Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Organic Eats in Paris and a Little Extra


Last weekend I was in Paris for a couple of days and made a ritual visit to the wonderful Shakespeare & Co landmark English bookstore near the Notre Dame Cathedral. Packed full of books and shoppers on a blustery Saturday afternoon, I was overjoyed to find they had multiple copies of Green Earth Guide: Traveling Naturally In France amidst their France-focused travel section, buried to the right of the door. This was not completely altruistic on their part as I do mention them in the book in text and with a photo, but exciting none-the-less to have the book being sold in Paris! Ooh la la.


Paris was awash with people strolling, shopping and eating. I went to some favorite organic places and found a few new ones. A favorite of mine is the Phyto-Bar restaurant on Boulevard Saint-Germain, considered to be the first organic restaurant in Paris. I had dinner here with refreshing fresh juice, a splendid salad, as well as a roasted organic chicken leg with rosemary potatoes....yum. Full information is listed in the Green Earth Guide.
The rest of my stops were for samplings as I cannot eat five full meals a day no matter how delicious and tempting they may be. For organic crepes try the Breizh Café in the lovely quartier Marais. Breizh serves a variety of crepes made from organic flour and other specialties from the Brittany region. Breizh Cafe, 109 rue Vielle du Temple, 75003 Paris; Tel: 01 42 72 1377; www.breizhcafe.com. The best metro stop is St Sebastien Froissard.


Down the street from the Breizh, you will find the Pink Flamingo, serving fresh pizza made daily with organic flour, sea salt from France, and toppings from local markets. The Pink Flamingo is open every day - lucky you! Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 3:00pm/7:00 to 11:30pm, Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 to 4:00pm/7:00 to 11:30pm. The Pink Flamingo has two locations in Paris, this one is at 105 rue Vielle du Temple, 75003 Paris; Web: www.pinkflamingopizza.com



For flower fans, you will enjoy the creative L’Artisan Fleuriste, also on the same street, offering unusual and special plants and arrangements - and you have to love their company car! L’Artisan Fleuriste, 95 rue Vielle du Temple, 75003 Paris; Web: www.artisanfleuriste.fr

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