paris day 4: "eat" at palais de tokyo, laduree and l'as du falafel

inside and outside (the jardin elysee). a short but totally fun experience, including signing a waiver and walking around l'exposition de micol assael--essentially a high-voltage electrostatic field. all the voices in my head finally heard one another! what? we're kidding. but who doesn't need a drink after that?

most of us would turn to booze, perhaps ordering this tasty "le sept cinque" (gin, lemon, sugar and champagne) like i did at the palais de tokyo's "eat" restaurant and bar. but my companion ordered world's most expensive chocolate shake (10 euro?). but after the first bite of the crushed oreos mixed into the fresh whipped cream, we already decided it was worth it.

it's not that we didn't have enough sugar at "eat". but being vaguely in the area of the original laduree warrants a visit. i ordered an assortment of the best macaroons ever (chocolate, coffee, pistachio, cassis, caramel, strawberry, lemon) and of course, their famous madeleines.

 

and then to a very different type of establishment, but equally as serious: l'as du falafel. hotly contested, but often acknowledged as the home of the best falafel in paris and they good people of paris do know a good falafel. excuse the messy iphone photos--i wish i could show the layers in this dish better. everyone mentions the fried eggplant, pickles or slaw making the sandwich great,  but to me, the actual falafel was fresher and more perfectly fried than any i've had. it had a thin, crunchy fried shell but the inside was hot, moist and soft. i barely bit down on one bite before desperately taking the next. you just want that experience over and over. oh yeah, and the fried eggplant in tomato was pretty damn good too.