If you go to Paris ...

[mlutzmann]

... what would you like to see.

My wife and I are starting the "Flavors of Paris" tour in Paris this year. Montmartre is the first neighborhood we are going to feature. Help us to design the finest tour in France.

The tour will include tastings at several of the stalls and also include a neighborhood wine shop, patisserie and fromagerie.

Please tell us what you would want to see when you go to Paris. We want to provide a tour that appeals to everyone's gastronomic interests.

[lesliec]

Lovely idea. And I will be in Paris later this year ...

What I'd like to see is a tour - maybe including a cooking lesson - for people who already know one end of a baguette from the other. My view is jaundiced by too many tourism shows of TV; so often the people featured have (apparently) never cooked anything in their lives. I'm not talking about professional-level classes; just something for people who already know how to cook to a reasonable standard and want to get beyond the basics.

Even excluding the classes idea, the sort of tour I'd most appreciate is one where we're talking to food producers on a higher level than 'gee whiz, is that what a carrot looks like?'.

[JBailey]

Check into David Lebovitz's blog from time to time as he has conducted tours and gives a good run down on 'must sees'. Also, you may want to follow Heather Stimmler-Hall's Secrets of Paris.

[Parigi]

"The tour will include tastings at several of the stalls and also include a neighborhood wine shop, patisserie and fromagerie."

Could you explain what you mean by stalls in Montmartre.

Montmartre.

My fave markets are:

- Rue Lepic

- place d'Anvers (actually in the 9th but on the endge of Montmartre), a weekly market in Fridayd afternoon.

Boulangerie: Grenier à pain on rue des Abbesses. Got the Meilleure Baguette prize last year, which means it is the current purveyor of Sarko and Carla.

Fromagerie. The one next to the Grenier à pain is quite good, but better yet are the Ferme Saint Hubert on 36 Rue Rochechouart, and the gentleman on a wheelchair manning a small stall on the place d'Anvers market, The Ultimate Cheese Guy mentioned in this article:

http://www.paris-update.com/fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=435&Itemid=127

Pastries: down the hill at Landemaine on rue des Martyrs. or Aurore Capucine, nearer to Ferme St Hubert.

Wine shop:

- the caviste on rue d'Orsel near rue des Martyrs, or

- the caviste on rue des Abbesses (n°43?) witha humongous ginger tabby sleeping on one motorbike or another in front

The Anvers market and The Ultimate Cheese Guy are the things that I would miss when I am away from Paris for too long.

Edited February 18, 2011 by Parigi (log)

[mlutzmann]

Thank you so much for your input. This forum is such a wonderful resource.

Lesliec, we agree that our tour should be for the informed cook and gourmand. We are modelling our tour after one that we took in Florence. Lots of information about where the food comes from, what makes it special, and what to look for in choosing the best. We are also going to try to partner with a few cooking schools to provide as much food tourism as anyone could possibly want.

JBailey, thanks for the thought. In fact, we met David at O Chateau during our last stay in Paris. We did a Wine and Chocolate pairing in the cellar. Wonderful! We'll definitely check out 'Secrets of Paris'.

Parigi, a great wealth of information so specific to the area. (ever think of becoming a tour guide?). We refer to the individual sellers in the covered market when we say stalls. We hadn't thought of it as confusing but will avoid the word in our marketing. Thanks again for all of the links. We're having a ball!

Michael & Lisa

[Parigi]

We refer to the individual sellers in the covered market when we say stalls. We hadn't thought of it as confusing but will avoid the word in our marketing.

Now I see.

And the reason why I became confused is because not all markets have stalls. Only weekly markets do.

Montmartre does not have markets with stalls like Richard Lenoir or Maubert or Raspail that I can think of (except the far north rue des Poteaux market which I remember has a market everyday but stalls only Sunday morning).

The rue Lepic market has permanent food shops. One (very good) butcher has one stall outside.

The place d'Anvers has stalls only, because it is a weekly, hence non-permanent, market.

And when I say a market is the kind that opens everyday, I mean the conventional times, which means everyday except Sunday afternoon and Monday, as you must know and will excuse my radoter-ing.

Lastly I find the weekly markets' food in general to be better, fresher and cheaper, with real maraîchers.

Edited February 19, 2011 by Parigi (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Pastries:... Aurore Capucine, nearer to Ferme St Hubert.

This shop is unique. Paris is chock-a-block with elegant pastries, but Aurore Capucine is completely over the top. Totally absurd fantasy cakes and sables in outre perfumes such as violet, rose, rosemary or thyme: a veritable peak in to the mad-hatter's pantry. Specialty teas, teapots, cookie jars, tea party accoutrements a bonus.

[Foodietopo]

A foodie trip to Paris is not complete without a trip to E Dehillerin. I love this shop!!!

http://www.e-dehillerin.fr/index.php

My food shopping was mostly done in the 14th Arr. on rue Daguerre next to Denfert Rochereau.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Rather than what would people like to see, I think the question should be what things, people and places in the various Paris neighborhoods do YOU love? What places have been most memorable to YOU? What places or situations have YOU found unique and unforgettable?

Walking tours of Paris are ubiquitous, both in print and on pavement. What you bring to these experiences is what will set you apart from a $20 guide book.

For every hour of one of your tours you will probably (necessarily) spend 100 hours of walking and introducing yourselves, asking questions, making notes, taking pictures. A tremendous amount of work, but what fun! Enjoy.

[barbarataylor]

I want to thank you too, because in 2 months I'll go to Paris and here I found a great information

[mlutzmann]

Thank you, once again for the input. We are in the midst of making the difficult decisions about what to include. I agree that what we are passionate about will be a major part of the tour.

We are, indeed, having a great time with the research.