Best Friend In Paris ™

I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal by Lettie Teague that I felt didn’t do justice to the multitude of choices we have for drinking wine in Paris.  These are just a few (I have many!) of my favorite places to drink wine in Paris.  I am an American Wine Lover and I LIVE in Paris.

Le Garde Robe
41 rue de l’Arbre-Sec
75001

Le Grand Filles et Fils
1, rue de la Banque
Passage Vivienne
75002

Bodeguita du 4eme
58 rue Quincampoix
75004

Les Pages du Vin
44 rue Boulangers
75005

5e Cru
7 rue du Cardinal Lemoine
75005

El Galpon
12 rue Paul Bert
75011

Caves Saint Vincent
39 rue Laugier
75017

Cave du Miroir
91 rue des Martyrs
75018

New Year’s Day I took a walk with Tamie in Parc Montsouris located in the 14th arrondissement. It’s been on my list forever but until I moved to the 8th near the line 13 metro, it seemed inconvenient to get to.  There is also a little “village” of houses along rue Nansouty that faces the park that I’d read about in a book I carry around called  Paris Secret et Insolite (which is also published in English).  Cute houses!  Made me have a little house envy which thankfully was brief.

The park is actually not that hard to get to no matter what part of town you’re coming from and I have to say, I was silly to have not gone before.  It’s really lovely and they let you sit on the grass .  Spring picnic, here I come…..

I was recently invited to spend a few days in the beautiful city of Lausanne. It’s an easy 3 1/2 hour train ride from Paris and Penelope (the cat) was invited too.

I had not been to Lausanne in a while and enjoyed wandering the streets of the old town center.  It’s a very well-preserved city and has one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in the country.  The cathedral was built between 1150 and 1275.  I climbed the 232 steps to the bell tower where there are spectacular views of the city and mountains.  For over 600 years, every day, between the hours of 10pm and 2 am, a watchman, called a “guet” has called out to the citizens from the belfry.

I also visit the adjacent History Museum which has a marvelous small-scale model of the city that is based on a map from 1638. Surprisingly the city hasn’t changed all that much!

…and yes, I ate fondue and drank some very good Swiss wines (too bad we don’t find them here in France so much).

I take it back. I don’t know what winter is in Charlotte, NC right now but it’s COLD here today. And look at the fog! I went over to the Trocadero to check out the Christmas market – WAY better than La Defense. Great atmosphere even with all the people. I had a vin chaud and bought a few trinkets. Finished by going indoors to view an exhibition on the history of Parisian “Townhouses” or Mansions (Hôtel Particuleirs that largely no longer exist) at the Cite de l’Architecture & du Patrimoine, a museum very worthy of visiting if you’re in Paris!

Shop till you drop! The powers who be have decided that because the economy has given us all the jitters, they will let the retailers of Paris discount a little here and there. So it’s not necessary (perhaps) to wait until the annual sales in January to come to Paris and shop for the holidays! The stores are all decked out and busy and the atmosphere is electric. I’m ready, are you?

Re-printed with the permission of Sheila Campbell, True Compass

This is a perfect time to take a day trip up to the house of Impressionist artist Claude Monet at Giverny. Monet planned the garden himself so that he could paint it. “If it had not been for flowers,” he once wrote, “I would not have become a painter.”

In July, the gardens are exploding with brilliant roses, zinnias, dahlias, verbena, sunflowers, and hollyhocks, and the famous pink and white water lilies are beginning to bloom. You can take pictures from the arched Japanese footbridge Monet painted over and over. But you might have to wait your turn; lots of people are attracted to Giverny.

Don’t let the gardens distract you from going into Monet’s pink house with dark green shutters. He was fascinated by Japanese prints, and you can see the originals he purchased still hanging on the walls. My favorite room is the kitchen: the walls are yellow, the cabinets are yellow, even the table and chairs have been painted yellow. Too much? No, it just reminds me of morning sunshine. It’ll make you want to go home and rethink your kitchen.

You can catch a morning train to Vernon, the town where Giverny is located, from the Gare St. Lazare. While you’re there, look up at the iron and glass roof that covers the tracks, and you may already be reminded of Monet; he painted this station eleven times.

Train schedules vary by day, but on weekdays there’s usually an early morning train around 8:20am, and a mid-morning train around 10:20am. I suggest taking the first train on a weekday so you can enjoy the gardens before too many other people show up. The trip takes about 45 minutes, and there are late afternoon returns. Round trip second class train tickets run less than €13, and admittance to the house and gardens is €6.

Giverny is about three miles from the Vernon train station. Taxis show up for every train, and there are also shuttle buses (€4). If it’s a particularly nice day and you’re in the need of exercise, there’s a paved foot and bike path all the way. It’s easy to find, and there are also detailed directions at www.giverny.org/gardens. You can rent bikes from several cafés right at the station or from bike shops in Vernon. Good news: the path is flat.

Re-posted with the permission of Sheila Campbell, True Compass

If you’re at the Jacquemart-André, it’s a short stroll over to one of the most beautiful parks of Paris, Parc Monceau. In the August heat, I like to find a shady bench and just watch the parade of people drifting by – nannies pushing prams, runners, sun worshippers, nearby office workers eating lunch.

The park’s pathways meander through magnificent trees; in August the huge magnolias are in bloom. You’ll encounter archways, broken columns, statuary and little waterfalls. There’s a children’s playground where you can hear children laughing and calling to each other. Monceau is a very green park, and one of the few in Paris where you’ll see lots of people sitting or lying on the grass.

The park was originally conceived by Phillippe d’Orléans, Duke of Chartres, in 1769. He loved all things English, so it was created to resemble an English garden, rather than the formal French style that was in vogue then. The city of Paris bought the park in 1860. They sold off half the land for housing; those handsome Haussmann-era buildings still ring the park’s edges. Echoing the park’s origins as a private retreat of the wealthy, even today you enter through elaborate gilded gates.

