I am craving a cheeseburger and fries. It's my guilty pleasure food, my "eat it when you only really, really want it food." And being in Paris isn't going to deter me from finding one, either. There's always McDonald's, they are everywhere in this city, but I just can't do it.

I've seen a few burgers at cafes around the city, but frankly most of those have looked like those frozen burgers you warm in the micro. No, what I'm craving is a hand made patty, big fluffy bun, lots of cheese, maybe some bacon....fries spilling over the edge of the plate...yeah, that's what I want.

So when the brasserie just up the street from us featured Cheeseburgers for their lunch plat du jour, I was thrilled!

But here's the first thing you have to know about French cheeseburgers: there is not fluffy bun. The French love bread because of the crust, so a standard sesame seed bun is toasted so it has a real crust and no fluff left.

Secondly, this is the land of Steak Tartar, so if you want it cooked to a pink in the middle, you have to ask for medium well. Even then you're still gonna get a bright pink and plenty of pink juice, so if you want it cooked through, you'd better ask for well done and be prepared for the wrinkled nose of the waiter.

Third, be prepared to pay upwards of 14 euro for a good burger. In today's exchange rates, that's about $21. Yep! Twenty one dollars for a burger and fries (and you might have to ask for the fries separately.)

And lastly, if you want to be really French, you cut the burger with a knife and fork and do not pick it up with your fingers. Oh, yeah, the fries are eaten with a fork, too. But oh, if you find a good burger, it's good, really good to the last forkful.

 I finally found my burger at L'Horizon Brasserie at the corner of rue St Placide and rue de Rennes, Paris, 6th arr.