C’est confidentiel – my list of small bistros, quirky wine bars, romantic boites, and tiny food shops

Funny to come across some of MY confidential list of favorite neighborhood places printed up in the Bon Appetit magazine. This is only for friends who truly appreciate these little finds. So, friends, here is my current list. But please, keep it to yourselves. C’est confidentiel.

SUPERB SPECIALTY SHOPS

Pâtisserie Sadaharu Aoki (literally a stone throw from our apartment
Sadaharu Aoki’s talent is huge, but his pristine white shop is the size of a cream puff (he has two other locations in Paris; this is my favorite branch). Sada, a hero in his native Japan, is one of the most creative pastry chefs working in Paris, where he was trained. While his black sesame éclairs rightly have a cult following, I can’t get enough of the Bamboo, a slender chocolate cake with a green tea filling. Ditto the Brooklyn, an über-classy cheesecake.
35 rue de Vaugirard, 6th; 011-33-1-45-44-48-90; sadaharuaoki.com

Da Rosa Épicerie-Cantine
When José Da Rosa set up shop five years ago, I couldn’t believe my luck. At last, we ordinary mortals could buy the same Spanish hams, mustards, and fine oils that Michelin chefs trusted him to supply. Now life is even sweeter — there’s the cantine, where we can nibble foie gras, great cheeses, a few hot dishes (try the risotto), and wines, too. And don’t leave without a sack of chocolate-coated Sauternes-soaked raisins. I’d call them Raisinets, but they’re in their own universe of wonderfulness.
62 rue de Seine, 6th; 011-33-1-40-51-00-09

Pierre Hermé
Pierre Hermé is widely considered the greatest pastry chef in the world, and has some of the most interesting chocolate in town. Mostly, his shoe box jewel of a store on Rue Bonaparte is exquisite and has people lined up around the corner at all hours. His chocolate provoke, and though his provocations don’t always hit the mark, his work is always interesting. The combination of lavender and Chinese tea, chocolate with yuzu, the fragrant Japanese citrus, make it always an interesting event to experience his brand of gourmandise.
72, rue de Bonaparte, 6th; 011-33-1-43-54-47-77, www.pierreherme.com

Christian Constant
37 rue d’Assas, 6th; 011-33-1-53-63-15-15
Another place in the neighborhood, and not to be confused with the chef of Violon d’Ingres. This is the chocolate shop. Opened in 1970, Christian Constant sells some of Paris’s most delectable chocolates by the kilo. Each is a blend of ingredients from Ecuador, Colombia, or Venezuela, usually mingled with scents of spices and flowers like orange blossoms, jasmine, the Asian blossom ylang, and vetiver and verveine (herbs usually used to brew tea).

Mariage Freres Salon de Thé
13, Rue Grands Augustins, 6th; 011-33-1-40-51-82-50
My all time favourite place to spend time in the neighborhood. Actually, in Paris. Sitting and sipping tea at this jewel box of a tea salon, along with a Comptoir du Thé where its virtually a museum to the art of tea. It’s hidden in an alley way, tucked in a wonderful section of our neighborhood. This elegant salon de thé serves 500 kinds of tea, along with delicious tarts and cakes. In the upstairs salon, you’re transported back to a Chinese pagoda environ, with waiters dressed in elegant Chinoise uniform with beautiful Mandarin chairs and decor. On the main floor, one feels like you’ve stepped into a Chinese tea master’s apothecary with floor to ceiling tea cans and glass cases showcasing the most beautiful iron teapots and accoutrements for sale. They have another Salon in the Marais. www.mariagefreres.com