Bring your book and a treat from a nearby patisserie or a bit of chocolate and you can spend a relaxing hour in one of the most serene spaces in Paris. The park is located on Boulevard de Courcelles in the 8th; Metro Monceau.

Re-printed with the permission of Sheila Campbell, True Compass

An American friend who has lived in Paris for many years was at a dinner party recently. “I had the most fabulous lunch today at the Jacquemart André,” she mentioned to the Frenchman sitting next to her.

“No, you are mistaken,” he replied. “You weren’t at the Jacquemart André; only French people go there.”

The house itself is architecturally interesting as an example of haute bourgeois taste, with a magnificent double staircase curving into the marble entrance hall. It’s located in the upscale 8th arrondissement.

But what I love best about the Jacquemart André is lunch. The café is set in what was once the dining room of the mansion, with a frou-frou ceiling by Tiepolo and tapestries from Brussels. The menu is centered around luscious salads, often topped with a poached egg in the French fashion. Lunch begins at 11:45am, and you usually have to be there early to get a table. There’s afternoon tea at 3pm, and a prix-fixe Sunday brunch at 11am.

The museum is open every day from 10am – 6pm; adult entrance fee is €10. (You can eat in the café without paying to visit the museum but they don’t take reservations). 158, boulevard Haussmann. Métro: Miromesnil

Re-posted with the permission of Sheila Campbell, True Compass

When I first started coming to Paris, I found the whole idea of the arrondissements confusing. Finally my friend Donna pointed out that these 20 areas of Paris are arranged like a snail, beginning with the lst on the Seine. Numbers 1 – 8 contain most of the museums and tourist attractions. As you go further out (but still within the Périphérique, the circular highway around Paris), you’ll find more residential neighborhoods.

The more often I come to Paris, the more I find myself exploring different arrondisements. I’ve also discovered that the buses are a terrific way to get around the city. To use the buses effectively, I suggest you buy a daily pass or Navigo pass if your trip coincides with the weekly schedule. Check here on the French Transportation Site. With a pass, you can hop on and off of buses quickly.

Most Parisians use guidebooks arranged by arrondissement, all easily purchased at the newsstand kiosks around the city. It’s also a good idea to pick up a Metro and bus map available at the cashier’s window at most Metro stops. The website referenced above will plan the best way for you to get from point to point; even though it’s in French, it’s fairly intuitive to use.

All the bus stops in the city have diagrams of where the buses go, so you can figure out how to get to the area you’re headed for. Nicely, they also tell you how many minutes till the next bus. On my last trip to Paris, I was having knee problems, so the buses were a great convenience (no walking up and down stairs in the Metro), and you get to see the city as you ride.

You can tell which arrondissement an address is in by looking at its postal code. The last one or two digits tell you the arrondissement (for instance, 75001 is the lst, and 75016 is the 16th). Street names are posted on the buildings at each intersection, at about what we’d call the second story level, and they usually also indicate the arrondissement.

Here’s what you can expect to find in each arrondissement:

lst: the Louvre, Palais Royale, the Tuileries gardens and Les Halles. This is the prime tourist area of Paris.

2nd: North of the first, this is mostly a business area. The Bourse, the Paris stock market, is found here.

3rd and 4th: the Marais, where you’ll find lots of small shops and restaurants, plus the Shoah Memorial and Village Saint-Paul for antiques. The Ile St. Louis, a quiet enclave on an island in the Seine, is here, as is the Ile de la Cité with Notre Dame.

5th: the Latin Quarter, on the Left Bank of the Seine, known for the Sorbonne and student hangouts. Rue Mouffetard is a well-known food shopping street. The Jardin des Plantes and Institut du Monde Arabe are also in the 5th.

6th: Saint-Germain on the Left Bank, where you find lots of shopping and dining, including some of the most famous cafés like Les Deux Magots. The magnificent St. Sulpice church is here, and the beautiful Jardins du Luxembourg.

7th: An upscale residential area on the Left Bank which also features the Eiffel Tower, the Musée D’Orsay, the Invalides and the Rodin museum.

8th: A beautiful area which also has the Arc de Triomphe, the Madeleine, much of the Champs Elysées and the small but exquisite Parc Monceau…and some of the city’s most exclusive shopping.

9th: In the lower ninth are the Opéra, and the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps department stores. At its northern edge you get into the seedier Pigalle section of Montmartre, although there are also lots of little shops and restaurants to enjoy.

10th: Canal St. Martin runs through the 10th. Once the location of tanneries and dye shops, it’s now an artsy area with small shops and restaurants.

11th and 12th: The Bastille opera house is here, surrounded by many small shops and places to eat. The 12th borders the huge Bois de Vincennes.

13th – 15th: These Left Bank arrondisements are less visited by tourists (except for Montparnasse in the 14th). The 13th contains Paris’ vibrant Chinatown.

16th: An upscale residential area which also contains the Musée Marmottan, the Palais de Tokyo and the Baccarat Museum. It borders the Bois de Boulogne.

17th: A mostly residential area of diverse neighborhoods, this arrondissement also contains the Palais de Congres, a big convention center.

18th: Montmartre, the section of Paris that feels most like a village. Unlike most of the city, it has steep hills. Great views from the church of Sacre Coeur.

19th and 2oth: These neighborhoods have long contained public housing and gritty shopping, but they’re being re-discovered by the art scene in Paris. Here you’ll find the La Villette, Parc des Buttes Chaumont and Belleville (another Chinatown).

