Archive for September, 2014

Suddenly a Whole New Reason for Going to Paris

Wednesday, September 24th, 2014
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Until just yesterday, all that Paris had going for it was…the Eiffel Tower…the Arc de Triomphe…the Champs-Elysées…the Luxembourg Garden…Napoleon’s Tomb… Not much to shout about. But then a new day dawned and now the City of Light has a whole new reason for going there…the Brewberry Bar!

Cécile Thomas, Proprietor of Brewberry Bar

Cécile Thomas, Proprietor of Brewberry Bar
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Yes, folks. You don’t have to be a craft beer lover to make tracks to the Brewberry Bar when you get to Paris, but it helps! Imagine a congenial drinking spot located on a narrow, picturesque 16th century street in the Latin Quarter. Imagine a place where the bilingual wait staff is friendly and, more importantly, where twenty-four (count ’em) craft beers are served on tap!

Flying Dog on Tap

Flying Dog on Tap
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Craft beers with names such as “Bible Belt” (13% alcohol – Hallelujah!), “Wooden Leg” (8%), “Stalin’s Organ” (probably named after the famous rocket launcher, not the organ that immediately comes to mind – 6%), and “Molotov Cocktail” (an explosive 13%).

Flying Dog K-9 Amber Pale 4pc

Flying Dog K-9 Amber Pale 7.4%
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

I bellied up to the bar and Cécile, the owner (whom I blogged about back in March 2012), poured me a Flying Dog K-9 Amber Pale (7.4%). It had a thick, frothy head that maintained its stature to the very end. None of this wispy foam that disappears before you take your very first sip! A slightly-sweet honey-like flavor greeted my palate, followed by a slightly-bitter aftertaste. Nice!

Charles and Morgane

Charles and Morgane
Bilingual Wait Staff
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Cécile told me that Brewberry Bar will be open six days a week: Tuesday to Thursday from noon to 1:00 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from noon to 2:00 a.m. As well as beer on tap and a selection of spirits, she serves snacks, salads, main courses, cheeses, and desserts.

Brewberry Bar…a whole new reason for making that next vacation a trip to Paris!

Brewberry Bar
11, rue du Pot de Fer
75005 Paris
Tel.: 01.43.36.53.92

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Thierry Givone Opens New Wine-tasting Room

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014
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Thierry Givone, Wine Connoisseur

Thierry Givone, Wine Connoisseur
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Thierry Givone celebrated the opening of his new wine-tasting room last Wednesday evening.

A Well-equipped Wine-tasting Room

A Well-equipped Wine-tasting Room
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Located at 14, rue des Boulangers in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, the new shop is well equipped to handle presentations for a group of about ten persons. Thierry had a special table designed in the shape of a “V” that permits him to walk easily from the front of the room to the back, while he pours wines and makes comments about them. He also installed unusual lamps in the shape of wine bottles that hang from the ceiling and illuminate the space.

Lily Heise - Unidentified - Andy Lyons

Lily Heise – Unidentified – Andy Lyons
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

A number of luminaries attended the event, including Lily Heise, director of Context Paris and Andy Lyons, co-founder of Cyclo Café.

Thierry holds wine-tasting sessions in English on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 5:00 p.m. More information can be found on his Web site.

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Author David Burke Reviews Dining Out in Paris

Saturday, September 6th, 2014
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Dining Out in Paris

As a longtime resident in Paris, I can highly recommend Dining Out in Paris, especially for people coming for long stays. What I particularly admire is the crystal clear introduction to the different kinds of eating places one finds here, which are confusing at first as, for example, what’s the difference between what one can expect a at restaurant versus a bistro versus a brasserie versus a café in terms of the look and the service and the types of food they serve, and salons de thé and bars à vin, what you can get there besides tea and wine, with some items overlapping, but some quite different. The book also explains the terms for the order of the meal, the entrée, the plat principal, and the dessert, and beyond the eateries, it gives you an excellent run-down on all kinds of shops for things to eat and drink, from fromage to vin to glace and sorbet and chocolates – the works! This is just what the subtitle says, “What you need before you get to the City of Light.”