LADURÉE
21 rue Bonaparte, Paris, 6th; 33 (0)1 44 07 64 87
They say the history of Parisian tea salons is intimately tied to the history of the Ladurée family. Well, this Salon was reinvented in 1997, though you think it’s been there for centuries. This is my daughter’s favorite afternoon treat. The place is so special. They invented macaroons. Pistachio, Rose, Orange Blossoms, Lemon, Mint, in addition to the traditional Chocolate, Vanilla, Raspberry and so forth. The menu goes on for 24 pages with Petit Dejeuner, Salades, Les Viennoiserie, et al. The salon is exquisitely decorated to transport you back to some kinds of an exotic, exquisite luxurious, Oriental tent atmosphere, with requisite tromp l’oeil paintings of wild animals and flora. www.laduree.fr

STLYISH BARS, PERFECT BISTROS, GORGEOUS RESTAURANT

The Restaurant at L’Hotel
L’Hotel, where Oscar Wilde died “above his means,” is one of the coziest settings in Paris. Enter, walk past the small sitting room and the intimate bar, and you’ll reach the restaurant, formerly known as Le Bélier, which is like a luxurious salon, with silks, swags, sofas, and throw pillows, a setting so relaxing it clears your mind of everything but thoughts of a fine meal — which you’ll get here. The food is modern, refined, and beautifully presented (you must have the chocolate dessert plate), and the service cossets as much as all those pillows.
13 rue des Beaux-Arts, 6th; 011-33-1-44-41-99-00; l-hotel.com

Technorati Tags: food, Restaurants

 

‘This is Paris,’ ‘This is San Francisco,’ but where is ‘This is Tokyo?’

I searched and searched for travel books to excite a two year old kid as well as inform me as to what are best things to do when we traveled. I found these, written by Sasek in 1959! With a minimum of words and a maximum of illustrations, ‘This is Paris’ captures the magic of mankind’s capital city. ‘This is Paris’ is a delightful tour of 1950s Paris from a child’s eye view. Sasek had written ‘This is Rome’ and ‘This is London,’ in 1959, but where the heck was ‘This is Tokyo,’ and ‘This is Seoul,’ for the kid of the 21st century?!@* So this is what I’m setting out to do, in 21st century format, in blogs.

“This is Paris (This is . . .)” (Miroslav Sasek)

“This is Rome (This is . . .)” (Miroslav Sasek)

“This is London (This is . . .)” (Miroslav Sasek)

Well, what do you know? As I’m searching for the links, I’m founding out that during the past couple of years, the publishers of Sasek book has figured out the same thing that I have, and have extended the series, using new editors, to create books for other cities, around the world. In fact, there is now, ‘This is Hong Kong!’ and Texas, for goodness sakes! As Paul always says, we’re always about two weeks ahead of the latest trend insight from NY Times!

“This is Hong Kong (This is . . .)” (Miroslav Sasek)

“This Is Edinburgh (This is . . .)” (Miroslav Sasek)

“This is New York (This is . . .)” (Miroslav Sasek)

“This is San Francisco (This is . . .)” (Miroslav Sasek)

“This Is Ireland” (M. Sasek)

“This Is Texas (This is . . .)” (Miroslav Sasek)

 

Birth of ‘Let’s Go, Paris’ pour les enfants…

So I’ve been thinking about writing a series of ‘Let’s Go… to Paris, pour les enfants,’ to Tokyo, to Sydney, for now a couple of years now. Ever since Hadley was born seven years ago and I took her around the world, I saw a need. She was a sport, and is, an inveterate, world class traveler. She had trekked through about 17 countries by the time she was about two. By that time, she wanted a travel book, so she can figure out where she was going and what she could do. Also, she and I developed a little ritual, to provide her with photos and information to get her excited about the voyage she was about to undertake. And then, I started to get calls from friends and strangers who had heard about my travels with my baby to get tips about traveling to distant lands, with different systems, logic, with little kids. An idea was born.

Remember. Travel is not reward for living, but homework for living….

I remember taking her to get her passport photos when she was about a month old. My first business trip back after my maternity leave was to Toronto, Canada, and I had to figure out quickly, all of the tricks of traveling around the world with a little baby. Don’t forget, to get a passport for your kid the minute she/he is born. Better to do this when you can still hold and control them on your lap! And even more urgent, now post 9/11 with all of the new requirements for traveling abroad. Remember, all kids under 14 years of age must apply in person.

