Chipotle has landed

I told you Mexican food was all the rage in Paris!

Today Chipotle, the American tex-mex fast food chain, opened its doors to the Parisian public on the boulevard Montmartre.

I got there at about 7.30 pm and the place was packed, mostly with Americans and tourists. All my American friends on facebook were posting excitedly about the new arrival.

Although the food has the potential to make it very very popular, the location (between a McDonald's and a Starbucks) means that it's more likely to drift into the fast food realm than the "hey have you heard of that amazing place with the name I can't pronounce?" category.

Speaking of the name, the French are having serious difficulties with it. Chipotle used this to their advantage,  very cleverly adapting their slogan to "comment prononcez-vous Chipotle?" or " How do you pronounce Chipotle".

But at 9 euros a pop (with an extra 1.50 for guacamole, geez!), they might have a hard time competing with the cheaper McDo next door.

Oh oops, I forgot to take a picture of my burrito, because it was smelling so good I just couldnt stand to wait any longer before eating it. (The fact that I managed to write this whole post without even taking one bite shows remarkable self control on my part) I had the Barbacoa spicy pulled beef, with bacony beans, red salsa, green salsa, guacamole, sour cream and cheese. And they have margaritas, which is an easy win over the 1664 beer that you can get with your Big Mac meal.

Chipotle
20 Boulevard Montmartre, 9th arrondisement
Metro: Richelieu Drouot
Open from 11am-10pm

Blend Burger

Clearly, burgers are all the rage in Paris now.

Which I find to very contradictory to Parisian cuisine as a whole, since Parisians seem to hate Americans, but have no qualms with devouring their standard food fare on a regular basis.

A couple of months ago, I got word of the supposedly 'best burger in Paris' (as they all seem to claim), to be found at Blend in Le Sentier.

It was that typical situation of a very hyped up burger that unfortunately, did not deliver compared to such sky high expectations.

But yes, the burgers are good. Very good. Just not 'the best'. (Don't you find that anytime people tell you 'its the best' you secretly hope for it to be crap just so you can prove them wrong?)

The buns are freshly baked. The prices are reasonable. The beers are local. The sweet potato fries come wrapped in a little cone of wax paper, and even the cheese on the cheeseburger is a secret combination of yellow and white cheddar brought in from England, according to the waiter. Though I couldn't help overhear one Parisienne sitting next to me complaining about the cheese on the cheeseburger being too cheesy. She clearly had no idea what to expect of cheddar cheese, being more accustomed to the processed orange cheese that comes in an individual plastic wrapper. The burger is not too big, not too little, but perfect for a gal like me who needs to feel stuffed and happy without feeling like someone is going to have to roll me home.

And then there's the meat. The meat is melt-in-your-mouth tender and buttery, perfectly cooked, and apparently sourced from Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec, the same butcher as the Beef Club, Paris's uber exclusive and off the radar temple to all things beefy (Which will also happen to be the subject of my next post, so stay tuned).

Even though you might have to wait half in hour in the rain just to get in to this tiny broom closet of a restaurant, all the staff are clearly very proud of what they do, and very happy to be doing it. A tip of the hat to the workers at Blend, who managed to elevate the cookie-cutter bistro burger to whole other level.

So all in all, not the best burger in Paris, but still an excellent specimen of creative simplicity, and a great reminder of the never ending paradox that is Parisian food culture. 


Blend Hamburger Gourmet
http://blendhamburger.com/
44 rue d'Argout
75002 Paris

Candelaria

Ok fine! I'll do it! I'll jump on the bandwagon and write about Candelaria.

I first went to this taco joint last year, having read a review of it by David Leibovitz. Imagining that it must be insanely popular, I waited for 4 pm on Sunday to attempt getting a table for 2 for lunch. Turns out, not a problem. Although they only have a few seats at the bar and one table, we somehow managed to find a spot, drink cold Mexican beers and devour delicious, fresh, home made soft tacos.

While happily munching away at the bar, I had noticed some people coming into the resto, walking through a door in the back and disappearing. And its only when those Mexican beers made nature call that I discovered where those people were going.

