Stef's Food Adventures - Paris, France

Bittersweet would be the perfect word to describe this trip. I've been here before and I never mind coming back.

Tour Eiffel | @_estefaniacruz

I enjoy being able to speak French. I enjoy having fresh pastries for breakfast with a latte to accompany my meal. I enjoy trying new things.

I'm also a big planner and the itinerary is my responsibility. So as always here it is, with a few suggestions of course.

Upon arriving at Charles-de Gaulle airport and clearing security we made our way through the terminal to the metro. The TGV which will take you all the way to the Paris city center was actually very easy to navigate. We purchased our tickets at the kiosk and hopped on the line that would take us to our hotel. We stayed at the Citadines Tour Eiffel located at 132 Boulevard de Grenelle, which was conveniently located right next to a metro entrance, and unlike many hotels in Europe, this room was massive. The hotel provided studio-style rooms, where a small kitchen area was located within your room, so hypothetically if we wanted to we could have cooked breakfast every morning.

Montmartre Sacre Coeur | @_estefaniacruz

While abroad we saw all the major sites and visited all the tourist spots, so instead of sharing those I'm going to share hole in the wall places we enjoyed.

ZIA - 22 Avenue de Tourville

Oh my goodness, I've never been more full in my life! We found this place out of pure luck. We were in search of a breakfast option after we finished up at the Eiffel Tower. And if you didn't know breakfast options after noon are a challenge to find, especially affordable ones.

It's a very small, hidden restaurant. A place you would definitely overlook if you weren't searching for it but it was amazing! I began my meal with a latte that was so beautifully crafted I was in awe. The creaminess of the milk melded so well with the espresso, and the espresso was so smooth not a hint of bitterness like I've had plenty of times in the states. What was the most shocking to me is that the latte was plain, with no flavor, no syrups of any kind. Just steamed milk and espresso and it was perfect!

ZIA | @_estefaniacruz

As our main meal, I ordered the bacon burrito and it was massive to say the least. My travel companion ordered the Dutch baby pancakes, his option looked equally as amazing. If I recall correctly we spent close to forty euros.

Au Bourguignon du Marais - 52 Rue Fronçois Miron

I stumbled onto this place because of my everlasting craving for boeuf bourguignon. I tried this dish many years ago when I was only sixteen and visiting Paris for the second time. It's not something that I can easily find in Texas and so I made it my mission to try and find a place that served the meal. It also happened to be my birthday and I was looking for a semi-nice place to have dinner. This restaurant looked very promising so we hopped on the metro and headed near Notre Dame to find this gem.

Depending on the amount of business a reservation may be required, so keep that in mind. We got pretty lucky that day we stopped by and we were seated immediately without a reservation.

My travel companion chose a signature dish, a steak with arricoverts and scalloped potatoes. I went with their specialty the boeuf bourguignon.

Au Bourguignon du Marais | @_estefaniacruz

We settled for crème brûlée as dessert and our waited brought out a single choix profiteroles with a candle as a birthday treat. Both options were exquisite!

If you find yourself in Paris and are willing to spend a little more for an amazing meal I highly recommend this place. Their menu is so simple no more than ten options if I’m not mistaken. But it works! For a little perspective we spent about 98€ on multiple glasses of wine, two entrees and one dessert to share.

Firmine - 38 Bis Avenue de Suffren

We stopped by this adorable little restaurant our first day in Paris. I wanted to find a easy lunch especially after the long haul flight. We were seated almost immediately and I will say the restaurant was adorable. It felt homey and the foliage all around gave it a comforting vibe.

For a main entree I chose one of my favorite Italian choices I can’t for the life of me get in the states, the Diavola. The Diavola is the closest thing that Italians have to a pepperoni pizza, but better. The salami is generally a bit bigger, a lot spicier perfectly married with slices of mozarella and fresh tomato sauce perfectly wood fired creating a crisp crust, its phenomenal. If you’re ever abroad and want a delicious but simple pizza, this is the perfect option for you.

Everything came out to about 30€ and it was worth every penny.

I hope these options don't disappoint!

Best Regards & Safe Travels,