Archive for July, 2012

An Open Letter to Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City

Monday, July 30th, 2012
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Les Zazous Cheesecake

Les Zazous Cheesecake
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

We often read restaurant reviews in which the reviewer states that such and such a dish “wasn’t worth writing home about.” Well, last Thursday we dined at Les Zazous restaurant in Paris and tasted a cheesecake that was so good that it was not only worth writing home about, but was worth writing to the mayor of New York City to tell him about it. Read our letter to him in our review and, better yet, go to Les Zazous and taste their cheesecake. Let us know if you think that this one beats the best cheesecakes in all of New York City!

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Bon appétit!

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Last Scream for Ice Cream

Thursday, July 26th, 2012
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Ice-cream Counter at Mococha

Ice-cream Counter at Mococha
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Marie at Mococha will close her shop this Sunday and go away for a well-deserved vacation. Before she closes, stop by to try a scoop of Jacques Bellanger* ice cream. It comes in two flavors, Chocolat Macarons and Vanille Bourbon de Madagascar. And that’s not all! Marie tops it off with morsels of Fondant Baulois, a dense chocolate-butter cake. She has recently installed a counter where you can sit to enjoy this special treat.

Mococha
89, rue Mouffetard
75005 Paris
Tél.: 01.47.07.13.66
Tues to Sun from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Ice cream
3.00€ for one scoop
5.00€ for two scoops

The shop will reopen on Tuesday, August 21, 2012.

*Meilleur Ouvrier de France

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Tasting 100% Dark Chocolate

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012
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Puyricard - Masse de Cacao

Puyricard – Masse de Cacao
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

According to the company’s Web site, the founders of Puyricard chocolate began their trade in Kinshasa, the capital of the country that is now called the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were a European couple who chose to continue to live there after the country had wrestled free of Belgium control.

While in Kinshasa, Jan Guy and Marie-Anne Roelandts were determined to learn chocolate making, a skill that would be useful if and when they had to return to Europe. When that day finally came in 1967, they left the Congo and settled in Provence, where they set up shop as chocolate makers. That shop grew into a factory, and Puyricard now has fifteen stores in France, most of them in the south. I stopped by the one in Paris located at 6, rue du Pont Louis-Philippe where I purchased a 110 gram tablet of 100% chocolate called Masse de Cacao.

I knew that the chocolate tablet that I had purchased would be bitter, but that was the point. I simply wanted to taste bitter chocolate to see what it was like. Before I purchased the bar, the shopkeeper kindly tried to lead me to one that had only 73% chocolate, hence less bitter, but I didn’t let her sway me.

Taking the chocolate home, I persuaded Monique to join me in the tasting. Here are our notes:

Monique – Grainy, pasty texture. Does not melt smoothly. Bitter flavor with notes of smoke and earth.

Tom – Earthy, burnt flavors, like smoke and ashes. Very bitter, aggressive. Burnt-paper flavor. Grainy, not velvety, texture.

In short, Monique didn’t like the flavor, but, in spite of the bitterness, I did. I let two squares of the chocolate melt slowly in the mouth. The bitterness was intense, but not unpleasant.

Incidentally, the Masse de Cacao tablet produced by Puyricard is not baking chocolate. It is specifically made for tasting. The less a chocolate is sweet, the more its true aromas come through. Try some and see!

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Monique Y. Wells, Co-founder of Discover Paris!, Interviewed on Café YéYé

Sunday, July 22nd, 2012
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Monique Y. Wells, co-founder of Discover Paris!, was interviewed by Marion Hayes on Café YéYé last month. Click on the image below to listen to the 12-minute interview!

Café YéYé

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Meet Bertrand Guillemain, Chef and Proprietor of Le Vin Sobre

Wednesday, July 18th, 2012
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Bertrand Guillemain

Bertrand Guillemain, Chef and Proprietor of
Le Vin Sobre

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Last month we dined at Le Vin Sobre, a neighborhood restaurant that has been open since 2003. We talked with chef and owner Bertrand Guillemain, who got started in cuisine at a very young age. Read about the restaurant and the chef in this month’s Paris Insights.

Our review is the only one on the Internet that features a review of the restaurant as well as interesting details about the chef and his passion for his work.

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Bonne Lecture…et Bon Appétit!

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The Amazingly Fertile Mind of Pierre Cardin

Friday, July 13th, 2012
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Photograph Courtesy of the Pierre Cardin Museum

Photograph Courtesy of the Pierre Cardin Museum

Last week I had the opportunity to join a group for a guided tour of the Pierre Cardin Museum, located in the nearby town of Saint-Ouen. Organized by the Saint-Ouen tourist office, the visit represented an opportunity to take a peek into the world of high fashion.

The tour was given by Renée Taponier, who is not only conservator of the museum, but also the personal assistant of the great fashion designer himself. Her manner of presentation is informal and upbeat. Most importantly, she was very informative, giving fascinating detail about the apparel that was displayed on the mannequins. She told us that Mr. Cardin chose the town of Saint-Ouen for his museum (opened in November 2006) because he foresees a great future for the city.

I have never been much interested in haute couture. One has to be very rich and very thin to be able to purchase and wear those clothes. Yet, from the moment I set foot in the door, I was astounded by the garments that I saw displayed on the mannequins. By looking at the clothes as works of art, rather than as adornment for the frivolous, I couldn’t help but think that Mr. Cardin must be one of the greatest artists of our time.

