Breakfast in America (in Paris)
after Paris rebounds from the bombing...
It was a sunny spring day in 1979 when the bomb exploded shortly after I walked by the restaurant. As I mentioned in my book Paris for Life, glass, metal, and stone flew in all directions on Rue du Médicis outside Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. A terrorist group quickly took credit for the bombing. Although there were over 30 people injured, fortunately no one was killed.
Paris and the Parisians are resilient. Over time, they always bounce back, never bowing to these terrorist threats. While the incidents are never forgotten, Paris moves on.
Almost 35 years later, the location of the bombing was reborn as an American brunch spot for “Parisians, expats, and tourists” called Treize au Jardin. A sign inside the restaurant greets guests with “Bienvenue, y’all”. It’s a great little restaurant specializing in food from the south of the United States. Some of my favorites are:
Fried eggs with sausage and sweet potato hash
Buttermilk biscuits with pecan crust “fried” chicken
Pancakes, bacon, and eggs
Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting
Carrot cake
By now you must be asking, “Why on earth is this guy traveling all the way to Paris, the culinary capital of the world, to eat pancakes and carrot cake?” It’s simple. We moved from the USA to Italy six years ago, and access to restaurants that serve real American-style breakfasts is quite limited. And since we’ve come to Paris and enjoyed Lebanese lunches, Mexican mole, Greek gyros, and fabulous French food, why not American?
If you want a touch of home while gazing out at Luxembourg Gardens, Treize au Jardin could be the place for you. But if not…
In the bustling Le Marais neighborhood there is a diner called Breakfast in America. With red and white decor, tables are set with American diner-sized sugar jars and salt & pepper shakers.
The menu offers these classics, among others:
Blueberry pancakes
Banana (American-style) French toast
Home fries
Cheddar omelets
Scrambled eggs mixed with bacon, ham, sausage, onions, and avocado
Bottomless mug o’ Joe (American coffee)
My wife and I were quite satisfied with our meal at Breakfast in America. They have a second diner in the Latin Quarter on Rue des Ecoles, for those of you who prefer the Left Bank.
We spent the rest of our week in Paris enjoying almond-chocolate croissants, café au lait, steak frites and crème brûlée. But we know that when that urge for the breakfasts we grew up with hits us, high quality American breakfasts and brunch do indeed exist in the culinary capital of the world.
What’s your favorite breakfast place in Paris? Please leave me a note below.
For more information on my new book Paris for Life: Notes from a Lifetime in and out of Paris, click here.
Now I’ve got a serious craving for fried chicken and maple syrup. In Paris or not!