bambina writes: We'll Always Have Paris

The acclaimed food writer and Francophile Dorie Greenspan writes about the top ten must-have, must-try, must-taste foods of Paris in her blog.

"Earlier this year, I was asked to come up with a list of the 10 iconic foods of Paris, the tastes a visitor, perhaps a first-timer, shouldn't miss in the city, and it turned out to be a tougher assignment than I'd imagined. Being a Paris part-timer for over a decade, I've written dozens of lists, but when I looked at the current ones, there wasn't much on them I could use. The lists I make include my favorite bistros and wine bars, food shops, markets and, of course, patisseries, as well as places I want to try, but this list was meant to be a kind of meta-list, a categorization of culinary musts that would save a visitor from that horrible moment when he's returned home and is recounting what a great vacation he's had, only to have someone say, "I can't believe you were in Paris and didn't have a macaron!"

It took me a while to pare the gustatory pleasures of Paris down to a top 10, no time at all to come up with a list of places to taste them, and then more time to pare down the places - there are so many places for great food in Paris."

Not an easy task, distilling all the flavors and seasonings of Paris into a list of ten iconic foods, but it's difficult to find fault with her selection. She pretty much nails it - and includes where to go to savor the best of each food. And she mentions Pierre Hermé as THE place to go to for the best buttery-flaky croissants as well as macarons. I wholeheartedly agree - I worship the Valrhona-strewn ground Pierre Hermé walks on.

Her list:

BAGUETTES

CROISSANTS

MACARONS

CHEESES

ICE CREAM

PLATEAU FRUITS DE MER

CREPES

STEAK-FRITES

CROQUE-MONSIEUR ET CROQUE-MADAME

CHAMPAGNE

I might have taken out one or two items, mainly because they're seasonal, such as the Plateau Fruits de Mer, which is best enjoyed during the -ber months, or so the experts say. The ice cream from Berthillon is a must... but also maybe best enjoyed during the warmer months, though it closes in August. In thier stead I would have put truffes au chocolat from La Maison du Chocolat. They are pure chocolate heaven rolled in fine cocoa powder. Valrhona, of course. It's chocolate of the highest quality, made by hand, sophisticated and artisanal at the same time.

Ice cream or chocolate? Chocolate wins, hands down.