Author Topic: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011  (Read 15072 times)

Offline Ergel

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #20 on: March 16, 2011, 11:45:23 PM »
If you pm me your email address I can try and email it to you tomorrow
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline LAXtraveler

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #21 on: March 17, 2011, 08:50:48 AM »
You're not missing anything.

As much as it is small, etc. I do think it is a very worthwhile painting to see. It did change the way art was viewed and how/who can be portrayed in art for all time after its creation. A pretty impressive feat IMHO.

Offline Avid Reader

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #22 on: March 17, 2011, 10:02:46 AM »
If you pm me your email address I can try and email it to you tomorrow
Sent.

Offline Dan

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #23 on: March 17, 2011, 10:25:03 AM »
As much as it is small, etc. I do think it is a very worthwhile painting to see. It did change the way art was viewed and how/who can be portrayed in art for all time after its creation. A pretty impressive feat IMHO.
Allow me to rephrase.
Unless you have a serious understanding of art you're not missing anything.  No reason a kohen to get a heter just for that unless they are really passionate about art.
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Offline LAXtraveler

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #24 on: March 17, 2011, 11:17:17 AM »
Food in Paris

There are way too many places in Paris to even count. We went to a bunch and enjoyed some more than others. Here is a list of the places we went to:

•   Il Palazzo (dairy)
•   L’as du Falafel (meat)
•   Pitzman Essen Bench (dairy)
•   Korcarz bakery (parve/dairy)
•   Micky’s Deli (meat)
•   Kavod (meat)
•   Darjeeling (meat)
•   Le Chateaubriand (meat)
•   Inte Caffe (dairy)

Reviews:

Il Palazzo (Beis din): Pretty good food. Nothing out of this world, but better pizza than a lot of places I have been to before. We got the mozarella marinara which was good and some different types of vegetable pizzas.

L'as du Falafel (Beis din): Excellent falafel. We had some of the best falafel ever here. There is a reason that the queue for this place is always crazy. It is right in the middle of Le Marais' old central street, Rue de Rosiers. Good food with some fun guys outside telling people to come on in or get in line outside for a delicious meal.

Pitzman (Rottenberg): Might be the best pizza I have had in my life. The only place we went to twice on our trip because it was so good. Tried the Bruschetta as a starter once in addition to the 4 cheese pizza and some other delicacies. Fantastic. Could not be more highly recommended.

Korcarz (Rottenberg): Great place to pick up some pastries and other snack foods for your day trip to Versailles (a must in my opinion). We got some pizza, rugalach and other goodies to take with us (yes, we ate the pizza cold). We also had an early dinner there one night because we were so tired and my wife thought the spinach lasagna was amazing.

Micky's Deli (Rottenberg): Burgers were pretty decent. If on a shorter trip not a necessary stop as you can get a burger anywhere in the US that is better probably. The nice thing is they make them "Tunisian style" meaning they put a sunny-side-up egg on top of the patty which is excellent. I got the spicy burger and really enjoyed it.

Kavod (Beis din): Since we would only eat glatt meat this place had very limited options for us. I got a steak (the rib-eye was glatt, but nothing else was) and my wife had a salad. Neither of us were very impressed with our food (especially for the amount it cost us). The worst part about this place was how sick I got after. That night I was up all night nauseous and finally in the morning my entire meal came out. Let's just say it was not a pleasant experience. Would not recommend.

Darjeeling (Rottenberg): Our favorite place to eat on this trip. We went here and were so happy with everything we ordered. We had some of the delicious Indian tandoori bread (kind of like laffa) with the dips that were excellent. My wife got a curry/spices noodle and chicken dish that she thought was out of this world. I got the tandoori mixed grill (lamb, beef, chicken) and ate every single scrap of food off the dish it was served on. We wanted to go back on our last night there but we couldn't get a reservation until 11:30pm and that was just way beyond what our stomachs would allow. The only caution I have with this place is that they didn't seem so interested in us both when we called or when being served. Not quite sure why, but even so, definitely worth going to.

Le Chateaubriand (Beis din): I had been told about this place from a friend of mine who had been to Paris. When he went he was told by someone living in Paris that although the place was Beis din their meat was glatt (or at least some of it was). When we decided to go here for our final meal in Paris I called in advance and spoke to the owner who said all the meats they had were glatt. Jubilated I made a reservation and we went. It was a delicious and truly French meal experience. We started with foie gras (goose liver) that was amazing and came warm with mushrooms and put it on some of the fresh bread (YUM!). I ordered myself some tasty French wine and polished off the entire "mini-bottle". For our mains my wife had a veal chop which was really good (although a little fatty) and I got a duck breast dish that was out of this world. Both came with a side of fresh mashed potatoes and veggies. The presentation and flavor were both amazing. For dessert we had a warm apple pie that was really nothing special, but I couldn't eat that much by then anyway because I was so stuffed from everything else. Great place for a nice meal (but NOT CHEAP).

