I’m a little in love with Jamie and Marie.

Since 2004, this Franco-American couple has been raising some of the coolest restaurants (and children) in Paris. Outposts of their Pink Flamingo pizza empire open unerringly in the neighborhoods that need them most – places filled with broke hipsters, post-punk parents, and picnic lovers of every stripe.

However much I love a three course meal at bistros like Frenchie and Paul Bert, I am just as often looking for something cheap and fun. Pink Flamingo has filled that void, providing a brilliant option when there’s a large group (or one of indeterminate size), including people who are otherwise difficult to accommodate: parents with kids, vegetarians, friends with no money, and those who aren’t hungry but want to hang out. The vast majority of Paris restaurants require that we book a small table many days in advance and eat several courses for +30€. They don’t tolerate, for reasons that I understand, variations from this ideal. Pink Flamingo accommodates life.

Their latest offspring – the restaurant at 23 rue d’Aligre – was presented to the world at an opening party Monday night. Pouring free Champagne and passing out hot pizza to friends and neighborhood passersby, Jamie and Marie were the picture of generosity. We stopped by and nibbled a few slices of the Basquiat (gorgonzola, fig, jambon cru) and the Obama (grilled bacon with pineapple chutney) while balancing our wine on the hood of a parked car.

It was delicious, messy, and fun – just as I like it.

Pink Flamingo Paris

• 67 rue Bichat, 75010 (near the Canal Saint-Martin)
• 105 rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 (in the Marais)
• 23 rue d’Aligre, 75012 (near the Marché d’Aligre)

Pink Flamingo Berlin

• Eberswalderstr. 28 / 10437 (Prenzlauer Berg)

Additional links:

• My review of Pink Flamingo for Budget Travel
• The Frugal Traveler’s review of Pink Flamingo for the New York Times
• My profile of the Aligre neighborhood for Budget Travel
• Profiles of the ‘hood by David Lebovitz and Dorie Greenspan [Note: David was saddened to see, at PF's opening party, that Café Aouba (described in both these posts) has closed] Update: David has assured me (in the comments below) that his beloved Café Aouba is closed only temporarily for renovation. Hooray!
• Context Travel’s tasting tour around the Marché d’Aligre

Located in a bustling market neighborhood behind Bastille, La Gazzetta has been a favorite for several years. With soft lighting, leafy palm trees and polished dark wood, this beautiful space would be a hit among the local bobos no matter what was happening in the kitchen.

The output of that kitchen, however, reveals that La Gazzetta is aiming to be much more than a neighborhood bistro. Their choice to install an avant-garde Swedish chef behind the stove attracted plenty of first-year media attention. Since that time, Petter Nilsson’s cooking—often inspired and always eclectic—has helped establish La Gazzetta as a destination for food adventure.

What do I mean by eclectic? Well, my most recent meal opened with a white orb floating alongside some cardoons in a broth that had been spiked with sweet Cévennes onion and mullet roe. The voluptuous yolk, when I broke into the poached egg with my spoon, mingled beautifully with the anise-scented cardoon, and the bite was either earthy and sweet or briny and sharp, depending on how many fish eggs I managed to capture. I’ve seen cardoons in Italy and in the South of France (where Nilsson previously worked), but I’ve never had the pleasure of eating this delicious weed in Paris.

> Read the rest of this review at The Girls’ Guide to Paris

> Read other trusted reviews of La Gazzetta at Paris by Mouth

As a young person growing up in Kansas, I couldn’t imagine anything more disgusting than a raw oyster. They seemed slimy, stinky and squirmy – why would any sane person want to pop one in their mouth?

I managed to avoid the mollusc until I was 25 years old, when I was confronted by a raw bar at a friend’s wedding. Trying to fit in at this chic affair,  I swallowed my inhibitions and a couple of oysters. To my surprise, I didn’t die. I ate oysters a few more times while living in Boston, but never with much enthusiasm.

That all changed when I moved to France, where fresh oysters during winter are part of the culture. There are more huîtres consumed here than in any other country – around 130,000 per year. The majority are pried from gleaming seafood platters in polished restaurants and brasseries. But my favorite place to eat them is on the hood of a parked car.

> Read the rest of this review at The Girls’ Guide to Paris

> Read other trusted reviews on Le Baron Rouge at Paris by Mouth

Can you name this treat?

Leave your answer (product/location) in the comments section below. The reader who has accumulated the most correct responses by December 24 will receive an edible Christmas present from me. I’ll keep your guesses hidden until the answer is revealed tomorrow on Budget Travel, then I’ll publish the comments and name the winner for this challenge.

Here’s what those tied to the center of Paris are missing:

Is that not beautiful? A tarte tatin – the classic upside-down apple tart – turned completely on its head. One hardly wants to cut it open and disturb the symmetry, but it’s only by devouring that we’re able to understand what a crazy genius Fabrice really is. Check out this view:It looks like a whole poached apple, yes? Upon closer fork-aided investigation, however, we see that the seeming whole is actually composed of hundreds of fine layers… and that the core has been replaced with a caramelly compote… and that the stem has been re-inserted after being dipped in gold.

The fact that such a carefully-crafted little gem can exist, and that it costs only €3.30 to enjoy – this is why I live in France.

Thanks Fabrice!

Further reading: Here are some earlier words from Budget Travel about Fabrice and the Blé Sucré:

Any visit to the quartier should begin at Blé Sucré (7 rue Antoine Vollon, 12th arrondissement). Fabrice Le Bourdat, in his former life, was pastry chef at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Le Bristol. He gave that up to open his own shop, and now rises every morning at 2 to make his famous millefeuille and iced madeleines for late morning customers. While Fabrice toils below in the basement kitchen, his cheerful wife Céline will help you choose between a buttery croissant or white chocolate brioche. She can also pull an espresso to give you energy for the shopping to come. If you can’t make it for breakfast, stop in for an afternoon break. A cone of homemade salted butter caramel ice cream is a heavenly treat, particularly if it’s eaten in the tree-filled Square Trousseau across the street.

Continue reading about this “Great Paris Neighborhood: Quartier d’Aligre”.

With so much love in my heart for the dumpling  (ravioli is the generic French word for gyoza-type goodness), it wasn’t long before I had a reservation at Shan Goût. I started the night with an apéro at the Baron Rouge, a loud-talking wine bar near the Marché d’Aligre. I recommend the same for you, followed by a multi-sigh stroll along the Promenade Plantée.

When you arrive at the restaurant, you’ll see that Shan Goût really isn’t much in terms of  decor. A few hangings, red lanterns on the ceiling, and a Buddha at the register. Seating that looks like it may have come from a convention center sell-off. Napkins rolled with a black ribbon and fastened with a paper clip. But none of this matters because you are waiting to eat the “best ravioli ever.”

And so, that ravioli? It wasn’t the Best Ever. But it was nice, and surprisingly delicate. I could taste (or the waiter told me) that the wrapper was freshly made. And yet my taste buds were searching for something… was it MSG? This place uses old Szechuan recipes and no artificial additives. Was my palate unable to appreciate non-chemical Chinese?

Thankfully, no. The dishes that followed were less anemic. Some were actually hit-you-over-the-head tasty. Here’s a run-down (55€ for 2, including beers):

Hong: cold cukes in spicy sauce

Homemade dan dan noodles with sesame, shrimp and raw vegetables

Mapo: sautéed tofu with “tang” sauce, pepper and red chile

Xiang La: thin slices of beef in spicy red sauce

Shan Goût
22, Rue Hector Malot, 12th arrondissement, 01 43 40 62 14

> Read other trusted reviews on Shan Goût at Paris by Mouth