Jane and Rita Enjoy the Good Life
Photograph courtesy of Jane
Jane and Rita enjoy a pause-café during a morning stroll around their neighborhood. Rita, a cross between a poodle and Tibetan terrier, is an extremely affectionate dog.
I wrote about Jane and Rita, as well as other dog owners and their dogs, in the chapter entitled “La Vie Parisienne” in my book, Paris Insights – An Anthology. The book is available as both a paperback and an electronic Kindle edition on Amazon.
Berthillon's Cacao au Whisky
(c) Discover Paris!
Veronique Melloul of Bistrot Poulbot
(c) Discover Paris!
On the first of each month, we publish a restaurant review, which we call “Le Bon Goût,” for the readers of our Paris Insights newsletter. In it, we not only describe our dining experience, but also write about the chef or the proprietor, and illustrate the review with a photograph of him or her.
We have been reviewing restaurants for many years, and have met many chefs and proprietors who are passionate about the art of preparing great cuisine. By writing about them, we hope that we can communicate their passion to you, their customer.
In this month’s Le Bon Goût we review Bistrot Poulbot, a restaurant that lies on the north slope of Butte Montmartre, just down the hill from a cabaret called Le Lapin Agile. Operated by Chef Véronique Melloul, it is a great place to dine before taking in the show!
Access to the review is available to paid subscribers of our newsletter. To enter a subscription, click here.
Bending Iron for a Hand-crafted Chandelier
(c) Discover Paris!
Members of the Paris Alumnae/i Network attended a guided visit to the Baguès workshop on Tuesday, June 8 to see how craftsmen make elegant bronze and iron chandeliers, lamp fixtures, wall sconces, and mirror frames. We observed the careful pounding, chiseling, bending, and twisting that the workers applied to lengths of iron and cast bronze to shape the metals into beautiful works of art. Some two to three years of experience are required for a worker to begin to get proficient at the craft. And because the work is so labor intensive, the products that come out of the shop are well beyond the means of the average consumer.
Among those public and private institutions wealthy enough to be able to afford to decorate their palaces with Baguès products are the Château de Versailles, the Banque de France, the Hôtel Ritz, the State Department in Washington, D.C., and the Royal Palace of Bucharest. The lamps and chandeliers are made to measure. This, the expensive materials, and the careful handiwork, account for the costliness of the finished product.
Baguès began as a family-run business in the 19th century, making lamps for churches. Today, a different family runs the enterprise. There are only about three or four companies remaining in France that perform this type of workmanship.
The showroom is located at 73, avenue Daumesnil in the 12th arrondissement.
Finished Chandelier
(c) Discover Paris!
Jacques Chirac at La Rhumerie
Photography by A. D. McKenzie
“What’s going on inside … why do I have to walk in the street instead of on the sidewalk?”
This was the question from a pedestrian on Sunday afternoon as she tried to avoid a large crowd and a troop of police officers in front of a café on the boulevard Saint-Germain. The reason for the throng was that former French president Jacques Chirac was inside La Rhumerie café signing copies of the second volume of his autobiography.
The 77-year-old Chirac is a frequent patron of the café (known for its rum-based cocktails and its Caribbean cuisine), and manager Dominique Herenguel said she was delighted when the politician decided he would autograph his book there.
“It’s wonderful that he has chosen to give us this honor,” she said.
Chirac seemed relaxed as he chatted with admirers of all ages. At one point, a couple clamored for him to hug their baby, and he smilingly complied as the cameras rolled. He later spent time talking to a young boy who appeared thrilled by the attention.
Between autographs, Chirac paused to sip a frothy white cocktail, while his security staff tried to keep journalists and photo-hunters from getting too close in the packed cafe.
Despite all the excitement, some regular diners continued nibbling on their salt-fish fritters and drinking their exotique punch, seemingly oblivious to the hoopla.
La Rhumerie, established in 1932, is an institution in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area. It is located a few steps from the landmark church and from similarly famous cafés such as Les Deux Magots. The owners try to keep its profile high with literary spectacles, art exhibitions, and other cultural events.
As Chirac signed copies of his book, he was flanked by the colorful canvases of Nathalie Lemaître, a French artist who has held annual exhibitions at La Rhumerie for the past five years. Her current show runs until July 11 – something to catch if you missed Chirac.
We wish to thank A. D. McKenzie for her contribution to the Paris Insights blog.
I am pleased to announce that I have been named the official blogger for the second annual 4-14 Festival, to be held in Dijon on July 9-11, 2010. The festival brings together American and French musicians and chefs to celebrate friendship, food, music…and fun! Last year, 15,000 people turned out for the festivities!
Twenty-five chefs from both sides of the Atlantic will work their culinary magic for the festival. This year, American chefs from New Orleans and other Louisiana towns (and one from Washington, D.C.) will be participating in the event. They include Louisiana native Dooky Chase IV of the legendary Dooky Chase restaurant. The restaurant was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but has risen from the flood waters to continue its 60+-year tradition of service. Among the French chefs, Michelin-starred Marc Meneau of the inimitable l’Esperance, and Daniel Ginsberg of the Nouvelle Cuisine de la Ville de Dijon will participate alongside nine additional Burgundian masters of cuisine.
