Moleskine ® - Legendary notebook - In Paris looking for Chocolate&Zucchini

Up and down the streets of the Monmartre hill, from a little bistro to a cosy restaurant, with a quick stop at one of the many pastry or chocolate shops: a food-trip with Clotilde Dusoulier, the 29-year-old Parisienne behind the award-winning food blog Chocolate & Zucchini.

If you were to take a friend (to visit Paris for the very first time) on a "taste tour" across the city, which itinerary would you follow? Delicatessen? Markets? Restaurants? Food Shops?
Because Paris has so many things to offer and you have to start somewhere, I'd first give my friend a taste of my neighbourhood, Montmartre. We'd go for a light breakfast at Coquelicot (24 rue des Abbesses in the 18th), take a stroll along rue des Abbesses, rue Lepic and rue des Martyrs to look at all the food shops, and stop for lunch at Le Cul de Poule (53 rue des Martyrs in the 9th, +33 (0)1 53 16 13 07). In the afternoon, we'd hike up and down the Montmartre hill, visit Arnaud Larher's pastry and chocolate shop (53 rue Caulaincourt in the 18th), have a pre-dinner drink at La Cave des Abbesses (43 rue des Abbesses in the 18th), and a shellfish platter for dinner at the brasserie La Mascotte (52 rue des Abbesses in the 18th, +33 (0)1 46 06 28 15).

Which is, in your opinion, the inner taste of Paris?
It is, I think, a unique blend of old and new, a mix of tradition and modernity. Shops and restaurants that have been around for centuries coexist with brand-new businesses, and they complement one another in a way that is both comforting and exciting to me.

What attracts your attention when you walk through the streets?
I am constantly on the lookout for new food finds, so I pay very close attention to the windows of shops and restaurants, hoping to stumble upon a hidden gem. I tend to do the same when I ride my bicycle, though I should probably lose that habit if I want to stay alive. You recently published your first cookbook and a book about Paris restaurants and food shops, what about them?  and what about your future projects?
My first book, Chocolate & Zucchini (Broadway Books, 2007), is a collection of recipes and stories through which I've tried to give a sense of what it's like to live and cook in Paris today. My second book, Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris (Broadway Books, 2008), is a book on Paris restaurants and food shops, in which I've gathered all the things I would not want a food enthusiast to miss while in Paris: bistros and gastro-bistros, wine bars, tea salons, bakeries, cheese shops, chocolate shops, cookware shops... I've also included tips on how to navigate the food scene, how to get great service, what seasonal items to look out for, what food gifts to bring back, where to have a picnic, etc.

Your latest recipe?
A fantastic eggplant and yogurt dip, to prolong the summer just a little bit.

 

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Biography

Clotilde Dusoulier is the 29-year-old Parisienne behind the award-winning food blog Chocolate & Zucchini. Born and raised in Paris, she discovered her passion for food while working in California as a software engineer. She started her blog in 2003 after returning to Paris, and it allowed her to start a new career as a full-time food writer. She is the author of the cookbook CHOCOLATE & ZUCCHINI (Broadway Books, 2007) and of CLOTILDE'S EDIBLE ADVENTURES IN PARIS (Broadway Books, 2008), a book on Paris restaurants and food shops. She lives in Montmartre.