Re-posted with the permission of Sheila Campbell, True Compass

You can find kitchen shops all over Paris, but some of the largest and most well-known are located not far from each other near Les Halles in the first arrondisement. It’s not surprising that you’ll find the cookware shops here; for centuries, Les Halles was the site of the wholesale markets that fed Paris. The markets date from medieval times, when merchants brought their wares into the city to sell here. The distinctive iron and glass buildings of Les Halles were constructed in the mid-19th century, and the area became known as “the belly of Paris.”

By the early 1970s, Les Halles was seen as a dirty and noisy blot on the Paris landscape. In a fit of modernization, the city moved the wholesale market to the suburb of Rungis and replaced the food markets with an indoor mall that’s never really worked well. While the chefs of the city now go out beyond the Périphérique for their pre-dawn purchasing, they can still buy their equipment in the Les Halles area. The most convenient Metro to reach all these shops is Chatelet-Les Halles.

E. Dehillerin
For many years, if you wanted to buy copper pots or anything special for cooking, you headed right to E. Dehillerin. Since 1820, this family-owned store has supplied professional chefs and avid home cooks with knives, pastry molds, pots and tableware and obscure utensils you didn’t even know existed. Julia Child bought her copper pots here; they now reside in the Smithsonian Institution.

I’m not sure when the store was last remodeled – if ever – but the aisles are narrow, the shelves are stacked high, and the wooden floors are worn. Sales reps in green work coats stand near the entrance, but don’t expect them to rush to help you. They’re much more likely to be filling a commercial order. Instead, most of us prowl through the poorly-lit crowded spaces until we throw up our hands and ask for help in finding that special item we’ve been searching for. It’s a bit like stepping back in time at least a few decades. But make no mistake, Dehillerin probably has what you need – as long as it’s not electric.

Mora
Just a few blocks away, several other stores cluster near each other on rue Montmartre. Mora has been in existence even longer than Dehillerin – since 1814. But they’ve updated through the years, and moved from their original location, so the shop is contemporary in design, even if the aisles are still so narrow you have to negotiate with other shoppers to move through.

Here you’ll find, in addition to the professional-level pots, pans and molds, a specialty in pastry equipment for the working chef. They’ve got lots more, including mandoline slicers, cutlery, cocktail mixers, bread and ice cream makers and glassware. On a recent visit, we found their stock to be broad but not deep; they’ve got everything, but not necessarily every version you might like.

La Bovida
This is the Paris outlet of a chain of professional chef’s stores throughout France. It’s a relative newcomer among these kitchen outlets; it was founded in 1921. You walk into a high bright atrium; a ring of shining aluminum pots hangs above your head.

The store extends over three levels, with an enormous inventory of serving dishes for catering. It’s a much larger store than Mora. La Bovida is well-known for carrying a line of spices by the kilo, in addition to everything for the table.

A. Simon (no website)
Simon has two separate stores next to each other, each with its own entrance. One store is large and well-lit and features supplies for professional hotels and restaurants, as well as table linens and china patterns for the table. The other shop is pastry-chef heaven – a narrow space crammed with everything a pastry cook might ever think of needing. Like the other cooking stores, this one has been an institution in Paris for over a century, since 1884.

G. Detou
Right around the corner from the cookware shops is G. Detou. The name, pronounced in French, sounds like “J’ai de tout,” or “I have everything.” The store doesn’t sell equipment; it’s the source for any obscure ingredients you might need to cook with. They’re stocked with all kinds of chocolates, both chocolate bars for eating and big sacks for cooking. Nuts, artisanal honeys, many varieties of mustard, preserved fruits and spices line the shelves.

Dehillerin
18 – 20, rue Coquilliere
Open Monday from 9am to 12:30pm and from 2 – 6pm, Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm. Closed Sunday.

Mora
13, rue Montmartre
Open Monday – Friday from 9am – 6:15pm, Saturday 10am – 1pm and 1:45 – 6:30pm. Closed Sunday.

A. Simon
48 and 52, rue Montmartre
Open Monday from 1:30 – 6:30pm, Tuesday – Friday from 9 – 6:30pm, Saturday from 9:30am – 6:30pm. Closed Sunday.

La Bovida
36, rue Montmartre
Open Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 6:30pm, Saturday 10am – 6pm, closed Sunday.

G. Detou
58, rue Tiquetonne
Open Monday – Saturday, 8:30am – 6:30pm. Closed Sunday.

Re-printed with the permission of Sheila Campbell, True Compass

Village Saint-Paul, an enclave of small shops tucked away in courtyards and along rue Saint-Paul in the Marais, is a nice area to poke around in if you like antiques and brocantes (a slightly more upmarket version of junk).

The courtyards can be a bit dicey to find. You turn onto rue Saint-Paul toward the Seine from rue de Rivoli (which turns into rue St. Antoine right about there). Walking toward the river, turn right into the arched doorways that lead to a series of interlinked courtyards.

Once you get inside, you’ll find over a hundred stores offering everything from mid-century antiques to stores featuring china and home items from several centuries ago. There are lamps and textiles and sculpture and paintings and photographs and linens and dolls and objects from China, Japan and Africa. In other words, you can certainly find something to interest you here.

One store we particularly liked was Cassiopée, Antiques and Brocante “Art de la Table,” at 23 – 25, rue Saint-Paul. The store glistens and gleams with crystal, glass and silver, both contemporary and old. Owner Mariane Daudré particularly looks for the famous, classic names in tableware and decorative objects like Baccarat, Christofle, Dome, Lalique and St. Louis. Just talking to her is a delight, because she knows so much history and antique design.

Like most of the stores in the Village, Cassiopée is usually open Thursday through Monday, 11am – 7pm.

In the last courtyard, at 9, rue Saint-Paul, is Comme a la Maison, a tiny pastry shop with outdoor seating, where you can have a light lunch or a cup of killer hot chocolate.

