Wednesday, September 2, 2009

E. Dehillerin Kitchen Store




In an homage to Julia Child, I visited the E. Dehillerin Kitchen Store in Paris. This store dates back to the 1820s and is located on Rue Coquillière right next to Les Halles. I read the online reviews before partaking in a visit. I entered the store with some trepidation as all the online blogs mentioned "unfriendly", "no patience for tourists", etc. Much to my surprise, it was much the opposite. From the outside, this store looks like a hardware store, but inside the shelves are packed with highly specialized cooking implements, amazing copper pots, molds, whisks in every shape and size, knives not for the faint of heart. A cooking lover's paradise!! Yes, you need to look up every price in one of their huge notebooks, but it's not such a daunting task. I even asked a question in French and was answered with a polite and helpful response.

If you have the chance to visit this kitchen store, it will take you back in time, and perhaps you will even hear whispers of Julia somewhere in the far corners of the store. Bon Appetit!!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Ile de Saint Louis



This area of Paris near Notre-Dame is a charming, albeit touristy area, but it is worth a stop. The one main street, Rue. St. Louis is lined with small intimate shops that offer good "leche vitrine". Of course, one can find the famous Bertillion Ice Cream here. This is worth the trip alone. Choose from such flavors as Mirabelle, Espresso, Caramel au beurre de salé just to name a few. Afterwards, enjoy a coffee at one of the outdoor cafés facing the pedestrian bridge and watch the world go by!!

leche vitrine: literally means "licking the windows"- expression for window shopping