Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Serious Cooking

In serious business since 1820, no chi-chi poo-poo cooking store with cutesie little stuff, this is truly a cook's store, featuring whisks of every size and description, a plethora of pastry pans and bags, pots large enough for your average cannibal's dinner and oars (literally) for stirring the contents.

An amazing place for a simple home cook to visit on a trip to Paris, Dehillerin is on the rue Coquilliere, happily just steps away from Au Pied du Cochon where the raw oysters and onion soup are straight from heaven. And, if you're of a mind to absorb a little architectural splendor, skip next door to admire St. Eustache, a gothic cathedral that we admired even more than Notre Dame, which seems dark and brooding compared to this later, lighter and more joyous church. I particularly liked the stained glass window of St. Louis (a king of France) as a boy getting his education from elders with his mother looking on - his feet don't even touch the floor in the huge chair he is occupying. Charming. We loved St. Eustache so much that we gave it a nickname - St. Moustache.

Dehillerin is a shrine to a different faith than St. Moustache, and Paris is a temple to both.

7 Comments:

Blogger cookiecrumb said...

Please tell me you bought something there!
(Or would you have to use it sideways?)

Monday, March 24, 2008  
Blogger Zoomie said...

Didn't buy a thing as I didn't need a vat and I have several sizes of whisks, but it was fun to poke around and see what they have.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008  
Blogger peter said...

Did they have the whisks shaped like squid that I got in Paris a while back?

Wednesday, March 26, 2008  
Blogger Zoomie said...

Peter, no, Dehillerin is too serious for playful whisks. But they had them at Pylones. I've had mine for years and love it!

Thursday, March 27, 2008  
Blogger Unknown said...

Actually, if you are lucky enough to be waited upon by Kim, he can be very playful - and very knowledgeable! E. Dehillerin was much less intimidating than many of the guidebooks make it out to be and we will try to get back there next trip. I bought a good copper bowl for egg whites and - of course - a whisk.

Friday, April 04, 2008  
Blogger Zoomie said...

Mimi, welcome! I can tell I'm going to enjoy your blog! I did meet Kim (Asian guy, very playful, right?) and we had a good laugh. I was looking for covered butter dishes but all they had was a copper one for 60 Euros! A little too steep for my purse but it was fun to visit Dehillerin!

Sunday, April 06, 2008  
Blogger Unknown said...

AH, yes, I recall this post!

Yes, that's Kim. He's a lot of fun. I splurged here and hope to get back again in the fall.

Monday, May 26, 2008  

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