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When I first moved to Paris 20 years ago, rue Cler was a nice little pedestrian street, great for our weekly shopping trip to a few favorite stores for meat, fish, greens and cheese. Over the years, it has truly flourished! There are more food shops, better specialties and the pedestrian area devoted to food has grown larger. From a local neighborhood market street, it has been transformed to a destination for great food shopping in Paris.
One of the pleasures of staying in an apartment in Paris is to be able to walk to rue Cler and buy your food to enjoy as Parisians do
Rue Cler is especially convenient for the neighborhood because it is open on Sunday mornings. Many families attend mass at 11am at St. Pierre du Gros Caillou on rue de Grenelle, then head immediately to rue Cler for their baguettes, cheese, bottle of wine, cuts of meat and desserts. Get there early as it becomes extremely crowded after 11 am on Sundays. Being near rue Cler is one of the great pleasures of living in Paris, whether for a week or a lifetime.
Start at the top of the street, near the Ecole Militaire Metro stop, on the corner of La Motte Piquet and rue Cler. There is a large post office with yellow signs on the corner.
Before you get there, don't forget to stop in Flo, the takeaway gourmet food shop, on Ave. de la Motte Piquet, just before rue Cler. It is a successful chain in France, popular with professionals who don't have the time to cook a good meal after work. Prices of meals range from a reasonable daily special to lobster and other delicacies. Every meal is fresh and marked clear instructions on how to heat and serve. The dishes are even garnished so you can set it on a porcelain dish, serve it with style and say you attended Cordon Bleu on your last vacation.
The staff is friendly and will help you select the entire meal: from the salad section to the main dish area, to the cheese, wine and bread counters. Top it off at the dessert counter for that little something to finish your meal; their desserts are excellent. Do take your time as they are patient and understand the importance of eating a good meal.
A few years ago, I was waiting my turn to be served and struck up a conversation with some American visitors who wondered the economy and French business in general. The famous 35 hour work week law had just been passed. I explained about this important new law in France and the changes that were being forced on all businesses. The headlines were about a new police force, called the Work Police (la Police du Travail), who had descended on two large companies and found some white collar workers working beyond 35 hours! Horror of horrors; they tried to arrest some executives and actually imposed enormous fines on both companies to set an example.
We laughed at the oddity of this, trying to imagine a similar scenario among white collar workers in the US. What would they say? 'Excuse me, I've got to close down my computer, postpone the conference call, get off the plane, cancel the last patient -- my 35 hours are up!' A french businessman was standing behind me, following our conversation. He blurted out: "I know it sounds very funny, but to us, it is a catastrophe! We need to stay competitive and it is becoming more difficult." His point is well taken as France tries to compete in the world market.
On the other hand, the French understand the importance of family and quality in life and nothing demonstrates this better than the wonderful food markets in Paris.
Now start down the left side of rue Cler after the Post Office.
- Halles Bosquet: Fruit and vegetable stand. One of 4 or 5 greengrocers on rue Cler. The competition among the fruit and vegetable merchants means prices are competitive. Always shop for their specials out front.
- Flower stand: This is my favorite flower stand; they put together the most beautiful bouquets, even on a budget. Their prices seem lower than the other flower stands on rue Cler.
- Deli Zius Gastronomia Italiana: Excellent Italian Specialties: you recognize it by the Olive trees outside. Delicious olives, pastas and other Italian specialties.
- Olivier and Cie.: This high quality group of stores is becoming known in the US, as their products are now distributed by Williams Sonoma. At prices significantly lower than in the US, it is worth stopping in and sampling their oils and specialties. We love their lemon flavored olive oil especially on salads; their basil flavored olive oil on grilled fish.
- New Asia: Chinese restaurants and takeaways are springing up all over Paris. This is one of them.
- Lenotre: One of my favorite patisseries in Paris. This is a beautiful store, a great place to buy patisseries, hors d'hoeuvres, side dishes and even main dishes for your meal. Lenotre caters for the best functions in Paris and you will find their selection to be mouth watering. They paid the ultimate compliment to rue Cler by opening their first shop there recently.
