Guest Post by Sheila Campbell, True Compass

Au Vieux d'Arcole

Donna has been reading Paris and Her Remarkable Women by Lorraine Liscio and has just finished the story of Heloise and Abelard. Heloise was a well-educated young woman in 12th century Paris, and the famous philosopher Abelard, so the story goes, was her teacher. They fell in love and Heloise became pregnant. They married secretly, but soon Heloise went to live in a convent. Her furious uncle Canon Fulbert had Abelard castrated; he then became a monk. They never saw each other again, although they corresponded throughout their lives. (The story is much more complicated than I’ve given it here, but at least you get the idea.)

The book indicates that one of the oldest restaurants in Paris now sits on the Ile de la Cité in the area where Heloise and Abelard lived. With Donna’s friend Annette, we tracked it down: Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole. Their sign says they’ve been an inn since 1594. We arrived early; the kitchen staff were still eating their dinners, but the waiters waved us inside and let us tromp through the building, taking pictures. I don’t know if they’ve really been in business since 1594, but the building is rickety enough to have been standing that long. Upstairs, all the walls and ceilings have been covered over in red brocade – astonishingly dust-free, we noted. The furnishings look like they’ve been around at least a couple of centuries.

We returned later for dinner. With wine and a little dessert, it came to €47 each. But the food was tasty and came accompanied with lots of vegetables, always a winner in my book. I can’t say we felt the presence of Heloise and Abelard, but we at least remembered them as we dined.

Tamie and I visited our friend Judith at her wine shop/wine bar last evening – Les Caves de Prague. The shop has a nice ambiance and you get a special greeting from Judith’s totally adorable and friendly French bulldog on arrival.  It’s located just around the corner from the metro Ledru-Rollin (8) and ideally situated in a neighborhood (12th arrondissement) full of restaurants and the well-known d’Aligre Market.

Judith chose a wine for us (she’s good at this, so when you go, just let her do her thing).  A lovely rosé from Cahors!  Notice the bottle is empty.  We ordered a small plate of charcuterie and cheese and all was good in the world.

Note while at Les Caves du Prague: if you happen to see the shop across the street with it’s doors open – check it out too – Chemin de Bretagne – specializing in products from Britanny. They have a KILLER beurre salé crème liqueur in tiny bottles that fit nicely in small freezers .

Afterwards, we went around the corner to rue de Cotte – many restaurants here.  We dined at Cotte Rôti next to Le Temps Modernes where we had dinner a few months ago.  Both are quite good, have outdoor seating and thoughtful wine lists.

Les Caves du Prague
8 rue de Prague
01 72 68 07 36

Le Temps Modernes
91 rue de Charenton (corner Cottes/Charenton)
01 43 46 81 94

Cotti Rôti
1, rue de Cotte
01 43 45 06 37

It’s been on my list for the longest time so Lucienne joined me today for a walk around the natural history museum.  It’s in the Jardin des Plantes in the 5th arrondissement across from the Paris Mosque (which has a nice courtyard BTW for tea but be prepared to fight the busy little birds for a bite of pastry).

If you don’t have a similar museum where you come from, it’s worth a visit – especially with children.  It’s an excuse anyway to visit the Jardin des Plantes which is a wonderful treasure for Paris in and of itself.

There is a special room where all the extinct or endangered species are displayed – don’t miss this room – it’s on the 2nd floor.  It’s amazing to me that we humans can actually hunt something to it’s extinction.

The whole place reminded me of Deyrolle (which you can visit for free – it’s on rue de Bac in the 7th).  At Deyrolle you can get really up close and personal.  It’s a little bizarre but is what it is.

I created a tour in June for a family visiting from Charlotte.  They had been a week at Disney and I was the follow up.  I hope I succeeded in giving them something to remember besides French Mickey!  I organized a visit to my local bakery, a cheese shop and a chocolate shop.

The baker surprised me the most.  I had casually asked him if we could “stop by” and take a peek at the ovens.  Well, being the proud Frenchman he is, he spent at least 1/2 hour with us and not only showed us the ovens but showed us how to make the baguette that goes in them.  Croissants too (I’ve never seen so much butter folded into dough in my life).  I have a whole new respect for the art of bread-making and the man who’s baking the bread!  He’s in the shop at 3:00 in the morning and leaves around 2:00 in the afternoon.  He HAND makes 180 “traditions” per day and makes an additional 100 baguettes.  And then there’s all the other bread he makes too.  It was a great tour – as much for the adults as the children.

