This is a sponsored post as part of the Let your Natural Beauty Shine Through with Zeno (www.myzeno.com) & Her Campus program.
My friend Mary and I have been abroad in Paris for four months. It’s been amazing, but by the time you get to to May French food starts to seem a little less mind-blowing and a little more…boring. CrĂŞpes become less of a luxury and more of a typical late-night treat, wine starts to taste more and more like Welch’s as time goes on, and bread and cheese every night becomes less and less charming as it adds up on your waistline. The two of us have started talking more and more about the foods we miss: bagels and cream cheese, real New York pizza (in France they eat pizza with a fork and knife…can you get any crazier?), frozen yogurt…but there’s nothing we miss more than Mexican food. Crunchy, cheesy, spicy, satisfying Mexican food–and it’s almost impossible to find in Paris.
Mary turns 21 today, and I knew it would be the perfect opportunity to plan a special surprise all for her and remind her of all the things she’d forgotten about in America. Â It took me weeks, but I finally found an awesome Mexican place in this city full of coq au vin and steak frites, tucked away in a tiny hole-in-the-wall in Paris’ trendy Marais district. I surprised Mary after her first class, and told her we were taking the rest of the day off. Then we went for lunch–and even though the meal was simple, nothing could have been more perfect for Mary’s birthday.
The restaurant, called Candeleria, seems unassuming at first. It’s a quaint little “taqueria”, or taco bar, with only a few crooked wooden stools and one butcher block table. The menu is written on a chalkboard on the wall, and the Spanish staff (two women double up as waitress, hostess, cashier and cook) barely speak French, let alone English. The food was simple, yet delicious–for €9.50 we were each able to get 3 tacos, an order of amazing guacamole and a Mexican soda. We couldn’t believe we’d gone so long without guacamole and not gone into shock!Â
The real surprise, though, was what was in the back. If you go downstairs past a tiny staircase, the unassuming taco bar becomes a swanky cocktail lounge! Mary was so surprised to find such a special treat in an unexpected place. The combination of Mexican food and a relaxed, trendy bar made the place perfect for an American missing home on her birthday. Seeing Mary’s face light up as she bit into that first taco, and as she descended the stairs into the hidden bar, reminded me how easy it was to be a good friend. Remembering she was homesick for American food and surprising her with it, no matter how simple, was the perfect birthday gift. And even while devouring greasy tacos, I felt beautiful, because I’d used my generosity and listening skills to make a friend’s day.
She doesn’t know yet that I bought bagels and cream cheese for a picnic along the Seine tonight–the perfect ending to a perfect day!