Frenchie Bar à Vins

Our last meal in Paris was at Frenchie Bar à Vins.

This wine bar is adjacent to Frenchie, Chef Gregory Marchand’s restaurant that is very challenging to book. They made this wine bar so that you can enjoy Chef Marchand's dishes tapas-style with wine, without having to make reservations months in advance. We didn't want to wait so we just went 15 minutes before they opened and were able to be get seats. By the time we were leaving, this tiny bar was PACKED! The food was unique and delicious (my fave: foie gras mousse, 3rd pic) and the wines were very reasonably priced.

Ladurée

There are many stores in Japan now but Ladurée was a must for me in Paris. We went to the Bonaparte store in the 6th arrondissement.

I'm really picky about my macarons (texture, chewiness, filling..) but I still think it's hard to beat Ladurée (totally a personal preference). They had a collaboration with Tsumori Chisato and the display was super cute but they wouldn't let me take pictures inside the store. I don't understand when stores do that, especially when they're already so established. けち！

Marché Biologique Raspail

On the sunny Sunday before visiting the Louvre, we walked from our hotel to an organic farmer's market that was recommended to me by my Mom.

Street in front of our hotel.

We stayed in the Montparnasse area.

Walked through these types of buildings. This architectural style was my image of Paris before visiting. I love all the details and windows!

Organic farmer's market on Raspail Blvd held every Sunday from 8:30AM-2:30 PM.

We bought some Zucchini & Greens Soup and Yogurt back to the hotel for a light brunch.

Everything at the market looked so fresh and delicious. I wanted to buy the yogurt (above) by the case to bring back... and cheese... and bread... and honey... there's really no end to what I wish I could have bought to haul back with me to Tokyo.

Agapé Substance

Agapé Substance is a restaurant in the Saint Germain district that opened last year. It was voted one of the most anticipated restaurants of 2011 and is a contemporary, gastronomy/molecular French cuisine. Gastronomy/molecular cuisine is very fascinating to me, especially with the bizzare flavor combinations and modern presentations. The menu at Agapé Substance is very unique because they hand you a card with a list of ingredients, nothing more (current menu is on their site). You don't know how it's prepared or what other ingredient is in it, until its served.

On a side note, the multi-seed epi bread (5th picture to the left) was fantastic. In general, every restaurant has great bread (and butter!) but this bread really stood out.

Frederic Simonin

A lot of restaurants in France are closed on weekends, a concept that would never work in both US and Japan. Frederic Simonin was recommended to me by my Mom and happened to be open on Saturdays. We booked for lunch and each got a course with wine pairings. My favorite dish was the Fish that I ordered for my main. The flavors and presentation were very clean. It's classic French cuisine with a modern touch.

Louvre

We were able to enjoy a beautiful, sunny Sunday at the Louvre.

Most everything is closed on Sundays in Paris except the museums, so it's a great opportunity to visit one. The art collection at the Louvre was impressive (to say the least) and I was blown away by the size (so huge!!) but I was just as impressed with the elaborate details of the museum building itself. And I loved the huge park connected to it, Tuileries Garden, where the locals came out with their dogs to chill and soak in the sun.