Rick Steves Says To Avoid A Popular Soup While Visiting Paris During The Summer

Writer and European travel authority Rick Steves knows that you probably like French onion soup and dream of ordering it in Paris, but he begs you not to do it in the heat of the summer. For the same reason that Steves chooses to avoid hotel breakfast in Europe, he cautions American visitors from defaulting to this popular soup when in the City of Love. Why? Because you are likely to end up in a tourist trap restaurant that won't afford you an authentic taste of what one of the world's preeminent culinary hotspots has to offer.

"A smart eater can go to a good restaurant, look at the menu, and know what month it is and where they are," Steves told Travel + Leisure. Onions are a winter crop in France, and, therefore, a respectable eatery would not be serving onion soup – which is, indeed, a French specialty – during the warm months. On the other hand, a restaurant that wants to cater to tourists will serve the lowest common denominator, which is out-of-season soup and whatever else they feel that ignorant travelers will snap up. Just like all the restaurants on the list of Ina Garten's favorite food in France, the restaurants that Steves values are those that cater to locals, serve seasonal, unpretentious fare, and truly offer a taste of the real Paris. Why travel somewhere new, just to eat the same things that you can get at home?

In the chilly European winter, Parisian French onion soup is a singular delight. The crocks are heavy on the Gruyère cheese that tops French onion soup, and the warming, nourishing broth is regarded as a bulletproof hangover cure. In the summertime, however, Steves says that you should focus on foods that are in season. He warns against Paris restaurants that proudly claim that they speak English or don't serve frozen food. These restaurants, he points out, likely exist solely for tourists. He tries to seek out restaurants that have a hand-written menu or one with the date printed on it, indicating that the chef tailors the bill of fare frequently based on what is good and available. The menu should not be a lengthy affair, focusing instead on a few perfectly-presented dishes. It will likely be written only in French.

You wouldn't spend a ton of money and make a long plane flight to go to Europe and eat at an American chain restaurant, so don't make the mistakes that some tourists fall for when visiting Paris. Yes, French onion soup is seriously yummy. But you can live without it if you are visiting during a time of year when onions are not in season, because the food that is ripe and succulent will surely taste even better. Eat like a local, and put aside your preconceptions about what you "should" eat in Paris.