When a French chef goes tapas!

I have a very dear friend who used to be a producer for television (before doing what she really wanted to do: be on stage! I already told you about her last year), and through her, I met Yves Camdeborde, a very famous French chef whose restaurant I visited last week. To be more accurate, I visited - and had the pleasure to eat at - one of his restaurants, the one called L'avant-comptoir, a sort of Tapas place, but very French! Very nice guy and for sure a place to visit.

Le Bistrot du sommelier in Paris

Yesterday, I had the pleasure to have lunch at Le Bistrot du sommelier, a restaurant located in the 8th arrondissement, where they have a little private lounge where you can have a little privacy. The food is stunning and so is the wine for the owner of the place is one the best sommeliers (wine expert) in the world. He is also a MOF (Meilleur ouvrier de France), which is a prestigious award, granted to workers and artisans who excel in their art.

Happy 4th of July!

You all know the joke right? "Is there a 4th of July in France?" Well yes, there is, and it's today! Only we don't celebrate it like Americans do... On this blog though, since a lot of my visitors are from the US, I usually try to take a photo that has some kind of connections with North America! I happen to have had dinner at HD Diner yesterday evening, and everything there looks American (except the prices: a small Bud costs... 4,90 €!), so I thought this could be  my 4th of July tribute!

Sweet melody...

I had dinner at Maison Blanche last evening, a delightful restaurant on top of the Théâtre des Champs Elysée where you can enjoy one of the most breathtaking views of Paris (yes I'm lucky!). On top of the delicious food and stunning view, there was also a small trio playing music for the audience. A magical moment... I ended up talking to them and it turns out they are really nice. Let me introduce you to Jacques Bonvallet (violin), Eric Lancelot (bass) Cécile De Hann (cello).

Drinks at Kong

If you happen to be in Paris and look for a cool place (with a view) to have a drink, I suggest you pay a visit to Le Kong, a restaurant located on top of the Samaritaine (well, one of the old Samaritaine stores). Of course it's a little "trendy" (meaning expensive!), but the view is really worth it and you don't have to have dinner there, you can simply have drinks until 6 pm. And the good thing is that it's really not too crowded (meaning, you can take the table at the very end of the top room which offers the best view;-) FYI: The decor - which includes these big heads on the plastic chairs - is by Starck, bien sûr...).

A must eat at!

No, this photo has nothing to do with today's picnic! for the food will be much less sophisticated, but I happen to have walked by this Paris landmark restaurant two days ago and well, I could not help but take a photo. La Tour d'Argent may not be the best restaurant in the world, it may have lost a few stars along the years, it remains a unique place with a breath taking view on Notre Dame (take a look at it on their website). Besides it probably has the best cellar in Paris and a new chef (Stéphane Haissant) has been in charge since 2006. Definitely a place to visit if you can afford it.

La Brigade, the food truck for meat lovers!

It's absolutely fascinating to see how "food trucks" (we don't even have a French word it) have multiplied these past two years in Paris. I already told you about Cantine California, the one that makes the best hamburgers in Paris, here is now another one for meat lovers. I found it in the 13th arrondissement near a movie theater, it's called La Brigade (after the name of what we call a crew in a restaurant kitchen) and it sells juicy slices of meat to die for (if you like meat, of course!).

Dinner au Petit Trianon

On the boulevard Rochechouart, not far from Montmartre, there is a nice little theater called Le Trianon. It was renovated about 3 years ago which was also the occasion to reopen a very old restaurant (it was opened in 1894!) called Le Petit Trianon. That is where I had dinner last evening and I don't regret it... A place that is worth the visit: very nice decor, very good food, excellent service and... an affordable check in the end.

Fromage, baguette and other French delices...

I don't know if you're like me, but when I visit a foreign country, even if I love the food they make  - and God knows that Thai food is really good - I begin to miss the food I'm used to! What I miss the most? French bread and more precisely crispy baguette which you can only find in France. Cheese also, is something I miss pretty quickly when I travel. That's why today, I stuffed myself with all this in a restaurant near my house ;-)

Winter sun

I'm just back from Nice where it rained a lot! (a big storm crossed Europe during Christmas), so surprisingly there was today more sun In Paris than when I left the French Riviera! I took a photo of a very typical café : le Café de l'Île Saint-Louis, which is perfectly located - just across the Île de la Cité and where they have a very nice - and quiet!- terrace. Now is the time to prepare the new year!

