Saturday, April 20, 2013

Gray Day Greens Fix

The cafe's owner said he's trying to stay under the radar (and out of the blogshophere) so his cafe won't be overrun with backpackers!
Ever since I discovered that Kristen's Kale Salad was available at this newly opened cafe in the Marais, I've been wanting to go and get my greens on. I finally made it down yesterday and was so excited to see the gorgeous Emily from Paris Paysanne and Kristen herself sitting front and center right when I walked in.

"Quelle Surprise!"

After exchanging bisous, Kristen rustled up some salad, made specially vegan for me, and I sat down to join them for some conversation and healthy dose of laughter.

Kristen: pretty (and) smart!

Kristen has become a celebrity in the cutting-edge culinary scene here in Paris; besides making the pages if Elle and Glamour, and putting in an appearance on the Huffington Post, just yesterday she appeared in 20 Minutes, a French newspaper targeting the Metro-commuter set.  So exciting!

Emily's star is ascending, too. She's shopping around a book which will focus on her passions: Parisian markets and fresh, organic food. She's the Parisian authority on where to eat and drink locally-produced food and wine, and I always learn something new whenever I visit her smart, informative blog.



Dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice, the salad was a delicious, pared-down melange of carrot, kale, and super-fresh raw almonds.
The kale salad was divine. Simple but flavorful and satisfying. This particular kale came from a small farm in Normandie. Kristen picked the stuff herself on a recent visit out west. Lucky girl!

A photo of one of Kristen's many success stories--a kale farm in Normandie that supplies the goods for the salads--sits on the counter at the cafe.

Before I left, I spoke with the cafe's owner, who, without knowing I might be a blogger, lamented the unwanted attention erupting out of the blogosphere. "I'm not like the other cafe owners who want to attract the masses," he said. "I want to keep the clientele local. I don't want it to be come overrun with backpackers."

Eeks!

Well, then. I won't say the name of this cafe, but if you really want some of Kristen's killer kale salad, you can message me privately and I'll give you the scoop. Or we can all wait for Kristen to expand her salad-and-chips enterprise to more cafes and stores across Paris. One can hope!

Blurry kale chips, anyone?

16 comments:

  1. Yikes .. if the owner only knew !! I would love to visit this place and even try the Kale Salad :-)

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    1. I'll fill you in on the deets when you get to Paris!

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  2. Wow! All you celebrities together in one place! Looks like fun!

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    1. Two celebrities, one mere hanger-on. But it was fun!

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  3. Quelle surprise, et quelle chance!

    I suppose I'm quite lucky myself that she agreed to let me interview her for my blog!
    http://uneparisienneauxusa.blogspot.com/2013/02/storytelling-movement-to-bring.html

    I'm dying to know the name of this café! haha :) Did you try the kale chips?

    -Diamond (Une "Parisienne" aux USA)
    http://uneparisienneauxusa.blogspot.com
    parisienneauxusa@gmail.com

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    1. I loved reading your interview with Kristen--and thank you for mentioning my little blog! Quelle surprise (encore!)! Le nom de la cafe est (shhhh) L_ _stic. Maybe you can figure out which two vowels are missing!

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  4. haha i love this! thanks for the sweet write-up and it was so so nice to see you and catch up. please come by again (send me a text early) so I can do a vegan prep for you! xx

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  5. Love it! A great write-up of the only kale speakeasy in the city! So happy we ran into each other- kale has a way of bringing people together!!

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    1. You're funny! And I guess that's why kale is oft referred to as a "superfood." It was super to see you!

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  6. I'll be in paris again in june, can you tell me the address of this lovely place please?
    thanks
    julia (juliahbee@hotmail.it)

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    1. Sending you a private message now, Julia!

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  7. Hi Aurelia. I will be in Paris for week and putting together a list of vegan dining options for my husband and I. Is it possible to get the name of this cafe? Also, some of the restaurants from your VegNews article? I am loving your blog. Thanks. Katerina fbikat at yahoo dot com

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    1. Sending you a private message now, Katerina!

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  8. Dear Aurelia,

    I'm coming to Paris in August and I would LOVE to try this little place. I've put together a list of Vegan Paris restaurants and shops, and would love a little extra place to visit in the Marais. Please could you inbox me? -kritzinger .n at gmail dotcom. - thanks so much!

    And, of course, thank you for your amazing, inspiring blog!

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