I visited the famous cemetery in the 20th arrondissement yesterday but NOT to see the headstone of Jim Morrison.  Instead, I was following up on my recent visit to Mont Valerian, which is a memorial to the Resistance Fighters of WWII.  As I learned during my guided visit that day, thousands of men and women were executed in occupied Paris (and France) and their bodies or ashes were scattered hither and yon.  In the 97th Division of Pere Lachaise, monuments have been erected to remember the fallen who maybe didn’t fight in uniform, but sacrificed nonetheless.  And some just plain old sacrificed.

There are memorials to the victims of Nazi atrocities and to the communists and resistance fighters who were sent to the same concentration camps or killed in the various parks around Paris.  Quite something to see.

It’s amazing the amount of territory you can cover when you have someone leading the way that’s been there, done that.  My new friend Mary (she saw the article in the Charlotte Observer) hired me over the weekend to show her my Paris.  I don’t know who had more fun – her or me!  I love this city so much and showing it off to someone who’s never been here before makes me so happy!

From Friday to Sunday, we visited or saw by bus, métro and many, many footsteps, the Opera, Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde, Tuileries Gardens, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Pont Neuf, Isle de la Cité, Isle Saint-Louis, St. Sulpice, shopping on Cherche-Midi, Bon Marché, Deyrolle, Printemps, Galeries Lafayette, Bastille Market, rue des Rosiers, the river Seine “beaches” and the Hotel de Ville.

Whew!  She’s on her way back to London and I’m going to soak my feet and take a nap….

Guest Post by Sheila Campbell, True Compass

Two new books about Paris will whet your appetite for another trip to France in different ways.

Paris Patisseries: History, Shops, Recipes is not, despite its name, a cookbook. Instead, it’s a luscious picture book of the work of twenty of Paris’s most celebrated pastry chefs. Yes, there’s a recipe here and there (a total of about 25 or so), but what you’ll really drool over are the photographs: page after page of macarons, baba au rum, éclairs, meringues, gateaux and many other sweets, plus croissants and brioches. The book tells you what to order at each of the many famous patisseries and tea rooms featured.

The photographs by Christian Sarramon will make you want to book a flight today. Chef Pierre Hermé, reputed to make the best macarons in Paris, wrote the forward, and throughout the book you get a history of sweet shops in the city, with emphasis on the most recent and well-known pastry chefs and chocolatiers. At the back is an address book of all the shops featured, so you can plan your next trip around them (or have Donna plan you an itinerary around them!).

Paris Pastry Shop/Xiaozhuli

Photo by Anonymous, Canada

Another recent book, Paris and Her Remarkable Women by Lorraine Liscio, presents sixteen mini-biographies of women whose lives influenced Paris. They begin with Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, and end with Simone de Beauvoir. Along the way you get new insights into the lives of women you probably already know about, like Sarah Bernhardt and Coco Chanel, as well as some women perhaps not so familiar, like 18th century Madame du Chatelet, an early physicist; Madame de Maintenon who was married to Louis XIV at Versailles; Camille Claudel, mistress of Auguste Rodin and often thought to be as great a sculptor as he was; and Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun, whose paintings of women and children hang in the Louvre.

What makes this book particularly useful is that the author links the biographies to specific places in Paris associated with each woman. You can pick the woman and her time period and walk (well, almost) in her footsteps (or have Donna create an itinerary for you to walk!).

Sarah Barnhardt

My friend Caroline and I caught the RER to Pontoise this morning.  It takes about 40 minutes and 5 euros to get to the end of the line and we jump off and ride into the countryside – into the Parc Naturel du Vexin to be exact.  It’s kind of amazing to imagine you can so quickly leave Paris behind.  We road about 64K (40 miles) past bucolic houses, lots of old churches and lavender plants full of happy bees.  Caroline, who has the endurance of a pack mule, was mostly leading the way, stopping occasionally to make sure we didn’t make a wrong turn.

I’m back, showered and sipping some cold rosé left over from yesterday’s wine tasting tour.  I had a nice couple who had read about me in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (the original article appeared in the Charlotte Observer and they brought the newsprint which was fun to see) take the tour.

And now the couch across the room is looking pretty inviting….

I don’t recall where I first heard of this small “cave a manger” – a wine shop where you can drink AND eat, but Allesandra and Tamie checked it out and then I went back with them.  They thought it would be a great address for my wine tasting tour.  

Les Pages du Vin

Les Pages du Vin is located just beside the metro stop Cardinal Lemoine (#10) in the 5th arrondissement.  The storefront is rose-colored with a yellow awning and  lots of bottles on a display in the window and big wine barrel at the sidewalk entrance.