I have been writing about food for Discover Paris! since October 2006, when I launched my “Quest for Smoke-Free Dining” review for the Paris Insights monthly newsletter. After smoking was banned in restaurants in France in January 2008, I launched “Le Bon Goût,” a monthly restaurant review for which I interview the chef. The review is found in my Paris Insights newsletter, available by paid subscription. I now publish a free weekly restaurant review for the Paris Insights Web site as well. I share my passion for coffee and chocolate by frequently posting anecdotes to my Paris Insights blog and Facebook page about the fresh-roasted coffee beans and hand-crafted chocolates that I find at the many coffee-roasting facilities and artisanal chocolate shops in the French capital.
Click here to access my blog about the 4-14 Festival. Click here to access my free weekly restaurant review.
Good news for jazz fans! Mra Oma & Brotherhood will be performing at the Centre Tchèque this Friday at 8:30 p.m. The Czech center is located at 18, rue Bonaparte in the 6th arrondissement. Entry is only 5€ for some great music!
Our feature article for this month’s Paris Insights newsletter is about Le Lapin Agile. Nestled on the northern slope of Montmartre, just downhill from a vineyard and uphill from a cemetery, the cabaret has existed since at least the early 19th century. Read about this historic place and learn why it evokes so much nostalgia.
Just down the north slope from the cabaret lies a restaurant called Bistrot Poulbot. Operated by Chef Véronique Melloul, it is a great place to dine before taking in the show! Read our review in this month’s Le Bon Goût.
We interviewed Federico Santalla, one of the singers who used to perform at Le Lapin Agile. Read our account of his experience there in this month’s Paris, Past and Present.
All three of these articles can be found in the June issue of the Paris Insights newsletter. To subscribe, please click here.
In our weekly quest for new restaurants to review, we often order an apéritif to whet our appetites for dinner. We decided some time ago to compose a list of some of the unusual house cocktails that we have tasted, and present a few of them below, most of which are wine-based concoctions.
Stronger stuff can be tasted today and tomorrow at the 3rd annual Cocktails Spirits salon, held at La Maison Rouge art gallery at 10, boulevard de la Bastille in the 12th arrondissement.
Vin Chai Moi’s grapefruit, ginger, and white wine cocktail
© Discover Paris!
Vin Chai Moi cocktail
This handsome restaurant and wine bar in the 1st arrondissement has a surprisingly long and eclectic list of wine cocktails from which to choose. Our favorite is made with white wine flavored with grapefruit and ginger. Though it may look like a frou-frou drink, it is potent!
Vin Chai Moi – 18, rue Duphot – Paris 1è
Kir Birlou
This is a specialty of A Verse Toujours, a café in the 5th arrondissement. It is made with white wine and Birlou, a liqueur from the Cantal region of Auvergne, containing “the flavor of apple and the mystery of chestnut.” This liqueur has been available outside of Auvergne only for the past ten years. “Bir” signifies beer, because the liqueur marries well with this beverage. “Lou” comes from the word “pelou,” which is a colloquialism that evokes the chestnut.
We have not found the delightful Kir Birlou anywhere else to date!
A Verse Toujours – 3, avenue des Gobelins – Paris 5è
Pousse Rapière
This beverage is made from a liqueur called Armagnac Pousse Rapière, composed of macerated orange and Armagnac from the Château de Monluc located in the Gascony region of France. The liqueur is mixed with Vin Sauvage Brut, a sparkling white wine from the same producer. One can substitute other sparkling whites, including champagne, but the wine should be brut (dry). Otherwise, the cocktail will be too sweet.
La Cérisaie, one of our favorite restaurants in the Montparnasse district, first introduced us to this drink. We have also found it at La Tute, in the 1st arrondissement.
La Cérisaie – 70, boulevard Edgar-Quinet – Paris 14è
Deborah Brown-Pivain, Proprietor
Gentle Gourmet Bed and Breakfast
(c) Discover Paris!
On the first of each month, we publish a restaurant review, which we call “Le Bon Goût,” for the readers of our Paris Insights newsletter. In it, we not only describe our dining experience, but also write about the chef or the proprietor, and illustrate the review with a photograph of him or her.
We have been reviewing restaurants for many years, and have met many chefs and proprietors who are passionate about the art of preparing great cuisine. By writing about them, we hope that we can communicate their passion to you, their customer.
In this month’s Le Bon Goût, we review a vegetarian establishment called Gentle Gourmet Bed and Breakfast.
Access to the review is available to paid subscribers of our newsletter. To enter a subscription, click here.
 | Tom Reeves - author of Paris Insights - An Anthology and Dining Out in Paris - What You Need to Know before You Get to the City of Light. |