It is not typical to go through a grand festival of Paris’ best fare famished. But I’m hungry about my visuals too.
After entering under the cheerful green and glass vaulted roofs of the Grand Palais, I roamed around the kiosks of the annual Taste of Paris for about an hour and a half, soaking in the colors of ingredients, menu descriptions, and introduction to new products — like Babas of St. Malo and “Don’t Worry, be Appie Cider.” Each featured stand was a quick capture of kitchen life spotlighting some of Paris’ most celebrated chefs — Christian LeSquer of the Four Seasons George V shook a hand here and François Perret, pastry chef of the Ritz Paris, smiled for a picture with adoring tastebuds there.
Some lines wrapped around the stands and those who had braved a 30-minute wait often came to the sad announcement, “Épuisé,” scrolled beside a sold-out menu item. I had been eyeing the darkly chocolate confection — Fleur de Cacao by Maxime Frédéric — gleaming on the counter, but the line of over 100 eaters was too much for me. Sadly, when I returned to the stand about 20 minutes later, my coveted dessert had been épuisé.
While I’m always craving sweets, the long lines fortuitously brought me to the kiosk featuring Andreas Mavrommatis‘ Greek cuisine. His signature dish was lamb confit from Lazère, looking caramelized and tender, with Halloumi cheese nestled in the center, and a vibrant stuffed zucchini flower dolmade perched on top.
I took my delicious bowl to a corner of the Grand Palais that had just been vacated — a makeshift seat on the foot of an iron column. My provided “spork” (spoon/fork) cut through the delicate meat and scooped up the glossy gravy. With a petal of zucchini flower on top, I lifted the spork to my lips, took a momentary break from the sights, and closed my eyes in reverence to this one perfect bite.
Leave a Reply