Our Gift Suggestions for Valentine’s Day

October 18th, 2014
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Looking for a memorable gift for that special person this Valentine’s Day? We’ve joined with five authors to present a list of six books that we think will please even the most discriminating bibliophile.

Dining Out in Paris_flat

 

For visitors in search of an authentic Parisian dining experience, this book is indispensable!

The e-book Dining Out in Paris – What You Need to Know before You Get to the City of Light provides essential information for the Paris-bound traveler who wants to enjoy a fine dining experience in Paris.

Bonus! Dining Out in Paris – What You Need to Know before You Get to the City of Light contains in-depth reviews of twelve of the author’s favorite restaurants.

Click here to order! http://amzn.to/1nkgCyu

 

 

Je-t-aime-me-neither

 

Is Paris really the eternal City of Love? Dumped suddenly by her Parisian boyfriend, sultry expat Lily is left wondering if je t’aime still exists. Instead of crying into her glass of wine, she decides to heal her bruised ego and quash her romantic doubts with a carefree summer fling . . . or as the French call it: une aventure. Little does she know what—or whom—this adventure has in store! A fun and tantalizing true story of what the Passions of Paris can ignite. Click here to order! http://amzn.to/1Htubo7.

 

 

 

 

90-plus-ways

 

90+ Ways You Know You’re Becoming French is a just-for-fun little book full of perspicacious cultural observations. An amusing way to measure acquired “Frenchness” for those who have studied French or lived in France. Such as when you:

• say things like “I’m getting down from the bus at the next stop”
• know where the “first floor” really is
• ask everyone about their recent/upcoming vacances.

We had a lot of fun making this book. It’s a great gift (less expensive than flowers!) and gets a party rolling. Attractive watercolor illustrations.

Click here to order in Europe http://store.fusac.fr/, in the USA http://amzn.to/1sANloR.

 

Walks through Lost Paris

 

This book features four walks through Paris with hundreds of photos, before and after, showing a Paris that no longer exists. Walk from Saint-Germain des Pres to the Grands Boulevards, through the Left Bank, Ile de la Cité, and the Marais to see how Paris transformed in the 19th century and into the early 20th century under the pickaxe of Baron Haussmann and his followers. The text tells us the history of these grand projects.

“Leonard is completely legitimate, he’s impregnated with Paris. He sees things that we don’t see.”
    -Le Figaro

Click here to order! http://amzn.to/1Aqksvu

 

 

 

Best Paris Short Stories

 

For some, Paris is home, for others, merely a dream. For Gaston, it is a bench, the anchor of his life. For Sue, a romantic city filled with scandalous, dark-eyed men, for Frank an all-consuming fire, for Mme Santinelli a ghost she’d hoped to forget.

By turns humorous, bittersweet or surreal, each of these carefully selected* stories explores a different facet of Paris.

*Selected by distinguished judges Elizabeth Bard, Cara Black, Janet Skeslien Charles, Charles and Clydette De Groot, Penelope Fletcher, Nicola Keegan, Anne Korkeakivi, Diane Johnson, Robert Stewart, Heather Stimmler-Hall and Charles Trueheart.

Click here to order! http://amzn.to/16o28cj

 

 

 

Confessions of a Paris Party Girl

 

Wine, romance, and French bureaucracy—the ups and downs of an American’s life in Paris. This laugh-out-loud memoir is almost too funny to be true!

When newly-single party girl Vicki moved to Paris, she was hoping to indulge in wine, stuff her face with croissants, and maybe fall in love. In her first book, this cheeky storyteller and semi-professional drinker recounts the highs and lows of her life in Paris. Full of sass, shamefully honest admissions, and situations that seem too absurd to be true, you’ll feel as if you’re stumbling along the cobblestones with her.

Click here to order! http://amzn.to/1jSGJ0h

 

 

 

 

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Cooking Bœuf à la Bourguignonne with Ann Mah

October 10th, 2014
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Ann Mah bookcover

Last year Ann Mah published a delightful book about French cuisine called Mastering the Art of French Eating. I became aware of it because my own recently-published book Dining Out in Paris—What You Need to Know before You Get to the City of Light treats a similar theme, namely French food and dining culture. I read her book in two evenings, and then decided to try one of her recipes, Bœuf à la Bourguignonne.