- Café du Mache': You are now on the corner of Rue du champ du Mars and Rue Cler. The Café du Marche' is one of the most popular café's in the neighborhood, with a covered area outside where you can eat winter and summer. Get there early, as you cannot reserve; it becomes very crowded especially with the chic people of the quartier. There are a number of daily specials on blackboards, at reasonable prices. It's a fun place to sit and people watch.
- Creperie: If you feel like having a snack or light lunch go to the small creperie next on your left. I love the Crepes au Grand Marnier; our children ask for the Nutella ones. If you haven't tried it, Nutella is a paste made out of milk chocolate and hazelnuts and is delicious. When we were growing up in Italy, my sisters and I would finish a large jar in a day and not have any appetite for dinner. Now, as an over conscientious and hypocritical mother, I forbid it in the house. They beg the crepe maker for the biggest possible dollops on their crepes, who gives it to them.
There are two kinds of crepes, sucree' and sale', one for dessert and one for
snacks or a meal. The sucree'd crepes are made with white flour and the
sale'd crepes are made with buckwheat flour. Order the salee'd crepes with
ham and cheese, like a croque monsieur.
- La Fermette: Popular, family-owned cheese shop. We always approach rue Cler from rue St. Dominique, so tend to go to the other two fromageries, but they have an excellent selection.
- Boucheries Coucaud: One of the 4 butcher shops on rue Cler. We find they all offer good quality and reasonable prices.
- Les Quatre Saisons: Large greengrocer; as with the others, good prices due to the competition on the street.
- Davoli - La Maison du Jambon: The lines leading onto the street indicate one of the best shops on rue Cler and in the quartier. This Italian delicatessen sells homemade specialties ranging from Italian sausages and meats to pasta, Italian cheeses, side dishes such as roasted peppers, desserts and finally, the best Choucroute in Paris. This is an excellent dish for a cold day. Tell the vendor how many people you plan to serve and he will make the selection. Heat over a low fire and serve. The portions tend to be large, so keep that in mind for leftovers, or give a lower number to the vendor. As the lines will tell you, go there early!
- Darius Rotisserie: Chickens: The smells from this shop will make your mouth water and you may not get any further. This is a chicken brasserie; they cook flame roasted chickens, sold in bags which remain hot for an hour. You can buy whole chickens, breasts or legs so everyone can have their favorite meat.
- Les Floralies: Nice flower vendor with a good selection of green plants.
- The Droguerie is not a drug store; it sells household goods from cleaning products, knives, mops and knives to shopping carts. They have a good selection of panniers or carts on wheels which everyone uses for their food shopping. There are new ones with special wheels to push it in front of you, like a pram and even one with 2 extra wheels, which allow you to roll up flights of stairs! This is a brilliant idea, since many apartments still have no elevators and lugging the shopping up the stairs every day is exhausting. Our apartments all have elevators.
- The Tarte du Julie: They delicious quiches and dessert tartes. La Tarte du Julie is located in the shop of one of the last Horse Butchers in the quartier used to be, until they retired. There was a horse's head above the shop until a few years ago. Sadly, the horses head has disappeared, but the beautiful design of the entrance remains the same as are the counters. If you would like an excellent quiche, Julie has at least 5 varieties per day, all delicious. You can buy by the piece, half a tarte or a whole one; I recommend taking a selection to share; they are excellent for picnics. I love pastries and judge them by the quality of the crust. Julie's crusts are superb as they are nutty and almost crunchy. While I recommend all of their tarts, personal favorites are the fruit tarts and spinach and goats cheese quiche. If you become a regular customer, join their loyalty program. They will give you a card which they stamp each time you buy one. After 12 tartes, you get number 13 free.
- Asian Traiteur: Asian fast food shops are springing up everywhere in Paris! I confess to eating there from time to time, especially because their tables always have room on warm days outside. The food is fine, but it just isn't the Hunan in San Francisco. They do a roaring trade for lunch, as even the French are taking shorter lunch breaks. The wife of our favorite butcher (on the corner of rue St. Dominique and Ave. Rapp) claims many Chinese employees sleep in the damp cave's (underground storage rooms) of apartment buildings.