It’s run by two affable young men who were both born and raised on the Isle de la Reunion, an overseas department of France.  Brushing up on your geography – the island is located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, southwest of Mauritius.  The boys are French but a long way from home…

Pierre (the tall blond one) and Richard (the one of Chinese decent) have filled the shop with small-boutique French wines and regional products (cans of foie gras, pates, jams, etc) .  They like to share their stories and have created a relaxed and friendly place to hang-out, drink and learn.

Richard popping the cork

You can take their suggestion or just grab a bottle off the shelf.  They will set you up with some bread, cheese and dried meats and maybe something else they’ve cooked up.  There’s a 5 Euro corkage fee and their advice and company are free!  They have a Facebook Fan Page and could use some new fans – every little bit helps.

Regional products

Dining area

Dried meats

The bar

Wall of wines

On a recent visit, I sampled two cremant’s, sparkling wines made in the same method as champagne.  One from the Jura and the other from the Loire.  Each was quite good but I SWEAR the one from the Jura had the nose of champagne (just like Richard said it would). It had lots of bubbles and was soft but dry.  Both were 13 Euros a bottle.  A great appetizer wine or just pop one for the balcony as the sun sets.  I’m heading there now….

Wines I drank:

Crémant du Jura and Loire

Les Pages du Vin
44 rue Boulangers 5th Arrondissement
Closed Mondays
Métro:  Cardinal Lemoine
Buses:  47, 89

The sun lasted just long enough this morning for a ride with the savvy Frenchman up to Mont Valérian and the American Military Cemetery.  I keep saying if I would just do this once or twice a week, I could give up the gym.  (Note to self, find a new cycling partner, savvy Frenchman sucks.)

View from Mont Valérian

This destination is 5 miles from my apartment but you feel like you’ve gone far far away.  It’s a killer hill (don’t know the grade).  When you arrive at the top, the breathing goes back to normal but is taken away again by the spectacular view of Paris.  Reminds me a lot of when I used to ride up Town Mountain Road in Asheville.  OK the view was a lot different but the feeling was the same.

Crypt with sculpture reliefs

What I find amazing when I stand in front of this WWII French memorial, is how so few people ever stop to look at it!  The relief sculptures alone are at least worth a glance.  More than 1000 men were murdered here.  Behind the wall, there is a crypt where the caskets of 16 fighters from 16 battles lay at rest.  A 17th is empty waiting for the last “companion of the liberation” to die.

I visited the crypt with Sheila last Fall but the day we were there, the other part of the tour wasn’t available.  By guided visit, they will take you up around the hill to the chapel where prisoners were locked up before execution, and down to the Clairière des Fusillés, the clearing where they were shot.

American Military Cemetary

The scene at the American military cemetery is much more serene.  When I ride up here, I usually stop to rest and reflect.  It’s peaceful and the grass feels nice under my feet.  Our government is doing a fine job maintaining it.  Thank you!

I have plans to discover more rides outside Paris with Bruno and his handy maps (anybody want to come to Dordogne with me?)

If you want to visit Mount Valerian, you can get there by public transportation.

Mont Valérian, Guided Visits:
Free, every SUNDAY and HOLIDAYS
15 H 00 from 1st oct to 31 march and
15 H 00 to 16 H 30 from the 1st april to 30 sept.
Phone: 01 41 44 56 34  or 01 49 74 34 00

Photo by Bellota-Bellota

Guest Post by Richard Price, founder, Crack of Noon Tours

The man in the jaunty suede jacket and the casually woven scarf paused at the meat section of the grocery store and gazed down at the choices.  He clutched his throat whilst he gazed at the selections.  Without pause, he picked up a packet of Belota Belota ham from Spain – by far, the finest and most expensive ham in the world.   And just as swiftly, he put it back.

Thirty Euros?  For a few chunks of ham?  That seemed a bit high.  The man in the jaunty suede jacket and the casually woven scarf stroked his chin and pondered the situation. How can one justify a 30-Euro bite of ham?  And without a flinch, the packet of 30-Euro ham went into the grocery cart, a la Mary Tyler Moore in the opening credits of her 1970’s TV show.  A rolling of the eyes and the onward movement of the shopping cart.

Richard Price

The man in the jaunty suede jacket and the casually woven scarf was me, and I had just arrived in Paris and I was at La Grande Epicerie de Paris – the gourmet food hall adjacent to the Bon Marché department store in the 6th arrondissement (metro Sevres-Babylone).

If you are a true food-lover, upon entering la Grande Epicerie de Paris, it feels as if your head might explode at any moment.  They have so much and it is all so good.  It really is the best food in the world and it’s right at your fingertips.  All the best meats and cheeses, of course.  This is France.  Of course, they have wonderful meat and cheese.

