In 2011, California ex-pat Kristin Frederick, started the first food truck in Paris, Le Camion qui Fume (The Smoking Truck).
In a familiar ex-pat story, Kristin quit her studies in finance and enrolled in the top cooking school in Paris, Ferrandi. Although she loved learning about French cooking, she couldn’t find an up to snuff hamburger in Paris compared to the U.S. Using her newfound cooking skills, she devised a burger using top quality ingredients and her own recipe buns.
Along with her partner Frédéric Fédière, who was in charge of the marketing and social media, it became an overnight sensation. Patient Parisians, who are usually stubbornly traditional about their food and dining for hours on end, fully embraced the new form of quick food, so much so, they waited in line for hours to try an unknown version of Le Hamburger. At a certain point, Kristin had over 150 customers on line, while single handedly trying to serve all of them.
Fast forward seven years later to 2018 and Le Camion qui Fume is now a mini-empire, with three restaurants, delivery and takeout service, and three food trucks. Food blogs and websites, and influencers including David Lebovitz, Le Fooding, Le Figaro, and the late Anthony Bourdain hailed it as the best hamburger in Paris.
I had never tried a burger at Le Camion qui Fume because I am not the type to wait on line for hours for food, and pretty much anything else, except maybe for tickets to a Barbra Streisand concert. Last week I was at the right place at the right time; I was finishing up an errand near the Oberkampf branch of Le Camion qui Fume at 12PM, just when they opened. I was the first person in line and I ordered the daily changing formule, a burger with blue cheese and caramelized onions, coleslaw and a bottle of sparkling water for 11.90 €, an excellent deal considering a mediocre burger at a corner café can run anywhere between 14€ and 18€.
Even though I was having my burger in the restaurant, the presentation was the same as if I was taking it out, very ordinary and unexciting (Notice I didn’t post a photo, as even my great photo skills failed to make it look good). Luckily the taste of the burger made up for the presentation in spades, living up closely to its legendary accolades. Juicy, and flavorful meat, perfectly caramelized onions (not too soggy or burnt) and melt in your mouth blue cheese were stuffed into fluffy bun. The side dish of coleslaw was not too sweet and not overloaded with mayonnaise. As I sat outside cherishing my fantastic burger of the busy intersection of rue Oberkampf and Ave. Parmentier, the restaurant started to fill up and by the time I left the line was six people long. Other appetizing burgers include avocado and bacon, pulled pork, vegetarian (made with mushrooms) and barbeque.
By some strange happenstance, while I was walking up rue Oberkampf to take the metro home, I saw a big bus parked on the street with a logo that said Bus Burger. Curious to know what it was, I knocked on the door and a young man greeted me. I asked what the concept was, and he said it was a bus with booths and seating that did a two-hour tour of Paris while serving hamburgers. Was it my lucky hamburger day?
Maybe I will compete with the Burger Bus and start a foie gras bus.
https://lecamionquifume.com/
https://www.bus-burger.com/copie-de-accueil
Checkout this great New York Times article about the Rungis food market by friend Liz Alderman.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/world/europe/france-rungis-food-market-les-halles.html
My Paris Apartment for Rent –November 18-December 5
I am looking to rent my fabulous Paris apartment in the heart of the Marais near St. Paul metro, anytime between November 18 to December 5 for 7-10 nights. It's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S. The apartment is located on the second floor with a large elevator.
The price 7 nights is 165€ per night/1155€, for 10 nights 150€ per night/1500€ Photos upon request.
Please email me at [email protected] if you are interested.
I am so pleased to have Ann Mah as my guest this week at on A Bite of Paris. We went to Le Mistral, her favorite Paris bistro and had their signature dish, aligot, a rich, creamy mix of whipped potatoes and cheese from the Aveyron region.
Click here or link below to watch Ann and I enjoy aligote.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiRHIW7Oitw&t=4s
Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more. In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.
Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you, my insiders, Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
