When traveling, one can almost be certain of an expanding waistline. Very true to this statement is my experience eating my way through Europe. Hips don't lie. It is very hard to stay to a strict diet when there is just so much to see, smell and taste (it's usually just hard to diet for me). Being a girl who loves to spoil herself and eat whatever she wants, I had all the escargot and macaroons that I could get my hands on.
Petit dejeuner/Breakfast:
Wherever you are in Paris, there's almost always a bakery or boulangerie around the corner. All the bakeries we went to had the most delicious pastries ever and at the best prices. I'd usually grab pain au chocolat which is simply chocolate stuffed pastry.
I Didn't get to snap my own pictures of the pastry as I always just gobble it down straight away so I just borrowed this one from 99 plates =)
Some cafes offer great breakfast deals where you can get a coffee, orange juice and a croissant for 5 euros so we did that on other days.
Delicious pastries in a bakery just opposite where I stayed
Dejeuner/Lunch:
I don't think there was a day when I ordered anything other than escargot. In fact I ate so much escargot I think I would have cleared someone's garden.
SNAILS! Who would have thought that this grey slimy creatures we call pests could taste so good! The standard size is half a dozen and the average price you pay for that is about 11 euros. It sounds like a ridiculous price but it is truly worth it. The burgundy snails are cooked with herbs and garlic butter and are usually sizzling when first served. You will get six dainty snails fitted perfectly in a platter with a picking fork and clamp. It was a bit tricky at first to get them out. The first time Tim tried it he pushed in one snail (but we got 2 for free after =D).
Escargot
Once you get them out of the shell all the juices concentrated with flavor flow out. The best thing about eating in France (and Italy) was that bread was always fresh and in abundance (not forgetting FREE!). So basically, I'd order 6 snails, and eat up the garlic sauce with crusty bread. Done. Full. Extremely satisfied.
Diner/Dinner:
Dinner was pretty similar to lunch. However one outstanding dish that Tim voted as his favorite out of all the ones we had during the trip was Bouef Bourguignon or burgundy beef. Tim loved it so much I made it for his birthday (I'll post the recipe in the next few entries). It is basically beef slow cooked in red wine with mushrooms and onions served with buttered tagliatelle. Our favorite restaurant for dinner was Aux Crus de Bourgogne. It's a really quaint address and the food was absolutely delicious and reasonably priced. I had regretted a little bit for ordering escargot when Tim's bouef bourguignon arrived but in my defense the snails were really huge =D
Another borrowed picture from here.
Boeuf Bourguignon
I will post a separate entry for desserts and tea as we went to a few adorable cafes for sweets that deserve a shout out. Laduree you say? Heavenly!
