When Joanne and I travel to Paris, it seems that we usually arrive around noon. I’m still feeling groggy and cotton-mouthed from the overnight flight, so by the time we get settled into our hotel at around 2:00, all I want to do is take a snooze.
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Paris
Blast from the Past: Springtime in Paris
After you’ve done the Louvre…and Musée d’Orsay…..and the Musée Picasso…..and have seen Claude Monet’s Water Lilies at Musée de l’Orangerie…..and the Eiffel Tower… and whatever else, do yourself a favor and try something new……and SPECTACULAR.
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A Tale of Two Cherche Midis
The 6th Arrondissement on Paris’s Left Bank is sometimes referred to as the “snobby 6th.” I’ve never found that to be the case. We’ve stayed in the neighborhood on several occasions and never have we been shunned….
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I’M A BRESSE MAN
The food world is full of connoisseurs – steak fans, oyster mavens, cheese authorities, whisky and wine snobs, even soup Nazis. But have you ever once met a chicken aficionado?
For a long time, I felt there really wasn’t a whole lot of difference between one roasted chicken and another. They all seemed pretty good to me – kind of like pizza (“The worst pizza I’ve ever had was pretty darn good.”).
Occasionally I tried roasting a better bird – organic, pasture-raised, “walking about” birds, etc. They were twice the price and marginally better than the garden variety supermarket industrial chicken.
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PARIS FOR THE WEE MONSIEUR (AND MADEMOISELLE)
Joanne and I just returned from a two-week visit to Paris with three of our grandkids – ages 9, 10 and 14.
And you ask, “What on earth do you do with kids in Paris? Is there a family-friendly version of the Folies Bergère?”
To be honest, I was a little concerned about that, too. But guess what? WE CRACKED THE CODE.
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Eating at the World’s Best Steakhouses
Last year, Men’s Journal magazine published a piece on “The Ten Best Steakhouses in the world.” Not the ten best in the U.S., the ten best ANYWHERE.
I was pleased and proud to see Manny’s on the list, and to discover that I’d eaten at six of them.
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A Pilgrimage to La Coupole
It’s probably the most iconic brasserie in Paris, and certainly one of the most beautiful – commonly referred to as an “Art Deco jewel.” But the great thing about La Coupole is how proudly it wears the mantel of history, nearly a century after it first opened its doors.
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Parasole and Paris
I was saddened to read a piece in today’s “FOOD” section of the NEW YORK TIMES titled “In Paris, Expensive Tables Sit Empty”
STROLLING LA RUE MONTORGUEIL
Having spent some time France, I’ve learned a few things about the French. For example, if you’re struggling to pronounce something and all you get is a blank stare in response, they probably know exactly what you’re trying to say but are playing dumb just to mess with you. You can see the sadism in their eyes.
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PARIS CONTINUED – VIANDES DELICIOUS
Entrecote
In France, an “entrecote” denotes a premium cut of beef, usually from the rib area to ensure maximum flavor.