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Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:31:41 -0500
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<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

To All Interested in Paris: I just returned from a week trip in Paris, and
since my archive search before I left turned up next to nothing on eating
gluten free in Paris, I thought this might be helpful.  I studied abroad in
Paris for a semester just a year ago, but it was before my Celiac diagnosis,
so it was my first experience with eating gluten free in France.  I found it
much easier than eating out in the US, because in general, the French really
take pride in their food, know the ingredients, understand allergies and
respect their customers.  It is long, but I hope helpful for anyone
traveling to Paris.

I found most "Bio" stores (bio = organic in French) had some gluten free
products – just ask for "produits sans gluten" – but by far the best was:
Rendez-Vous de la Nature: 96, rue Mouffetard in the 5th arrond. (
www.dietetiquemouffetard.com).  The cakes/breads, and even gluten free
baguettes, teff loaves & quinoa loaves (which are behind the counter), are
far better than anything you can find in the US…make sure you have lots of
room to bring things home in your suitcase!
Some other stores I found listed on the French Celiac website as great for
"produits sans gluten", but I did not get a chance to try:
(http://www.afdiag.org/  but which is quite difficult to navigate if you
don't read French):
Le Jardin de Vie: 13, rue Brezin, 14th arrond.
Eubia: 84, ave de St Mande, 12th arrond.
Le Mortier d'Or: 51, rue Condorcet, 9th arrond.
Eban Nature: 107, bi save du General LeClere, 14th arrond.
-----------------------------
I brought these dining cards, which I had laminated before the trip:
http://www.celiactravel.com/gluten-free-cards/14-french.html  Whenever I
went to a restaurant, I always had my dining card on the table, and
presented it to the waiter.  I found it helpful to say:
"Je suis desolee, mais je suis allergic de gluten"...and then I handed them
the card.  Many expressed their shock at someone being unable to consume a
baguette and French pastry!  Many of the waiters brought the card back to
the chef.  In all of the nicer, sit-down restaurants (listing of these
restaurants below), I was served a 100% gluten free meal without any
trouble.  The beauty of France is that the restaurants are small & intimate,
and often the servers know exactly what is in the food.
----------------------------
Restaurants I had great success with – you should definitely make
reservations at least a day in advance:
Brasserie Balzar: 49, rue des Ecoles, 5th arrond., phone: 01 43 54 13 67,
Metro: Cluny-La Sorbonne.  A great, classic French brasserie…I ordered the
poulet roti (=roasted chicken), haricots verts (=green beans) and the best
pomme puree (=mashed potatoes) in Paris.

Le P'tit Troquet: 28, rue de l'Exposition, 7th arrond., ph: 01 47 05 80 39,
closed Sat (lunch), Sunday, Monday (lunch).  This is a cute little Parisian
restaurant, with antiques covering the walls & an original zinc bar.  I had
a shrimp risotto, famous cassolet and their house specialty: crème brulee.
As a bonus for non-French speakers, all speak English & there is an English
menu.

Oh! Duo: 54, avenue Emile Zola, 15th arrond., ph: 01 45 77 28 82, closed Sat
lunch, Sunday, Monday dinner.  This is a well-updated restaurant, with a
modern flare on French cooking.  The chef is married to the hostess, and
there is additional seating upstairs.

Les Diables au Thym: 35, rue Bergere, 9th arrond., ph: 01 47 70 77 09,
closed Sat & Sunday.  Metro: Grandes Boulevard.  This restaurant only has
their "prix fixe" menu for lunch, so dinner is a la carte and a bit
pricier.

Clementine: 5, rue Saint Marc, 2nd arrond., ph: 01 40 41 05 65, open Monday
– Friday, noon – 2:15pm, 7:30 – 10:15pm.  Metro: Bourse or Grandes
Boulevards.  The chef at this restaurant is also the server (so he knows
exactly what goes into all of your food!) and his wife is the hostess.  The
restaurant is very small, but the food is some of the best I had in Paris.
I ordered one of their on-menu desserts, which was a lemon rice pudding,
with fresh oranges – which the chef confirmed was gluten free.  Bring a
French food dictionary, as translating his menu was a bit more difficult if
you are not French-vocab savvy.

