Showing posts with label Montmartre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Montmartre. Show all posts

September 17, 2017

5 Things

Coffee

1) Coffee


Rodin Museum

2) Love


Paris

3) End of summer at le marché


Paris

4) Les Deux Plateaux


Paris

5) Montmartre colors



Pin It

June 30, 2015

5 Things

Old Map of Paris

1) When Paris was just a village


What I wish I were doing right now. A little too early perhaps... #lifeinFrance #apéro

2) 'Tis the season


Montmartre

3) Steep


Bayeux Market

4) Summer market


Montmartre

5) Country in the city



Pin It

June 24, 2009

La Fête du Fromage - Brugère

The most delicious cheese that my sister and I tasted during our visit to Paris was Brugère, a wonderful, delicate, unpasteurized chèvre from the mountainous Cantal region of south central France.


Coincidentally, our apartment in Montmartre was located just around the corner from not just one, but two Fromageries.
One of them was a disappointment. La petite vendeuse was totally clueless about cheese! When I posed some questions about a couple that I was interested in, she didn't know where they were produced or if they were lait cru, lait thermisé or lait pasteurisé, nor did she care to.
I didn't linger around to waste her precious time.

Luckily la Fromagerie Lepic was only a few doors away and they were very knowledgeable. And happy that I was interested in their cheese. Had I been on my own, I could have spent many happy hours in this little place.
My sister does love cheese, but would much rather be noshing on some Spanish or French dry-cured ham or eating gelato, so I tried not to bore her by dragging her into too many Fromageries.


We both swooned over this one!
Brugère has a fine, silky texture and is matured to the point of being chewy and chalky, qualities that I love in goat cheese. It has strong milk and fresh grass flavors and a sweet aroma of green pastures. My sister and I both agree that this is one to remember.

Its soft flavor would pair well with either a Pinot Gris or a Pinot Noir.


Fromagerie Lepic
20, rue Lepic
75018 PARIS Pin It

September 23, 2008

Perfect Paris - Day 1

There wasn't a single arrondissement I didn't eat in, wander through, sip a coffee in or shop in.

The fact that I had four beautiful, sunny, warm days in Paris, just at the cusp of the autumn equinox, well...I consider that pretty near perfect.


The train pulled into the Gare de Lyon at 9:45 AM and I was full of energy and ready to go after a 1½ hour nap on the train from Béziers. Several minutes on Metro line 14 brought me to the Gare St. Lazare where I transferred to line 13 and another few stops brought me to my friend's apartment where a cup of hot, greatly appreciated coffee was waiting for me.
After dumping my bags, catching up and a quick lunch of homemade Thai curry, we secured her 6 month old son, le petit, in his backpack and took off to enjoy the weather and to find the first of many, many cheese shops on my list.

Heading across into the 18th, we found the fromagerie Chez Virginie easily, only to find it closed until 4 PM.
As we were just on the edge of the winding, charming streets of Montmartre with its memorable church of Sacré-Coeur, perched on the top of the hill like a snowy white wedding cake topper, so we dove straight in to explore.

We found the tiny, peaceful cemetery of Saint Vincent down a little lane. It's full of intriguing looking tombs and beautiful flowers and trees everywhere. Several people were sitting on benches, picnicking and soaking up the sun.


We didn't climb up the famous rue des Abbesses and rue Lepic (we explored them on my last trip to Paris), rather skirted around the bottom of the hill, window shopped and enjoyed some time in a café until Chez Virginie reopened.
It was a cheese lover's paradise. Honestly.
(But then again, Paris in general is a cheese lover's paradise!)


Fromagerie Chez Virginie
54 rue Damrémont
75018 Paris


Dinner at a friend's was planned for the evening and our feet were screaming at us by now, so I finished up my oohing and aahing over the marvelous array of cheeses, made my purchases and we went home to rest.

The dinner invitation came over the summer from our French neighbors, one of which is from the village, who have renovated an old winemakers barn into their holiday home. When they found out I was going to Paris I was kindly invited to join them for dinner. The evening was a great mix of 3 Americans and 5 French, delicious food, cheese and wine and of course, discussions about American politics.
Our French friend told me he has been donating money to Obama's campaign. Bravo!


A quick cab ride at midnight and we were home. I needed sleep to prepare for another day. Pin It