Paris Day One: Au Pied de Fouet

Paris Day 1: Au Pied de Fouet

Bonjour Mes Amies!

For all your people who don’t parlez-vous the Français, that means Good day my friends!  It’s me, Markus!  And I’m here to kick-off my first international foodie adventure in Paris, France!

Petchiboon and I landed in the morning so we weren't too hungry since we had breakfast on the plane.  We decided that after we checked into our hotel, we would walk to the Eiffel Tower, which was a 10 minute walk, and just wander until lunch time.  When we finally got hungry, we walked around and found a bakery.  There are tons of bakeries in Paris.  It seemed like there was one on every corner.  Each one served pretty much the same thing: bread, croissants, pastries, sandwiches, and quiches.  Some had salads and other decadent desserts, but they all had the same basics.  I opted for a mozzarella and tomato sandwich, which by the way is served on a baguette.  Petchiboon got a chicken curry salad sandwich.  Unfortunately we were jet-lagged and forgot to take a picture of the sandwiches, but they were sure tasty.  The bread was fresh and crispy and the cheese and basil sauce was so yummy.  Fresh cheese and bread is always a good choice and where better to get cheese and bread than in Paris?  Petchi’s sandwich was also really yummy.  The curry was a nice change to the normal chicken salads you get in the States.  What a great choice for our first meal in Paris. 

 That night, Petchiboone and I found ourselves in a small French bistro called Au Pied de Fouet which according to Google, translates to foot whip?  I don’t know enough French to know if that is right or not.  And don’t ask me where it is because I wasn’t so sure myself.  All I know is that it is within walking distance from the Eiffel Tower.  We searched on Yelp for a place to eat close by and it had some pretty good reviews and it wasn’t too pricey so we decided to try it.  Let’s say we weren’t disappointed, but I will get more into that later.

We stepped inside and the first thing I noticed was that it was quite small.  It had a small bar and very few tables.  I mean it’s smaller than your mainstream coffees shop in the States.   A waiter waved us in and asked us in French if was just the two of us and we said yes (in French of course because it would be rude not to!).  He sat us down at a table in the corner.   We looked over the small menu of French yummies.  This is something different than home where you usually see an encyclopedia of choices to eat.  When he came over to us to take our order, we ordered an entrée, which is really your appetizer, of the fois gras, and the fish special of the day and the fried duck as our main plates.  To drink, I ordered a glass of the house wine and Petchiboon got an Orangina.  The wine is so inexpensive here.  The soda usually costs more than a glass of wine. 

The fois gras came out especially fast.  It was nice and fatty which is not really my taste.  I prefer my liver more mushed together and whipped but it was tasty.   I more enjoyed the bread that came out with it. 

Our main dishes came out really quickly after the fois gras.  This is a welcome change to the normal 20-30 minutes you normally wait for your food in an American restaurant.  I’m guessing with the fewer amount of tables and fewer items on the menu to prepare, it takes less time to get your food. 

Check out this duck.  It was crispy, juicy, and had lots of meat on the bone.  The duck I normally get from restaurants at home seem to be on a diet compared to this one.  I’m not complaining.  J  The mashed potatoes were your typical mashed potatoes.  The portion size was good and not too big and not too small.  I was happy with my meal.

Petchiboone’s fish was also really tasty.  The rich cream sauce was a little bit spicy and tangy.  It was almost like a melted whipped sharp cheese.  I think that sauce would be great on anything.  The fish was also juicy and not fishy tasting.  He also finished his dinner with a cup of coffee.  Isn't it cool that they bring you a caramel to sweeten your coffee?

 Overall, we really enjoyed our first dinner in Paris.  The food was simple and good, which is not normally what I think of when I think French food.  I always thought of it as super complicated with a lot of flavors.  You really don’t need a lot of flavors to have a spectacular dish.     

I’m not going rate this as I normally would but I will leave you with some information that I have learned from my first day in Paris.

·         If you don’t speak French, at least learn this one phrase: “Je ne parle pas Français.”  This means I don’t speak French.  Most people I met in Paris understand that you don’t speak their language, but they find it rude of you not to even try.  How would you feel if someone came up to you and just started talking to you in a foreign language you don’t understand and got mad at you for not understanding them?  If you are polite first, most people will be polite back.   And if you are really stuck, hand signals are pretty universal.

·         Meal times are meant to be enjoyed.  It is a social event and you are expected to take your time.  This is why you may think your wait staff is ignoring you, but they are really just waiting for you to call them over when you are done.

·         Dinner is served later than here in the States.  8-9 PM is a normal start of dinner time. 

 Petchi and I have more great adventures and tips to share so stay tuned!  Au Revoir!