Barbra Austin

I know, I know, I haven’t written anything new in over a week.

Zinc Caïus is the younger, smaller, less expensive offshoot of Caïus, the restaurant across the street where chef Jean-Marc Notelet dazzles diners with his use of exotic spices (for France, anyway) and unexpected combination and techniques. At Zinc Caïus the fare is more straight forward, a pared-down bistro menu for neighborhood locals more than visiting foodies. Yet a meal here is just as memorable as one served by its sophisticated sibling, not because it’s complicated or ambitious, but because it’s so very good.

Though I generally prefer dark chocolate, there’s no denying that milk chocolate pairs very well with certain flavors. Peanut butter and bananas, for example.

Though irrefutably Bordelais, the little cakes known as cannelés have conflicting origin stories. One attributes their development to a group of nuns. A more sentimental spin credits resourceful Bordeaux residents, who scooped up flour spilled from sacks during unloading at the port and used it to make the cakes for impoverished children.

In Paris, there’s really no need to travel far for bread. But that doesn’t mean there’s not bread that’s worth a trip.

“I’ve come for the burger,” I announced when I walked in.