Among the many tempting French dishes visitors can try when they arrive in Paris, crêpes and souffles top the list of the most desired. To provide an insider's opinion, we tested many in the past months at various restaurants and here are our absolute favorites.
Maison Bretonne
We visited the newly opened Maison Bretonne in the Marais earlier this month and we were much more than pleasantly surprised; we were ecstatic about the tastes of their galettes and crêpes. (The Brittany region of France is known for its galettes, which are savory crêpes made with buckwheat flour. They are customarily served with hard apple cider also from the region.)
Maison Bretonne has an extensive menu of galettes, many with unusual or untraditional combinations such as asparagus and fresh peas, smoked trout with potatoes and dill, pastrami and cornichons, and smoked shiitake mushrooms with bacon bits. As much as those appealed to us, we ordered a more classic galette made with sauteed leeks, ham, egg, and Emmental cheese, along with a refreshing, sparkling apple cider, which had a nice kick to it.
An enormous, square-shaped galette overhanging the plate arrived few minutes later. As we delved into it, the buttery and crisp outside, the gooey rich cheese and the delicately sauteed leeks were sublime—a whole other world of galettes we haven’t tasted before. Perhaps it was the all-organic ingredients that heightened the taste.
Even though we swore we couldn’t possibly fit in a dessert after the gigantic galette, we persevered and had the apple compote and salted butter crêpe. Another incredible taste sensation that even surpassed the galette.
Good to know: Maison Breton also serves stuffed artichokes, sardine rillettes, and a salad with seasonal vegetables, quinoa and chicken dressed with apple cider vinegar and sesame oil.
Le Souffle
The origins of the mighty but delicate souffle go back as far as the late 17th century, when Vatel, the chef of Louis XIV, first prepared it for the king. It was popularized in the early 1900s, when chef Marie Antoine-Careme perfected it in the early 1800s.
Le Souffle, was opened in 1961 by Monsieur Faure, and has been the must-go-to souffle restaurant in Paris since. The basic ingredients of egg whites, milk, and butter have been elevated with inventive fillings both savory and sweet.
We recently revisited Le Souffle and again we decided they still had the best souffles in Paris. For our main course, a savory souffle, we chose their specialty, King Henri IV, which consisted of Comte and Emmental cheese for a base and followed by mushrooms and bits of chicken. Even though it was light and fluffy, the chicken and the mushrooms made it more substantial than the usual, airy souffles.
It was so difficult to choose one flavor from the dessert menu, but we indulged and ordered the cold Grand Marnier and the chocolate souffle with chocolate sauce. We loved the mix of the cold and hot at the same time, both tantalizing our taste buds.
Tip: If you don’t want an all-souffle menu, Le Souffle also offers escargot, onion soup, Filet Mignon with potatoes, and sliced duck with a peach sauce. Reservations are recommended.
Visit www.lesouffle.fr.
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