|
 |
Welcome to the AT YOUR SERVICE Paris Newsletter
|
|
|
In This Issue:
|
September 10, 2003- N° 006
|
|
|
|
•
|
Paris makes its "rentrée"
|
|
|
|
•
|
Boutiques in the Neighborhood
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
Our Hotel Suggestion - Hôtel du Bourg Tibourg
|
|
|
|
•
|
Things to do in and around Paris
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
Our Restaurant Suggestion - Le Pamphlet
|
|
|
|
•
|
This week's excursion - Etretat
|
|
|
|
"La rentrée"; almost untranslatable this quirky little French word. Yes, it means the return but in France it means so much more.
The French start talking about "la rentrée" in May. In May very little work gets done in France because 1) there is an unbelievably large number of public holidays and 2) the French work week has officially been cut to 35 hours therefore giving employees the right to recuperate days off, which when combined with Monday or Friday public holidays means an awful lot of very long weekends. So the French start getting into the holiday spirit in May, then June rolls around and people start thinking about summer vacation and once that happens they start mentioning that things won’t get done until "la rentrée". Appointments are no longer made, home renovations are delayed, and important meetings are put off. All until "la rentrée".
Which makes the actual "rentrée" something of an event. For about 8 weeks Paris is void of what makes Paris, well… Paris; Parisians. July is merely quiet but August borders on deserted. Restaurants close down for a month, dry cleaners close, often with your favorite sundress held hostage because you forgot to pick it up before the "vacances annuelles", doctors are hard to come by.
The upside to this void is that the restaurants that are open have tables available, most on-street parking is free, and traffic is generally a breeze. All of which you get accustomed to until all of sudden at the end of August you realize that in a few days your idyllic, quiet Paris will change radically and the Parisians will come back.
This year "la rentrée" seems a bit different from last year. It seems more optimistic. But that is relative. This summer in Paris was funny. This year not only were there very few Parisians but there were very few tourists, or more precisely very few Americans. Economies were tight, the euro was expensive, and old wounds took longer to heal than expected. Whatever the reason may have been the effect was real.
But the tide is changing. Slowly, granted, but it is coming back. The “it” I refer to is optimism.
Normally this opening article is my opportunity to show you around a neighborhood, give you a feel for a certain area in Paris that I think you might enjoy. Today I want to show why you should celebrate Paris.
Ernest Hemingway once called Paris a “moveable feast”. I will go one step further and say that Paris is a permanent feast. There is never a bad time to come to Paris.
September is quite possibly the perfect month to come. The weather is warm and sunny, the days are still long, café terraces are inviting and Paris is alive. Everyone is either back to school or back to business and the atmosphere is charged with anticipation. Will tax cuts be announced? (Yes, they were, 3%.) When will Brasserie Scossa at Place Victor Hugo re-open after major renovations? (They just did about 10 days ago.) Will Tony Parker help lead the French basketball team to a European championship? (Highly likely) Will three-star chef extraordinaire Marc Veyrat move to the Crillon? (Can’t even hasten a guess)
All of this to say that you don’t need “la rentrée” to come back to Paris. Paris can convince you all by herself. (Yes, Paris is most definitely a woman.) Come for the museums, come for the fashion, come for the cuisine, or come for the history. Whatever the reason, COME!
|
|
|
|
|
If you are looking for a relaxed evening with very good, innovative cuisine then this week we have just the restaurant for you. Le Pamphlet is the kind of place you can count on time and time again. The welcome is friendly and the recommendations offered by the owners are not only helpful but spot on.
There are four entrées, four main courses and four desserts to choose from. (Personally, I love this; less time ruminating and more time enjoying!) I’ll tell you what we had only to give you an idea but as the menu changes daily you might not find the same dishes when you go.
The lamb stuffed roasted tomato was simply presented and wonderfully tasty. The lamb had been cooked for hours making it melt-in-your-mouth tender. The creativity of Chef Alain Carrere was evident with the boudin noir served with calamari and balsamic. The dish was a delightful juxtaposition of complementary tastes. Often avoided by Americans, boudin noir is one of the great French delicacies that take a bit of getting used to, more conceptually than anything else. (If you don’t know what boudin noir is, try to find a fan of this dish to explain it to you because if you ask a novice you will probably get a description that is less than flattering.)
The evening I dined at Le Pamphlet there were two fish dishes and two meat dishes. The wine list represents very well the menu selections all the while respecting the overall price range of the establishment.
My selection, pork filet medallions served with stewed coco beans, was a good compliment to my first course. The portions are just the right size, neither skimpy, nor overwhelming. My friend selected the "levee du carrelet", which required a lengthy explanation on his part followed by confirmation by the owner’s wife. Technically it means the fish that is caught when you set a square metal fishing net in front of a stream. In culinary terms, or at least at le Pamphlet it means their fish selection of the day. That day it was a "filet de limande" or lemon sole served all rolled up with delicious mashed potatoes drizzled with olive oil.
