just VASGO: The Paris Foodie Adventure

Traveling to Paris, France in December was like a dream. As a foodie, it quickly became apparent that I might have finally reached the true city of gastronomic delights. Rome is outstanding and has VERY good food, if you know where to look. Cities all over the United States have fabulous restaurants and markets that really appeal to my taste buds as well. But none have come so close to perfection as Paris, Sweet Paris.

The bread, ooo la la.
The pastries, yes please.
The cream-based sauces that go on steak and french fries.

And then everything else.

Our trip to Paris had three main purposes:

See the touristy sights.
See the Christmas Markets.
Make the entire time a Foodie Adventure.

And of all the purposes, number three was held to heart the most.

We did our research to find the best Paris Chocolatier. The best Macaronier (I possibly just made up that word. Doesn't matter. Macarons are amazing cookies). The best Boulangerie (bread bakery). The best Fromagerie (cheese shop). The best Ice Cream. All previously researched by professional food bloggers and chefs who live in Paris. All carefully cross referenced to make sure they received the highest opinions from multiple respected sources.

Trust us, we went to the right places. And if you ever go to Paris and you are a foodie, these will be the places you will want to HEAVILY consider going to.

So here's where we went! And DON'T FORGET: Click the pictures for a much better photo experience.

The Bread: Poilane

Easily the best sourdough bread I have ever eaten. And my previous favorite had been in San Francisco, CA.

The Cheese: Fromagerie Quatrehomme

We couldn't resist buying this double cream brie. Or was it a triple? :)

As well as an outstanding roquefort. Both went very well on our Poilane sourdough bread.

The Macarons: Pierre Herme

Think of one of those brownies that are half-cooked, still very fudgy in texture. Well that's what these cookies are like. The outside shell is extremely light but then you get to the ultra moist, ultra flavorful cookie and its creamy center. The four we tried were Caramel, Creme Brulee, Cassis, and Passionfruit.

The Ice Cream: Berthillon

Berthillon has a name as the best ice cream in Paris. In fact, they are so popular, you cannot buy single servings at the original store. Only pints or larger at that place. Otherwise, they guide you to a restaurant nearby and tell you to buy it there. The Strawberry was like the creamiest strawberry ice you could find. The Caramel was AMAZING.

The Caramel and Chocolate: Jacques Genin

Jacques Genin mixed beauty with gourmet treats. We tried the caramels and they were easily the best we have possibly had. We bought some of truffles similar to the ones shown above for a friend and they raved about it. I wanted everything here.

The Breakfast Pastry: Vandermeersch

The Kouglof. A buttery, sweet pastry filled with raisins and nuts. The bottoms are slightly syrupy which makes it all the better. Best breakfast ever. And from what I hear, only made Thursday through Saturday.

The store we WISH we tried but never did: Cafe Pouchkine (The pictures explain why I regret not buying something)