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Le Bistro du Peintre in Paris

Published

Ted

on June 21, 2009

in 11th Arrindissement, French cuisine, Meat Eating Friends, bistro, popular and restaurant

. 0 Comments

Behind the Bastille is an area that is a little rough around the edges. It’s filled with restaurants, bars, and late-night activity. Le Bistro du Peintre sits on the edge of this section.

I stopped here during a chilly, rainy summer evening. The outdoor seating has a nice heater and lighting for a comfortable place to enjoy a meal and a book. Luckily they also had a couple vegetarian options.

While I was in the mood for a salad, their eggplant lasagna sounded like a better choice. The lasagna comes in a small terrine with layers of eggplant and sauce. It’s not your traditional lasagna with gobs of sauce and cheese. This is a lighter version with a slightly spicy sauce.

This also came with a mozzarella and tomato salad and rustic bread. The salad was nice, but had some crunchy bits that made me wonder if the lettuce was washed completely. It had a healthy portion of fresh mozzarella and a sampling of tapenade for flavor.

Comfort + Food

As I mentioned earlier, their outdoor seating area was quite comfortable. I pulled out my French history book and enjoyed reading for over an hour while watching the rain come down in heavy sheets. Evenings are special in Paris during the summer. A hearty meal, a good book, and a comfortable chair are what Paris memories are made of.

Your Meat Eating Friends will be Happy

Le Bistro du Peintre also has a good reputation for the standard meat-based bistro dishes, such as tartar, duck confit, and marrow bones. So this is also a good choice if you are dining with a bunch of meat eating friends.

Le Bistro du Peintre: 16, av Ledru-Rollin (11°); Metro: Ledru-Rollin, Bastille; 01 47 00 34 39

Overall: 3/5
Taste: 4/5
Vegetarian Options: 3/5
Vegan Options: 1/5
Meat Eating Friends: 5/5
Value: 4/5
Location: 3.5/5

Les Cinq Saveurs d’Anada – Organic, Vegetarian in Paris

Published

Ted

on June 9, 2009

in 5th Arrindissement, French cuisine, Vegan Friendly, organic, restaurant, vegetarian-friendly and wheelchair friendly

. 1 Comment

Les Cinq Saveurs d’Anada may be the perfect restaurant for you in Paris. Are you looking for vegan, vegetarian, and/or macrobiotic restaurant in an area surrounded by hostels, theaters, and one of the best outdoor markets in the city? Voila, here’s your answer.

The restaurant sits at the top of rue Mouffetard, one of my favorite spots in the city. It’s cheerful interior and ample servings make this a great option in the Left Bank.

As happens too often, I came across this restaurant after already eating a nice meal. So I cannot give a personal review. However, I looked at what people were eating and it looked great.

Les Cinq Saveurs d’Anada: 72, rue du Cardinal Lemoine (5°); Metro: Cardinal Lemoine, Place Monge; 01 43 29 58 54; Wheelchair Friendly: The restaurant has a small step to enter but is otherwise wheelchair friendly. I don’t know if the restroom is downstairs or not.

The Best Miso Soup in Paris

Published

Ted

on June 6, 2009

in 2nd Arrindissement, Asian, Ethnic, Vegan Friendly, organic, popular, restaurant, salad, soup and vegetarian-friendly

. 2 Comments

You’ll find a small collection of Asian restaurants between the Opera and the Tuilleries. Centered around rue Sainte-Anne, the neighborhood has become a magnet for Asian tourists. You’ll find pho, sushi, noodles, and soup restaurants that range from the quick and cheap to trendy and bustling.

Taisho Ken – Miso Soup Bar

In the center is a small Japanese miso soup restaurant that I’ve been finding myself eating at more and more. It’s a simple place with an open kitchen, large pots of boiling miso broth, and a friendly, bustling atmosphere. This is a simple place that may remind you more of a roadside diner than a French bistro.

Miso soup normally brings to mind a small bowl of broth with a few small chunks of tofu floating amongst green herbs. I was greatly surprised when I ordered the vegetarian soup bowl and was presented with a Texas sized spoon and a big bowl of broth with fresh vegetables and noodles. This is a meal by itself, you won’t need any rice or dumplings.

Paris is a great place to have a big lunch with friends and a simple dinner of soup or salad. I’ve added this place to my list of regular stops. It’s especially nice on a cold rainy night when the windows fog up and you are surrounded by the smell of the broth.

Taisho Ken: 40 rue Sainte-Anne (2°); Metro: Pyramides, Opera; 01 42 61 11 59; Wheelchair Friendly: It’s a small, tight restaurant with a small step to enter

Overall: 4/5
Vegetarian Options: 3/5
Vegan Options: 3/5
Value: 4/5
Location: 3.5/5

Petite Mumbai de Paris – Indian food and culture

Published

Ted

on April 18, 2009

in 10th Arrindissement, Gifts, Indian, Vegan Friendly, restaurant, soup and vegetarian-friendly

. 5 Comments

I’ve been looking for good Indian restaurants since arriving in Paris. I’ve found some decent ones, but none has triggered a desire to return. I’ve been looking for the spirit and joviality I’ve experienced in Bangalore as well as the Indian neighborhoods of San Diego and the Bay Area.

I had heard about some good restaurants north of Gare du Nord but never found this mysterious Hindu Eden. While flying from San Francisco to Paris on Air France I came across an article that described this small neighborhood of saris, sweets, and restaurants. I took the magazine home with me and read the article several times. Finally I had a weekend to do some Paris exploring and jumped on the metro a couple weeks ago to La Chapelle (metro 6).

