La Bovida is a big shop specializing in kitchen equipment and gadgets. There are a lot of photos on Google Maps.
Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie is a gourmet grocery store and a restaurant. Here's the restaurant menu.
The restaurant called L'Escargot Montorgueil was just down the street from where I lived. I never had lunch or dinner there. Here's the web site, which says the restaurant has been serving snails (and much more) since 1832.
Le Marivaux is a café/restaurant on the Grands Boulevards, at the corner of the boulevard des Italiens and the rue Marivaux. It serves fondues and raclettes as well as French brasserie dishes. (I plan to make a Mexican fondue next week.)
The Palais du Fruit is a produce shop on the rue Montorgueil near where I lived for three years — 40 years ago.
Ohhhh, those are great!
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of cheese are you going to use for your Mexican fondue? Are havarti and cheddar available in St-Aignan?
ReplyDeleteCheddar is available, but I would gladly substitute Cantal. I'm not sure about Havarti, but there are several Dutch or Scandinavian cheeses I would consider using. Have you ever made or had a Mexican fondue? To me, what will make it Mexican will be the spices and hot peppers, not the specific cheeses.
DeleteIn fact, I had never heard of Mexican fondue until this morning!
DeleteDo I recognize a youngish Walt with a lot of hair in front of La Bovida?
ReplyDeleteYes, that's Walt, with hair that is not so much abundant as dark brown and not (yet) gray.
DeleteThis is exactly what I need on this dull, grey, chilly day. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteRaclette would be good on a day like today!
ReplyDeleteLe Comptoir has a nice menu. Their specialty "Duck n Roll" is something you'd find on a menu in LA, almost like street truck food (those are very popular here). I wonder if you can find Cotija cheese for your Mexican fondue? It has that Mexican taste. Sounds like it would be fun to have chips to dip.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're kidding. Cotija in Saint-Aignan... At least we can get good corn chips.
DeleteKen, lol, I was serious. It seems like your supermarkets have many more choices than ours. And Mexican food is becoming popular everywhere.
DeleteOur stores stock Old El Paso tortillas and fajita kits, some salsas (that are pretty good), and corn chips. That's about it. I think there's a Mexican restaurant over in Tours, but I've never had lunch or dinner there.
DeleteThese photos make the day sunny; thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed a meander around La Bovida long ago.
Lots of memories for me. I'm really enjoying being a virtual tourist thanks to old photos.
DeleteLa Bovida looks like the sort of place I should avoid, lest I get into lots of trouble. All those nifty culinary gadgets, yum.
ReplyDeleteThe other kitchen-supply store in then eighborhood is E. Dehillerin. It's pretty different from La Bovida but at least as interesting.
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