Emily in France 🇫🇷 Paris Demands Ice Cream. Stat.
Dig into something new!
It is hot – which means that, if you're in Paris, you're probably on the lookout for the best ice cream in the capital. Which you can easily have in your inbox... if you subscribe to my paid newsletter.
Yes, friends, I've jumped on the bandwagon. And you're about to reap the rewards.
I've been living, guiding, and eating in Paris for nearly 15 years now (my anniversary is in a matter of weeks!) And in that time, I've accrued quite a list of wonderful places to eat, drink, and be merry. By subscribing to my twice-monthly paid newsletter, you'll get insider's tips including but not limited to...
- how to navigate the highlights of the Louvre in under two hours,
- where to eat on a Monday,
- and, yes, where to go for Paris' best ice cream.
Subscribe today to receive your first missive this Thursday!
If you'd rather eat for free, no worries! You'll still get this newsletter in your inbox (most) Tuesdays with tasty tidbits, musings, and more.
Cheese of the Week
Whoops! I made a mistake in my recent reel about Epoisses, one of my favorite washed-rind cheeses. This pungent little delicacy is made by washing the crust of the cheese in Marc de Bourgogne, a grappa hailing from Burgundy. There are only two producers still making this cheese with raw milk: Gaugry and Fromagerie des Marronniers. (Despite what I said in my reel, Berthaut actually produces the cheese with pasteurized milk – also the source of its itty-bitty Trou du Cru, aka a bite-sized version of Epoisses with a name that's punny and kinda crass, in true French fashion.)
A good Epoisses is stinky on the outside and custardy within with fruity, nutty aromas. I particularly love it spread on whole rye kernel bread, the likes of which you'd find in a Danish bakery (or at the Marais' Tout Autour du Pain).
I'm always excited to learn more about my favorite cheeses, especially from the pros – so thanks so much to Christophe Gonzalez, an award-winning fromager in Bayonne, for calling my attention to the mistake!
To discover more of my favorite cheeses, be sure to follow me on Instagram @emily_in_france and tune into the Terroir Podcast, where Caroline Conner and I delve into France's cheese, wine, and more one region at a time.
What I'm Eating
Despite its name, the eponymous bao at Gros Bao have never been my favorite things on the menu. And while honestly, there are loads of other places for Chinese food in the city that I like more, Gros Bao is worth visiting for this sweet and spicy glazed eggplant, which, in breaking with tradition, I now order every single time I go. More on the blog.
Discover more of my foodie finds via Instagram @emily_in_france.
What I'm Writing
1. I have added a new feature to my website! Now, in addition to tracking my favorite restaurants in the capital, I'll also be keeping track of my favorite pastry shops in Paris. Right now, Tapisserie is topping the list thanks to its delicious cream-filled choux and this sinfully sweet maple tart. Have you been yet?
2. Literary cocktail fans – unite! If you’ve ever wondered about Jay Gatsby’s perfect drink, bartender Emmanuel Pressley’s got you covered. For InsideHook.
3. Blooming onions are taking the U.S. by storm, but if you live too far from an Outback Steakhouse (or just want to make one at home), I've got the recipe from Westwood for InsideHook.
What I'm Saying
1. Some bottles of Burgundy cost tens of thousands of euros – a contributing factor to one of the most high-profile wine heists in history. This week on The Terroir Podcast, Caroline is sharing that tale, while I clue listeners into the misnomers behind some of Burgundy's most famous dishes. (And fangirl over Napoleon. Again.) Tune in here to learn more!
2. The French are frequently unfairly pegged as lazy, with their 35-hour work week and generous vacation policy. But the French approach to travail goes far deeper than that, with the roots of the push for workers rights linked to revolts in the 18th, 19th, and even 20th centuries. This week on Navigating the French, I'm joined by journalist Lindsey Tramuta, author of The New Paris and The New Parisienne, to explore the French relationship with work, labor, and, yes, smoke breaks. Listen here!
What I'm Reading
1. Do you like it when an author makes you feel smarter? Or like they're smarter than you are? I always feel a bit like the latter when I'm reading Ali Smith, like she's at the top of the class, and I'm trying to pretend half of what she's saying isn't going totally over my head. But rather than alienating me as a reader, it's always made me want to try harder, read more closely. She's done it again with How to be both, a book that follows what I now recognize as her token approach: a character-driven narrative scant on plot but deep in artistic knowledge, gender-based questioning, and beautiful, beautiful prose. This is not the sort of story you can tell, but it is the sort of story that demands to be read over and over and over again, that invites comparison to Virginia Woolf and Rachel Cusk, and that breaks open the fruits of emotions and demands that you peer into their messy insides.
2. While most cowboys in popular media are portrayed as white, the reality is that one in four cowboys was historically Black – and this Black farmer is looking to return to those roots in a whole new way with a sustainable, grass-fed ranch in Texas. Life & Thyme.
3. When I first got the inkling I might someday want to become a published author, I assumed I'd hide behind my initials. Why? Because men, statistically, don't read women. I've transcended my own difficulties linked to this truth, but it does, unfortunately, remain true. In the Guardian.
A bientôt !