Inte Caffe (Beis din): Another amazing dairy place that was recommended to us by our hosts for Shabbos dinner. Not too far from the Champs Elysees and a great modern atmosphere. We had a good lunch here. We got the bruschetta to start. It came with 2 types (tomatoes and roasted peppers). Both were delicious and the bread it came on was very good as well. I ordered sea bass for my main that came with potatoes gratin (creme and melted cheese) that was so very good (I love fish). My wife ordered a pasta that she loved and polished off clean. We both came away from that meal full and extremely satisfied.

Hope these reviews help with people planning future trips.

Offline Dan

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #25 on: March 17, 2011, 12:02:23 PM »
Thanks for the reviews!  Looking forward to your activity reviews!

Glad to hear you loved Pitzman.  I think every American that goes there thinks it's the best pizza ever, but for some reason non-Americans aren't as enamored with it.

I'm still bummed Darjeeling was closed when we went.  More reason to return though!  Maybe I'll use my 2 suite nights in the PH Paris.

Did you make it to any of the chocolatiers or bakeries in the 19th district?

As an American I still don't understand the kashrus situations in places like Paris and Israel.  Do people really trust non-glatt hechshers to say that the meat is glatt?  If all their meat is glatt then why don't they get a better hechsher?
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Offline LAXtraveler

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #26 on: March 17, 2011, 12:09:41 PM »
Thanks for the reviews!  Looking forward to your activity reviews!

Glad to hear you loved Pitzman.  I think every American that goes there thinks it's the best pizza ever, but for some reason non-Americans aren't as enamored with it.

I'm still bummed Darjeeling was closed when we went.  More reason to return though!  Maybe I'll use my 2 suite nights in the PH Paris.

Did you make it to any of the chocolatiers or bakeries in the 19th district?

As an American I still don't understand the kashrus situations in places like Paris and Israel.  Do people really trust non-glatt hechshers to say that the meat is glatt?  If all their meat is glatt then why don't they get a better hechsher?

Never made it to the 19th as I heard there wasn't much there other than food and we were fine with all the options everywhere else.

Darjeeling is definitely a worthwhile reason to return!

There a number of items that could be an issue, but for me I generally trust the kashrus if there is a hekhsher that I know to be reliable to start. Since I am American I only eat glatt meat (and to be sure glatt does not apply to milchigs or chicken). Therefore, since I was in touch with people in Paris prior to my trip I made sure the beis din was reliable and then followed up with restaurants regarding the status of their meat. If someone is frum then they should have a hezkas kashrus on being believed (like going to a friend's house for a meal - they don't have a reliable hekhsher, they are the mashgiach). It is with these issues in mind that I speak to my rabbi and others from the community I am visiting to determine what to do.

In Israel there are specific issues between rabbanut and mehadrin (i.e., the number of chickens shekhted between random checks on the shkhita) that I have been informed about. Some make me more comfortable and others do not. I always make sure to speak with my rabbi before I eat out in Israel every visit.

EDIT: Also, I do not keep halav Yisrael so I don't have that issue with restaurants if they use non halav Yisrael products.
« Last Edit: March 17, 2011, 12:13:49 PM by LAXtraveler »

Offline me

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #27 on: March 17, 2011, 12:24:14 PM »
Reviews:

Il Palazzo (Beis din): Pretty good food. Nothing out of this world, but better pizza than a lot of places I have been to before. We got the mozarella marinara which was good and some different types of vegetable pizzas.

L'as du Falafel (Beis din): Excellent falafel. We had some of the best falafel ever here. There is a reason that the queue for this place is always crazy. It is right in the middle of Le Marais' old central street, Rue de Rosiers. Good food with some fun guys outside telling people to come on in or get in line outside for a delicious meal.

Pitzman (Rottenberg): Might be the best pizza I have had in my life. The only place we went to twice on our trip because it was so good. Tried the Bruschetta as a starter once in addition to the 4 cheese pizza and some other delicacies. Fantastic. Could not be more highly recommended.

Korcarz (Rottenberg): Great place to pick up some pastries and other snack foods for your day trip to Versailles (a must in my opinion). We got some pizza, rugalach and other goodies to take with us (yes, we ate the pizza cold). We also had an early dinner there one night because we were so tired and my wife thought the spinach lasagna was amazing.