- La Sablaise Poissonerie: This is one of the finest fish merchants in Paris, with an enormous selection of everything from sea snails, to crab, to fresh fish from the Channel every day. Their displays alone make your mother water with an enormous selection of seafood on 3 large counters. My inlaws feel that I prepare too many of our meals from Picard, the frozen food store on rue de Grenelle. I feel that if I managed to grow up healthy in the 1950's on canned food and spam, then frozen food can't be too bad. When our children were born and my in-laws visit, my father in law goes there every day to buy a fresh sole for them. He chooses two whole fish and insists the poissonier skin and filet it in front of him so he is assured of its freshness. My son won his grandmothers heart when he told her at age 6 that she made best sole in the world, breaded with egg and quickly fried in butter.
- Boucherie: One of the best butchers in the neighborhood. High quality meat, excellent selection and good advice on how to cook a cut of meat. At Christmas and New Years, they sell boar's heads and other specialties for this gourmet season! The French celebrate both holidays, but New Years is the most important for them, especially from a perspective of food. That's when you order your oysters and meats far in advance and prepare your best dishes for family and friends, for the Reveillon dinner!
- Top Halles: A large greengrocer which I've beenshopping at for almost 20 years. It is across the street from another greengrocer so there is good quality and prices stay competitive. As anywhere, try to buy their 'specials' - whatever is displayed in quantity outside and you are guaranteed the best flavors and prices. The country of origin must be posted; smell the differences between the small French melons and the ones from Spain.
Now cross the street and head up on the other side.
- FranPrix: There are two 'supermarkets' on the street, FranPrix and Leader. Good for the basics, from toothpaste to cereal.
- Bacchus: This wine shop is a good one and they do a good job recommending wine for a particular meal. Our favorite wine shop is at 145 rue St. Dominique where Julien does an excellent job. He knows his wines and offers good value for money. When we walk by, he signals Philippe if he has a good deal on red wine or Champagne. He is a character who roller blades to work and always wears sunglasses on his head; kind of a heartthrob in the quartier. When I first introduced my French husband to California wines in Napa Valley, he couldn't understand the American obsession with brand and price. Now I understand his point: in France, a good wine often means it is delicious and not too expensive. It does not have to be a famous brand with a high price tag.
- Fromagerie: We have been going to this cheese store for decads and love it. The lines outside on Sunday mornings can stretch down the block, so get there early! The less expensive cheeses and basics such as eggs and better are usually sold at the counter outside. Go inside for most of the selection, for yogurts, for superb taste and quality. My favorite cheeses are their goats cheeses and St. Marcellin's, but everything is excellent. Important note: when you buy a soft cheese, such as Camembert, Brie or St. Felicien, Neuchatel, be sure to tell the clerk when you are planning to eat it: that evening, tomorrow or at the end of the week. That way, they can choose just the right freshness for the moment you plan to eat it. It's really a treat! If you haven't had St. Felicien or Marcelin (same cheese), do try it and make sure it's 'fait' or ready to eat. It's so creamy you almost need a spoon and you will be back the next day for more.
Les visiteurs: When I first moved to Paris, I found some small worms on the piece of goat's cheese that I hadn't just eaten! Being a pasteurized American, I panicked wondering if I was going to contract serious medical problems. Philippe, my doctor husband laughed at me: 'Don't worry if you've eaten any, they won't exit as flies!' I was away on business for the following week, so threw it in the freezer until following Sunday. They laughed at my frozen worms and were quick to exchange it for me with apologies for 'les petites visteurs'.
Frozen cheese: Our lifestyle was more hectic when we both were working fulltime. Being a thrifty person, I froze some camembert for a few weeks until we had friends over to dinner. I took it out that afternoon to eat after dinner but it was still frozen when I set the table. I quickly threw it in the microwave to thaw it out, thinking it would be just right for dessert. Philippe was mortified when we passed it around as it was rubbery and hard. He asked what had happened and I explained. Typically French, he couldn't believe I would freeze and microwave the cheese! I have had to live with that story ever since: 'Les Americaines; elles congellent leurs fromagent.' Since then, a number of our friends have started to freeze their soft cheeses and they recommend it now. But never microwave them as it kills the living parts!
- Charcuterie. They offer a wide selection of meats and prepared dishes. Their specials on the table in front are delicious; they have won several awards for their sausages.
