Christmas cookie Party

Our friend Alexa invited us to a Christmas cookie decorating-hot wine drinking party, complete with a secret cookie recipe. Obviously we were in. I even dragged my very sick, snotty self out into the rain because I was determined not to miss cookies. I had been looking forward to it all week...so worth it. 

Alexa really outdid herself with the cookies. I think we decorated over fifty, and she had multiple variations of sprinkles; not to mention a cheese, charcuterie and bread spread. The secret ingredient in the cookie recipe was

not telling. But it's genius. 

 Alexa: Cookie Queen

 Ariana's artwork

 My Jewish man 

Color clash

 My fish

Alexa's friend also made homemade vin chaud and it was fabulous. She added a melange of spices: whole cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, apple juice, and chunks of orange skins. It was wonderful and a perfect recipe for holiday parties. I never thought I would be a fan of hot wine, but it is wine, and we all know how much I love my red wine.

Marchées de Noël

Christmas markets. Not so popular in the states, very popular in France, Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. Little houses are set up side by side with festive decorations and you stroll along, sipping hot wine and eating delectable local food fare. I could not contain my excitement when I saw the little houses set up at La Defense and outside our metro at Place d'Italie.

Paris is always magical, but it takes on new life during the Christmas season. The lights, sapins (christmas trees), and shopping buzz fills the city until (mostly at the malls and Galeries Lafayette) it explodes with glorious christmas songs, ornaments, and red and green everything.

 Paris has two main markets, La Défense and Champs Elysées. We decided to go to La Défense first, as it located outside the gigantic mall and we Americans could just not help ourselves. The spirit of the marchée was my favorite part. We tasted some delectable cheeses, I got a wonderful, hearty organic vegetable soup for lunch, and Ari got a very sweet Brioche. However, the actual vendors were disappointing. Some things seemed authentic, such as spices, teas, cheeses and chocolates, but the prices were high and there were multiple vendors of the same item. Not to mention the rest of the vendors that sold wine openers, make-up, scarves, juicers, awful jewelry, ethnic items, as seen on TV, etc. I was hoping for an experience like the wine festival at Montmartre, where vendors came from all over to sell their family recipes, homemade wares, and original gifts. After thirty minutes we returned to the mall. The highlight of the afternoon? We sat on French Santa's lap...kind of. 

Champs Market:

Known as the best Christmas market in Paris. It starts opposite of the Tuileries and stretches (on both  sides of the avenue) all the way to the beginning of the Champs  Elysées. Although I was warned never to go on a weekend, Saturday was our only free day. Alas, we braved the insanity. The crowd was unbelievable, you could hardly walk. I had to get a bag of candy to help relieve my rising stress levels as we wove and bumped through and into hoards of people. We couldn't really even try samples, which is definitely the main perk of these markets.

Like the first, the Champs market vendors sold exactly the same touristy, overpriced items. There were  some flashes of originality, such as some amazing looking spice bread, cheese, cookies, and chocolate covered strawberries. Ari bought some delicious vin chaud (hot wine mixed with orange and spices) and I got a hot Bretzel (pretzel) fresh from the oven, one of my favorite salty snacks. We stuck it out for a while, but after 15 minutes you have seen everything the market has to offer.

We decided to veer off the overpacked path and explore the area. We took Rue Faubourg St. Honoré and passed by magnificently expensive art galleries and couture stores; you know, just your average day of Christmas shopping. 

Apparently Germany and Strasbourg have the best Christmas markets, and the vendors do actually sell authentic items for the Christmas season. Some Germans in my French class scoffed at these Parisian marchees for their ridiculous and cheap items. So, if you are ever in Europe during the holiday season, skip out on Paris and hit up Germany--or so rumor has it.

Thai times on a Saturday night

Lao Lane Xang is famous for two things. Lao Lane Xang, and Lao Lane Xang 2. After experiencing amazing success with the first, the owners opened Lao Lane Xang 2, directly across the street. Following in Parisian footsteps, #2 is beautifully decorated, high class and has a great selection of wines. Unfortunately, we couldn't get in.

I had been reading about both restaurants for a while and was itching to try some authentic Thai in Paris. The perks of living in the dubbed "China town" of Paris: we are surrounded by all different types of Asian cuisines at great prices. Lao Lang Xang is a 10 minute walk from our house, so we gathered a group of girls and headed out for dinner on Saturday night. We naively anticipated getting in easily, since we were pulling an American and eating at 7:30 instead of 9:30. No cigar. We apparently needed a reservation and the restaurant was booked for the entire evening. I now understand why it is one of the most popular restaurants in Paris. After chatting with the bouncer he suggested we head across the street and try the original.

Lao Lang Xang is a small, hole in the wall neighborhood restaurant that is a staple of the 13th. Luckily we snagged a spot on the wait list, waited 15 minutes, an were then ushered and seated at a small table squished between two other parties. The menu was very extensive and I could not decide what to order. With the help of my other thai partakers I decided on chicken curry. We split an order of vegetarian eggrolls to start. Stella ordered the chicken and seafood fried rice, Ari the chicken pad-thai accompanied with shrimp, and Rachel ordered the vegetarian pad-thai.

The eggrolls were delicious and, like usual, I requested three extra cups of sauce. Not too oily or stringy, each warm bite contained a medley of veggies. I also tried it wrapped up in lettuce and dipped in the sauce.

My curry was one of the preferred dishes of the table. Spiced coconut milk, veggies and chicken definitely hit the spot that frigid evening. I did have to add some salt and noodles (I had been craving noodles, so I took some from Ari's Pad thai) but it was a wonderfully done, simple Thai curry that left me full and content. I actually couldn't even finish half so it became the communal curry and was definitely the favorite. Ari and Stella wished their food was spicier; both found their dishes a tad bland for Thai. However, we have sadly learned that the French are not big fans of spices, even in their Asian food. Most of the ethnic meals we have tried have lacked the necessary kick that we crave.

The chicken curry

Chicken/seafood fried rice

Overall I really enjoyed the meal and am dying to go back to try the other two dishes I was deciding between. We ended up talking to the couple next to us, Americans from Minnesota, who ate at this restaurant every time they came to Paris. They had about seven dishes to split between the two of them and I could not help but drool over the smells wafting from their table.

The restaurant was packed and always had a wait. I am also interested in this Lao Lang Xang 2, which has a similar menu and prices, but somehow has garnered an impressive reputation as one of the best Thai restaurants in Paris. One down, Two to go.