I’ve only had time to get to one of the eating places, the vegetarian Café Ginger, in my Bastille neighborhood. Everything was delicious and surprising, and the description in the book was right on.

Another thing I like about this book is that it has none of the usual culinary suspects, and the restaurants they recommend are located in colorful parts of Paris, mostly away from the tourist areas, and are not all are French. Half of the eateries they recommend are savory-sounding places from other parts it the world. Instead of running down a quick list, this book recommends and critiques only twelve restaurants, studying them with deep care and evident pleasure and writing about them in them with rich, enticing descriptions. I commend their approach. They love good food and know how to explain it, and with plenty of happy surprises all the way.

Bravo!

David Burke is author of Writers In Paris: Literary Lives in the City of Light.

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American Cuisine at the Little Cantine

Thursday, September 4th, 2014
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Little Cantine

Little Cantine
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

While strolling around the Latin Quarter last week, I spotted Little Cantine and decided to stop in to try one of their hamburgers.

After studying the menu, I settled on a “Dude” burger, consisting of ground beef, cheddar, bacon, pickles, and barbeque sauce. Served on a sesame-seed bun, the burger stood tall on the plate &#8212 a tempting tower of flavor. I bit into it and savored one of the best burgers that I have tasted on this side of the Atlantic. Washed down with a bottle of Brooklyn Lager (an artisanal beer brewed in the U.S.A.), the meal was so filling that I didn’t have room to try any of the desserts.

Burger and Beer at Little Cantine

Burger and Beer at Little Cantine
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The burger came to 11€, a reasonable price for hamburgers in Paris. The beer cost 6€, a standard price for an artisanal beer. The accompanying green salad came to 3€, bringing the total bill up to 20€.

I was served by Cécile, who told me that she is the manager of the restaurant. She, and another employee who came on duty a little later, speek impeccable English. Americans in Paris who pine for a tasty hamburger will enjoy dining at the Little Cantine.

Little Cantine
51, rue des Ecoles
75005 Paris
Tel.: 01.43.29.88.80

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Angels of Paris
By Rosemary Flannery

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014
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Angels of Paris by Rosemary Flannery

Rosemary Flannery has written an intriguing book about images of angels that we see almost every day while walking around Paris, but never stop to think about. Her book, Angels of Paris, lists dozens of sculptures and images of angels, cherubs, genies, putti…any human-looking creature, large or small, adult or infant, that has wings. Flannery has found them on door knockers, church steeples, pediments, sundials, columns, niches, grills, just about everywhere.

She classifies three types of angels:

Renommées – these are adult angels that celebrate the fame of a person or a group.

Génies – these are angels that one finds on public and private buildings, often flanking a seal or blazon.

Angels – these are messengers of God found on church doorways, steeples, and roofs.

Some angels are celebratory and some are simply decorative or symbolic. The large angel on the face of a certain apartment building in the 3rd arrondissement, for example, is a decorative element that softens the façade’s oblique angle. In another part of town, two génies support a lightning rod on the roof of the Châtelet Theater. Perhaps they symbolize the benevolent protection that the heavenly host accords to theatergoers on stormy nights.

Elsewhere in Paris, angels are portrayed bearing coats of arms, or gifts, such as macarons, flowers, and fruits.

Angels of Paris contains photographs of over seventy angels, arranged by chapter. Each chapter represents an arrondissement, or district, of Paris, and within each chapter the angels are arranged in chronological order according to the date on which they were installed on their particular building. The oldest angel in Paris dates from 1146 – 1148, and the newest from 1936.

More than simply a book about angels, Angels of Paris is also about the history of the city and those who participated in its embellishment. Flannery has carefully researched the lives of the artists and sculptors who created each angel and except where no information was available, recounts each artist’s role in the beautification of the city. Some readers might find her use of architectural terms deterring, but those who bear with her will find their appreciation of the architectural beauty of the city richly enhanced.

Measuring only 6¼” by 6¼”, Angels of Paris is a small hardcover book that can be carried and consulted as one strolls around this enchanting city.

To learn more about Angels of Paris, follow this link: Angels of Paris – An Architectural Tour Through the History of Paris.

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By Rosemary Flannery