- Leonidas chocolatier: Belgian chocolates which are excellent and reasonably priced. Much better than Godiva which I find taste too waxy. There are some wonderful chocolate stores in the quartier, but this is a staple.
- Leader Price: This is the other supermarket on rue cler and sells more bulk foods. Again, fine for all of your staples.
- Boulangerie Patisserie: This boulangere is on the corner; note the beautiful windows and original features. Good bread, including the flute and grain breads.
Rue du Grenelle
Rue du Grenelle from rue Cler is a true neighborhood in Paris, with all of the shops you need. There are a lot of darling children's shops, especially around rue Cler and some good women's shops closer to Ave de la Bourdonnais, but it's food we are interested in.
Here are some of our favorites:
- Marie Cantin: Last year, a French friend told us about Marie Cantin, a cheese shop just around the corner on rue de grenelle. They were shocked we had never been there, as it is one of the most renowned cheese shops in Paris. We tried it and fell in love with their Beaufort, roqueforts, goats cheeses, everthing! It's a wonderful, difficult choice and our advice is to go to both.
- Coffee Store: This store sells good coffee beans, teas and even Berthillon ice cream! After they begin to know you, you can order your favorite blend in advance to pick up later. It's terrific to buy the world's best ice cream there. We no longer have to trek to the Ile St. Louis with our Styrofoam boxes.
- Patisserie at 187 rue de Grenelle: This is my other favorite patisserie for desserts and croissants. It's on rue de Grenelle, between Bourdonnais and Bosquet, across from rue du Gros Caillou. Try a banette or the traditional bread a l'ancienne for a change. Also good whole grain breads; quiches with light crusts, wonderful pastries.
- Other interesting non-food stores:
Toile de Mayenne: a relatively new and popular shop in the neighborhood. They make their own fabrics and sell decorative accessories, sofas, lamps etc. Beautiful style.
Atelier Besis: OK, not food but cool picture frames. They do traditional framing but are known for their unusual frames for movie posters, which match the themes of the poster. Mr. Bessis told us that a number of years ago, someone organized a sale of his frames at Druout
Liola: chic knits, very channel-like. My mother in law told me that the daughter of the Countess of Paris owns this store. The Countess of Paris lives in Normandy and is well-loved in the region for her graciousness. Her family are the descendants of Louis XVI.
- Picard: This is one of my favorite shops in Paris and a staple to our lives. Picard is to frozen food in the US as the best champagne is to homemade beer. There is no comparison with American TV dinners! It is gourmet frozen food store and everyone shops there for something, even my mother in law. You will find everything from frozen peas to ice cream treats, to hors d'oeuvres, to salmon en croute and quails stuffed with fois gras! Many of these dishes have been created by famous French chefs and they are delicious.
My advice is to put the dish in a nice casserole before baking and modestly accept all of the compliments after a dinner party. Don't miss stopping in and strolling through the aisles. Even if you are a purist, it's so handy to have some of their ingredients on hand, even if it's their freeze dried spices which you can shake out of their box for seasoning. For soups, we buy their combinations of pureed vegetables, which are frozen in cubes without seasoning. You can use it as the base to make soup with your own choice of seasonings. Their pizzas and crepe selections are good for a quick meal if you are too tired to go out; their pasta and casseroles are handy as well. They sell miniature ice cream cones which the kids enjoy. They have reasonably priced hors d'oeuvres as well for that glass of wine at the end of your day at the markets. Their desserts are mixed: a few of them are excellent, but I prefer fresh desserts from the patisseries in the neighborhood.
Picnics: If you are thinking of a picnic we recommend the gardens of the Champ de Mars Park, where you can walk, run, bicycle, rollerskate or just sit and enjoy. There are 4 playgrounds, a puppet theatre (les Guignols), a hand-cranked carousel, pony rides and old pedal cars. Something to keep in mind is that the Champ de Mars is not Disneyland. It's a nice neighborhood park with simple amusements where families have going for years. It's special to watch grandparents taking the grandchildren there and spoil them with the little pony rides or peddle carts; it's a sweet memory if you have children.
We know you will have a wonderful stay in Paris and hope you take advantage of Parisian life!
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The Rue Cler Market | Marche Ave du President Wilson
The Rue de Grenelle Market | The Saxe-Breteuil Market
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