A Vegan Parisian Travelogue.

While the idea of a trip to Paris may seem like a gastronomic hardship for vegans, a little hands-on research can easily and deliciously disprove that assumption. My husband and I (cruelty-free eaters, both) recently spent an extremely well-fed week in the city of the croissant, known for its meat and seafood dishes as well as for its rich, double-dairy sauces, desserts, and cassoulets. Undaunted by this reputation, we ventured forth with "our list" of fourteen exclusively vegetarian eating establishments located within city limits. We had carefully, yet quite easily, compiled this list from the Internet (just type "vegetarian" and "Paris") and library-borrowed travel books. As I was six months pregnant at the time, going hungry was not an option! While vegetarian restaurants are hardly in vogue in Paris, the ones that do exist offer healthy, French country cooking in gracious and warm settings. As they are not trying to win over the uninterested, there's not a deep-fried, sugared, overly sauced, or redundantly cooked morsel at any of them.

In addition to dining at five of these totally vegetarian restaurants, we also feasted at an Indian restaurant and an Italian trattoria, enjoyed local bistros (they offer lots of veggie side dishes) for light meals, took advantage of "The Universal Cafe" food court located at The Louvre, and catered our own breakfasts and some lunches in flower-filled public parks, plazas, and gardens along with the locals. A thirty-cent baguette is never more than a few steps away, and with a bottled drink, it often makes up a Parisian's on-the-go lunch. Fresh, inexpensive multi-grain breads dotted with sunflower, sesame, flax, or poppy seeds are available in bakeries everywhere, while l'alimentations (grocery stores) showcase beautiful fresh produce which is often biologique (organic). Health food stores are stocked with ready-to-eat vegan sandwiches, non-dairy yogurts, and homemade vegetable or "meat" pies, as well as the incredible Tartex brand of veggie pate hard to come by in the US and itself worth a trip to a European health food store. Where we stayed in the Latin Quarter, our local natural foods stores were NATURE A PARIS (45 St. Germaine Boulevard) and PLANET BIO (30 St. Germaine). There is endless opportunity for a vegan (vegetalien) to delight in appropriate food in "the city of light." This is just one collection of possibilities.

LE GRENIER, (18 rue la Bucherie 75005, Tel: [phone]) in the Latin Quarter, on the left bank very near Notre Dame, offers two lovely, plant-adorned levels (connected by a spiral staircase) and a small outdoor area of dining pleasures. We had the seitan dinner, which consisted of a pounded-thin, breaded, and lightly fried piece of the delectable meat substitute served with a lemon wedge, boiled potatoes, and snappin' fresh salad; and their cassoulet, a hot tureen filled with simmered beans, onions, seitan, tofu, soy sausage, and tomatoes--a bit on the salty side. Your efficient server will be happy to point out which entrees are vegan, both on the regular menu and as daily specials. Also on the menu are made-to-order, fresh juices, which are delivered tall and proud in their festive cocktail glasses. This serene place offers a pleasant and appetizing dining experience, though ordering a la carte does not garner a great deal of food foe the money. Like most Parisian restaurants, however, Le Grenier features a daily formule or menu du jour, which for one price usually includes soup, appetizer, main course, and dessert. Le Grenier's formule is about 150 francs. Our two entrees, with an extra salad and two tarte fruits for dessert, was 238ff. Figure about 6.5 francs (ff) to 1 US dollar.

Near the Louvre, LA VICTOIRE SUPREME DU COEUR (41, rue des Bourdonnais 75001, Tel: [phone]) boasts the cheeriest decor and service you'll find on either side of the ocean. Original artwork by, and photos of, the spiritual leader Sri Chimnoy adorn the walls and his good ways infuse every inch of this relaxing restaurant. We had the "Escalop" (seitan dinner), which was served in tomato sauce, with crispy fried potatoes (though not French fries!) and a dollop of split peas on the side. Along with this delicious cutlet dinner we shared the substantial "Shepherd's Plate" with its two "sausages," vegetarian pate split peas, couscous, and abundant green salad topped with julienned zucchini, carrots, and beets. We had started our dinner with two fresh juices--an orange and a carrot/lemon--and our bill came to 159ff.

Though not the friendliest place in town, we would happily revisit PETIT LEGUME (36 rue des Boulangers 75005, Tel: [phone]) for its straightforward menu with entries like miso soup, bowl of rice, rice with vegetables, and grain of the day with beans. With the excuse of eating for two, I went for the Chef's Plate which was packed with tofu cake (burger), millet, seaweed, sauerkraut, stewed vegetables, lentils, and a creative salad of lettuce, beets, cucumber, mushroom, nuts, olives, and wedges of lemon and orange. The salad my husband ordered off the menu for 33ff boasted the addition of dried fruits (prunes, figs, currants). His delicious stewed veggie bowl was kale, collards, carrots, onions, and celery over brown rice. Neither of us indulged in their wide selection of organic wine, but did drink a lot of their freshly-lemoned water. We liked the fact that each table was set with shakers of nutritional yeast, sesame salt, garlic powder, soy sauce, and pepper, and that we were able to pick up a few supplies, as this petite restaurant houses a health food store. After our meal, which was about 155ff, we walked to the Jardin des Plantes and Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle.

The arty Marais area with tiny sidewalks bordering tiny cobblestone streets and an abundance of gay nightclubs is home to AQUARIUS (54, rue Ste Croix de la Bretonnerie, 75004, Tel: [phone]). Dark wood furnishings and a coffee house vibe make this large place inviting and comfy. We were really excited as we received the oversized menu at our cute wooden table on the balcony, but alas, there wasn't much choice for vegans. At our server's suggestion we each ordered the plat dujour, which turned out to be a large dish piled high with quinoa, soy sausages, beans, a hot vegetable, and salad. It was so satisfying that it seemed a steal at 102ff for both of us! Though we weren't in the mood for stewed prunes, which was the only vegan dessert available, we enjoyed lingering over tea at this busy and casual establishment. We didn't make it over to its sister restaurant at 40, rue de Gergovie 75014 Tel: [phone].

Being veterans of NYC's 80's East Village, we loved our more than two-hour stay at AU GRAIN DE FOLIE (24, rue de la Veiuville 75018, Tel: [phone]) in Montmarte near Sacre-Coeur. This small, comfortably bohemian spot, which is also the pick-up location for an organic produce buying club, is hidden on a teeny-tiny residential back street and is run by a lovely French woman happy to proffer her guidance in English concerning the menu as well as France in general. Any of the eighteen seats at five tables would be just as accommodating to someone nursing a side of hummus for 30ff while they wrestle with their journal entry, as to a party settling in for a big dinner from appetizer to dessert. My husband and I were starving, so we were happy to fall into the latter category. We each ordered the formule, which this day was a platter overflowing with Tarte des legumes (the best veggie pie in the world), brown rice, stewed veggies, bean pate, delicately herbed lentils, and a crispy shredded cabbage salad served with fresh bread and a glass of house wine. A fine example of French cuisine, this magnificent meal costing 105ff each ended with an apple crumble dessert and coffee. We ordered extra slices of pie for 30ff because it was so excellent, and left the cafe happy, full, and enchanted with this establishment.

Katherine Ludwig Moses, the mother of one-year-old Max, is excited by well-stocked health food stores and preparing simple vegan dishes. She has recently finished a series of articles for teen Machine Magazine and has contributed to Paper and High Times, among others. In what seems to her like another lifetime, she was the editor of a music magazine and traveled extensively.