I am traveling to Paris next spring to celebrate a major birthday, and my entire trip is about eating and experiencing French food. As I was thinking about the itinerary, the more special, local food I discovered, the happier I became! Here are my top 5 must-dos in Paris for my perfect Paris food adventure:

French Brasserie

1. Bread

I am going to find good bread, and then I am going to eat that good bread! Along the way, I hope to learn the difference between a baguette, a boule and a mini-pave. I also plan to spend time discovering the joys of viennoiseries, which are pastries made with leavened dough. My preliminary list includes:

Polaine, 8 rue du Cherche Midi, 6th
Coquelicot, 24 rue des Abbesses, 18th
Du Pain et des Idées, 34 rue Yves Toudic, 10th

Cheese plate at Musee D'Orsay

2. Cheese

Cheese is as important as bread to me, and I plan to spend as much time enjoying all Paris has to offer in this department. Called “fromagerie” in French, here is my preliminary list:

Barthélémy, 51 rue du Grenelle, 7th
Chez Virginie, 54 rue Damremont, 18th
Fromagerie Quatrehomme, 62 rue de Sevres, 7th

3. Wine

Bread, cheese and wine. Yes, I am going for the gustatory trifecta. I plan to drink French wine my entire trip, ideally several different varietals a day. To do this kind of experimenting, I need to become good pals with a local wine shop. Here are a few shops I am going to keep my eye out for:

Nicholas, 39 rue Cler, 7th (check their website for additional locations)
Lavinia, 3 boulevard de la Madeleine, 1st
Julien, Caviste, 50 rue Charlot, 3rd

Le Bon Marché

4. Kitchen equipment

I am not called Kitchen Gadget Girl for nothing! While in Paris, I am going to seek out (hopefully) less expensive copper pans, as well as specialty items such as mustard crocks, salt cellars, and escargot forks. Just kidding on that last one. Here are the places I hope to visit:

E. Dehillerin, 18 rue Coquillére, 1st
Mora, 13 rue Montmartre, 1st
La Cocotte (bookstore), 5 rue Paul Bert, 11th

5. Cooking schools

One activity I have always wanted to do is take a cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris. Mind you, I am just a regular home chef, so I don’t need the entire Julia Child treatment, and fortunately the Cordon Bleu offers classes just for amateurs. I  signed up for something called Crispy Desserts, and Le Cordon Bleu offer many other classes, including interesting Demonstrations, Workshops and Paris Market Tours.

For other cooking schools, visit David Leibovitz’s article on Paris Cooking Schools, Classes and Wine Tastings.

I have not even touched on croissants, chocolate or macroons, or the major food emporiums of Hédiard and Fauchon, so for these and more food suggestions in Paris, I will keep my eye on these great food-related blogs: David Leibovitz 10 Insanely Delicious Things You Shouldn’t Miss in Paris; Dorie Greenspan The Paris Ten: Must Tastes; and Clotilde Dusoulier Paris City Guide.

Related posts:

Paris in the Winter
Musee D’Orsay’s Cafe des Hauteurs
La Grange Saint Michel, Paris, France

Photos courtesy of Gudrun Enger, Kitchen Gadget Girl.