Back outside on rue Saint-Paul is one of my favorite English language bookstores, the Red Wheelbarrow. Unlike my experience at some other English language bookstores in Paris, here we were greeted cheerily when we walked in the door. The young woman behind the desk had plenty of ideas for books to interest us, and she also pointed out a table laden with recent and popular books about Paris.

I’ve been reading Cara Black’s series of murder mysteries since she wrote Murder in the Marais. The Red Wheelbarrow has a nice selection of her books, and they sell fast. The series features Aimée Leduc, a young woman who’s a computer forensics specialist – bright, contemporary, tough and vulnerable.

The Red Wheelbarrow is open every day (only in the afternoon on Sunday).

And a few doors down, at number 20, is the most surprising store: Thanksgiving, an old-fashioned American grocery with wooden floors and shelves. They carry all the packaged foods and regional specialties that an American expat might yearn for: Kellogg’s cereals, Betty Crocker brownie mix, maple syrup, Pop Tarts, Hellman’s mayonnaise, Oreos, and Tabasco sauce, for instance. So if you’re in Paris with a picky eater, you might just dash down to Thanksgiving for some boxed mac and cheese.

Upstairs, Thanksgiving serves a Cajun brunch on Saturdays from noon to 2:30pm and Sundays from 11am – 3:30pm. Reservations are highly recommended. I haven’t eaten there, but it all certainly sounds tempting. The store is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10:30am to 2:30pm, and on Sunday from 11am to 6pm.

Re-posted with the permission of Sheila Campbell, True Compass

I’ve just discovered a place where you can hear live jazz starting at 7:30pm. It’s sponsored by the Cercle Suédois, the Swedish club located on the rue de Rivoli right near the Place de la Concorde, every Wednesday night from 7:30 – 10pm. The location’s a big plus. It’s easy to find, and the space itself, with huge windows overlooking the Tuileries gardens, is a pleasure to be in.

As you walk up the marble stairs, you’ll hear a buzz of people. A €10 entrance fee buys you a glass of wine. You can choose to sit in the salon, have a light dinner and listen to a jazz combo, or stay in the bar, crowded with stylishly dressed people speaking French, Swedish, English and several other languages.

The Swedish Circle club has been operating in Paris since 1891. They host a number of events for members and guests, and you can eat lunch there Monday – Friday. For the Wednesday night jazz concerts, you don’t have to be a member or even invited; you just walk in.

My friend and I sat in the typically French salon with high ceilings and arched windows. Tall mirrors and a crystal chandelier made the room sparkle with light. There’s a different menu during the jazz concerts every week. I ordered Swedish tapas: herring in mustard sauce, salmon pudding, meatballs and smoked lamb with horseradish (a bargain for €10).

Up in front of the room, Viktorija Gecyte from Lithuania sang American jazz classics, backed up by Julien Coriatt on piano and Peter Giron on bass. Viktorija has a light and clear voice, and she sang almost exclusively in English. People talked together quietly during the sets, and others wandered in and out. There was a constant crush at the bar in the next room.

Everything here contributes to a memorable night in Paris. If you leave right on the hour, you can watch the Eiffel Tower twinkling across the Seine on your way home.

Cercle Suédois
242 Rue de Rivoli, Metro Concorde or Tuileries
Web: cercle-suedois.com

Re-posted with the permission of Sheila Campbell, True Compass

It sounds like a cliché from a romantic 1950’s movie to buy art on the streets of Paris, but it’s still possible today to find a painting you want to take home. Every Sunday morning since 1997, the Marché Parisien de la Création takes place in Montparnasse.

The wide median of Boulevard Edgar Quinet is filled with white canvas booths extending from rue Huygens to rue du Départ, right underneath the tall Montparnasse tower that you can see from all over the city. Although the works in the street market may not be up to fine art gallery standards, chances are still good that you’ll fall in love with something quite competent.

There are rules the artists who participate in this market must follow: all the art must be original and signed by the artist. If someone offers a lithograph or other printed series, there can’t be more than ten copies made.

There’s plenty to look at in the market: oil and watercolor paintings, handmade jewelry, sculptures large and small, and many interesting craft items. Some of the art is traditionally representative, while other pieces are dramatic and contemporary. There’s also a sprinkling of hats — practical and fancy, scarves and other clothes items, depending on the season. In all, you can usually count on about 100 booths open on any given Sunday.

On a recent visit, a friend bought an exquisite small watercolor of a rooster for her kitchen for about €40. I picked up a dramatic gold wire pin with bright splashes of pink stones for about the same amount of money. But of course you can also find paintings and prints worth hundreds of dollars here.

Many of the artists speak English. It’s a very friendly place; the artists seem delighted to talk with you about their methods and designs.

The market is quite easy to find from the Montparnasse Metro station or its large city bus terminal. The market runs on Sundays from 10am to 7pm, though in very bad weather the vendors might pack up early.

Most of the same artists also exhibit in the Bastille street market on Saturdays from 9am to 6pm. That too is a very vibrant market, but if you go to Montparnasse, you can also dash over to Josselin Creperie for brunch. It sits just half a block off the market – but get there early, because there’s almost always a line on Sunday mornings.

Marché Parisien de la Création
Blvd Edgar Quinet from rue Huygens to rue du Départ, 14th arrondisement
Sunday, 10am – 7pm
Métros: Edgar Quinet or Montparnasse Bienvenue

Re-posted with the permission of author Sheila Campbell, True Compass

“Why don’t they talk about the wife?” Robin wondered as we toured the Musée Nissim de Camondo in Paris.  “Have you noticed she’s never mentioned?”

Robin and I had walked the two blocks from our hotel, the Relais Monceau, to visit one of my favorite places in Paris, a house museum in the 8th arrondisement.