Essential Ingredients for Bœuf à la Bourguignonne

Essential Ingredients for Bœuf à la Bourguignonne
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

She calls this dish Bœuf à la Bourguignonne rather than Bœuf Bourguignon, because she believes that the reader should be able to use any kind of red wine, not just Burgundy wine. I purchased most of the ingredients from the local food market on rue Mouffetard, including a bottle of Rasteau, a Rhone Valley red, from Nicolas. From Pascal Gosnet I purchased two beef cheeks; from Picard Surgélé I purchased a bag of frozen pearl onions and a bag of frozen sliced button mushrooms; from Halles Mouffetard, I purchased an onion, a leek, and carrots; and from Franprix I purchased a small bottle of Cognac, a jar of juniper berries, and lardon matchsticks (bacon chopped into small slivers). I already had the other ingredients in the pantry.

I allotted an entire afternoon for the preparation of the dish. By the time I was finished I had lots of pots, pans, and utensils to wash! But the next day, when my wife and I set down to dinner, I concluded that the hearty dish was worth the effort.

Chopped Leek and Carrots

Chopped Leek, Onion, and Carrots
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

I chopped the leek, onion, and carrots into 1″ pieces as Ann instructed.

Cubed Beef

Cubed Beef
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

I cut the beef cheeks into 3″ pieces. This was the hard part, because my knife wasn’t sharp and because a membrane on the cheek was too tough to cut. I removed it by cutting away at the meat rather than at the membrane. I saved this meaty scrap and boiled it later for beef stock. Then, I put everything in the pot (except the meat scrap) to await the wine bath in which the vegetables and beef would be immersed.

Pouring Wine into the Pot

Pouring Wine into the Pot
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

I poured the wine into the pot. Naturally, I tasted the wine first: it was medium-bodied with a rich aroma of red fruits. Very nice!

Then I covered the pot, making sure that all of the meat was immersed, and put it in the refrigerator to marinate overnight.

Browning the Meat

Browning the Meat
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The following day I removed the beef chunks from the marinade and put them in a frying pan with olive oil to brown. Ann said that they would turn golden and crusted, but they never did. Oh, well.

Browning the Vegetables

Browning the Vegetables
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

I removed the meat from the frying pan and set it aside. Then I browned the vegetables. They never got very brown either, so I had to pretend that they were browned.

Flaming the Cognac

Flaming the Cognac
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

I put the vegetables and meat back into the frying pan and flamed them with cognac. Then, I returned the beef and vegetables to the pot with the marinade and let them simmer for three hours.

Sautéed Mushrooms, Pearl Onions, and Bacon

Sautéed Mushrooms, Pearl Onions, and Lardon Matchsticks
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

I prepared the garniture: sautéed mushrooms, pearl onions, and lardon matchsticks. This all went into the pot with the beef, vegetable, and marinade to simmer for an additional ten minutes.

Bœuf à la Bourguignonne

Bœuf à la Bourguignonne
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

It was finished. Voilà! (The vegetables are discarded. The beef is served without the marinade. Later, I used the marinade to make a rich cabbage and carrot soup.)

At the Table

At the Table
Bœuf à la Bourguignonne Served with Mushrooms,
Lardon Matchsticks, Green Beans and Quinoa

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

It was truly a dish that was suitable for serving on a chilly fall day. We found the beef to be tender with a somewhat gamey flavor. I speculated that the flavor came from the mushrooms, wine, and smoked bacon, not from the meat. (I tasted the meat in the beef stock that had been prepared without marinade, and it didn’t taste gamey.) There was enough beef left over for another meal, which we had two days later.

Thank you, Ann Mah, for writing the book and sharing the recipe for this savory dish!

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52 Martinis Paris Cocktails Meetup at Club Rayé

October 4th, 2014
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Club Rayé

Club Rayé
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Last Tuesday evening we attended a 52 Martinis meetup. Organized by Forest Collins, it was held at Club Rayé, a chic bar in the Montorgueil district of Paris.

Monique in Tunnel that Leads to the Kafka Room

Monique Y. Wells in Tunnel that Leads to the Kafka Room
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The party was held in the bar’s Kafka room, accessible down a stairway and through a narrow tunnel painted with vertical stripes of black and white. “Rayé” is French for “striped,” and the design of the entire bar reflects this theme.

Bartender Preparing a Forest Collins

Tim, the Bartender
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The bartender was preparing “Forest Collins,” a drink made with 5cl of juniper-infused Monkey Shoulder, 3cl lemon juice, and 2cl sugar syrup. Shake and serve over ice topped up with soda water.

Fanny Pothier

Fanny Pothier
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Fanny Pothier was there taking pictures.

