Mamie Gateaux, Paris

With its plaid paper tablecloths, vintage café lait bowls, and adjoining antique store-- Mamie Gateaux has the kind of charm you would expect to stumble upon in Paris.

After days of passing by shuttered windows, we decided that if we wanted to eat here we would have to give in to their odd hours of operation. We slept in one morning (not a problem) so we were in the neighborhood for breakfast when they opened at 11am. By then of course we were hungry for lunch.

We ordered the vegetable crumble -- a savory take on the berry version... and like any crumble, the topping was the best part, a golden crust of parmesean cheese and toasted pine nuts.

Parisian Patisserie Checklist

1/ Chausson au pomme

2/ Pain au chocolat

3/ Canale (Fab's is still our favorite)

4/ Macaron

5/ Croissant d'abricot

6/ Fougasse aux lardons from Paul

Check, check and check!

Ciao Bella

We had our last meal in Paris at La Laconda, an Italian restaurant located in the 6e arrondissement. We were initially lured by their sign advertising a truffle-tasting menu, but instead settled for their classic, and less pricey, pasta dishes. Hardly settling though, they were delicious!

Morning Glory

Day after day of breakfast bliss at Chateau des Alpilles in St. Remy de Provence.

La Brasserie du Commerce, St-Remy

Ronak still teases me about how we shared a burger after our 33k bike ride through the provençal countryside-- as if we didn't each deserve our own after that.

Ripe for the Picking

Roadside Pique-Nique

There's no better way to eat in France.

Bistrot d'Antoine, Nice

Bistrot d'Antoine seemed unassuming at first... a charming bistro offering traditional French fare... but after walking in and being turned away night after night, we realized that this was a special place that required a little more forethought.

We finally made a reservation and ate here on our last night in Nice. A perfect farewell dinner before we headed to our next destination, Saint-Remy de Provence.

La Glace

Going to France in the summer gave us a good excuse to have ice cream every place we went. The most noteworthy flavor we had was in Nice: caramel au beurre salee (big surprise) with nibs of gooey toffee throughout.

As Happy as Clams

Since last May, Ronak and I have talked about recreating the meal we had at Esca on our 1 year anniversary: Linguine with briny clams, hot red pepper and pancetta. A few nights ago we finally did, using Chef David Pasternack's cookbook, Young Man & the Sea, as our bible. It seemed appropriate to go to Eataly for the main ingredients, since Pasternack has his hand in the produce selection (and his cookbook sits perched on the fish counter there).

Despite the hub of the lunch-time crowd, the fish monger gave us his full attention and explained the difference between mahogany and little neck clams-- The recipe called for either, but since the two types of clams are so different in size we had trouble deciding. In the end we went with mahogany-- a good choice! The clams were delicious and succulent, though it was the smokiness of the pancetta and heat from the peppers that left us with the most memorable taste in our mouths... once again.