Private Paris Food & Wine Tour: A Culinary Exploration

You will be led on a leisurely promenade by your Local Expert Guide on this gastronomic jaunt through two of the most captivating neighborhoods in Paris. As the center of student life in Paris, the lively Latin Quarter features a wide variety of tasty treats and interesting places to sample them. With students from numerous countries speaking various tongues, Latin was not only the language of lecture and learning, it was also the lingua franca in the neighborhood’s streets and bars. Here today, you’ll sidle up alongside young scholars for sugary crêpes or savory buckwheat galettes stuffed with meat or cheese, traditionally washed down with a glass of cold, sparkling cider. Croque Monsieur: The Perfect Casse-Croûte More than a century ago, a Parisian bistro came up with a quick lunchtime bite for working people on the run, and thus the Croque Monsieur was born. A simple slice of toasted bread covered with smoky ham and melted cheese and slathered in creamy Béchamel, the Croque Monsieur is served these days as the perfect casse-croûte, or between-meal snack. Its vegetarian alternative, the Croque Madame, replaces the ham with a poached or gently fried egg. Have a glass of cool, light-bodied wine, red or white, as the ideal accompaniment. A Light Bite in Saint-Germain Style: Saucissons et Fromage Traditionally part of a larger meal, the salami and cheese plate is increasingly taken alone as an early evening nosh. Virtually every region of France features its own variations on full-flavored saucissons, with cheeses to match. Pâtés are typically served with pickled pearl onions and cornichons, and, of course, plenty of fresh baguette, to be perfectly paired with a glass of ruby red Saint-Émilion or a playful Brouilly, depending on your mood. A sweet Sauternes is an exceptionally palatable partner for foie gras. The Patisseries of Saint-Germain-des-Prés Paris is known the world over for its delectable pastry delights, and the Saint-Germain quarter is the perfect place to learn precisely why. You’ll find the best of French traditional confections, from buttery croissants and chaussons aux pommes (apple turnovers) to éclairs au chocolat and mille feuilles (Napoleons), to tasty tarts and tortes and delightful little petits-fours. Have a piping hot espresso for the ideal blend of bitter and sweet. And we can’t forget those Parisian pillows from paradise, macarons. Gently baked puffs of chewy meringue, filled with raspberry jam or lemon, coffee, chocolate or pistachio cream, or even more exotic elements like mango or lavender, these delightful delicacies will send you into seventh heaven. Sit back with a flute of effervescent champagne to finish off this pleasant pastry pause.