The house was built in the early 1900s by Moise de Camondo, a spectacularly wealthy banker who turned to collecting fine decorative objects. The Camondo family were Sephardic Jews, originally from Spain. They’d been firmly established as the leading bankers of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul by the time they emigrated to Italy and then on to France.  Moise Camondo was particularly interested in 18th century furnishings, and he hired architect René Sergent to design the house in imitation of the Petit Trianon at Versailles.

Each room is impeccably furnished; the audioguide that comes with the price of admission tells stories of the often years-long efforts Camondo made to locate just the right pieces for each spot. Many of the Savonnerie carpets were originally woven for the Louvre. There are paintings by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun and Guardi and a bust by Jean-Antoine Houdon. Everywhere are antique handmade tables and chests crafted by some of the most well-known of French cabinetmakers: Oeben, Riesener and Jacob.

One room showcases part of Camondo’s exquisite collection of table settings, including the Orloff silver dinner service commissioned by Catherine II of Russia in 1770 and a Sevres porcelain service from the 1789s with a bird theme.

The house backs onto the Parc Monceau, a jewel of green lawn and small follies. I particularly like getting glimpses of the park through the tall windows. The visit covers three floors: the main level has formal reception and dining rooms; the first floor (second floor to Americans) has bedrooms and wonderfully modern (for the time) white-tiled bathrooms. On the lower floor are the huge kitchens.

But, interesting as the house and its furnishings are, what is even more intriguing is the story of the Camondo family. Moise Camondo built the mansion with the intention of leaving it to his son Nissim. Sadly, Nissim was killed in an air battle in 1917 during World War I. Moise Camondo continued to live in the house till his death in 1934, when the building and all its contents were bequeathed to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

Further tragedy struck the family in World War II. Camondo’s daughter Béatrice, an accomplished horsewoman, lived with her husband Léon Reinach and their children, Fanny and Bertrand, in Neuilly, a suburb of Paris. As the Nazi war machine threatened, she believed that her family’s wealth and position would protect them. All four were deported to the Drancy concentration camp and eventually murdered at Auschwitz. They were the last descendents of Moise de Camondo; the family no longer exists.

As we browsed through the exhibits of family portraits and photographs, Robin and I noticed that there was almost no mention of Moise’s wife, the mother of Nissim and Béatrice. Curious, we went back to our hotel and fired up the laptop, scouring the internet and translating French web sources into English.

The wife, we learned, was Irène Cahen d’Anvers, daughter of another fabulously wealthy Jewish family. She was a good bit younger than Moise, but she only stuck around five years or so before running off with the family stable manager, Italian count Charles Sampieri. She converted to Catholicism.

Irène is most well-known for the story of an Impressionist painting. She was painted by Renoir as a young girl. Apparently the whole family hated the picture (though today we would judge it to be quite beautiful). She brought it with her to the marriage with Moise; it was stuffed into a cabinet and forgotten. Later Béatrice found it and sent it back to her mother.

Irène survived the Nazi occupation of France, most likely because of her Italian surname and religion. But the Nazis confiscated the Renoir; it was owned briefly by Goering before being sold to Swiss armaments dealer Georg Bürhle. After the war, Irène recognized the painting in an exhibition and petitioned for its return. She later sold it through a dealer – to Georg Bürhle. It’s owned by the Swiss Foundation Bürhle to this day.

After the death of Béatrice and her children, the Camondo family’s wealth was inherited by Irène who, the story goes, squandered it all in the casinos in the south of France.

A recent book, The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal, tells the story of another wealthy Jewish family who were neighbors of the Camondo family; Irène’s mother figures prominently in part of the book. It’s a great read.

As of October 1 of this year, I’ve been living in Paris for 5 years!  I feel like I know the city pretty well but have never spent much time in Montmartre.  Until recently.  I’ve always believed that Montmartre is for the tourists – and it is – but there are two sides to every story.

Montmartre reminds me of San Francisco with its hilly neighborhoods and staircases that climb from one side to the other.  It has a real “village” feel to it and I can imagine if I lived around here, I might never bother to leave my street.

On a recent trek, I exited the metro at Jules Joffrin which puts you out in front of the “Mairie” or town hall.  I took Mont Cenis, walking behind the town hall and started to climb.  I stopped along the way, diverting to side streets to window shop, and eventually ended up in the vicinity of the Sacre Coeur – where I did meet the tourists.  Then I wound down to rue Abbesses for oysters at La Mascotte and felt right at home in Paris.

Places to discover in Montmartre:

There is a vineyard and they host a wine festival every year – with a parade to boot.

La Mascotte (fabulous oysters and steak tartare)

Le Moulin de la Gallette (has a beautiful hidden terrace and well-known chef)

Les Caves de Lamarck (perched next to one of the staircases on Mont Cenis at 33 rue Lamarck)

La Cave des Abbesses – where you find wine for sale and great prices in the front and a wine bar in the back where you find more wine at great prices with charcuterie and cheese

Hotel Particulier – hidden gem off Avenue Junot where they buzz you in at the gate for a glass of wine at the bar

My friends Bill and Nancy are selling their boat (peniche or barge as it’s known here).  I have enjoyed many an afternoon and evening on the back deck.  I will miss them terribly.

But what an opportunity for someone else!  Time for a change in your life?  Ready to retire early or maybe keep working but live on a barge in France?  Buy it now (I’ll rent it till you’re ready to move here )…….

Imagine all the adventures waiting for you in Paris……..

Link to Bill and Nancy’s “Eclaircie”

Now that I live in the 8th near the line 13 metro, it’s quite a short hop to the Basilica Cathedral of Saint Denis. When you get out of the metro, it’s literally a 5-minute walk. Worth doing if you are here.

The cathedral was built on the site of the Gallo-Roman cemetery where, in 250 AD, Saint Denis was laid to rest after walking all the way from Montmartre with his head in his hands (this is the legend). At any rate, in the 5th century a cathedral was built on the site and it’s pretty much been a place of pilgrimage ever since.

