Sunday, July 20, 2014

Versailles to Verjus

When I lived in Los Angeles, all the people who came to visit wanted to go to the same places; Hollywood Blvd, Rodeo Drive, Venice Beach, Malibu, and depending on whether they had children, Disneyland or Universal Studios. Now that I live in Paris, the list of landmarks may have changed, but everyone has the same list of sights they want to visit; Notre Dame, Louvre, Champs-Elysées, Arc de Triumph, Versailles, and of course the Eiffel Tower.

After four days of walking an average of 7 hours per day, the cobblestones at Versailles would have crippled me, so I dropped off my sightseer and meet her several hours later :) By the time she was ready to leave, it was time for a late afternoon snack, so we walked over to a Pizza Via Venetto. I was not expecting much from a touristy place on a pedestrian street near the rail and bus stations, but when I took a sip of my kir, I smiled and said, "This is great!"
Their salads were also great, with servings that could easily have been shared or been mistaken for a plate served in Los Angeles! Since my friend had spent hours walking, she opted for a chicken salad with potatoes, cheese, eggs, and tomatoes. She finished the plate only because she hadn't eaten all day and because I warned her that there is no such thing as doggie bags in France:)
I chose the more classic ham and cheese salad, and even though I had eaten, I still finished my plate just because it was so good. Considering that both gigantic salads were less than 15 € ($20 US) and they actually used decent wine in my kir, this place is definitely worth a stop if you are sightseeing in Versailles and hungry. The waiter was very personable, even joking with us when he took our picture, so this is definitely not a bad place to recuperate after navigating cobblestones.
An even better place to recuperate if you are spending the day at the Louvre is Verjus*. Once again I dropped off my friend and instead of just picking her up, I actually previewed Verjus with a wonderful glass of Bourgogne and steak tartare. The wines vary and are fairly priced for the quality, but they are pricey for Paris (my glass was 8 € or $12 US).
The steak tartare was one of the best I've eaten, with hand cut meat, complimentary textures, and perky flavors.
When I picked up my friend from the Louvre, she was hungry, so we ordered the creamy burrata mozzarella with pine nuts, salad & cured meat, which was much better than the fuzzy photo. She had never eaten fresh burrata and was instantly enamored, and I was very happy with the cured meat.
This stuffed zucchini blossom on a bed of arugula was incredibly tender and crisp, done to perfection.
The duck meatballs were a nice twist on classic meatballs, very filling and hearty.
Somehow my friend found room for dessert (I don't know where). I honestly can't remember what this was since I was in a food coma by then and I didn't taste it, but she loved it and cleaned the plate! All the plates were under 15 € or $20 US and quite generous portions, so depending on your appetite, this is a moderately priced place to savor some unusual and tasty bites. Everyone spoke English from the staff to the clients, so if you are looking for a comfortable casual place where speaking French is not necessary, this is a great spot. With the Palais Royal literally across the street, you can stroll your meal off in a royal garden!
*Note that the gate from Richelieu closes at night so you may have to enter around the block.

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