L'Affriole: 17, rue Malar, 7th arrond., ph: 01 44 18 31 33, closed Sunday.
This restaurant presents very creative spins and unique presentations on
fresh ingredients, and the menu changes daily depending on what's in
season.  Since there was nothing on their dessert menu that I could eat, the
chef made a special "fruit soup" with fresh mango ice cream for me.

Boucherie Rouliere: 24, rue des Canettes, 6th arrond. ph: 01 43 26 25 70,
closed Monday.  This restaurant specializes in grilled meats & seafood, and
serves an excellent steak frites (dedicated french fry fryer) with grilled
vegetables.  This place is best in the warmer months, when their two windows
are wide open for a warm breeze.
-------------------------------
Some cheaper/quicker restaurants:
Cojean: 17, blvd Haussman, 9th Arrond., open Mon – Fri, 8am – 7pm.  This
place had a fast-casual feel (think Cosi or Noodles & Co.) had great salads
& soups.  The "Meille Vegetable" soup is gluten free (they looked up the
recipe for me!), and they had a whole slew of premade salads that were
gluten free, including a quinoa salmon salad.  You can easily get
lunch/beverage for 10 euro.

Le Sarrasin et Le Froment Creperie: 84, rue St Louis en I'Isle, 4th Arrond.
While this restaurant serves mainly crepes, I ordered an omelet & salad, and
they carefully cleaned the surface of their cooking surface (you can watch
them, as the kitchen is close to the seating area in the front room).

L'As Du Fallafel: 34, rue des Rosiers, 4th Arrond, closed Saturday. This
place is world famous for their falafel…which is NOT gluten free, nor are
their french fries, but they assured me that their "Assette de poulet" was
gluten free, which is a grilled chicken plate, with all the sides usually
served with their falafel.  Have a glass of their citronade, too!

Cosi: 54, rue de Seine, 6th Arrond., open daily noon – 11pm.  This is the
original Cosi, which now has a similar style restaurant chain in the US.
Their salads are made-to-order, so you can be sure that everything that goes
in is "ok".  They also will just use oil & vinegar dressing, if you don't
want to hassle with checking ingredients on their prepared dressings.

Le Crepe Rit du Clown: 6, rue des Canettes, 6th arrond.  While crepes are
their specialty, they have great "choose your own ingredients" salads. Ask
for it with balsamic vinegar & olive oil.  This is probably one of the few
places in Paris where you can get a salad with enough "stuff" to leave you
full!
-----------------------------
Desserts: are tough in France, since pastry is certainly their specialty.  I
had no problems, however, eating at most restaurants…some things that are
"safe" are meringues (which are also sold in most bakeries), crème brulee,
sorbets & glaces (=ice cream).  At the one restaurant that did not have a
naturally gluten free choice on their dessert menu, they made me a special
"fruit soup", with fresh mango ice cream on top…

The most famous Parisian ice cream shop is Berthillon, located at 31, rue St
Louis en L'ile, on the Ile St Louis.  Open Wed – Sun, 10am – 8pm.  Right
nearby (although all throughout Paris, as well) there is an Amorino which
sells gelato & sorbets, at 47, rue St Louis en L'ile.

If you are a big chocolate fan, two of the best chocolate shops in Paris
are:
Cote de France: 25, avenue de l'Opera, 1st arrond (although other shops
throughout Paris).  Make sure you tell the chocolatier that you are allergic
to gluten (feel free to use the card) because some of their chocolates will
have crunch in them…but they know their chocolate well, so it is not a
problem to find some great choices.  Try the chocolat caramel bon bons.
Maiffret: 51, rue des Francs Bourgeois, 4th arrond.  Also a great shop that
will be able to point you in the right direction as far as gluten-containing
chocolates.  Be aware that reglise means licorice (and licorice often has
gluten in it…we weren't sure if this one did), and one of their bon bons has
reglise in the center, and can be designated as a twisted, licorice-like
shaped chocolate.

Bon Chance & Bon Appetit!  Allison

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