Paris - All the Steak Frites in Saint Germain

This blog has been woefully neglected for past several years, I just haven't made the time for it. I do feel badly about it, mostly because I have so many unfinished posts sitting in my drafts folder! Post full of memories and photos and, I think, useful information for travelers. A friend is planning a trip to Paris this fall and her excitement reminded me of all the beautiful food and sights I want to recommend to her and, really, anyone. Said co-worker has visited Paris before and loved the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood, recommending I visit the famous Cafe de Flore which, like the Saint Benoit location of Relais de l'Entrecôte, is located in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood. Maybe I'll get to that blog post too...

The food at Relais de l'Entrecôte is very good and extremely plentiful. But more than anything, the restaurant is a fantastic spot for people watching. When the weather is nice the large windows are left open. This creates a balcony-like seating arrangement for the window seats, which overlook the narrow streets of Saint Germain. I arrived unfashionably early, just as the restaurant opened in order to snag a prime spot. And I'm glad I did. By the time I left the restaurant was packed! Bustling with locals and tourists gathering for lunch on a beautiful, sunny day.

Meals at Relais de l'Entrecôte begin with a light salad dressed in a mustard vinaigrette and a handful of walnuts. Like the salad, the menu is simple. The one and only entree option is steak. You may request how your meat is cooked and, of course, what you would like to drink. Thin slices of contre-filet are drenched in the restaurant's signature sauce. It's a buttery affair, laden with herbs (tarragon, I believe,) wine, and a hint of liver. A generous helping of frites are heaped alongside, golden and, to my taste, slightly over-crisp. But they soften beautifully after some quality time in the dreamy sauce. Just as you finish your portion, efficient waitstaff arrive with more food, offering additional steak, extra pours of sauce, and piles of frites.

The steak and frites were plenty but I couldn't resist ordering something sweet to finish off my meal. While the main menu is brief, the selection of desserts is epic. Le Relais de l'Entrecôte is renowned for their elaborate towering sundaes and piles of chocolate drenched profiteroles. I chose a slightly simpler option, sablé de fraises au citron, a buttery shortbread cookie topped with lemon curd, strawberries, and a scoop of ice cream for good measure. It was (relatively) light and all around delightful.

After stuffing myself with enough protein to last a good 24 hours, I headed out towards the nearby Musée d'Orsay. What a beautiful space! The museum is housed in a converted train station. It's jam packed with Impressionist masterpieces alongside epic canvases from French academy artists. But if you're too full for an afternoon of art, try a peaceful visit to the Church of Saint-Sulpice. And make sure to stop at the nearby Pierre Hermé shop to pick up a macaron or canelé on your way home.

Le Relais de L’Entrecôte - 20 Rue Saint-Benoît, 75006 Paris, France
Pierre Hermé - 72 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris, France

Prague - Cafe de Paris

Sometimes I feel like I'll never get caught up blogging about my travels. I love being able to share my photos and experiences, especially as processing the images and writing about what I did allows me live it all over again. Still, I have never been a fast writer, putting words to paper (or web page) will probably always be slow going for me. What I'm trying to say is that the events pictured here happened a while ago. I was in Prague last fall and I'm just now back from 12 days in Paris. I ate and enjoyed steak frites in both cities. First at Cafe de Paris in Prague, then at Le Relais de l'Entrecôte in Paris.

At Cafe de Paris there's only one thing to order, Steak Entrecôte. You can start with some foie gras or onion soup, but the set menu of salad, bread, steak, and fries is more than enough for the average human. Out first is a generous salad, nicely dressed in a mustard-y vinaigrette, a small plate of sliced baguette on the side. Then, in no time at all, two platters arrive. Steak and fries served in abundance. Your waiter will portion both precisely onto your plate.

Periodically he'll swing by to refill your plate with more steak, more fries, and most importantly, more sauce. It's a lot of food. The beef and fries are good, not great-the beef just a touch chewy, the fries a bit too crisp. Their real task is to serve as vehicles for the secret (as my waiter made sure to inform me) sauce. Rich with butter and loaded with shallots and herbs, it could make an old shoe palatable.

It's a comfortable little restaurant. The dining room is intimate yet modern with smartly dressed waiters in waist coats and bow ties. I arrived to an empty restaurant just after opening, around noon, but the small space filled up quickly. By the time I was done every table was full and there was a group waiting. Bring cash! I had read that it was a cash only restaurant during my research, but it completely slipped my mind until I arrived and, thankfully, saw the sign on the door. So I wandered around for a good twenty minutes hunting down an atm to fund my meal.

Stuffed and happy I headed back out into a foggy Prague to check out the view and library at Strahov Monastery. A few photos for now, I'll leave the rest for a future entry.