Photo by Papilles et Pupilles

But their butter department is bigger than my first apartment in Paris.  In particular, they stock plenty of Bordier butter from Normandy, (this link is to a video and it’s kind of long but very cute) which is considered to be the finest butter in the world.  My fridge is always well-stocked with it.

I love tarama (a sort of creamy fish paste that is spread on bread or crackers), and at la Grand Epicerie de Paris, they must have at least two dozen varieties.  The foie gras “island” is a highlight, and one can select a modest portion of terrine de foie gras or blow the twins’ college fund on a huge lobe of entier de foie gras.  Likewise, the truffle department.  You don’t want to shop here when you’re hungry!

In the prepared foods department, they have everything from (very good) Chinese to Indian curries to bratwursts and anything else you can imagine.  Really, if you can name a food, they have it.

Photo by Haute World

I relish shopping here, stocking up on gourmet essentials.  In addition to the foie gras, fleur de sel, tarama, Camembert cheese, Bordier butter, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and the like, I bought three gorgeous lamb chops at the butcher department.  (The butcher deftly and swiftly removed the fat and hacked off the extra bone.)  And they cost less than 6 Euros (about $8).  Meat is a bargain in France!  Those lamb chops in the U.S. would have cost at least $15 in a grocery store and $35 at a decent restaurant.  Meat, cheese, wine and dog food are all bargains in France.  (They do love their dogs here.  Hence, the price of dog food is absurdly low compared to the U.S.)

Marinating lambchops

I brought those lamb chops home and marinated them in mustard, olive oil and a pinch of ground herbs de Provence.  Then, I sautéed them in a hot skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil for about a minute

and a half per side to render them medium rare.  Served with some gooey mashed potatoes the consistency of Elmer’s glue and a salad of mesclun, lardons (bacon “matchsticks”), radishes & cherry tomatoes in a homemade vinaigrette, well, it was a splendid meal that cost a fraction of what I’d have spent in a restaurant.  Economizing in France can be fun and delicious!

Savvy Frenchman and I visited my Eiffel Tower yesterday evening to check out the champagne bar on the top level.  You can buy tickets online to get up in the tower – no more lines!!! – and head straight to the top.  The champagne “bar” is a little closet with a cute guy inside serving it up.  NO ONE was buying but me and Savvy Frenchman forgot to mention he’s afraid of heights so it was a good thing there was champagne to sooth his nerves!

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of visiting the Eiffel Tower.  The view is magnificent and I always see something from up there that I somehow miss down on the ground….

There is an exhibition at the Cité de l’architecture & du patrimoine about Diego Gelmirez and the pilgrimage trail of  Saint Jacques de-Compostelle.  Also known at the The Way of Saint James.

This museum is quite something and everyone passing through Paris should visit it.  There are castings of architecture from all over France from the Middle Ages.  You really get up close and personal.  AND there’s a café with a terrace overlooking the Eiffel Tower where you can have lunch or drinks (you don’t have to visit the museum to do this).

I walked a small portion of the Chemin de Saint-Jacques trail from Le Puy to Conques with Sheila in 2001.  Our trip was organized by a walking company in the UK.  I didn’t know much about it except that it would be beautiful and warm and there would apparently be lots of churches along the way.  It left a lasting impression on me – not so much for the pilgrimage itself but because it really was so beautiful!  And I do recall visiting lots of churches and lighting candles along the way for my Dad and his wife Mary Rose who had both died the year before.

Sheila and some of her friends walked the bottom portion of the trail just last year and it’s chronicled on Sheila’s site True Compass.

Blog Post by Sheila Campbell, Author of True Compass

As soon as I unpack my bags in my Paris rental apartment, no matter which arrondisement I’m staying in, I head out to scour the neighborhood for what will become my daily baguette…well, okay, my daily baguettes, because I always buy two – one for now and one for toasting the next morning. And maybe a croissant or two, as well.

No matter where you are, there are sure to be several options for your baguette of choice. I first look to see if any of the local boulangeries (those are the stores that sell bread, plus usually some small sandwiches and pastries) have the word “Artisan” on the door or awning. To be an artisanal bakery, they have to make the bread on the premises, always a good sign.

Now I’ve learned from a good friend in Paris to ask for, “Une baguette tradition, s’il vous plait,” rather than the usual baguette ordinaire. The tradi, as the French call it, is made only with wheat flour, water, salt and yeast; no additives are allowed – by law. It has a bit coarser texture and better flavor, they say. A baguette tradition usually costs a bit more than the ordinaire – around €1.20.

