September 2013 - Paris Insights - The Blog Paris Insights

Archive for September, 2013

Tête-reliquaire de Jean d’Arc

Saturday, September 28th, 2013

Tête-reliquaire de Jeanne d’Arc
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

This bust of Joan of Arc by Maxime Real del Sarte stands in the narthex of the Basilica of Saint Joan of Arc. The church was constructed in honor of the saint, who intervened to save Paris from German forces that were massing outside the gates of the city in September 1914.

Read about the church in this month’s Paris Insights newsletter (access by paid subscription). Click on the link for a preview: http://discoverparis.net/newsletter/the-votive-basilica-of-saint-joan-of-arc.

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Tags: Basilique de Sainte Jeanne d'Arc, Maxime Real del Sarte
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A Day at the Berges de Seine

Wednesday, September 25th, 2013

Last Saturday brought beautiful weather to Paris. It was a perfect day for a food fair along the River Seine. Called Manger Local (Eat Locally), the event featured fresh agricultural products from the Ile-de-France region, plus activities for children. It took place on the Left Bank between Pont des Invalides and Pont de l’Alma.

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Kids played tether ball.

Playing Tether Ball
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And practiced rock climbing.

Climbing Wall
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Rock climbing was scarey!

A Scarey Experience
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Some of the adults (and children, too) got a back massage.

Massaging Aching Backs
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And then there was the food. The Bügelski food truck was there, selling bagel sandwiches.

Bügelski Food Truck
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

They were doing a brisk business.

Lining Up for a Bagel Sandwich
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

I purchased a bottle of apple juice, a pastrami sandwich, and a slice of cheese cake.

A Great Meal
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Then, from Thaï Thanh I purchased a scoop of Fleur d’oranger à la pistache (orange flower sorbet with pistachio) and Poivron, orange sanguine et espelette (bell pepper and blood orange sorbet flavored with Espelette pepper) on a cone. I blogged about Thaï in June of this year.

Thaï Thanh Serving Sorbet
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

I finished off the lunch with a cup of espresso from Brûlerie Caron’s coffee stand. Caron won the Meilleur Torréfacteur de France award in 2011. Their shop is located in Châtillon, just seven kilometers from Paris.

Preparing the Coffee
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

An Artist at Work
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

There were lots of food and produce stands displaying locally-produced agricultural products.

Food and Produce Stands
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Tasting Honey
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And there were lots of families there enjoying the beautiful day in Paris!

The Huynh Family Enjoying a Beautiful Day in Paris
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

A good time was had by all!

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Tags: Berges de Seine, Manger Local
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The French Like to Read
Tuesday, September 24th, 2013

An antique and used book fair was held last Saturday at place Monge. The weather was mild and sunny. It was a perfect day for browsing through old books!

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Bonne lecture!

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Sunday Morning on Rue Mouffetard
Sunday, September 22nd, 2013

A vide-greniers (yard sale) was held this morning on lower rue Mouffetard, just south of the Saint Médard church. We learned that residents of the neighborhood pay 13€ per meter for a stand, whereas outsiders pay 15€. From the short time that I spent there, I got the impression that many of the persons displaying wares came from outside the neighborhood. A lot of the stuff that they were displaying looked used, but didn’t look like old junk that you clear out of your attic and bring down to the sidewalk to sell.

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

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Monique Gets Wrapped
Friday, September 20th, 2013

At the AD Intérieurs 2013 Métamorphose exposition in Paris, Monique got wrapped in a living chair.

First, the chair spread its wings.

The Living Chair
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Then, it was ready.

The Living Chair in Ready Position
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Monique made herself comfortable in the chair.

Monique Sits Down in the Living Chair
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The chair proceeded to wrap its left wing over Monique.

The Living Chair Wraps its Left Wing
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Then, its right wing.

The Living Chair Wraps its Right Wing
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Finally, Monique was fully wrapped.

Fully Wrapped in the Living Chair
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Monique, fully refreshed, got out of the chair and went on her way!

Monique Leaves the Living Chair
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The chair was designed by Hubert de Malherbe. The AD Intérieurs 2013 Métamorphose exposition ends on September 22.

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Tags: AD Intérieurs 2013 Métamorphose, Hubert de Malherbe, Monique Y. Wells
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Figues en Folies with Goat Cheese
Wednesday, September 18th, 2013

Figues en Folies with Goat Cheese
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Last week, while walking along rue Jacob reviewing our latest Chocolate and Pastry walk, we spotted a sign indicating that an épicerie fine (fine-foods grocery) was located in the courtyard of a building at number 12. Our curiosity piqued, we entered the courtyard and then into a tiny shop situated there. Smelling sweetly of spices, it was well stocked with fine-food products.

