Basque Eats and Tartine Treats

Yesterday night I met an old TA and friend, Abby, who is currently doing her dissertation research in Paris. We met in Oberkampf in the 11th district, about a 10 minute metro ride away from me to eat at Les Fabricants, a Basque cafe that was joyfully more relaxed than a typical French restaurant. We beat the dinner rush at around 8 pm and started with a complete cheese plate and baguettes. It was awesome, they included about seven different types of cheeses that ranged from mild to extremely strong. There was a chèvre, camembert and roquefort, which is similar to a Gorgonzola but made in France instead of Italy. The Roquefort was pretty woodsy, and almost tasted like mulch… but in a strangely appealing way. More sour than most of the blue varieties I’ve had in the past but definitely edible when spread on top of a baguette with a heaping helping of confiture (jam).

We ordered pitchers of Sangria and ate well into the night. Best of all, it was very reasonably priced, which I’m learning is exceedingly hard to come by in Paris. Check out my restaurant archives page for more info!

Afterwards we walked by the Bataclan, the concert hall that was one of the attack sites during the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris. It was ominous and people respectfully held their silence while walking past. It seems that these unfathomable events are still so fresh in Parisians minds, and rightfully so. La republique, a common meeting place for protests and demonstrations, is decorated with remembrances of the Charlie Hebdo attacks a little over one year ago, and the street across from the Bataclan remains fresh with memorials, candles, flags and pictures of victims, which tells me that Parisians are not ready to give up on the idea of solidarity that Americans are so quick to abandon. It’s comforting.

Today I returned to the Oberkampf area to eat lunch with a few of my program friends after touring the Fondation Vuitton, the newest architectural feat from Frank Gehry. We ate a small lunch cafe and I ordered a vegetarian tartine, a toast-like snack. They’re very popular around France, probably because of their versatility. Its basically a piece of toast with elaborate toppings, which leaves room for everything but the kitchen sink to be an option. They’re beautiful, and will definitely be something I’ll be bringing back to my own kitchen once I return home. This one had fresh mozzerella burrata, zuccini, roasted red and orange peppers, and topped with pesto, thyme and olive oil