You sometimes hear Parisians ordering their baguettes, “bien cuite,” well-baked, or “pas trop cuite,” not too done. So many choices!

But one of the joys of exploring the neighborhood is that you might just find yourself eating something you hadn’t counted on. On my last stay in Paris, walking home from Opéra, I stumbled into Boulangerie Eric Kayser, one of eight boulangeries of that name in Paris. In the racks was the most intriguing of breads, a baguette covered in seeds, dark and light — millet, sesame, sunflower. Noting the sign, I asked for “une baguette céréale, s’il vous plait.” I got it home and fell in love.

When I broke it open (I never cut baguettes unless I’m planning to toast the pieces), the interior was a warm honey brown, with a distinctive flavor I can’t describe…except to say I wanted more. For the next few days, I did everything I could to walk by Eric Kayser on the way home for another pain aux cérérales. Lucky for all of us, there are several Eric Kayser locations where you can buy them in the city.

An addendum to Sheila’s post:

I don’t totally understand the particulars of this, BUT if you happen to be in Paris July 5 – 10, stop by the Vendôme Kayser shop and enter to win a ring created by Mauboussin worth 975 Euros!

“The magazine Stiletto asked to the master baker Eric Kayser to create the most precious bread of the world in association with the jeweler Mauboussin. It will be sold from Monday 5 to Saturday 10 July 2010 in the Kayser bakery, newly installed Rue Danielle Casanova in Paris. During this week each visitor can try his luck in a competition by completing an entry form. A draw will be held, which will allow a person to win a Mauboussin ring “Gueule d’Amour”.”

Eric Kayser Vendôme
33 rue Danielle Casanova
75001 Paris
Tél. : 01 42 97 59 29

Back in January, I wrote about a lunch at La Fourchette du Printemps and having a Paris Brest pastry for dessert.  The day after, Le Figaroscope (a weekly insert in the Figaro newspaper), published it’s top 10 pastry shops or restaurants making the best Paris Brest.  Their criteria for being selected:  (1) looks (2) puff pastry (3) creme (4) pralines (5) price to quality.

I’ve been meaning to follow up on this and the other night over dinner at Mets Gusto (which I loved) with my friend Jean-Baptiste, the conversation came up about pastry and indeed where the best could be found. Jean-Baptiste and the restaurant guy began having a very animated conversation (as only the French can do when talking about food and wine) about the best pastry shop in Paris and as well the Paris Brest.

So Jean-Baptiste and I made a date to visit the winning shop (Pâtisserie de Rêves).  I wish I could describe the sheer joy I experienced in tasting these pastries!  You can’t eat in the shop BUT you are welcome to buy your pastry and take it down to the corner café (can’t remember the name but the servers in the shop can tell you).

Loved the Paris Brest but OMG – Jean-Baptiste being the saavy Frenchman he is, ordered the Saint-Honoré.  Lots of history on its origins but suffice it to say, it was damn good!  And beautiful too.  Has officially been added to my list of favorite pastries….

Flea markets may not be my very favorite place to hang out but when they throw in a ham or two, what’s not to like? Lots and lots of stuff for sale at the Foire Nationale aux Antiquités a la Brocante et aux Jambons.  Moved to Chatou in 1969, the event has been taking place since 1450 with a little hiatus after the Revolution.  From Paris, it’s an easy 15 minute ride by regional train (RER A1) and a 5 minute walk from the station at Chatou.

There are over 200 stands with beautiful antiques – armoires, butcher blocks, mirrors, etc. and then plenty more with oddities and chotskies.  And don’t worry – you can buy all you want – there are transport companies in place to help you ship or deliver to just about anywhere – including back to the U.S.

The event takes place twice this year – March 12 – 21 and September 24 – October 3 from 10 – 7 daily.

Go hungry – the food is plentiful and the wine is flowing – and dress appropriately – it’s outdoors on gravel lots.

Dinner last night at Zinc Caius Le Bistrot.  If you’re in town visiting or live here, make a reservation and go!  I had my usual entrecote and puree maison (meat and potatoes) and Nathalie had the fish.  We shared an entree of escargots and washed it all down with this:  Heaven!

Abbaye Sylva Pana Faugères La Closeraie 2007

Zinc Caius Le Bistrot
11 rue Armaille
75017 Paris
01 44 09 05 10

One of the pleasures of living in Paris is attending the multitude of fairs showcasing the best of France.  Last night, my friend Allesandra and I perused the Salon of seafood products and wine.  All the stands offer free tastings hoping to entice you to buy.  If only we could have bought more!  I might have to go back today for more caramel au beurre salé….