Rue Cail

Rue Cail seems to be the heart of the community. You’ll find a great assortment of vegetarian restaurants, sweet shops, grocery stores, jewelry shops, and places to find Saris, shirts, and more. My first visit was also punctuated by an impromptu protest rally for an event in India.

There are two restaurants that get the most attention. Krishna Bhavan and Dishny. Both straddle the street with dual identities, formal and casual restaurants. Krishna Bhavan is 100% vegetarian and this makes me very happy. I love being able to order anything off the menu.

Krishna Bhavan

I visited the casual version of Krishna Bhavan. It reminded me of the neighborhood taco shops of San Diego or similar simple restaurants of any city and culture. They serve dosas, rice dishes, samosas, as well as a hearty fixed price menu.

I ordered the basic menu at 13 euros. This includes a drink, entree, dinner, and dessert. For the drink you get your choice of a lassi (mango, salt, sweet, or banana). Entrees include vegetable, tomato, or broccoli soup, potato, onion, eggplant, or banana dumpling, or a green salad. The dinner is either vegetable curry with your choice of rice (coconut, lemon, or yogurt), Biryani, Capatti, Barotha, or Poori. Finally for dessert you have the house cake, gulab jamoun (soft ball in a honey liquid), or laddu (a sweet ball with cardamom). It’s a big meal for a small price.

The vegetable soup (dal) is very nice. It’s a light flavored lentil soup. The vegetable curry w/rice was more like rice with curried vegetables. The rice is the star of the plate with the eggplant and potatoes as supporting actors. As with other authentic dishes, you need to be a bit careful eating the rice. It had some hard seeds that could cause pain if bit into them unexpectedly. But don’t let that stop you from enjoying it. The rice is very light; almost floating on the fork. Mine was mixed with coconut, onions, and spices. Finally, when you think you couldn’t eat another bite it is time for dessert.

Chai

One of my fondest memories of visiting Bangalore was this small opening into the kitchen of the Yahoo! offices. From this little passage came cups of the strongest, sweetest chai tea you can imagine. Forget what you now of chai from Starbucks. Chai should fill you body with warmth.

Need I bother mentioning my excitement when I looked into the small hole of the kitchen and saw the cooks making what looked like chai. It’s awesome! This is worth the visit alone.

Shops

This is an area to enjoy during the day. There are several grocery stores to purchase indian spices, teas, and ingredients. I also found my beloved instant meals that you can find at any Indian grocery store. These packets are filled with good, spicy curries that you simply heat and eat.

You’ll also find a variety of Hindu god and goddess sculptures, henna tattoos, jewelry, music, videos, saris, and other clothing. I found one shop that specialized in arts and crafts from around the world. The back of the store has a huge selection of jackets, pants, and shirts from Tibet and South Asia. The styles are fairly western but with the strong colors and unique lines of the region.

Indian Sweets

Indian sweets are hard to describe to someone that hasn’t experienced them before. They are brightly colored, geometric, soft, sweet, and full of spices. They are very different from the sweets you’d find elsewhere in Paris. They are typically softer and less sweet than you’d expect. Frankly most Americans that I know are not big fans of the Indian sweets. That said, they are better than any I’ve tried in California.

A little bit of nostalgia, comfort, and spice in Paris

I can’t believe it took me so long to discover this corner of Paris. Rue Cail brings back my fondest memories of eating with colleagues in Bangalore, shopping for spices with Jim, teaching my mother about curry and naan, and the joy of food cooked without a fear of spice. If you like Indian food you’ll love the rue Cail area. If you love Indian food and culture you will have found one of the finest places to visit in Paris.

Krishna Bhavan: 24 Rue Cail (10°); 01 42 05 78 43; Metro: La Chapelle; Indian Restaurant; Wheelchair Access: bathrooms are in basement. Entrance is accessible.

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

Dishny Restaurant: 25 Rue Cail (10°); Metro: La Chapelle; Indian Restaurant

Places I still want to visit in Paris

Published

Ted

on April 5, 2009

in Indian, farmers market, markets, resources and restaurant

. 0 Comments

I will be leaving Paris in August, 09. My employer is shutting down their engineering in the Paris office and I’ll be heading back to California. I’m trying to make the most of the remaining weeks, mostly by leaving the city and visiting other countries in Europe.

I’ve been saving magazines and web sites for places I’d like to visit before I leave. i’ve been meaning to make a list that I can update as needed. This seems like as good a place as any to start it.

Jacques new restaurant: La Bélière. I’ve already written about my favorite chef. He’s got a new restaurant and Jazz bar. I’m planning on going this week to see his latest creations. review coming soon
Rungis market, the largest market in Europe. It’s a massive distribution center for all kinds of produce, cheese, meat, and fish from around the world. This is where restaurants, market sellers, and stores go to get their supplies. It’s open to the public, but fruits and vegetables are only sold on week days.I will be visiting Rungis soon with the owner of Paris Sweet Bar cafe as a guide.
Dans Le Noir: the restaurant where you eat in total darkness.
L’Atlantide: supposedly the best couscous in Paris. I’ve been told they have good vegetarian options.
I’ve been holding on to an old Air France magazine filled with addresses for Indian restaurants and shops in Paris. Dishny and Krishna Bhavan on rue Cail both sound inviting. New Review: Petite Mumbai de Paris
I also have an old Gourmet Magazine (September 2008) with some great ideas: 11/12th arrindissements, 19th/20th arrindissements, 10th arrindissement by Alexander Lobrano