Micky's Deli (Rottenberg): Burgers were pretty decent. If on a shorter trip not a necessary stop as you can get a burger anywhere in the US that is better probably. The nice thing is they make them "Tunisian style" meaning they put a sunny-side-up egg on top of the patty which is excellent. I got the spicy burger and really enjoyed it.

Kavod (Beis din): Since we would only eat glatt meat this place had very limited options for us. I got a steak (the rib-eye was glatt, but nothing else was) and my wife had a salad. Neither of us were very impressed with our food (especially for the amount it cost us). The worst part about this place was how sick I got after. That night I was up all night nauseous and finally in the morning my entire meal came out. Let's just say it was not a pleasant experience. Would not recommend.

Darjeeling (Rottenberg): Our favorite place to eat on this trip. We went here and were so happy with everything we ordered. We had some of the delicious Indian tandoori bread (kind of like laffa) with the dips that were excellent. My wife got a curry/spices noodle and chicken dish that she thought was out of this world. I got the tandoori mixed grill (lamb, beef, chicken) and ate every single scrap of food off the dish it was served on. We wanted to go back on our last night there but we couldn't get a reservation until 11:30pm and that was just way beyond what our stomachs would allow. The only caution I have with this place is that they didn't seem so interested in us both when we called or when being served. Not quite sure why, but even so, definitely worth going to.

Le Chateaubriand (Beis din): I had been told about this place from a friend of mine who had been to Paris. When he went he was told by someone living in Paris that although the place was Beis din their meat was glatt (or at least some of it was). When we decided to go here for our final meal in Paris I called in advance and spoke to the owner who said all the meats they had were glatt. Jubilated I made a reservation and we went. It was a delicious and truly French meal experience. We started with foie gras (goose liver) that was amazing and came warm with mushrooms and put it on some of the fresh bread (YUM!). I ordered myself some tasty French wine and polished off the entire "mini-bottle". For our mains my wife had a veal chop which was really good (although a little fatty) and I got a duck breast dish that was out of this world. Both came with a side of fresh mashed potatoes and veggies. The presentation and flavor were both amazing. For dessert we had a warm apple pie that was really nothing special, but I couldn't eat that much by then anyway because I was so stuffed from everything else. Great place for a nice meal (but NOT CHEAP).

Inte Caffe (Beis din): Another amazing dairy place that was recommended to us by our hosts for Shabbos dinner. Not too far from the Champs Elysees and a great modern atmosphere. We had a good lunch here. We got the bruschetta to start. It came with 2 types (tomatoes and roasted peppers). Both were delicious and the bread it came on was very good as well. I ordered sea bass for my main that came with potatoes gratin (creme and melted cheese) that was so very good (I love fish). My wife ordered a pasta that she loved and polished off clean. We both came away from that meal full and extremely satisfied.

Hope these reviews help with people planning future trips.

AMAZING!! Now I have to go to Paris... (I'm such a Jew, I go on vacation where the food is good :o )

Offline chuchem

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #28 on: March 17, 2011, 12:33:42 PM »
Most "heimishe" people do not rely on beis din paris, even if they say the meat is glatt. Its just not a good hechsher... Do as you wish, I just wanted to post this in case people read this in the future.

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #29 on: March 17, 2011, 12:34:20 PM »
Nice trip report

Offline LAXtraveler

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #30 on: March 17, 2011, 12:38:56 PM »
Most "heimishe" people do not rely on beis din paris, even if they say the meat is glatt. Its just not a good hechsher... Do as you wish, I just wanted to post this in case people read this in the future.

By no means am I telling people to eat beis din Paris. This is what I did according to my rabbi and the people I spoke to there. I am not a posek and do not advise anyone doing as I do unless they are comfortable and ask their posek first. I am just reviewing where we ate and saying we did it at beis din places (that's specifically why I listed the hekhshers in my reviews).

Offline Dan

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #31 on: March 17, 2011, 12:48:35 PM »
Most "heimishe" people do not rely on beis din paris, even if they say the meat is glatt. Its just not a good hechsher... Do as you wish, I just wanted to post this in case people read this in the future.
What about for milchig restaurants?  I was told B.D. was good for that.
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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #32 on: March 17, 2011, 01:11:35 PM »
Great trip report.
The food reviews should not have been posted on a fast day! ;D

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #33 on: March 17, 2011, 01:13:46 PM »
Great trip report.
The food reviews should not have been posted on a fast day! ;D

Hehe. Sorry about that!

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #34 on: June 21, 2011, 03:29:23 AM »
Finally getting around to posting pics... (it will be a slow process probably). BA F KSML (starter and salad)






Offline LAXtraveler

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Re: LAXtraveler's Paris Trip Report 2011
« Reply #35 on: June 21, 2011, 03:30:16 AM »
BA F KSML: Main course and dessert