Domaine Calot

Huîtres D'Isigny

Picholine Olives

Fromages et Charcuteries de Montagne

Confitures Maison Caramel au Beurre Salé

Porchette d'Italie

The spoils from the evening at Salon Mer & Vigne

Guest Blogger:  Sheila Campbell, True Compass

When I want a good meal in Paris, I often turn to Alex Lobrano’s book Hungry for Paris: a Guide to the City’s 102 Best Restaurants. I wasn’t disappointed with his recommendation for Le Buisson Ardent, a gastronomic bistro in the 5th, where I recently had dinner with a Donna.

Le Buisson Ardent

The restaurant is surprisingly small, with tables crowded together around the rim of a square room in the front; there’s an even smaller room in the back. Two tables over, the owner was having dinner with friends, so we were able to see what they chose from the menu.

The ambiance is warm, with red banquettes and green walls and frosted glass chandeliers. Murals of country scenes, dating from 1925, line the walls. The service too was warm – never intrusive, but certainly helpful. You can see the inspiration for the name in the pediment above the restaurant door – it translates to the Burning Bush, which in the Bible spoke to Moses. This building was once the site of the Abbey Saint-Victoire, destroyed during the French Revolution.

The price for dinner was right too — €30 for the optional fixed price menu. This past July, the French government lowered the VAT tax on restaurant meals from 19.6% to 5.5%. Restaurants weren’t obligated to pass on the savings to customers, but they have done so at Le Buisson d’Ardent. The fixed price formule was marked down from €32.

Every course looked as though it had been designed on the plate, with particular attention to shapes and colors. But the food we ate wasn’t in the least pretentious; it was just delicious. My pork mignon came with a sweet turnip purée with hazelnut oil; I’ve never been a turnip fan, but I’d go back for that dish.

Le Buisson Ardent
25, rue de Jussieu, 75005 Paris; Metro Jussieu
Open Monday – Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday dinner only. Closed Sunday.

Bye Bye till next year to all the cows and pigs and horses and rabbits and….

Spent the evening at the Agriculture Show (it officially closes today) for the “party night”.  It stays open until 11 pm and the food hall where all the wine and rum is flowing got kind of nuts!  I communed with the animals a while and then joined my friends for dinner in the Carribean section.  And then rum with the crazies…..

This guy had had enough....

It’s my favorite event of the year!  The Salon International de L’Agriculture.  This is my third year attending and I love it more and more!

It’s actually a very political affair for the French.  Former President, Jacques Chirac, will attend on Friday.  He has attended every salon since 1972 and has always been a great admirer and is known for eating and drinking his way through the halls. 






















Some of the highlights from Monday when I attended with my friend Sheila Campbell.  She’ll be posting more about the show on her blog True Compass.

It’s hard to explain to some why 25 Euros (or 35 Dollars) is a good deal for lunch (actually the main course and dessert was 20 Euros and the glass of wine I had to wash it down was 3.50).  I guess because I’ve lived in cities and here in Paris for so long and everything is so expensive that it becomes a real find when a meal costs less than 30 Euros!

So my latest find is this charming little restaurant called La Fourchette du Printemps (the forks of springtime) located at 30 rue du Printemps in the 17th.  A short Velib ride from my place.

I ordered the “pintade” which is this beautiful bird:

The meat is very tender and cooked just done.  It was served on a bed of brussel sprouts ( I think they had been braised) and chestnuts with a brown sauce.

THEN, I got to have dessert!  YUM!!!! A “Paris Brest”.  One of my very favorite pastries.  It’s made of choux pastry and a praline cream in the middle.  Kind of like a donut with filling only about a million times better.  The pastry was created in 1891 to commemorate a bicycle race (1200km or 745 miles!) between Paris and Brest (Brittany coast) which is why it’s shaped like a bicycle wheel.

Guest Writer:  Allesandra deSantillana, Living Room Caviste and resident of Paris

There has been a movement recently around wines known as “Natural” or “Nature” in French. Contrary to organic wines, wines known as “Nature” are made from organically grown grapes and in the most natural way possible – they are generally unfiltered or have no added sulfites.

“There is no such thing as Vin Nature” says sommelier Laurent Marre, who invited me, Donna and a few other friends to a private tasting at F&B Restaurant in the 3rd arrondissement to prove his point and educate us that there are indeed wines labeled “nature” worthy of drinking.  As we learned, the term “Nature” is merely a marketing tool.