Photograph Courtesy of the Pierre Cardin Museum

Photograph Courtesy of the Pierre Cardin Museum

Madame Taponier took us by some 200 mannequins that were dressed in garments that had been created from the 1950s up to the last decade. Women’s clothes were predominant, but there were mannequins dressed in men’s apparel as well. Most of the clothing looked to me as if it would be uncomfortable to wear, but then the people who wear these garments are probably more interested in dressing to impress rather than in dressing comfortably. And impress they do! There is no denying that a man or woman wearing Pierre Cardin high-fashion apparel will attract attention. Incidentally, Mr. Cardin did not forget the masses in creating his designs. According to information that I found on the Internet, in 1959 he was the first high-fashion designer to attach his name to ready-to-wear clothing. He was expelled from the Chambre Syndicale for that offense (but was soon reinstated).

As well as clothing, Mr. Cardin has designed furniture, lamps, beds, lights, sofas…; jewelry, rings, necklaces, watches…; accessories such as purses, gloves, eyeglasses; and more… Ow! All of this creativity makes my head hurt! Many examples of these works are on display in the museum.

Mr. Cardin has won countless awards and honors. His Web site is a good place to start for those who want to learn more about his fascinating life.

Even the most jaded traveler will find a visit to the museum to be an unforgettable, and quite possibly a mind-blowing, experience.

Pierre Cardin Museum – Past, Present, Future
33, boulevard Victor Hugo
93400 Saint-Ouen

Tel.: 01.49.21.08.20

Metro: Mairie de Saint-Ouen (Line 13)

Open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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Beer…It’s Not Just a Guy Thing Anymore

Wednesday, July 11th, 2012
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Sorry to break this to you guys, but beer isn’t just a guy thing anymore. Nor has it been for quite some time!

Meet Elisabeth Pierre, bièrologue, a French woman who is an expert on beer, and more specifically, artisanal beer. We had the occasion to meet her at Qui Plume la Lune restaurant in Paris where we asked her to talk about her career while we captured it on video. In the video, she talks about how she first became interested in beer, what she does as a beer expert, some of the top chefs with whom she has collaborated, and the history of beer brewing in France.

Pour yourself some suds, sit back, and enjoy the video!

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A Great Day for a Fourth-of-July Garden Party

Wednesday, July 4th, 2012
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Every year at this time the American ambassador in Paris holds a garden party at his residence to celebrate Independence Day. This year was no exception. Although rain was forecast, the weather turned out to be largely warm and sunny, with only a smidgen of rain. It was, then, a great day for a Fourth-of-July garden party!

The theme this year was American food, and there was lots of that!

I went to the corn dog stand and got two delicious corn dogs, one after the other, served with mustard.

Cord Dog Stand (in foreground)

Corn Dog Stand (in foreground)
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

Make Mine with Mustard

Make Mine with Mustard
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

Then, I made my way over to the beverage stand where I saw that three American beers were being served. I opted for the craft beer Blue Moon. Nice!

Three American Beers

Three American Beers
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

After the beer it was time for fried shrimp. I walked past the hamburger stand…

Hamburger Stand

Hamburger Stand
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Serving Hamburgers

Serving Hamburgers to an Eager Crowd
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

…and made my way to the fried shrimp stand.

Serving Fried Shrimp

Serving Fried Shrimp
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

Then, over to the Häagen-Dazs stand for some ice cream…

Häagan-Dazs Stand

Häagan-Dazs Stand
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

…where I ordered a MiniCup Macadamia Nut Brittle. I went back later for a Cream Crisp Cookies & Cream. Heavenly!

I had eaten my fill, so I could safely walk around and look at the desserts without feeling tempted for more. There was an American flag made out of colorful puddings. What a great idea! As people took the dessert, a server behind the counter would immediately replace the empty space with an appropriately-colored pudding.

American Flag

American Flag
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Then there were cookies and doughnuts…

Cookies and Doughnuts

Cookies and Doughnuts
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And cheesecake…

Band Admirer

Band Admirer
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Oops! Wrong photo. And cheesecake…

Cheesecake

Cheesecake
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And cotton candy…

Cotton Candy Stand

Cotton Candy Stand
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

A Fourth-of-July celebration wouldn’t be complete with flags, speeches, and music…

Bringing up the Colors

Bringing up the Colors
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The official choir of the American Embassy, The Dip Notes, sang the “Marseillaise” and then the “Star Spangled Banner”. Great harmony, ladies!

The Dip Notes

The Dip Notes
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

Both American Ambassador Charles H. Rivkin and French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault gave speeches about the importance of French-American friendship in confronting the problems of our strife-torn world.

Ambassador Rivkin and Prime Minister Ayrault

Ambassador Rivkin and Prime Minister Ayrault
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And finally, The Diplomats, the U.S. Naval Forces Europe band, played rock, funk, rhythm and blues, and pop.

Band Admirer

Band Admirer
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Oops! How did that photo get in again? Here is a picture of the lead singer belting out “Flash Light” by Parliament. Awesome!

The Diplomats

The Diplomats
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

It was a great day to be an American in Paris!

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Musicians in the Metro – Part II

Sunday, July 1st, 2012
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Don LaRue

Tim Puckett (left) with his group Don LaRue
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Antoine Barret

Antoine Barret
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

In last month’s Paris Insights we looked at the selection procedure that musicians must go through if they want a permit to perform in the corridors of the Paris metro. This month we take a look at two of the musicians, one French, the other American, who went through this process.

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Bonne lecture!

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