Perfection in sandwich form

I went back to Saint Eustache area one more time - this time it was to hit the Big Four of kitchen supply stores, plus a couple of gourmet shops.

Delherrin was full of tourists, overpriced, and had pushy salespeople. MORA was having a sidewalk sale that I was very excited about, but there was nothing really interesting. La Bovida was OK, I picked up a tiny little mini-tagine for decoration. Simon was my favorite - jovial staff, great prices, good selection. Picked up a white porcelain mustard pot - can't wait to get to the Maille store to get stuff to put in it!

G. Detou was great - small, but full of neat gourmet treats. I got some big sugar crystals for chouquettes - David Lebowitz mentioned this in his blog, and I have fallen so in love with the little puffs - I will try to make them at home.

I had plans with LH again - my sister-in-law's good friend. She was kind enough to let me drop my bags off at her (awesome) apartment, and then we headed out for Montparnasse.

Montparnasse Tower - LH's BF works here

Montparnasse is cool - this is the Left Bank area frequented by intellectuals, writers, painters - particularly in the 1920s. I had targeted a restaurant known for its history and also Chowhound-approved - La Rotonde.

Name checked by Hemingway in The Sun Also Rises, this place has been around for over a century. Legend has it that the owner would allow artists and writers to sit and nurse a coffee for hours, and would even accept paintings as payment for meals when an artist didn't have the money to pay. When Picasso, Dali, and Modigliani are the starving artists, the owner made a wise swap...but he gave them back when the artists were able to pay their tabs. Awww....

This was my lunch - lovely LH is across the table....

Tartare de boeuf, frites, salad, and a glass of Brouilly.

I mentioned that my French doctor told me I could eat anything except spicy and too much coffee. I said "I should probably avoid acidy fruits?" She shook her head and said it was fine to eat them. I said "what about crunchy, raw vegetables?" She said it was fine. I said "what about wine?" She said with a meal..."I mean, thees ees France, you 'ave to 'ave wine with dee-nehr!" I like French doctors.

The tartare was superb. Just the right touch of dijon, fresh parsley, and crunchy bits of shallot. The meat was cut rough enough to be toothsome, but was smooth and creamy - bound together with egg yolk. The frites were incredible. Hot, crunchy outside and tender and moist inside. SO good. The salad was also nice - a light vinaigrette, good lettuce. The wine was actually perfect with it - just a lovely lunch.

After lunch we walked to the Cimitiere Montparnasse. The really famous cemetary is Pere Lachaise (Jim Morrison is buried there), but I wanted to make my own little pilgrimage to see Simone de Beauvoir and Sartre. LH wanted to pay her respects to Serge Gainsbourg.

People leave flowers, rocks, and metro tickets. When in Paris...I left my metro ticket for these thinkers.

Some grave markers are little stone houses

Doors are locked, but the cross is cut out - open

Inside the little grave house

We walked from the cemetery over to the catacombs, but alas, we were too late. On the way back to LH's, she pointed out the Tour de Jean sans Peur - the Tower of John the Fearless. This was part of a medieval palace, built around 1400. 

But even better, she pointed out one of her favorite little gourmet shops - Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie.

Wow - this rocked my world. It was a tiny place, with lots of jars and bottles and bags and cans. LH rhapsodized about the rillettes de magret de canard fume, so I grabbed a jar, along with some other treats.

But, it was when I came to the miniscule little deli-case that I got goosebumps.

Here was a case of charcuterie made in house. The ones in the back looked amazing, but the little loaves of pate de campagne aux pommes (with that enticing caul fat topping) called my name. 

This really did it for me. After reading the Belly of Paris, in which one of the central characters owns a charcuterie, I really appreciated this small operation - an older woman, a younger man, a warm welcome and some delicious, delicious food.

Particularly goosebump inducing was this jambon a l'os, also made "a la maison." 

I ordered a sandwich to take home for dinner. Perfect baguette, fresh butter from a cremerie, sliced cornichons and this ham. This glorious, meaty, porky, hammy ham. Hand-sliced to order...they cut the skin and fat back as they work their way down the bone.

Perfection in sandwich form