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?

Constructive Caffeination

The understated exterior at Tuck Shop. The "understated" theme carries throughout .

Late last week I met up with my dear friend Sophia for breakfast at a new cafe near Canal St. Martin. We rendezvoused for a good reason: To get this girl (moi!) organized. Organization is one of those things that just doesn't come intuitively, but it's kind of a necessary skill to have if you want to reach your creative, professional, and personal goals. 

Thankfully, Sophia is an organizational expert, and when she offered herself up for the challenge, I didn't hesitate to say "oui!!" (Which also might have been "Weee!")

The communal table with books, terrariums, and one really organized human.

Besides being a talented photographer and visual artist, super-smart Sophia is an early adopter on the technological front--and most other fronts, too. She's the kind of techno-geek that must have all the latest iStuff in her hands the very day it's launched, and she's willing to stand in line for hours and hours and HOURS to get it. (But with careful planning; she brings a friend so they can trade-off trips to les toilettes and alternate food breaks, and she scouts retail destinations that will likely have the shortest lines and best amenities.)

The food board. (Bored?) The vegan selections were a tad pedestrian.

Our meetup point was Tuck Shop, a vegetarian breakfast and lunch spot that opened back in November. It's on a street made hip by Bob's Juice Bar and in a neighborhood that's vying for the title of "Top Hipster 'Hood" (currently neck-in-neck with the northern Marais). All I knew about it was that it was vegetarian, with roughly 50 percent of the menu vegan.

Sophia was there when I arrived--late--having encountered some Velib' trouble. (The first two bikes died while I rode them.) The place was nearly empty, so she sat at one of the big communal tables, upon which  artfully arranged vintage books were stacked alongside glass terrariums (for sale) overflowing with greenery.

After examining the two chalkboard menus, and getting to choose between toast with avocado and "pain sportif" with almond butter (the third tartine on offer was served with dairy butter), we each opted for the avo tartine with lemon and fresh pepper. And coffee. 

Espresso-makin'. We'll take four of those, please.

The LSD--a soy latte with dandelion--sounded interesting until I found out there was honey in it.

Lo and behold: That's exactly what we got.

Yup. That's avo on toast, alright. Minimalist, but, admittedly, tasty.

The coffee at Tuck Shop comes from Coutume Cafe in the 7e, where beans are roasted on-site. We each had two and I, at least, appreciated the caffeinated kick of the potent brew.

Service started to pick up as the clock ticked toward lunchtime; a woman and her dog came in and ordered something to go, then a mom and her newborn infant came and took up residence in a comfy corner table. More items were marched out of the kitchen, including a lovely-looking plate of muffins, which I later found out had eggs in them. (the sound of tears rolling gently down my cheeks here)

While not the most scintillating dining spot for vegans, Tuck Shop still has a quiet charm about it, and I feel hopeful that the dairy-free possibilities will expand beyond soy- and oat-milk offerings for the hot drinks. If not, it's still a nice spot for a potent cup of tasty coffee that'll fuel you up for any organizational marathons penciled into your new-year agenda.