Poptarticus

Shannon’s Super Sexy Blog. Music. Travel. Randomness. And a Lot of Wine.

Battle of the Croque Monsieurs

I can’t believe this took me so long.

OK. So, in France, we ate a lot of Croque Monsieurs and Croque Madames. These are toasted ham and cheese sandwiches on pretty much every cafe and bistro menu. The Croque Madame has a fried egg on top. THEY ROCK.

On this day, Colleen and I sat at an outdoor table overlooking the bridge between the Ile. St. Louis and the Ile de la Cite in Paris. It was a touristy place and the wine was kind of expensive, but we didn’t care, because it was a beautiful day. In fact, we ordered a second carafe of wine.

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At a much lower price, but equally tasty, was the croque in Amboise, a bustling town in the Loire Valley. Colleen had mussels. They were awesome.

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This time Colleen had the croque and I had a “big plate of meat.” We were in Chinon, another town in the Loire Valley, one that I loved.

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Lest you think this is all we ate, never fear. Here are some others and this is just a handful.

L’ As du Fallafel is kind of famous. Supposedly they have the best falafel in Paris, but I never had anyone else’s so I can’t really judge. It’s a cool little spot in the Marais, and Kim and I showed up at about 2:30 and waited for a while for Colleen. This is what we snacked on till she got there, THEN we had falafel and schwarma. Needless to say we didn’t need to eat for a while, but guess what, we DID. Paris has that affect on people.

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L’ As du Fallafel is recommended by Lenny Kravitz. I don’t know why I thought this was so humorous, but I did.

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Kim has an obsession with macarons, one that Colleen and I certainly benefitted from.

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I love pizza. I love pizza so much that I eat it as much as possible, even in the land of Croque Monsieurs. We ate these pizzas after going to a crazy street market out in the 20th. The smell of ganga or whatever made me extra hungry.

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In the Loire, Colleen and I went to an egg festival. It was sort of a giant garage sale but they did have an egg stand and a wine stand, thank goodness. An 11:00 glass of Rose never tasted so good.

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Also in the Loire, and everywhere - the ultimate in roasted chickens. Be sure to check out the little potatoes at the bottom, just sitting there soaking up all the juice.

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We loved coming back to our little farmhouse cottage in the Loire and snacking on assorted cheeses, pates and breads every day. Not to mention the roasted chicken dinners.

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Not food, but still good - the techno parade on my last day in Paris.

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It was a great trip.

5 Responses to “Battle of the Croque Monsieurs”

  1. kimmer99 Says:

    Man, sorry I missed it. By the way, at home, the family unanimously chose that place by Gardens Luxemborg for the best macarons.

  2. Sue Says:

    Awesome photos! But why am I suddenly craving french fries, cheese, eggs, pizza, roast chicken, falafels, and a “big plate of meat”?

  3. ColleenA Says:

    Fabulous, Shannon! I love this photo essay on our meals in France. :) That Lenny Kravitz recommendation still cracks me up!
    Sigh … we sure ate well in Paris and the Loire. (Normandy? Another story.)

  4. Amy Says:

    Oh, man. I want to go to Paris right this minute. And have a felafel with extra z’houg, (that green and red stuff that will burn your tongue off) svp.

  5. tom Says:

    Maybe next time?

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