Last summer I had the amazing opportunity to travel abroad to France and Spain for about three weeks. As someone who really appreciates local cuisine, I must say that my favorite part of the trip was breakfast and dinner! Here are five of my favorite foods and desserts from my stay in Brittany and Paris.
1. Canard à l'orange at the Café du Commerce, Paris.
Located on Rue du Commerce, Café du Commerce is an authentic, independent, French bistro whose customers range from tourists looking for a delightful traditional French meal to local businessmen or "hommes d'affaires." The escargots were delicious as well.
2. Glace des Alpes & Crème Brûlée at the Café du Commerce, Paris.
This was the "coupe parisienne 3 boules," i.e. three scoops of Parisian of ice cream, your choice of flavor. I think this was vanille, fraise des bois, and pomme cidrée. The second dessert is the café's "crème brûlée aux zestes d'agrumes."
3. Poisson et Fruits de mer in the city of Brest, Brittany.
I had this simple dish in the region of Brittany in northwestern France. I don't remember the name of the restaurant but it was a small quaint seafood place with a gorgeous view of the ocean.
4. Cidré bouché de Bretagne in the town of Landéda, Brittany.
Otherwise known as French cider, you can find delicious "cidré bouché" in many small towns in Brittany. Brittany is known for having some of the best ciders. It's very refreshing and has just the perfect level of sweetness.
5. Macarons and Ice Cream from Pierre Hermé in Paris.
The patisserie by the famous pastry chef, Pierre Hermé, known as the "Picasso of Pastry" is my favorite place for macarons and macaron ice cream sandwiches. You also won't have to wait in an absurdly long line at most of his patisseries contrary to Ladurée.
5. Mori Yoshida, a patisserie on Avenue de Breteuil, Paris.
Mori Yoshida is a patisserie selling mostly French pastries and others pastries with Japanese influence. Located on Avenue de Breteuil, the setting of this patisserie is minimalist contrary to most higher end patisseries like Angelina, Pierre Hermé or Ladurée. My favorite pastry here was the "Fraisier japonais" and the "citron vert" macarons.
Paris c'est toujours une bonne idée!
