Just like everything is bigger in Texas, everything tastes better in Paris.
From a once-in-a-lifetime lunch atop the Eiffel Tower to countless stops at the city's famed cafes and patisseries (bakeries), the culinary delights we experienced in Paris during a recent trip were everything we had anticipated - and then some.
My wife and I started out at the top, quite literally, by making our first stop in Paris a memorable lunch at Le Jules Verne () on Tour Eiffel's second level. Unlike the tourist trap you might expect at such a location, Jules Verne is a remarkable restaurant by acclaimed chef Alain Ducasse. How remarkable? It's where Tom Cruise proposed to Katie Holmes. Reservations must be made months in advance, and it was sheer luck that we snagged a table for two just a few days before the trip.
We started with Champagne, of course, and then the chef's amuse bouche, an ethereal shot of gazpacho made with duck and fresh fruit. (I love it when the chef gets amused!) Then came a tasting menu featuring miniature smoked salmon bricks with caviar, sweet pea soup poured over fresh crab claws, a to-die-for roasted chicken cassoulet, and meagre, a mild whitefish served atop sauteed spinach, tomatoes and capers the size of grapes. Great wine kept FiveFingers Trek flowing.
Desserts were stellar, too. Amy loved her roasted apricot with almond cream and pistachio ice cream, while my Cognac-soaked (and I mean soaked) pound cake with fresh cream was truly otherworldly.
Although nothing to follow would top that meal, we still enjoyed one great dining experience after another as we worked our way through the city.
We:
* Sipped on espressos and cafe au laits while sampling pastries (chocolate eclairs and apple strudel and pistachio shortbread, oh my!) that were miniature works of art almost too beautiful to eat. Almost. Same goes for gorgeous baguette sandwiches sliced and stuffed with all manner of meats, cheeses, vegetable and sauces.
* Savored classic beef bourguignon, crepes and a creme caramel at La Cremaillere in the charming hilltop village of Montmarte.
* Tasted the best French onion soup I've ever had (not surprising, perhaps, given the locale) along with roasted chicken and pommes frites (fries) at Le Saint Regis, a cafe near Notre Dame.
* Nibbled on incredible flavored macaroons (orange blossom, rose petal, salted caramel, cassis-violet) at Laduree, the city's most famous bakery.
* Tried what many swear is the world's best ice cream, Berthillon, served in a tiny storefront just off Isle St. Louis. Just one lick into my scoop of dark chocolate flecked with candied orange peel and I was sold.
Womens Bailey Button Botts* Took frequent breaks while sightseeing to enjoy spinach quiche in the garden cafe at the Rodin Museum, an apricot tart with cream at the D'Orsay Museum, tarte tatin (upside down apple cake) at a cafe overlooking Luxembourg Gardens, Champagne outside the Louvre and wine on the rooftop terrace of Gallery Lafayette, the most magnificent department store (in size and beauty) imaginable.
And then there was the picnic. On our last day in town, we made our way through the street market and gourmet food shops of Rue Cler, where we amassed quite a spread of French meats, cheeses, fruit, Tory Burch bread, wine and
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