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As a self-proclaimed foodie, one thing I was really looking forward to in Paris was eating. I’m not a chef. I’ve got no credentials other than the fact that I LOVE REALLY GREAT FOOD. When I go on vacation, it’s not unusual for me to plan where I’m going to eat before I decide which sights I’m going to see. You know that list of “100 Things to Eat Before You Die” that was going around on Facebook? I’ve already had 77 of them. So naturally, before my trip, my reading list was full of books like The Patisseries of Paris, and food blogger David Lebovitz became my best friend (not that he knows that).

And once I got there, you’d better believe the word “calorie” didn’t exist in my vocabulary – nor did I want it to. I wasn’t going all the way to Paris to eat like a supermodel, surviving on coffee and cigarettes. I’m 5’2″, and I run so I can eat. A supermodel I am not. So I was going to enjoy every bit of French butter flecked with crystals of fleur de sel, every glass of Côtes du Rhone, every flaky croissant, and if I wanted to have them every single day of my two week trip, I was going to. And I did. Because there was no way I was going to disappoint my sweet tooth by passing up some of the most famous names in the pastry world, such as Ladurée and Pierre Hermé; where you can’t go without trying the oh-so-popular macarons (and Pierre Hermé’s rose/raspberry/litchi confection, the Ispahan – one of the BEST things I ate during my entire trip):You can have a cup of Mariage Freres tea and hang out at Cafe de Flore, like Ernest Hemingway once did, or head to Angelina to have their famous Chocolat Chaud L’Africain (calling it “hot chocolate” would be an understatement, “rich, liquid chocolate” would be more accurate):You can find classic French dishes of course, like steak frites at Chez Omar; or go international and visit L’As du Fallafel for some Middle Eastern goodness. Or, hit Da Rosa for a glass of sangria and a dish of risotto topped with Spanish Jambón Ibérico:You can do one of my favorite things to do when I travel – visit an open air food market. There’s no better way to get a taste (pun intended) of what people REALLY eat. At the Bastille Market, you can pick up everything from produce to flowers, from a freshly made crepe to a little entertainment:And if you pay attention, you might even find the source of my company’s name: a crate full of fresh CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS! 🙂If the food market isn’t enough local flavor for you, you can spend the day with Chef Pino Ficara at Cook’n with Class, where I spent hours learning how to make fougasse, pain au chocolat, croissants, pain aux raisins, and more from scratch: But if the DIY route isn’t for you, there’s no shortage of other places around Paris ready to fill you up with amazing food. 🙂(There are STILL more Paris pictures to come – stay tuned!)