Hidden away behind this tiny taco joint is a beautiful cocktail bar. One minute you're eating Mexican street food in a minuscule diner style taqueria, the next, you're in a hidden bar that is not only beautifully decorated but also serves the most amazing and most original cocktails. And I go to Le China regularly so I know what I'm talking about.

My favorite cocktail was with chili pepper infused tequila, cucumbers, coriander and other strange yummy things floating aroung. This week, seeing as it was an early lunch, I had their version of a Bloody Mary, which included a scoop of avocado and a handful of coriander in the shaker, along with home-made chipotle pepper infused tomato juice. Heaven (and a full meal) in a tall glass.

Note: The picture is blurry because the drink is strong, as it should be.

But go there anytime past 7pm and you're going to wait half an hour to get a drink and you will find yourself squashed to the wall by too-cool bobo hipsters and Greek/American tourists. Its a strange mix.

Candelaria
52 rue Saintonge, 3rd arrondisement
http://www.candelariaparis.com/
Tacos: between 3-3.50E per taco
Cocktails: 10-12 euros. 

Empanadas & Helados

So we all know Candelaria. 

The ultra hip taco slash hidden cocktail bar in the 11th arrondisement. The kind of place that serves delicious Mexican street food and has only one table because, frankly, they're just that cool. 'The harder it is to get the food, the more you want it' seems to be the motto of the latest up and coming Parisian food joints. 

So it's only natural that we all battle our way through the crowds and wait in the cold rain on the street for a scrumptious yet slightly overpriced taco. 

But waiting on the sidewalk has its advantages, and sometimes if you follow the mouth watering smells coming from around the corner, you might find something delicious.

As the name says, this place serves empanadas and ice-cream. And while I didn't try the ice-cream, the empanadas were definitely worth a tip of the hat. 

But even more noteworthy is the entree, a compilation of raw, marinated Argentinian meat, topped with tiny morsels of red onion, celery, avocado and fresh coriander. At the staggering price of 9 euros for 5 minuscule slices, you would be surprised how quickly you forget how much you're paying once you pop one of these little heavenly slivers into your mouth. 

 

The empanadas were really good too, although I don't think they merit the price tag of 4 euros per piece. Try the meat one and cheese and onion one. 

Fun fact: These guys have decided to get with the program and follow what everyone seems to be doing at the moment in Paris : food trucks. They have the first Argentinian food truck, El Carrito, that serves up street food throughout the cobblestoned roads of Paris. 

Classico Argentino- Empanadas & Helados

217, rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75011M°: Faidherbe-Chaligny

Tél. 01 56 06 95 14

http://clasico-argentino.com/fr

Le Mal Barre

The search for the perfect Parisian burger has been long, and it has been hard. I've followed food guides, friends' advice, recent trends, facebook tips, and sometimes just simply my nose. I've had to sacrifice many things to find it; just this week I was forced to eat four cheeseburgers, hoping that one of them would be 'the one'.

So I was quite surprised to find it while searching for a good spot to have a long, languid Sunday lunch.

Le Mal Barre, which is actually advertised as 'Blini's Bar', serves only two things: burgers and dessert. Dessert is either cupcakes or cheesecake, and that's it.

Apart from the fact that it took ridiculously, severely long for our food to come, the burgers were heaven. Ranging from the classic double steak, to the 'chick mex' chicken and guacamole burger, to a Japanese style teriyake and shitake burger, and even a Southwestern one with magret de canard and cantal cheese. Simple, not too big, well seasoned, interesting combinations, and a nice personal spin off on ketchup are all very very good reasons to go here. And the mere 10 euro price tag is another one.

Considering they just opened 3 days ago, I would recommend going only if you have a lot of time to spare. But its worth the wait.

Le Mal Barre
47 Rue Lucien Sampaix
75010 Paris

Rino

In Paris, it's hard to be on top of the food scene. But when a new bistro opens that wins the FOODING 2010 du Meilleur Bistrot d'auteur, it's difficult to not notice it. 