What makes the cathedral even more famous is that most of the kings and queens of France have been buried here since the 6th Century. Including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette (they were MOVED here from their previous resting place in 1815. Their son, Louis XVII is also here with his mummified heart – it’s a sad story.

They offer guided tours of the site in French but have audio-guides in English.

I’ve just returned to Paris after spending the winter months in Asheville.  Good to be home, sad to leave to Asheville – it really is a wonderful town with lots of wonderful people living there.

My dear friend Ruth helped me secure an apartment during my absence (moving in on Monday!) and it required that I add the apartment to my insurance which I buy through my bank – BNP Paribas.

Banking in Paris is a very personal business.  I made an appointment with Rashida, a delightful young woman who had just returned from a vacation in Florida, her first, and she was so happy to meet an American and practice her English.  We spent at least one hour together talking about life in Paris and taking care of all my insurance needs (I now have a mutuelle, extra accident AND apartment insurance).  I’ve been a bit lost since I returned and I have to say, she really brightened my day and reminded me once again that even when things may seem a little tough in France, there are so many many nice French people who want to help me and make me feel welcome in their country.

I started banking with BNP because they have a global alliance relationship with Bank of America in the U.S.  Because of this, I’m never charged foreign transaction fees when I use my BofA card in one of their ATM’s.  They are also a HUGE sponsor of tennis and I have been to and watched many a tennis tournament courtesy of their generosity.  Next up Roland Garros!

If you’re in Paris and you can’t get into the Monet Exhibit, run next door and check this out.  It’s a spectacular exhibition of over 200 pieces of Bulgari jewelry.

There are several special collections on display, including a room just for Elizabeth Taylor’s jewels!  The rooms are black with glass cases and the jewels “float” in the air.  It’s really gorgeous.

Through 12 January
Nef du Grand Palais
Avenue Winston-Churchill
75008 Paris

Newly opened Wine Shop/Cave a Manger in the 11th Arrondissement on the up and coming street rue des Taillandiers.  Wines are served by the glass or bottle.  A very reasonable corkage fee of 8 euros is added for bottles consumed in the shop.  Small plates of food available and full kitchen to open mid-January.

Great place to gather with friends!  Judith Scenario, the author of The Drinking Scenario written in English and French, is very wine knowledgeable and friendly and will welcome you warmly.

Go!

Le Chat Ivre
22 rue des Taillandiers 75011
Between rue de la Roquette and rue de Charonne
Métro:  Bastille or Ledru-Rollin

Shopping with friends during Christmas in Paris is always fun.  The windows this year at Galeries Lafayette and Printemps are fabulous.  They’re animated so if you’re in town, make sure you visit!

I’ve been trying to visit the Chapelle Expiatoire for probably 3 years now.  The other day, walking by with my friend Ruth, I saw the door was open and we took the opportunity.

I discovered the place completely by chance when on another day, I was looking for a wine bar (this link goes to my Best Friend of Wine Meetup site where I list events and share wine info) that was in a nearby passage.  Walking around the corner, I saw this park and wandered in.  It was obvious to me that the memorial was some kind of chapel and had something to do with Marie-Antoinette and her husband, Louis XVI but it took a little research to figure it all out.

At the end of the Revolution of 1814 and during the restoration of the monarchy, King Louis XVIII wanted to memorialize his brother Louis XVI (the one who’s head was chopped during the other Revolution in 1793).  He had his and Marie’s remains transferred to Saint Denis Basilica and then had this chapel built on the former Madeleine cemetery where their remains had been originally dumped (theirs and many others of note).

The chapel was designed by the architect Pierre François Léonard Fontaine as a Greco-Roman necropolis in the shape of a Greek cross and built between 1815 and 1826.  It’s been through a lot of controversy politically but was finally classified historic in 1914 and remains secure.

The chapel itself is not immediately evident as it hides behind the pavilion entrance.  There is a serene rose garden inside that is a raised garden composed of the excavated material and remains from the former mass graveyard, so it is indeed “hallowed” ground.  There are rows of symbolic gravestones on each side that commemorate the Swiss guards who lost their lives in 1792 when the King was first arrested at the Tuileries gardens.

Once inside the chapel, there are four vaulted openings that bring in light and two white marble statues representing the King and Queen.  Each statue has the will and last testament of each engraved on the front.  Downstairs is the crypt with a black marble altar in the form of an ancient tomb that marks the place where the king’s body was exhumed.

The square is located at 29, rue Pasquier in the 8th arrondissement and is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1 – 5.  Guided visits in English can be arranged by calling: 01 44 54 19 30

French sommelier loves Spain, creates a restaurant and puts it in my neighborhood.

Thank you very much.  Barbra Austin - come review and I shall join you….

Sat at the bar so I could see the kitchen (and talk to the person next to me). The wines are front and center in cabinets JUST like Wine By One (come see for yourself Stephane – take a day off – it’s good and I’ll join you) so you can have multiple wines by the glass (and yes some VERY GOOD SPANISH WINES).

Tapas (had some killer squid) and lots of porc (I had the “secret” porc – noble slice that comes from just under the shoulder). My friend Tamie had the tuna – seared to perfection.

What we drank:

Fluminis Montsant
Astrales Ribera del Duero
La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza

And let me tell you, there were lots more and I could have stayed longer and tried many more….

El Catador
31 rue Guillaume Tell – 75017 (very near metro Pereire)
01 43 80 04 73
www.el-catador.fr

by Sheila Campbell, True Compass

The Musée d’Histoire de la Médecine is an old-fashioned medical museum; in fact, it looks as though it’s not much different from when it was founded in the late 1700s. There are no modern displays with well-lit posters of explanatory text, no contemporary models that demonstrate how the body works. And this is a very small museum, really just one room with exhibits on two levels.

