Walking and Eating in Paris and Versailles

I will always love Paris even though every time I return it seems to get a little bit noisier with more tourists. But that is just the way it is. So, it is important to stay away from the masses by finding passages or side streets that are less traveled.

The Tuileries Garden with the Louvre Museum in the background

We walk and walk and walk , in-between we take a break on a bench or in a cafe , resting and watching the people.

Le Grand Colbert

It was still August when we arrived and many of our favorite restaurants were closed but we discovered some new places and had some wonderful meals. We had our first dinner at
Le Grand Colbert where the oysters were great. It was a pleasant evening with a satisfying meal. We slept well on our first night.  This is the place were the the mesmerizing birthday cake scene in “Something Gotta Give” was filmed

Le Dome Cafe

The next day we had dinner at  the old Brasserie Le Dome Cafe in Montparnasse. This is a fish restaurant and I understand their Sole Meunier is outstanding but we shared a plate of fruits of the ocean ( plateau fruits de mer) with a nice bottle of muscatel. .

Near Le Halles is  E. Dehillerin, my favorite kitchen store, a heaven for foodies. You want a mandolin specifically for slicing truffles, they have it. Whenever I am in Paris I have to go to  this iconic store where Julia Child bought her copper pots. They have everything and more and they will ship. I still use my crepe pan I bought twenty years ago.  

Duck Confit at La Fontaine De Mars

Ile Flottante at La Fontaine De Mars

Another night we ate at La Fontane De Mars  which is a retro style bistro with an old fashion ambiance. The cuisine is traditionally bistro style food . The menu is vast with daily menus on the blackboard. I especially enjoyed my Floating Island Dessert ( Ile Flottante) . President Obama and his wife dined here.

On a hot Sunday we took the RER to Versailles and enjoyed the beautiful gardens. Here we had a nice lunch just outside the garden

After returning from Burgundy we spent the  last day of our trip in Paris . Dropping our rental car off at the airport was not an easy task but we managed. We took the RER into Paris and did some shopping at Lafayette, they have a wonderful food section. I bought some herbs and tea for my friends at home and some food to take back to our hotel at the airport to have a picnic in our room while we were getting ready for an early departure. While downtown Paris we ate lunch at an outside cafe and  did some more shopping at Ladurée, an upscale bakery specializing in macarons which my girlfriend in Santa Cruz had requested.

The view from the roof top of Lafayette

Read about my other Paris trip