Au Vin des Rues

As described in my other blog, I had the immense luck to vacation in Paris last fall. One of the best parts, aside from the beauty and liveliness of the city, was the FOOD! Almost every meal was one of the best of my life. Sadly, food in the States just doesn't seem to have the same quality (sorry, US).

Although every meal in Paris was absolutely wonderful (I know, some of that was vacation goggles)...I mean, amazing bread, chocolate, wine, cheese, sauces, yogurt, and falafel! I know, no one thinks of falafel as Parisian, but maybe you should! ;) The section of Paris called Marais, which is the old Jewish Quarter, hosts some of the most amazing falafel places ever. Ever.

But I'm not here to write a review of falafel; I'm going to talk about the most amazing meal in Paris, and it involved fairly Parisian cuisine. Tucked into a small, out of the way street of the 14th arrondissement (known for Montparnesse), Au Vin des Rues (Wine Street en anglais) is a cozy restaurant/wine bar that seats about 8 couples, with the typical tables on the sidewalk in front (21, Rue Boulard, 75014 Paris). The menu is written on a chalkboard en francais only, non-French speakers must ask the English-speaking staff to translate, which they are happy to do (I speak French pretty well, but I've no idea the terms for "ribeye" and "sirloin" -- sigh). Their specialty is steak -- served rare with fries and a strong Bordeaux, and that's exactly what my husband ordered. Being a huge fan of roasted duck, I decided to order the breast of duck with potatoes au gratin and root vegetables.

It took awhile for our food, as is usual in Parisian restaurants -- you're there to relax! Drink your wine! :)  But when our food came, it did not disappoint: flavorful, buttery, and thick, the steak was what other steaks hope to be when they grow up. The duck was very well prepared -- marinated with a vinegary sauce and served with the best potatoes of our lives. These potatoes should have come with a waiver for artery failure, so much delicious cheese and cream, but oh, so worth it.

Dessert was equally amazing. Perfect, light and crisply shelled creme brulee, with a deep, rich vanilla-infused custard, and a perfectly intense yet comforting apple tart infused with bourbon. Incredible. I was honestly at a loss for words to describe how delicious this cake was.

Such an incredible little place that we went again two nights later, and ordered the same thing minus the apple tart, which was sadly unavailable (tart of the day means, well, limited time only folks!), so we "settled" for a scrumptious tart choco poire, which I replicated recently on my baking blog (http://www.thebreadstop.com/2011/01/pear-chocolate-tart.html).

I would tell anyone going to Paris to seek out this gem!