But it’s well worth searching out the museum, especially if you have teens with an interest in the slightly macabre. Many of the items on display are surgical instruments from decades – or even centuries – ago, even going as far back as ancient Egypt. The collection is the oldest in Europe. Descriptions are written in French, but it’s fun to puzzle out what the various instruments were used for, from amputation of limbs to eye surgery.

The museum is housed at the René Descartes University, in a magnificent old Latin Quarter building with marble floors that echo as you walk across them. You climb a tall staircase and enter through a closed door. It’s not the easiest place to find, but beyond the door is a step back in time. Everything is displayed in antique glass and wood cabinets, and the ceiling is glass, letting in natural light. Because this is such a little gem that few people know about, chances are there won’t be many other visitors.

The opening hours are a bit quirky, so take note. Until July 15, the museum is closed on Thursdays and Sundays. Afterwards, it’s closed on Saturdays and Sundays. And it only opens from 2pm to 5:30pm.

Musée d’Histoire de la Médecine
12, rue de l’Ecole de Medicine (6th arrondisement), Metro Odéon

I don’t get out of town much (my choice because I love being in Paris) but when Sheila was here recently she talked me into going with her to Brittany on the coast of France.  It was an easy drive.  She got a GREAT deal on a four-door, automatic car from Kemwel.

We spent the night in Laval and on our way to Lamballe, found Vitré (would be a great base for visiting the area as well). In Lamballe we stayed 4 nights at a beautiful B&B called le Manoir de Villeneuve. Nathalie, the owner, is welcoming AND she has a Lacanche in her kitchen!

Each day we drove along the coastline and walked some of the seaside trails.  I would like to go back with a bike on the car!  I discovered that I like cider and that the Bretagne’s make a very good version of calvados called “Fine Bretagne”.

We visited:  Rennes, Lamballe, Val André, Roscoff, Dinan, Dinard, St. Malo, Cap Fréhil, Mont Saint Michel.  We also stumbled upon this amazing Chateau in the middle of nowhere – Chateau de la Ballue.

People were exceptionally nice and it was much less expensive than Paris.  We stopped in Normandy on our way back to visit Omaha Beach and I spent my entire visit in the museum.  I continue to be fascinated by WWII and it’s impact on France.  We visited a memorial in Brittany as well – near St. Malo, a town that was completely destroyed and rebuilt.

I’ve kept lots of notes so if you’re planning to go, let me know and I’ll share.

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.

Guest Post by Sheila Campbell, True Compass

In the early 1800s, covered shopping arcades sprang up around the city, eventually over a hundred in all. They were the precursors of today’s shopping malls, where women could walk from store to store without getting splashed by passing horses and carriages.

Some of those arcades, called passages, still exist today. My favorite is Passage Vivienne, located a block or two behind the Palais Royale. This arcade was opened in 1826. Its mosaic floors and huge fanlight windows even today evoke the feeling of a past time. Here you can shop for objets d’art, rugs, fine fabrics, jewelry, art, shoes and women’s designer clothing. I almost always stop in at Catherine André, a store with handmade clothes in stunning colors and patterns.

Passage Vivienne

On my last visit to Passage Vivienne, Donna and I had lunch at LeGrand Filles et Fils, a wine store that has been in this same location well over a hundred years. (I was delighted to notice that the name puts daughters before sons.) The store began as a grocery, and much of the shop retains the original interior. Today LeGrand specializes in very fine wines, and they’ve created a beautiful wine-tasting bar, surrounded by cases of wine. It’s open Monday through Saturday from noon to 7pm.

You can simply sit and sip glasses of white or red wines or champagnes, or have lunch from the tasting menu.  The menu changes by the season, and of course a wine is recommended for each plate. The lunches are light and tend toward cold plates. On the menu were sausages, sardines, tuna, foie gras, dried beef, and smoked salmon. I had a lentil salad with smoked trout, paired with a 2005 Cuvée Claude Denogent, a white burgundy. Prices aren’t particularly a bargain; my plate of lentils and trout was €19, but it was worth it just to enjoy the space. You can sit at the bar itself, or at a couple of small tables with high wicker stools.

Legrand

Bar at Legrand

The service here is leisurely; this is no place to grab a quick bite and go. Instead, you’ll want to linger in the space, perhaps adding a green salad or bit of cheese with another glass of wine. The room where we ate was quiet; the only background music we heard was the clinking of glasses and low hum of conversation.

LeGrand occasionally has evening jazz concerts in the tasting bar; you might want to stop by and check out the schedule.

LeGrand Filles et Fils
Passage Vivienne (entrances at 5, rue de la Banque; 6, rue Vivienne; and 4, rue des Petits-Champs. Metro Bourse.

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….

This week I organized two wine tasting tours to my favorite 17th Arrondissement wine shops.  I wish I could take everyone I meet on this tour!  The shop owners are so generous with their time and genuinely enjoy meeting my American friends.  And for my friends, they get to visit a neighborhood in Paris that they likely would not otherwise and try wines they probably wouldn’t in the States.

The New York Times posted an article back in March about the relatively new trend of wine stores trying to create an atmosphere that is relaxed and welcoming.  The French have always done this and I’m glad to see it’s taking up in America too.  Getting to know your “caviste” and sharing wine with them and other customers is a great and fun way to learn about wine!

A bit of what we sampled (where I could, I’ve linked to the property and wine maker):

Crémant de Bourgogne Brut, sparkling wine from Burgundy; Chateau Miraval, “Pink Floyd” rosé from Provence; Domaine de Leilloux, Cheverny from the Loire Valley; Domaine Richaud, Cairanne from the Rhone Valley; Chateau L’Appoline, Les Demoiselles de L’Apolline Bordeaux; Domaine Gilles Robin, Les Marelles – Crozes Hermitage; Domaine Saparale, Sartène, southern Corsica; Domaine Combier, Clos des Grives Rouge, Crozes-Heritage – Rhone Valley; Chateau Sainte-Marie, Vielles Vignes, Entre Deux-Mer – Bordeaux.