Steack tartare

Like in a lot of countries the non meat movement is progressing in France too, but there is still a loooong way to go, as meat is part of most of the French's diet. And meat can make cool photos too ;-) Here is one of a steak tartare from le Kong, a trendy restaurant located on the top of the former Samaritaine (which is still closed by the way...)

Paris Little India

I already told you about the "Indian quarter of Paris", located near the Gare du Nord area on the occasion of the Ganesha Celebration, but that's about it. To be honest, I very rarely go there, because what you can find in the stores is "very Indian" and I cannot really picture myself buying a Sherwani (even though some of them are really beautiful). When it comes to food however, it's a different story. That is how I ended up at Saravanaa Bhavan, a vegetarian restaurant located at 170 rue du Faubourg Saint Denis, where I had this delicious meal! (Sorry for posting late, something went wrong with the post scheduling - maybe it was me who went wrong!)

La Parisienne (in the rain)

Things are really improving! I even drove my scooter today. And on the way back home I stopped because I thought this restaurant under renovation was photo worthy. Then when I pulled the trigger I realized a typical "Parisienne" was in the picture!  Well, what can I say, I simply love this photo ;-) 

A (very) French café

I had a meeting at Place de la Bastille this morning and since I needed a quiet place the person I was supposed to see recommended that we meet at Le Café Français, at the corner of the Place and the rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine. I did not know this place, but I'm glad I went, for it's pretty cool. As you can see from the blue, white and red colors, the main theme is definitely France! After investigating on the web I found out that this café belongs to the famous Costes brothers who own most of the trendy cafés in Paris (about 40 places!)... 

Un p'tit verre sur le zinc...

In Paris, I love the atmosphere of these little cafés/brasseries when you have "un p'tit café" ou "un p'tit verre" (a little coffee or a little glass of wine) sur le zinc (on the counter - which was originally made of zinc). I took this photo at L'Acajou des Volcans, a pretty nice restaurant located at 12 rue Coquillère (next to the famous Pied de Cochon at les Halles). Good food, good service and affordable prices, thanks to La Fourchette, the site you MUST go through if you come to Paris and want to chose - and book - a restaurant.

La Favorite, my "favorite" bistrot!

At the beginning of rue de Rivoli (number 4 exactly) there is a café / Bistrot called La Favorite that I love! Not only for the food - a mix of Parisian/international cuisine (which includes hamburgers, yes!), but also for its atmosphere: very French and lots of little interesting things to see in the decor, including the menu that looks like a newspaper (see photograph). The bread is to die for and... even the waiters are nice! Definitely worth a visit...

Dancing the salsa in Paris

Last evening I went to a Microsoft press conference at the Cuba Compagnie, a Cuban style café near Bastille and on the way out I noticed that there was a Salsa session going on on the ground floor (apparently organized by a "coconut water" drink. So I took a photo... Salsa dancing is very popular in France - so is Cuba - and you find many places where to dance it - and/or learn it - in Paris. I like this photo because of its colors and energy. 

Escargots!

Last evening I had a drink outside near the Eiffel Tower, at La terrasse, a restaurant at Place de l'Ecole Militaire. Not only were the waiters extraordinary nice, but on top of that the food was excellent. We had a little bit of everything, including foie gras of course, and... escargots (well "they" had escargots, of which I'm not a big fan!). I could not help but taking a photo. And if you're tempted... Here is a recipe. 

Snake preview: Hotel Banke!

Last evening I attended a little party for the birthday of someone that true PDP followers know well ;-) It took place in the beautiful bar of the Hotel Banke at rue Lafayette. Of course I could have shown you the actual bar or the stunning hall or the silky entrance, but no... I couldn't resist posting a photo of their bathroom! Truly amazing... (And in case you're wondering, no, it's not real snake!). I know, it's weird ;-) 

A cool café

Last evening I had a meeting at a pretty cool café, near Les Halles. It's called Le bon pêcheur, the decors is really very Parisian and so are the waiters (all dressed up in traditional outfits, including a cap (you can see one on the left by the cash register). They are very nice and friendly too (which is not very Parisian LOL!). If you notice the heater in the foreground is on... This shows how cold it is in Paris at the moment!