Bon Appetit in Paris

I love Paris in the springtime! With the New York Times Travel Section as our guide my boyfriend and I set out in the City of Lights to try several up and coming (and affordable) restaurants and also discovered some amazing foodie spotsin some unexpected places. Here are some of our top picks:

• Le Chateaubriand (129 Avenue Parmentier): Our favorite restaurant/bistro – the food and wine are absolutely amazing! Their fixed price menu changes daily but on the day we visited we had a four course meal of white asparagus in a cream-based soup, cod with petit peas and sea urchin, lamb with rhubarb, and endive salad with orange sorbet and chocolate cake with celery seeds. The flavors were exquisitely paired and the wine complimented every one of the dishes perfectly. Tip: Make reservations. We didn’t and ended up waiting in line for the 9:30PM seating!

• Le Comptoir du Relais (9 Carrefour de l’Odeon): A small bistro in the center of the city serving upscale traditional French dishes. It's a bit on the expensive side but offers a reasonable tasting menu for the price. Our dinner was delicious – veal with morels, lobster risotto, and caramel rice pudding for dessert. Delicious! Reservations are next to impossible to get so book early if you’re going to Paris.

• Sesame (51, quai de Valmy): We stumbled upon this cute café/bistro on a lazy Sunday morning and had a wonderful 5-course brunch which included dessert. My fresh baguette with real jam and nutella, bagel sandwich, and panna cotta were light and delicious. The café is decorated in a retro 1950s kitchen style with old fashioned furniture and appliances and features paintings from local artists. Lounge chairs are available for customers who want to sit by the canal for breakfast or while they wait for an open table. Quaint and charming!

Other notable foodie destinations:

• Du Pain et des Idees (34 rue Yves Toudic): A traditional boulangerie that bakes breads and pastries using sourdough starters rather than yeast. The complexity of flavors in their breads is amazing.

• La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marche (38 rue de Sevres): A huge gourmet supermarket with everything you ever wanted – fresh cheeses, charcuterie from France and Spain and wines galore! They also have a take away section which is perfect for a quick picnic at the park.

• Le Village (25 rue Bouchardon): A small gourmet market in the 10eme arr. It’s super cute with foods and products from all over the world. The owner is endlessly sweet and helpful! Say hi for us!