Caviar, foie gras... Where to catch delights for the holidays?

© Kaviari

This year again, tradition dictates that foie gras, caviar, smoked salmon, and truffles will be the stars of holiday tables, whether hosting at home or being a guest. But one must know where to get the best! A closer look at these establishments that stand out as reliable choices where one can confidently seek advice with closed eyes.

In her 'Maison de Cuisine' MAM (22 rue Fourcroy, Paris 17th), which serves as both a caterer, pastry shop, and grocery store, Michelin-starred chef Stéphanie Le Quellec offers a budget-friendly holiday menu starting at €49, delivered anywhere in France. Parmesan Arlette, vegetable ravioli, tender chicken and mushroom cushion, and a vanilla caramel pecan log from her pastry chef Pierre Chirac arrive in a very elegant box with precise instructions for reheating: all that's left is to plate it beautifully for a complete culinary experience!

For catering dishes (veal sauté with morels €23.96), fresh products, bottarga (€20.90), elegant breads, seafood, artisanal cheeses (Comté 30 times €10.50), and dessert delights, La Grande Épicerie (38 rue de Sèvres, Paris 7th) remains the ultimate reference where you can stroll through the aisles to gather menu ideas. Top tip: the brand-new mobile app for same-day delivery right from your living room. Joy!

Smaller but hyper-complete with products reaching the ceiling, Maison Barthouil's grocery store in Le Marais (41 rue Charlot, Paris 3rd) has the advantage of offering only products made by the parent company directly from the Landes region. This naturally includes absolutely addictive duck foie gras in pots (€24.50), Espelette pepper tarama (€62 per kilo), Baeri caviar from Aquitaine (starting at €62), a very convenient bag of grated bottarga to avoid the hassle of doing it yourself (€9.50), and even French farm-raised smoked salmon (€165 per kilo).

Right across from Salle Pleyel, Maison Nordique (221 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris 8th) deals in the most delicate fishes in the capital, including tender salmon hearts that can be paired to serve three in a lovely dish: smoked salmon, dill-marinated, beet-marinated, or mandarin-marinated (starting from €19).

We love grabbing Nordic open-faced sandwiches and tasting the impeccable sea products from Kaviari near Hôtel de Ville (7 locations in Paris). The height of delight, the Scottish smoked salmon heart is satisfying on its own with a hint of lemon (€38), not to mention a few slices of Faroe Islands salmon (€35) to accompany with a bit of sour cream and red onion to awaken its flavors.

Of course, the elegantly packaged caviar tins can be found at Petrossian (18 boulevard de la Tour-Maubourg, Paris 7th). But what we also love about one of the chicest caviar houses in Paris is ordering a few slices of smoked salmon to treat our guests. Special mention for the matured Souhoï salmon with a powerful smoked taste (€40) and the particularly tender Tsar's Cut to be sliced thickly (€46). The ultimate snobbery and a little passion for the trending new chefs: smoked pike roe, which pairs particularly well with salmon (€19.50).

Head to L'Épicerie de la Tour d’Argent (13 quai de la Tournelle, Paris 5th), a fine grocery store showcasing the cream of French producers in a typically Parisian setting that echoes the expertise of the famous restaurant institution, La Tour d'Argent. And who better than the expert in pressed duck to deal the best whole duck foie gras in Paris? Namely: an exclusive recipe with port wine and spices, featuring firm flesh, prepared by the Alsace-based family foie gras house, Feyel Artzner (€49 for 180g).

In another room, a different atmosphere, but always with a love for hearty specialties at Maison Vérot, where their star pâtés en croûte take a back seat during the holidays. The reason being: the sexiest charcutier in Paris (six locations in Paris to be found here) offers various varieties of homemade foie gras, available by the slice or in an XXL terrine for large gatherings. Expect €19 for a slice, €22.20 for the truffle version, €117 for the goose foie gras terrine for 6 people, and €110 for the duck version.