The young man behind the counter invited us to taste a condiment called Figues en Folies, which, he said, would go well with goat cheese or foie gras. It had the sharp flavor of balsamic vinegar, fig, and spices, and called to mind the taste of mincemeat pie. Even though it cost 10€ for a small jar of 220 grams, we threw caution to the wind and purchased it.

Back home we tried it with various products, including crottin de Chavignol, a goat cheese that we purchased at our local cheese shop, Fromagerie Veron, on rue Mouffetard.

We found that the acidic flavor of the vinegar in the fig condiment complemented the pungency of the soft, crumbly goat cheese, while the fig’s sweetness counterbalanced it. Spread on dark bread in the style of an open-faced sandwich, the goat-cheese-and-fig combination was a country-style delight.

Tomat’s Epicerie Fine
12, rue Jacob
75006 Paris
Tel.: 01.44.07.36.58
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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Tags: fig condiment, goat cheese
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Monique Buys a Crêpe
Wednesday, September 11th, 2013

Monique Buys a Crêpe
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

As Monique and I were enjoying one of the last glorious days of summer, we happened by a crêpe stand across the street from the Jardin des Plantes. There, a young woman was producing these lovely confections!

Our Server
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Crêpes can be sucrée (sweet) or salée (savory) and they are perhaps France’s most popular fast food. The crêperie that we spotted was on the corner of rue Buffon and rue Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, an ideal spot to stop for a snack after visiting the Jardin des Plantes .

Monique ordered a beurre/sucre (butter and sugar) crêpe.

Buttering the Griddle
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Ladling the Batter
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Our server used two griddles to produce the crêpe. She buttered the first griddle and then ladled batter onto it. As the batter began to cook, she buttered the second griddle.

Moving Crêpe to Second Griddle
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Once the batter had set, she moved it to the second griddle. Using two griddles speeds up the cooking process if there are a large number of customers waiting.

Monique Eagerly Accepts the Crêpe

The server dressed the crêpe with the butter and sugar, wrapped it, and handed it to Monique.

Bon appétit to all who love crêpes!

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One of the stops on our Ile Saint-Louis gourmet walking tour is a crêperie. Click HERE to view the Love2Eat video where Monique tells Lové Anthony all about crêpes during the walk that she took with her. Contact us if you’d like to book a gourmet walk!

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Tags: crêpes
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Meet Chef Nacer Melliti
Wednesday, September 4th, 2013

Nacer Melliti, Proprietor and Chef of Madame est Servie
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

We’ve discovered a fine restaurant that seems to have been overlooked by both Anglophone and Francophone restaurant reviewers. Read this month’s Le Bon Goût to learn about Madame est Servie and why we think that its chef, Nacer Melliti, is a rising star on the Paris culinary scene.

Le Bon Goût is a monthly feature of our newsletter, Paris Insights. To view a preview of the newsletter, click here.

Paris Insights is published monthly as a downloadable PDF file. It is available only to paid subscribers for an annual subscription fee of $30.

If you are not a paid subscriber and would like to download the newsletter, please click here. Enter promotional code 11473309154 to receive a $5 discount off the price of an annual subscription.

Bonne lecture!

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Tags: Chef Nacer Melliti, Le Bon Goût, Madame est Servie, Paris Insights newsletter
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The Eternal Quest for Beautiful Fesses – Our Fesses of the Month
Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013

Tom Photographing Chasseurs d’aigles by Jules Coutan
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

September 2013 – Fesses of the Month

This month’s featured fanny can be found high on the façade of the Galeries d’Anatomie Comparée et de Paléontologie, viewed from rue Buffon. It is a bronze sculpture, the work of Jules-Félix Coutan. Entitled Chasseurs d’aigles, it depicts three men who are perilously perched on a cliff and are fighting for their lives against an angry eagle. They have already shot its companion in the neck with an arrow and have stolen two of its chicks.

The position of one of the men, twisting and falling backward, gives us the opportunity to admire his handsome fesses. Follow the link below for a close-up view!

pinterest.com/pin/411586853416236448/

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Tags: Chasseurs, d'Aigles, Galeries d'Anatomie Comparée et de Paléontologie, Jardin des Plantes, Jules Coutan
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The Votive Basilica of Saint Joan of Arc
Sunday, September 1st, 2013

The Basilica of Saint Joan of Arc
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

In this month’s Paris Insights newsletter, read about the Basilica of Saint Joan of Arc, a church that was constructed in honor of the saint who intervened to save Paris from German forces that were massing outside the gates of the city.

To view a preview of the newsletter, click here.

Paris Insights is published monthly as a downloadable PDF file. It is available only to paid subscribers for an annual subscription fee of $30.

If you are not a paid subscriber and would like to download the newsletter, please click here. Enter promotional code 11473309154 to receive a $5 discount off the price of an annual subscription.

Bonne lecture!

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Tags: Basilica of Saint Joan of Arc, Paris Insights newsletter
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