On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Rino has two tables teetering in the middle of the sidewalk, which chef Giovanni Passerini, (whose nickname I'm assuming is Rino?) cites as a reason for why he would never be awarded a Michelin star. But not that he wants one; he doesn't like the clientele that comes with the stars, or the changes that it would require him to make to his intimate yet relaxed bistrot.  


The kitchen is open to the dining room, allowing curious clients such as myself to annoyingly stare over the counter, trying to decipher what exactly is going on....but it's hard to tell. I see some bottles of milk from Normandy being used, but I can't tell on what. The menu is incredibly limited -in a good way- and milk doesn't seem to be a blatantly obvious ingredient in any of the dishes. Intriguing.


But once the food arrives you stop wondering about what's inside of it and just hold on for the ride as an explosion of bizarrely matched flavors come together beautifully, both on your plate and in your mouth. You don't have much choice at lunch; you have one starter, two main dishes and one dessert. The menu changes daily, which is always a good sign. But the combinations are odd, to say the least. My starter consisted of carrot soup, lamb meatballs, salted fish and endives--originally I thought that I had a choice of one of these many ingredients, but only after asking the charming waitress/sommelier Francesca did I realize that in fact no, it's one dish, a jumbled mix and match of ingredients and flavors. I was struggling to understand how all this could come together, but I was astounded that in fact it did work  so amazingly well. 

Hidden underneath the leaves are lamb meatballs spiced with a middle eastern flavor

The choice of main dish was either mullet or roast chicken, both served with asparagus, cabbage and a strange green pesto-looking sauce, which of course was delicious. The veggies were al dente, the chicken was marvellously cooked (both crispy and tender) and the fish was soft and delicate.

Mullet

Roast chicken

The dessert was another mix and match of yogurt ice cream, caramelized pecans and hazelnuts and raspberry. And as usual, the wonderful wine had rendered me too lazy to take a picture. 


This was very creative cuisine. Simple, relaxed, delicious, seasonal and surprisingly affordable. But nevertheless it was food that challenges you, that forces you to re-think certain combinations that you would have never thought possible. After lunch, you can have a little chat with the chef. He is very approachable and  happy to talk to you while he smokes his cigarette outside after the lunch service has died down. 



Rino
46, rue Trousseau 
75011 Paris 
tel. 01 48 06 95 85

Food Design: Aventures Sensibles Exhibition

Hidden in an alley off of the Rue du Faubourg St Antoine, right around the corner from Bastille, is Le Lieu Design.

From the 9th of March to the 30th of April, Marc Brethillot, one of the most prominent French food designers, and funnily enough, my student, has created an exhibition that gives us an introduction to all things edible and yet functional at the same time.

It's kind of hard to understand what this exhibition is really about; personally I know nothing about food design. But there are some really cool things to see, and I think that's basically the point. To see fun food fare that either brings an artistic side to food, or a culinary side to art.

For example:

These are big rocks that have been dipped in various liquids. I think it's supposed to be about the geological connection to food. To me, it looks like bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Then there are these beautifully decorated crabs and clams, by a tatoo artist I beleive, who wants to create a theme restaurant that 'tatoos' your food according to your personality (gothic, ethnic, tribal etc)

This is a really creepy piece that explores the connection between food and taxidermy; the head is preserved but underneath is a 'dish' cooked with various parts of the rabbit.

They also did a bird

Then there are simply some very beautifully decorated classics, like chocolate 

And colorful mexican popcorn 

And beautifully colored and shaped butter

There was also some cheese that was made out of plastic (I didn't even realize until the guide told me so)

And a vegetable puree that looks like a psychadelic pile of sh*t

There was spice infused chocolate shaped like little tajines

And other pretty things

This is fruit paste

All in all, its a cool show, even though it's kind of hard to really get what it's about. But the pleasure of going to this exhibition is that it makes you feel like a kid again, excited by the bright colors and different textures and designs and the almost perfectly plastic looking food (which turns out to actually be plastic). You find yourself thinking that the most beautiful pieces are definitley edible (nope) and that the ugliest ones are fake (wrong again). It challenges our notion of how food is presented and what it can be turned in to. But that's about as profound as I'm going to get here.