Sweet and savory enthusiasts can accompany these with lovely jars of chutneys and condiments from La Chambre aux Confitures (€29 for the foie gras set).

© @epicerietourdargent on Instagram © Maison Vérot / Lucie Sassiat

Chic Parisians adore caviar. But be careful where you buy it—when indulging in a luxury treat, it's worth treating yourself to the best. First, at the Prunier Madeleine boutique (15 place de la Madeleine, Paris 8th), they currently recommend the 'Madame Caviar' box with grains from Acipenser Baerii sturgeons, very lightly salted, offering a unique complexity of flavors (€90 for 30g). Also worth trying are three recipes of marinated sturgeon fillets with white wine and herbs, extra virgin olive oil/lemon, or chili, to be enjoyed on a slice of toasted bread (€14 for 115g).

For a last-minute Christmas, Caviar Kaspia (17 place de la Madeleine, Paris 8th) has created an Experience Box for two or four people with Baeri Caviar, potatoes, a bottle of Sancerre, fresh salmon roe, selected tarama, Norwegian salmon, sour cream, mother-of-pearl spoons, and blinis (€250/2 people and €496/4 people). And always those wonderful little illustrated caviar tins featuring beluga, oscietra, or baeri caviar (starting from €60).

To add a touch of magic to luxury, head to the Comptoir du Caviar (25 boulevard Malesherbes, Paris 17th), which entrusted illustrator Jade Piol to capture the enchantment of a small Eastern European village under the snow on a box of silky oscietra caviar (Tasting Box with 50g of oscietra and two mother-of-pearl spoons, €130, and Christmas Enchantment Box with 30g of oscietra caviar and truffle tarama, €80).

For a taste of grand cru caviar, visit the exceptional restaurant La Maison du Caviar (21 rue Quentin Bauchart, Paris 8th), which offers a selection of the finest sturgeon species in precious blue boxes in its boutique space. What we love more than anything this year are the sets presented in sublime embroidered velvet pouches. A crush for the Discovery Box with 3 boxes of 30g of Osciètre, Baeri Prestige, and Osciètre Royal caviar (€350), offering a true tasting experience.

© Comptoir du Caviar / Apryl Bastian © Kaspia

Intensely delicious, truffles owe their prestige to their unique taste capable of elevating any dish! At Artisan de la Truffe (19 rue des Martyrs, Paris 9th), dive into one of the house's bestsellers, the truffle risotto, a faithful reproduction of the original recipe from the Michelin-starred restaurant 'Da Beppe' in Alba (€11.50, 175g). Craving a big comfort food moment? The Mont d'Or will make you happy! Generously filled with mushroom and summer truffle sauce, simply bake it in the oven for 20 minutes at 200°C before indulging (€49 for 2 people, sold with a selection of cold cuts and baby potatoes).

At Maison de la Truffe (19 place de la Madeleine, Paris 8th), go straight to the essentials with the Grands Classiques set, including two bottles of extra virgin olive oil flavored with black truffle and white truffle, balsamic reduction, and summer truffle grey salt from Guérande (€118). And don't resist the truffle sweets, an assortment of cute chocolate candies and pralines accompanied by an adorable little pot of honey (€74).

Head to Eataly (37 rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, Paris 4th) to prepare a stylish truffle-themed aperitif! Must-haves in your basket: Tartufi Mora's white truffle butter, divine on toasted bread (€12.50), creamy burrata with black truffle typical of Puglia (€4.60 for 125g), the essential Truffle Chips (€5.80), Italian 100% pork truffle sausage (€15.90), and the delicious truffle mortadella from Negrini (€4.80 for 150g).

Want to add depth to a simple pasta dish? Head to Fauchon's grocery store (4 boulevard Malesherbes, Paris 8th) to grab a jar of whole black truffles (€50, 12.5g).

Explore the best seafood platters in Paris and discover the finest raclettes and fondues in the city.