What do you do in Paris when it’s cold and rainy?
You eat cassoulet!
Cassoulet is a traditional meal from southwestern France made from beans and meat (usually sausage, pork and duck). It’s a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs kind of food and was perfect for the wet day. So my friend and I headed over to restaurant Thoumieux (famous for its cassoulet) in the 7th arrondissement.
Only one slight problem….
When we entered, a well-dressed, young, and horrified maître-d immediately rushed towards us, waving his hands with a classic French ‘non-non-et-non’ gesture, before we even said anything. However, we went ahead and asked if they were serving cassoulet that day on the menu. He explained that the restaurant was recently under new management and that they no longer served food from the campagne (countryside). Originally Thoumieux was one of the Chartier bouillons. And now, indeed, the restaurant was all glittery brass and chandeliers and quite more upscale than we had been led to believe. Apparently we reeked of the campagne, not nouvelle cuisine. But pas de problème, because we walked to nearby rue Cler and found restaurant Tribeca serving cassoulet and instead of the stink eye, they gave us a wonderful meal. However, a few years later they changed their menu to specialize in Italian dishes.
Clck here for Saveur‘s cassoulet recipe.
Cynthia Tuttelman (aka "Tut") is a writer, family doctor and quilter who lives in Northern California and part-time each year in Paris, France. Follow along and explore the wonders of Paris.