Bihter Sabanoglu and Forest Collins

Bihter Sabanoglu and Forest Collins
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Bihter Sabanoglu posed for a photo with Forest.

Dio - Forest Collins - Fanny Pothier

Dio – Forest Collins – Fanny Pothier
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Forest and Fanny went behind the bar to pose with bartender Dio for a photograph.

Monique Y Wells - Kein Cross - Forest Collins

Monique Y Wells – Kein Cross – Forest Collins
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And toward the end of the evening, Monique and Forest went upstairs to pose with the owner, Kein Cross.

A good time was had by all!

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Journey to the Center of a Flea Market

October 2nd, 2014
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Two weeks ago, we got an invitation to attend Sarah Rozenbaum’s open house at the Marché aux Puces – the famous flea market that lies in Saint-Ouen, just outside the Paris city limits to the north. She had opened a second vintage clothing store and was inviting us to come by and see the new shop. Having written about her shop back in January 2013, I was eager to return to see what she was up to. Also, I thought that it would be a good occasion to dine in one to the restaurants around the flea market after we had visited her boutique.

Sarah Rosenbaum

Sarah Rozenbaum, Proprietor of Chez Sarah
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

We arrived on a Friday evening and saw that the open house was a special market-wide event. Called “Voyage au Centre des Puces,” it had been organized around the theme of travel and was open only to those who received an invitation. We didn’t linger in the other boutiques, though – we headed straight for Sarah’s.

Located in a covered passage, appropriately called “Le Passage,” Sarah’s vintage clothing store stretches along three-quarters of a city block. Back in 2013, I wrote that “mannequins dressed in 20th century garb display feathery hats, flappers’ skirts, elegant gowns, frilly dresses, colorful capes, and chic purses…it’s all there for the shopper who wants to dress in yesterday’s styles. Most of the selection is for women, but men’s clothes are displayed as well.” When we arrived at her shop on this recent Friday evening, we discovered that the newly opened second shop lay just across the alley from the first. It was just as long (three-quarters of a city block), but the major difference was that here she sells a wide selection of vintage men’s clothing as well as women’s clothing and fabrics.

We decided to concentrate our exploration on the men’s clothing, and we found lots of handsome attire to admire.

Men's Hats

Men’s Hats
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

I could see myself sporting one of these top hats and strutting into Les Deux Magots to order a double bourbon.

Striped Trousers

Striped Trousers
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

I’d need a pair of striped trousers, though, to do justice to the style of the hat.

Man's Jacket

Man’s Jacket
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

This jacket looks as though it will go well with the trousers.

Men's Ties

Men’s Ties
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

I neglected to look at shirts, but I saw that there was a wide selection of ties, priced at only 5€ each! I was sure to find one that complemented the top hat, jacket, and trousers. Perhaps a bow tie would better suit the style? I didn’t see any around.

Peignoir

Dressing Gown
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Back home, in the evening, I’d doff the top hat and wear this dressing gown.

Label of a House Robe

A. Sulka & Company Clothing Label
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

An Amos Sulka & Company house robe, priced at “only” 400€, no less! Though likely a bargain (Sulka closed in 2001), I would have still have to think twice before putting out that much money.

Realizing that the cost of dressing like a dandy was beyond my means, I left the shop with my partner and headed for our next destination: a nearby restaurant called La Puce. Read our account of this fine eating establishment in this week’s Paris Insights restaurant review.

Chez Sarah
18, rue Jules Vallès or 27, rue Lécuyer
93400 Saint-Ouen
Telephone: 06.08.01.80.89
Metro: Porte de Clignancourt (Line 4)
www.chezsarah.net
Open all day Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and by appointment Wednesday through Friday.

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Suddenly a Whole New Reason for Going to Paris

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

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

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

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

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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Elegance and Swagger

August 22nd, 2014
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Jocelyn Armel

Jocelyn Armel in front of His Haberdashery Sape & Co
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

While exploring the area around the Château Rouge neighborhood to gather information for our guided “Spirit of Africa” tour, we came upon Jocelyn Armel at his shop Sape & Co at 12, rue de Panama. Hailing from Congo Brazzaville, Mr. Armel sells men’s clothes in the style of sapeurs from that country. The acronym “SAPE” means Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elégantes (Society of Poseurs and Elegant People), and a sapeur is a man whose devotes his life to elegant dress.

Mr. Armel told us that his clothes are imported from Italy. Sape & Co, whose full name is “Sape & Connivence,” is open every day except Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

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