'Ono Kine Grindz

Ladurée - Paris, France

I only had a day in Paris, and not even a whole day at that.  I took the Eurostar from London at 6:30 am and arrived in Paris at just about 10:00 am.  The train departed Paris at just after 8:00 pm for an 11:30 pm arrival in London. 

This meant that I really did not have much time to explore the city, but it was nice to be back in Paris after a 13 year absence.  I also missed places that I really was hoping to visit -- pâtisserie Sadaharu Aoki, Pierre Hermé or the original Ladurée located at rue Royale.  Instead, on the way back to the train station, I stopped at the Ladurée salon located on the avenue des Champs Elysées.

Saint-honoré rose-framboise (7€)

Flaky pastry, choux pastry, light rose petal confectioner's custard, raspberry stew, chantilly cream flavored with rose water, rose syrup fondant and fresh raspberries.

Ladurée Champs Elysées
75, avenue des Champs Elysées
Paris, France
Telephone: 01.40.75.08.75

Café Constant - Paris, France

When I planned the day trip to Paris, I had initially wanted to have lunch at either L'Astrance or at Spring.  Unfortunately, when I called L'Astrance I was told that they did not serve lunch on Tuesdays and an email to Spring confirmed that they would not be open for lunch either.  Instead, I decided to play it by ear and that's how I ended up here at Café Constant.

It was interesting how they pegged us as Americans from the moment we stepped through the door.  The dining area on the ground floor was full and there were only 3 empty spots upstairs.  We had the tiny table near the window and the service was wonderful.  They even brought out the "chalkboard" printed in English for us.  Who would have thought.

Millefeuille of tomato and mozzarella (10€).

Lobster and runner bean salad with shallots (12€).

Strip steak with mashed potatoes and shallots (14€).

Filet of sea bass, polenta with pesto (14€).

Café Constant
139 rue Saint Dominique
Paris, France
Telephone: 01.47.53.73.34