I don’t know if Wine Expos are unique to France but living in Paris gives me a distinct advantage for attending many of them.  These expos are professionally organized “exhibitions” or “tastings”, usually held in large warehouse-like rooms.  Each stand (sometimes hundreds of them) represents a different wine and region.  The winemakers or property representatives are usually there to meet their public and share their stories and wine. It’s a very convivial atmosphere and great way for the general public to learn, appreciate and often buy wine direct at wholesale prices.

Most recently, Allesandra and I attended a tasting in the Palais Brongniart (the old stock exchange in the 2nd) hosted by the magazine La Revue du Vin, a respected publication dedicated to the reviews and promotion of French wine.

As there were over 200 exhibitors, we agreed to focus only on champagne. We were able to ask lots of questions, sample some fabulous bubbles and get some addresses for our next foray to the countryside (the champagne region is an easy drive from Paris).

Wine Tasting Revue du Vin

Champagne Jacquesson

Veuve A. Devaux

The week before, we attended a tasting of Rosé wines organized by the online wine retailer, 1855.  It was held in a beautiful ballroom at the Intercontinental Hotel near the Opera Garnier.  I ran into Vincent Legrand, who is a member of a large family wine business.  Vincent was there with his friend from Domaine de l’Hortus, a beautiful vineyard from the Languedoc region (one of my personal favorites).

Vincent Legrand, right

Intercontinental Hotel Ballroom

Allesandra and Donna

Here’s a sampling of some of the shows that come up every year.  And don’t forget – almost all events here, including the Agriculture Show, have exhibitors of food and wine.   So if you happen to be in Paris, and need a French-speaking guide, just give your friend Donna a call!

Salon SaveursIndependent Wine Makers Show (the Mother of the them all)
Seafood and Wine
Le Grand Tasting (this one is AWESOME and worth the ticket to Paris!)

Le Garde Robe

In attendance with me this week, Annette, Bristol, Caitlin and her husband Ryan.  Caitlin owns a travel consultancy business based in Atlanta and was here doing some reconnaissance work.

We had been across the street at Spring for their weekly tasting and since we were still thirsty, decided to pop in to the wine bar across the street.

The wine shop has been around for a couple of years specializing in natural and biodynamic wines.  It’s located on the newly hip L’Arbe Sec in the 1st arrondissement near the Louvre.  I say this because this street is now home to young, up and coming businesses like Spring Boutique, O-Chateau (wine tasting classes in English) and Chez La Vielle (a highly regarded bistro).

Le Garde Robe is a friendly place and the managers are helpful and knowledgeable about the many wines lining the wall.  We sat at the bar (which I recommend because you get more attention and advice).  They’ll be happy to make you a plate of dried meats and cheese.  It’s all local and fresh.

The wines are mostly “nature”.  Turn the bottle around and you’ll find the price marked for drinking in the shop (7 euros corkage fee) or taking away.  They also have free tastings but they don’t have a website so it’s a hit or miss thing.  They did tell me the next one is June 10 if you happen to be in town.

What I drank:

Domaine Combier – Pouilly-Fuissé – 2008;  Chateau Jonc-Blanc - Bergerac – 2006; Domaine La Borie Fouisseau – “Salamandre” – Faugères – 2007

Domaine Combier Pouilly-Fuissé

Chateau Jonc-Blanc Bergerac

Domaine La Borie Fouisseau Faugères

Le Garde-Robe
41, rue de l’Arbre Sec 75001 Paris
01 49 26 90 60
Métro:  Louvre – Rivoli – Line 1
Open Monday – Friday, 11am to 3pm and 6pm to midnight
Saturdays, 2:30 pm to midnight

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

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

Today, Alain Ducasse, the renowned Executive Chef, who opened Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée in September 2000, arranged for his 15 favorite food suppliers throughout France to display pick-of-the-season produce and other provisions in the garden courtyard.  We didn’t get to buy anything but we got to sample the wares and talk with the farmers, butchers, wine-makers, cheese-makers and fish mongers.  A courtyard full of smiling faces (except maybe for the little chicken at the end).

Partial List of Participants:

Mr Pascal BEILLEVAIRE– LA SEIGLERIE (Fromage)
Mr René PELLEGRINI – LES COMPTOIRS D’EPICURE (Fromage de Roves
Mr et Mme Philippe CONSTANT- LE MULON DE PEN BRON (Fleur de sel de Guérande)
Mr et Mme Jean-Claude MOST – LA FINCA (Fraises des bois)
Mr et Mme Didier PIL – LE POTAGER DU PETIT MOULIN (Légumes)
Mr et Mme Jérôme GALIS – CAVADOU ET GALIS (Légumes)
Mr et Mme Daniel VUILLON- LE JARDIN DES OLIVADES (Légumes)
Mr et Mme Michel BACHES – LE MAS BACHES (Agrumes)
Mr Olivier BIGOT – Société AME HASLE (Langoustines vivantes)
Mr Joël BRUNET-MORET (PRODUITS NOIRMOUTRINS ET VENDEENS – Poissons)
Mr Julien PLESEL – LA FERME DE RACAN (Pigeon / Pintade)
Mr Jean-Claude HUGUENIN – SOCIETE JEAN-CLAUDE HUGUENIN (Volaille de Bresse)
Mr Yves-Marie LE BOURDONNEC – LE COUTEAU D’ARGENT (Boucherie)
Mr et Mme Eric BUATOIS – LA CAVE DES CORDELIERS (Vins)
Mr Cédric Casanova – La Tete dans les Olives (Olive Oil)

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…..