This discussion all started at another dinner at Bodeguita du XVIIeme. A wine shop/restaurant that mostly promotes “vins nature”.  The dinner featured some of the wines of Pithon-Paillé from the Loire Valley.  Pithon wines are made using “organic practices”.

What I discovered at Laurent’s tasting were some excellent wines labeled “nature” and “organic” or not at all.  As it turns out, it’s all about the producer and winemaker!  And Joseph aka “Jo” Pithon, was on hand for the tasting and what a treat!

He cuts an impressive figure.  He is as big as his wines (which are primarily Anjou, Bourgeuil and Chinon).  Beautiful fruit, full bodied and well balanced.  Jo is well known in wine circles in France because of the quality of wines he makes in a region not known for top-notch wines.  He is also quite down-to-earth as evidenced when he told me that it took him about 20 years of making bad wines in order to know how to make a really good ones.

Anybody up for a trip to the Loire Valley???

I’m often asked about where to take classes in Paris.  Here’s a list of my recommendations:

Promenades Gourmandes
Paule Caillat’s classes are hands-on, where you first shop in a local market, then prepare a typically French meal with a comprehensive cheese tasting  and plenty of wine. The classes are held in her architecturally-designed kitchen centered on the Lacanche range.  And that’s just the half-day class. Full-day classes also include a walking tour of several food specialty stores. The classes are small, often just for your own group if there are several of you, so they feel very personal. Prices range from €260 per person, less for parties of two or more.

Eye Prefer Paris
Paris has a rich diversity of ethnic cultures, and Eye Prefer Paris cooking classes give you an introduction to the cooking influenced by countries like Morocco, Algeria, Vietnam and Laos. Classes are taught by Richard Nahem, formerly a catering chef in New York, and Charlotte Puckette, author of The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. Classes begin with a market visit and are conducted in Charlotte’s professional kitchen in the 7th Arrondissement, near the Eiffel Tower. Maximum class size is six people. Price is €185 per person for a half-day class.

Parigourmand
Myriam-Claire Escario teaches from her professional home kitchen.  Myriam’s apartment is in an old courtyard building in the 9th district and she has a charming inner-courtyard terrace where you have your meals afterwards.  She teaches traditional French cooking and pastry classes.  The class also begins with a market tour. This site is in French but the classes are MOSTLY taught in English.  Prices start at  € 75 per person.

Cook’n with Class
Cook’n with Class offers Pastry, Baking, Macaron and traditional French cooking classes. The morning class begins with a trip to the market and evening classes include a cheese tasting. Owner and Chef instructor, Eric Fraudeau, who trained in the kitchens of Joel Robuchon and Alain Ducasse and his team of international Chefs, Pino Ficara and Bernadette Laserna, will delight you with their passion for cooking. Prices: € 160 per person for morning or evening classes; €100 per person for pastry, baking or macaron classes.

Le Cordon Bleu
Actually, you can take classes at Le Cordon Bleu. The list of classes is a bit hard to find on their website; start by selecting the Paris campus and look for “Short Courses.” The €45 euro cost to see the kitchens (in the 15th Arrondissement, near Montparnasse) and taste the food is well worth the effort.

École de Cuisine Alain Ducasse
Alain Ducasse, famous chef of such Paris high-end restaurants as Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower, now offers half-day and full-day classes at his École de Cuisine in the 16th Arrondissement. If your French is really good, there’s a wide variety of classes – but don’t expect Ducasse to be your instructor. Classes are taught by Ducasse-trained chefs. Prices: €165 for a half-day morning or evening class, or €280 for a full day.

L’atelier des Chefs
Classes are hands-on and held in French. It’s actually quite easy to follow along and many of the Chefs speak some English. Some classes are even offered during the lunch hour – making this a quick, inexpensive and easy way to learn a little French cooking. As little at €17 per 1/2 hour class.

Paris is known for it’s Flea Markets.  Here’s some links to the most popular:

Les Puce de Paris Saint-Ouen

Marché aux Puce de la Porte de Vanves

Marché d’Aligre – there’s a also a fun wine bar around the corner

Paris Vintage

Cruising the Canal

Ever thought about a cruise in the middle of Paris that’s NOT on the Seine?

My friends Bill and Nancy invited me over to their peniche (houseboat)/home the other night for drinks and appetizers before taking the Canauxrama cruise up to La Villette (the link is to the site in French – but there is also an English version).

We had so much fun!  The boat follows the waterway which is actually UNDER the street “Richard Lenoir”.  My friend Barney – the BB&T building engineer in Asheville, had told me about this cruise before I left to come here in 2006 so I was familiar with it but had never taken a night cruise.

