I was trying to go to a bistro called Le Comptoir du Relais; it was completely full (it almost never occurs to me to make reservations, so this actually happens a lot). They do, however, have a small take-out window with sandwiches and pastries. I figured this was a pretty good opportunity to try a ham and butter sandwich, which is supposedly the second most popular sandwich in France.
(The first? Burgers. Everyone loves burgers.)
The first time I saw L’As du Fallafel on a list of the best places to eat in Paris, my reaction was basically “falafel in Paris?? Get the hell out of here.”
The second time, I was like “did you not hear me? I said get the hell out of here.”
The third and fourth time, I decided to start paying attention.
Le Relais de l’Entrecote is so admirably single-minded about its dedication to steak frites that there’s literally no menu. The only questions from the waitress are what you want to drink, and how you want your steak cooked. That’s it. If you want to eat something other than steak frites? Get the hell out.
Despite the fact that France probably has the best food of anywhere I’ve visited so far, their version of McDonald’s has a surprisingly boring menu. It’s pretty much just the classics (and yes, the Quarter Pounder really is called the Royale with Cheese, so it’s got that going for it at least).
Never mind what I said about the käsespätzle in Germany being the cheesiest thing I’ve ever eaten — it’s already been superseded by this insane bowl of French onion soup from Au Pied de Cochon in Paris.
My time in Sweden was brief, but memorable. And there were photos, of course.
If you’ve read the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, you’ll probably remember that there are several mentions of Lisbeth Salander’s meal of choice, Billy’s Pan Pizza.
You might have assumed that Stieg Larsson just made it up for the book, but nope — it’s a real thing. So of course I ate one.
They have something called the McBean on the menu in McDonald’s in Sweden, and I think it’s the first veggie burger I’ve seen at a McDonald’s so far.
If there’s one thing Ikea is known for (aside from vaguely flimsy but very affordable furniture), it’s the Swedish meatballs. They’re cheap, satisfying, and pretty tasty.
I’m in Sweden now, so obviously meatballs were very high on my to-do list.
So here’s something interesting (at least I think it’s interesting, and since it’s my blog, you’re just going to have to deal with it): while on a bus from Germany to Sweden, the bus stopped at an area that kind of seemed like a border crossing.
It turned out that it was actually a line-up to board a ferry; the bus eventually drove inside the boat, and we all had 45 minutes before we had to come back.