Saturday, August 29th, 2009
Kong
Our friend Pierre surprised us by inviting us for a Sunday brunch at Kong . … Food was nice enough but definitely an ‘inside’ experience, especially its kooky, disco-ball-and-kid-sumo-adorned bathrooms. Apparently, It was featured as a chic eatery in Sex and the City. 1 rue de Pont Neuf, Paris, 75001.
No Comments » - Posted in Culture,Food,Restaurants,Un peu différent by Jasmine
Saturday, August 29th, 2009
Tarte du Soleil and other perfect plats
We always see our friend/proprietor Sophie Clavié and her gracious husband Philippe when we’re in Paris. Her neighborhood bistro is Closerie des Lilas, the world famous magnet for the avant-garde for generations. Their book shows all those who have passed through the place, from Bernard Kouchner, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, Ingres, Henry James, [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Apartment neighborhood,Culture,Food,Restaurants by Jasmine
Saturday, August 22nd, 2009
France, land of bad French food?
I can’t tell you how relieved I was when Steinberger’s recent book, “Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine, and the End of France” (Bloomsbury USA), came across my desk not long after we got back from Paris. … Maybe we were just old and out of it. ad_icon Even if all those things are a little bit true, reading Steinberger, a wine columnist for Slate magazine (which is owned by the Washington Post Co.) and admitted “food-loving Francophile,” reassured me.
… We’ll be in Paris on Monday and we have plenty of old standards to go to (some not as good as they used to be), but I’m glad that we don’t have to try to find places to eat “au pif.”
No Comments » - Posted in Books,Books on France,Food,Restaurants by Paul
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
A few new (and old) recommendations
Friends are just back from Paris and here are their quick recommendations and (very) short comments: Lots of Amarino ice cream (they keep opening new locations beyond Rue du Buci)
… La Petite Cour for dinner (8, rue Mabillon 6th) — we really like this one too We, including and especially the kids, LOVE Amarino ice cream, but eschew the rue de Buci location for other less touristy spots because the lines go down the block. … We love the decor, which allows us to bask in a fantasy that we are a truly bilingual French-American editor at Gallimard having yet another intellectual tête-a-tête with the real denizens of the 6th.
No Comments » - Posted in Apartment neighborhood,Restaurants by Paul
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
Yet another review of Le Comptoir du Relais
This writer does have one thing right though: it’s impossible to get a table at lunch, and worse at dinner. … Luckily for the disorganised amongst us (myself included) no booking is required at lunch and during August this policy extends to dinner. Time your arrival correctly (think just before 12.30 or just after 1.30 for lunch) and you are likely to only have to wait a couple of minutes for a table.
No Comments » - Posted in Restaurants by Paul
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
Merci Concept Store Opens
This three-floor, 16,000-square-foot general store near the Marais offers shopping with a conscience; all of the profits are donated to children’s charities in Madagascar. The couple behind Bonpoint children’s clothing fame have put together an irresistible array of cutting-edge design, in-house collections, vintage furniture and kitchen and tableware finds, plus fashion, lowers, a perfume bar, [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Apartment neighborhood,Books for Kids,Culture,Restaurants,Shopping,Travel,Travel with Kids by Jasmine
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
Gourmet Paris, the Remix « ArtsÉtoile
Here’s another good round-up of food feasts in Paris, many in our neighborhood, and old favorites like Pierre Hermé and La Durée (though we’ve soured on the last given prices and crowds). … Stop by Pierre Hermé on rue Cambon on the right bank or rue Vaugirard or Bonaparte locations on the left bank for mouth watering macarons – these are the best in Paris, seconded, perhaps by Ladurée (skip the macarons at Paul). Another worthwhile stop for an afternoon pause gourmande is the Grande Epicerie du Bon Marché, where you can sample many top shelf products, from cheeses, to meats, to a shellfish bar, more types of water than you have ever seen, and speciality products from Fauchon and Hediard.
No Comments » - Posted in Apartment neighborhood,Food,Restaurants,Shopping by Paul
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
Even those who are on a budget, Paris is an unexpected pleasure
Of course, as I read this article in NY Times , I was reminded once again, the democratic pleasures of Paris… that the Proustian aspects of Paris need not be costly…. 
IF YOU GO HOW TO GET AROUND The Vélib’ bicycle-rental system has become exceedingly popular. … Le Bar à Soupes, 33, rue de Charonne; (33-1) 4357-5379; www.lebarasoupes.com, offers an excellent lunch deal: a fresh market soup, two types of cheese, bread and a glass of wine for 9.90 euros.
No Comments » - Posted in Culture,Food,Museums and Monuments,Restaurants,Shopping,Travel,Travel with Kids,Where to stay by Jasmine
Sunday, May 31st, 2009
A new place to try out – Itinéraires Bistro in Paris
My husband and I always talk about being a month ahead of NY Times on finding and discovering new places in the neighborhood. … A tiny, successful restaurant from the 11th Arr. decides to open Itinéraires, twice as large, in the Latin Quarter. … What intrigued me was the blackboard menu: Jerusalem artichoke soup comes garnished with a granita of foie gras; roast cod is topped with layers of tempura vegetables; and pheasant breast is accompanied by dates, pistachios, fruit compote and the odd nugget of buckshot.
No Comments » - Posted in Apartment neighborhood,Food,In the News,Restaurants,Un peu différent by Jasmine
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
Le Marcab restaurant – 225 rue de Vaugirard
John Talbott’s site is always chock-full of food reviews. This man is eating all the time, and mostly great stuff. Emmanuel Rubin in Figaroscope gave 2/5 to just one place, the strangely named (for its two owners/principals) Le Marcab, 225 rue de Vaugirard in the 6th, 01.43.06.51.66, open 7/7 with lunch menus at 19 and 24, dinner at 32 and a la carte 40 € with a carpaccio od scallops with wasabi, turbot, chocolate “soup” with bananas [From John Talbott's Paris: Reviews of reviews: The Week of March 2nd, 2009 ]
