Any day in Paris that begins with blue skies is a reason to celebrate, what better way to inaugurate a good omen than with sweets from La Durée? Of course they are famous for their macarons, and my friend is still raving about the orange blossom one she had (her first), but I had to start my day with something more substantial and a bit breakfast oriented. My friend devoured her macarons as her breakfast appetizer, then had a Bostock, which is an almond pastry. I went with the classic pain au raisin, which was healthier because it had raisins :)
It was a great way to get breakfast on the go when we had many sights to squeeze in on a short visit. The sweetest surprise of the morning was a gentleman who told one of the many beggars who came up to us to leave us alone (coming out of La Durée with bags of pastries automatically makes you a target for people asking you for money).
It was a great way to get breakfast on the go when we had many sights to squeeze in on a short visit. The sweetest surprise of the morning was a gentleman who told one of the many beggars who came up to us to leave us alone (coming out of La Durée with bags of pastries automatically makes you a target for people asking you for money).
The interior is classically art deco and it's been renovated, so it looks a bit fresher. I've been coming here almost as long as I've been coming to Paris. It's not my favorite restaurant, but I always take people who have never been to Paris here just to soak in the atmosphere. The food is not spectacular, but it is good, and the prices are reasonable, with menus of two courses for less than 25 Euros ($30 US).
The gazpacho with espelette pepper was a refreshingly cool way to whet our appetites, with a touch of heat from the pepper that gave the soup a nice zing. I could have had two bowls of this with some baguette and been perfectly happy.
This may look like salmon, but it is actually rose colored trout over couscous which had accents of apricots, green onions, pine nuts, and raisins in a buerre blanc sauce. I found the accompaniments a bit sweet and the sauce a bit lackluster, but the fish was good and service was excellent. We walked in without a reservation, but if you are eating during regular Parisian meal times or want to sit on the patio during a sunny day, it's best to reserve either online or with a phone call.
After all that food we needed to walk, and not just somewhere touristy, so we headed to the Luxembourg Gardens. We were too big (or old) to climb in the jungle gym, but it was almost as fun to watch the kids.
I suppose we could have sailed some boats, but they were having a race,
so we contented ourselves with a stroll around the flowers :)
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