They show a movie on the wall of the canal – it was kind of like being at a drive-in movie.  We were talking too much to actually hear the comments but I did note it was in both English and French.

After going through a number of locks (much like the ones in Washington DC in Georgetown), you arrive at La Villette – an up and coming neighborhood in Paris’s 19th Arrondissement.

Nancy, Charlette and me.  Charlette (the redhead) is 78, also lives on a peniche across the water from Bill and Nancy and drives a corvette.  She’s promised to take me on a Friday night spin down the Champs Elysee…..

Took a nice group of folks representing Texas and Missouri to a few of my favorites in the 17th.

We tasted sparkling wines from the Loire, Gaillac and Jura with Jérôme

Rully (chardonnay) from Burgundy, Sauvignon from Coteaux de Giennois and Vouvray from the Loire with Edouard

And finally, some fantastic red burgundies with Olivier

I’m not a huge fan of the Champs-Elysées but I had to pop into Ladurée to buy some raspberry macarons for my wine bar tour tomorrow and decided to stay for lunch.  They have THE BEST club sandwiches maybe in the world.  And the french fries are big and fat (you get 4 on your plate but it’s more than enough).  It’s not cheap – 17 Euros – but it’s truly a quintessential Parisian restaurant – and the interior is beautiful.   I think I still prefer macarons by Pierre Hermé but he doesn’t make raspberry flavor…

I’m not real big on celebrating my own birthday.  But I’ve a fabulous “five” here who wouldn’t let it go.  And thank God for them.  I’ve just had an incredible evening in Paris!

I was treated to dinner at “Frenchie’s”.  The food was AMAZING and the chef/owner a young, charming and clearly talented man.  He doesn’t have a website but Alec Lobrano reviews the place on his blog.

During dinner, I was given the most thoughtful, heartfelt gifts from my best friends in Paris. It meant the world to me and made 09-09-09 a special and memorable day.

This morning I rode with my friend Caroline out into the countryside. 

It is quite amazing to me that I can be 20 miles outside Paris and feel as though I’ve left the country!  We take a train to Pointoise and from there we have several routes to choose from.  Today, we did a 30 mile loop that started along the Oise river.

It was so beautiful!  We rode through some picturesque little towns and picnicked by the side of the road.  Caroline is terrible with a map so as is usually the case, we had to do one big long uphill to get back on course. Which didn’t hurt us either one! We’ve both vowed to learn how to read a compass….

Dinner last night with friends at a “cave a manger” Le Bodeguita du 17eme. Owned and operated by our new best friend Olivier. He is incredibly passionate about his wine…..

Several amongst us have (had) decided that we don’t like “natural wines”. In other words, wine that is made from grapes grown mostly organically but more importantly, wine that is not “manipulated” by the winemaker. In other words, no added sugar or foreign yeasts, no “adjustments” for acidity, no micro-oxygenation or reverse-osmosis. Nothing. Just let it do it’s thing.

Often the first nose is barn-yard funky. The second nose may reveal some familiar smells and the taste in the mouth – can be surprising.

Here’s what we tasted:

Whites:

Camin Larredya – Jurançon sec – a l’esguit – 2008
Domaine de Mouscaillo – Chardonnay – Limoux 2006
Domaine de Papolle – Vin de pays Côtes de Gascogne, “Gros Manseng” 2007

Reds:

Domaine de Causse Marines – Gaillac – “Payrouzelles” 2007
Mas Del Perié – Cahors – Malbec 2006
Chateau Plaisance – “Tot ço que cal” – AOC Fronton 2006

All were unique, interesting and worthy of drinking! Dine with Olivier!

Le Bodeguita du 17eme
14, rue de Rennequin
01 47 64 33 93

A friend recently celebrated her birthday at this small hotel in the 9th Arrondissement.

What a find!

Run, don’t walk when you’re here for a drink on the patio or dinner in the dining room. And if you’re so inclined and happen not be staying in one of the rooms there, I understand they rent by the hour between 1 and 4pm…..

Chateau de la Motte Henry

This weekend I had the privilege of spending 2 days in the Loire Valley chateau home of my new friends Vivienne and Simon.  Vivienne is a childhood friend of my friend Bristol who lives here in Paris.

Amazingly, they have turned this place into a dwelling you can actually live in! Vivienne rents it out for large events and weddings and they have a small 3-bedroom cottage next to the pool that can be rented by the week. It’s all unbelievably charming. There are caretakers year-round and the dogs stay around for your playing and walking pleasure!

It’s a great place to make your base while you explore the Loire Valley vineyards and towns by car…..