Who Loves Potatoes? Easy Question – We All Do!
Yes, that is my fork holding up some of the creamiest, cheesiest whipped potatoes I’ve ever had! I love potatoes in every conceivable form, which is why, when my wife Alex and I go to Paris, we tried to eat them every conceivable way possible!
Of course, nothing tops the Eiffel Tower at night, but since we love potatoes so much, we were looking for a different view, and we got it with an incredible “potato tower” of greatness!
The “Caviar Potato Tower” From Apicious!
This great restaurant is located just a few blocks off of the Champs Elysee, situated in a cool building with incredible art outside to greet you:
Inside, this classic French restaurant has superlative service, a terrific wine list and a great menu as well, but the signature item is this incredible potato tower topped with caviar and a shockingly green sliver of Chive:
Although this is one of the greatest single dishes we’ve ever had, I also want to compliment Apicious for their entire menu, such as this exquisitely prepared and presented grilled fish:
There may be no better way to serve a potato than with caviar, but there is a classic French bistro that has two different accompaniments, as well as a classic style of preparation:
Chez L’Ami Louis!
Sure, this restaurant is famous for its $125 chicken for two – and yes, it is TOTALLY worth it – but you also get this incredible potato cake:
Yes, beautifully cooked in a frying pan – in the oven – and then topped with raw garlic and parsley – incredible…and as an added bonus, they gave us a healthy stack of crisp fries as well!
I posted a review of our night at Chez L’Ami Louis on “Paris By Mouth” and still get a lot of response to it – here it is, with lots of great pictures of the $125 chicken, like this one:
You can read the entire review here:
One of our favorite bistros in Paris has been Allard, with their green olive-smothered duck – but their inclusion on this list is due to the simple yet satisfying side dish that comes with it:
Yes, a plate of roasted red potatoes, simple yet really tasty, just slightly crispy on the skin and creamy in the center…
POMMES DAUPHINE!
The wonderful Paris restaurant Le MaZanay serves Pommes Dauphine, (pronounced dough-feen) which are crispy potato puffs made by carefully mixing mashed potatoes with savoury choux pastry, the choux pastry creates a light, crispy and fluffy dish. The mixture is formed into quenelle shapes, or rounds that are then gently deep-fried, and they are delightful!
My phone is filled with potato puree after potato puree pictures like these:
Puree’d Mashed Potatoes, Paris Style!
What do I consider “Paris style?” Well, as the legendary French Chef Joel Robuchon cooked them, the dish is approximately 51% potato – the rest is cream and butter! One night, we jumped into a tiny bistro off the Rue de Rivoli in order to grab a dish of whipped potatoes that had been, well, “enhanced” by a LOT of cheese!
Yes, it was like swirling a fork full of pasta! While these were indeed delicious, they had perhaps a bit TOO MUCH cheese inside – and we realized that, although we love cheese, butter and cream, NOTHING beats this:
Caviar Kaspia’s “Caviar Topped, Double-Baked Potato!”
It’s located in the Place de Madeleine, a terrific caviar shop that has a restaurant on the second floor, where you can have lots and lots of caviar, including on top of a twice-baked potato!
The potato is twice baked and combined with lots of cream and butter to create the perfect vessel to hold the briny, shiny caviar eggs – and of course, you must have shots of Russian Vodka on the side!
Alex brought me here for my birthday, and it was indeed the tastiest gift of all! You can see more about our trip here, and so other potatoes from our Parisian past as well by clicking here:
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Categories: Alcohol And Bars, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Eat This!, Fine Dining, Food Travel, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
Looks lovely. I once had mashed potato with escargot in Paris, that was lovely
Well that sounds terrific indeed – I love Escargot!
I love that last photo of Alex!
Thank you!
I developed a taste for caviar during visits to the former Soviet Union, where it was served in large portions to western visitors. Usually accompanied by glasses of ice-cold vodka, it was salty and delicious. I could never afford to buy such good quality caviar in England though.
Best wishes, Pete.
Pete, Kaspar’s in Paris bring a Vodka cart by with ICE COLD Vodka…that with caviar is sublime…a nice treat once in a while for sure!
I’m still not a caviar person but hard to do anything with potatoes that I won’t eat )
I love potatoes. A great post, John.
Be still my heart!