurts, snacks, and salads. Soups are also available for lunch.

Wanna Juice has a fairly reasonable lunch menu with soup or salad, bread, and small smoothie for around 8 euros. Purchasing a smoothie by itself may give you some sticker shock. I had the Fast Breakfast smoothie this afternoon for 8.20 Euros, which is a little over $12. The smoothie was great, it had berries, fresh orange juice, yogurt, muesli, and honey. The tasty concoction made me forget about the price. My friend had an orange/strawberry smoothie. He’s a big fan of the Orange Dream Machine smoothie at Jamba Juice. I liked Wanna’s better; it didn’t taste like baby aspirin.

There are 4 locations for Wanna Juice. Each is located near popular tourist destinations. You’ll find it to be a fresh alternative in the sticky heat of a Paris summer. Ask for the frequent buyer card; buy ten and get one free. That may take a bit of the sting off of your currency conversion analysis.

The Mouffetard and Montorgueil locations are also surrounded by great vegetarian bistros, markets, and tasty boulangeries. Both areas are great places to visit for a taste of Paris life. Mouffetard is also home to some hostels and is close to the Universities.

Overall: 3.5/5
Location: 5/5
Taste: 4/5
Value: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Vegetarian Friendly: 5/5
Vegan Friendly: 5/5
M.E.F. Friendly: 5/5

Wanna Juice Mouffetard: 137 rue Mouffetard (5°); 01 77 32 11 61; Metro:; Juice Bar

Wanna Juice Montorgueil: 9 rue Montorgueil (1°); 01 71 18 27 05; Metro:; Juice Bar

Wanna Juice Bastille: 7, rue de la Roquette (11° - Bastille ); 01 43 38 46 45; Metro: Bastille; Juice Bar

Wanna Juice Odeon: 65 rue St-Andre des Arts (6° - Odeon); 01 46 34 11 90; Metro:; Juice Bar

Jamba Juice, Nestle in licensing deal [via Zemanta]
A Spoonful of Immunity? [via Zemanta]

Boulangerie Gana - A traditional, organic bakery

Published

Ted

on June 7, 2008

in 20th Arrindissement, boulangerie and organic

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I recently when on a self-guided tour of famous boulangeries and patissiers in Paris. Most of these were located in the heart of the city. Boulangerie Gana was the only place I needed to travel away from the inner circle for. And it is worth the trip.

I’ve been to many boulangeries in Paris, but none struck me like Gana. It’s a powerful mixture of friendly service, busy bakers, and a stunning array of bread, pizzas, and pastry on display. The food is not decorated, spotlighted, gilded, or placed on a feather cushion.

This is solid, traditional food that makes you salivate as soon as the smell hits your nose.

Gana has been celebrated for their traditional bread making. You won’t find frozen dough delivered in the middle of the night at this bakery. This is French bread the way should be. I dare you to make it back to your home without biting a corner off of the bread. The crust is crisp and the interior is light and chewy.

Vegetarian and Vegan food

Gana is a boulangerie. It’s not a cafe or restaurant. It serves fantastic bread and desserts. They also have some amazing looking pizzas and tartines to snack on. However, you won’t find a huge assortment of vegetarian or vegan lunch items. I’m sure they have sandwiches available during the week, but I didn’t see any on my Saturday trip.

This restaurant is featured in Vivre bio à Paris.

Boulangerie Gana: 226, rue des Pyrénées (20°); 01 43 58 42 62; Gambetta; Boulangerie

Overall: 5/5
Location: 4/5
Taste: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Vegetarian Friendly: 4/5
M.E.F. Friendly: 5/5

Judicious Vegetarian Restaurant

Published

Ted

on May 5, 2008

in 12th Arrindissement, Vegan Friendly, organic, restaurant, salad, soup and vegetarian-friendly

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The vegetarian restaurant is dead! Long live the vegetarian restaurant!

I came across Judicious while looking for “Four T’s” a vegetarian restaurant on rue de Charenton. Judicious looked interesting, it’s a basic, no-frills juice bar and organic cafe. The interior is sparse and looks comfortable. The exterior has plenty of signs for the daily muffins, juices, salads, soups, etc.

But where was the other restaurant? Eventually, I gave up and headed home. Sure enough, the Four T’s restaurant has closed. However, Judicious has taken its place. Unfortunately it was closed for vacation today so I haven’t had a chance to sample the food. Judicious looks promising and I’ll return another day.

Judicious is open 7 days a week and offers free wi-fi. It’s near Ledru-Rollin metro station. Don’t miss the nearby market at Bastille on Sunday mornings.

Judicious: 53 rue de Charenton (12°); 01 44 73 40 21; Metro: Ledru-Rollin; Vegetarian/Organic Restaurant; Free Wi-Fi

Le Potager du Marais

Published

Ted

on April 1, 2008

in 3rd Arrindissement, Vegan Friendly, organic, popular, soup and vegetarian-friendly

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There’s something deeply satisfying about a bowl of vegetarian French Onion Soup. Traditionally, this dish features a rich broth of beef consume with onions sauteed to a dark color and a large crouton floating on top. All of this is smothered with melted cheese. The soup makes you feel like a warm embrace by your favorite grandmother; if it’s possible to have a favorite.

But alas, beef doesn’t sit well with the vegetarian in us. My favorite chef, Jacques Brosse, once created a heavenly French Onion Soup with a rich wine base for me. It was one of the best dishes I’ve ever tasted. Jacques is about to open a new restaurant in Paris, so watch for the news.

It was with these high expectations that I ordered a bowl of Onion Soup from Le Potager du Marais. First off, the soup was good. It wasn’t great. It didn’t make me jump up and scream “Mother Trudy, come here and give me a big fat hug!”

Frankly, I don’t think jumping up would even be possible in this tiny table with a long community table. It would have been more like asking the person next to you to stand up, pull the table out, extricate yourself between two other diners, stand up and then yell “Mother Trudy, come here and give me a bit fat hug!”
The Onion soup had a rich broth but could’ve used more onions. Instead of a big hunk of crouton, the soup was dotted with smaller chunks. Frankly, the smaller chunks are much easier to manage. It was then covered with a thin layer of cheese. It was also a tad bit salty for my taste. The bread they served on the side was also a bit bland.

Don’t get me wrong, Le Potager is a popular, friendly restaurant that features a great menu of vegetarian and vegan food. There were several daily specials, including vegetable curry, broccoli soup, and pasta primevera. The other diners licked their plates clean. The lady next to me just about died when her nattily atired boyfriend held his curry plate up and licked the last drop off.

It’s just that the Onion Soup had a lot to live up to. It’s hard to beat a memory.

Le Potager du Marais is super easy to find. It’s just down the street from the Rambuteau metro. It’s a great place to get something to eat after spending a day at the Pompideu. Be forwarned, this restaurant is tiny and packed. It’s a good idea to make a reservation during peak hours. However, they are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Surprisingly, they do not accept Cheque Dejeuner (subsidized lunch tickets for those that work in Paris).