Friday, March 25, 2011

Francois, The Paella Man - In Paris

One of the great pleasures of being in France is to visit the weekly open air market. It's one of my musts whenever I visit. In the countryside besides the standard wonderful fare found at a French Market, are vendors who prepare food to go. Unlike the awful food to go in the United States, we are talking about a whole different thing in France. I love the Paella Man whom you see again and again at various country markets and now I am happy to report, there is one in Paris.
Twice a week at Place Baudoyer (The Marais) where a local Paris outdoor market is, Francois makes the freshest, most scrumptious, and authentic paella. He sets up his truck on Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons and makes the paella from scratch with spicy sausage, jumbo shrimp, fresh mussels, red & green peppers, bay leaves, rice, peas, and the most tender chicken parts. A huge portion for one, which is actually enough for two, costs only 7 euros. One salivates as he scoops the steaming hot paella into the container. Francois also prepares excellent beef Bourguignon, chicken fricassee, chicken stew with white beans, and big sausages with lentils, but for me his shining star is the paella.
Francois's Paella Truck
Baudoyer market
Place Baudoyer, between rue de Rivoli & rue Francois Miron, 4th arr.
Metro:Hotel de Ville, St. Paul
Open Saturday 7AM-3PM- Note: paella is not ready till about 11:30AM
Wednesday 3PM-8:30PM

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