 

American mom’s ideas for stuff to do with her 5-year old in Paris

An American mother in Paris/In search of the City of Light’s PG-rated attractions. By Janis Cooke Newman in SF Chronicle

(05-13) 04:00 PDT Paris — My date at the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower
is making a crayfish dance on the edge of his platter of seafood. He
wiggles a little pair of orange claws at me. I smile and tenderly touch
his cheek. Then we gaze out past the filigree struts of the tower to the
lights of Paris glittering in the night sky.
“Always see Paris with someone you love.” The first man who took me to
Paris gave me this advice. I was in my 20s, and was certainly in love with
him.
We stayed in a little hotel above a 24-hour Vietnamese takeout restaurant
and spent hours strolling beside the Seine. Each time we passed beneath a
bridge I kissed him.
Now, nearly 20 years later, I’m sitting in Altitude 95, the restaurant
halfway up the Eiffel Tower, watching someone I love make a crayfish
dance. Someone who earlier this evening dropped a crayon into my white
wine: my 5- year-old son, Alex.

 

Top 10 things to do in Paris for Kids

1.  Ride a carrousel - I can think of four carrousels in Paris right off the bat. It’s a kids paradise for carrousels. Some are clunky, just better than super-market level affairs (Square de Boucicaut near the Bon Marche), others are majestic in their “emplacement” (across the street from the Eiffel Tower), and others melancholy, like the one in the Tuilleries, which wouldn’t surprise me if it played Les Feuilles Mortes (Autumn Leaves) in the calliope version.  Our rule for our kids is “one carrousel (or manege) a day, whenever you spot on.

2. See the stuffed animals at Deyrolles.  All the joy of a zoo, except that all the animals are stuffed and it’s absolutely free. If you’re wandering around the neighborhood around the Musee d’Orsay with (or without) kids, make sure to stop in at Deyrolles at 46, rue du Bac, right near the Montalembert.  This taxidermy and outdoors supplies shop has been open for 100 years. It was recently rescued by the owners of the Prince Jardinier to save it from destruction. Lucky thing too — it’s a wonderfully quirky store that will amaze you and a real step back into time when budding Darwins ensnared, collected, and catalogued all manner of animals.

3. Canal Saint-Martin (5 years old and up depending on how ancy your child gets).
From L’Arsenal near the Bastille, the boats disappear into a 100 year-old stone tunnel for about 1 kms.  On the other side of the tunnel, you’re treated to a leisurely ride with an unfolding street show of French life unfolding in front of you.  Slowly you’ll get to La Villette, at the north eastern border of the city, which is a fun museum for kids if you’re not burnt out by then.  You can take the boat all the way back or walk through the Vilette to the metro to get home. . Port de l’Arsenal. Metro: Bastille. Canauxrama: Bassin de la Villette, 13, quai de la Loire. 75019. Reservations: 01 42 39 15 00. 9:45am-2:30pm. 12 euros. 10 euros for up to 12 years old. Under 6= free.  The boat has recently discontinued refreshments, so bring along your own snacks, coffee, picnic, or drinks.

4.  Unicorn Tapestries at the Cluny Museum  or Musée National du Moyen Age – Count yourself lucky if you happen to see the Unicorn tapestries (Dame à la Licorne) at the same time as a class of little kids.  Along with the Unicorn Tapestries of the Cloisters in New York, these are among the most inspiring and “fun” tapestries in the world.

Additionally, there are the newly designed gardens inspired by the Books of hours, by tapestries and paintings of the Middle Ages. The garden is a series of smaller gardens, each one with a theme: medicinal herbs, love, and food.  6, place Paul-Painlevé. 75005. Tel: 01 53 73 78 00. Open daily except Tues., 9:15am-5:45pm.  Metro: Odeon or Cluny.

Article is a work in progress…

Technorati Tags: Paris, Paris for kids