Both dishes were just wonderful; tasty and well prepared; as was the case with the desserts. The "clafoutis aux mirabelles" or plum flan turned out to be more than my dining companion could manage. Not, of course, because of the taste but simply because there was too much. Which left me a bit embarrassed because I had no problem finishing every last bit of the "chaud-froid de nectarine", a baked nectarine served with real vanilla ice cream and a raspberry coulis.
The best part of the evening had to be the ambiance. The owner’s wife is charming. She heard the tail end of a joke I was telling my friend and picked up on it and joined in the fun, later relaying the story to her husband so that by the end of the evening I suspect that most of the other diners were aware that in order to steal a morsel of my friends dinner I pretended there was an elephant outside to distract him. It’s a fun trick I learned quite young that unfortunately only works once, twice if they’re a bit gullible and many times if they really like you.
I wholeheartedly recommend Le Pamphlet for a comfortable, fun dinner in a corner of the Marais you might not know. The 3-course dinner menu is 30€ without wine.
Le Pamphlet
38, rue Debellyme, Paris 3ème
M° : Filles-du-Calvaire
Tel : 0142 73 39 24
Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday and Monday lunch
Two other Marais suggestions:
An exceptional restaurant in the heart of the Marais is the Dôme du Marais. The cuisine is modern French, with a nod given to Brittany as the chef is from Nantes. As the name implies, the dining room is under the majestic domed ceiling of the former Mont-de-Piété, the 18th century public pawnshop that became the Crédit Municipal de Paris. The light filtering through the windows at the end of the day is just exquisite and that is why I suggest that you book one of the three mezzanine tables relatively early for one of the most romantic dinners Paris can offer.
Le Dôme du Marais attracts a diverse crowd of CEO’s, diplomats and artists. It is the perfect restaurant to impress your guests without emptying your wallet.
The 3-course dinner menu is 27.50 € without wine, the 2-course lunch menu with a glass of wine is 18.30 €.
Le Dôme du Marais
53 bis, rue des Francs-Bourgeois, Paris 4ème
M° : Hôtel de Ville
Tel : 01 42 74 54 17
Closed Sunday and Monday
And if you’re feeling a bit hungry after an afternoon of gallery hopping in the Marais then I highly recommend Le Réconfort. The cuisine is traditional French with an accent on Provence, in terms of flavors and colors. The dining room is done in warm tones of red and ochre. Be sure to reserve as this is a sought after address with the show biz and fashion crowd. Other tip, check out the restrooms; they’re worth the risk of going down the oh-so-steep stairs.
Count on 30 - 35 € without wine for dinner, 14 € for the lunch menu.
Le Réconfort
37, rue de Poitou, Paris 3ème
Tel: 01 49 96 09 60
M° : St. Sébastien-Froissart
Closed Sunday
|
|
|
|
|
For an excursion even further away than Normandy, all the while remaining in the heart of the Marais, just step out the front door of your hotel, the Bourg Tibourg naturally, and walk about half a block to your left and you will be transported to India. The destination is, of course Mariage Frères. To say that Mariage Frères is merely a “salon de thé” does not do the age-old establishment justice. Mariage Frères is to tea what Tiffany’s is to jewelry. It is the best.
You can choose from hundreds of loose teas stacked in beautifully decorated and labeled canisters in the front room of the original shop. The sales assistants, who evoke Colonial India with their impeccable ivory linen uniforms, will open the canisters that measure about 2 feet high and let you smell the tea you are thinking about purchasing. They are exceptionally knowledgeable and can recommend teas according to you tastes and your budget, as here teas are taken as seriously as fine wines. You can find a Southbown Fannings tea from Zimbabwe at 2.20 € per 100 grams as well as a rare Red Robe Chinese tea for 73 € per 100 grams. Mariage Frères also offers an extensive selection of original teapots and accessories, jellies and candies, and pre-packaged teas in canisters.
Try to time your visit to arrive around 4:00 in the afternoon, just in time for tea in the restaurant. I strongly suggest you avoid Saturday afternoons, as you will probably have to wait well over an hour for a table. You can choose from a wide selection of their teas, (yes, they do serve coffee) fruit juice cocktails, lunch items and delicious pastries. Afternoon tea at Mariage Frères is one of Paris’ little luxuries.
Mariage Frères
30, rue du Bourg-Tibourg, Paris 4th
M° : Hôtel-de-Ville
01 42 72 28 11
In keeping with the slightly gastronomical aspect of our shopping trip, next we head a few blocks south to rue François Miron. Izraël is the ultimate Ali Baba’s cavern of spices, which provokes, by merely stepping into the shop, a sensation of sheer bliss. For in-the-know Parisians there really is no other place to go. All sorts of pepper, pimentos, oils, preserved fruits, olives, honey even wines are displayed to arouse your senses. Owners Izraël and Françoise will suggest just the right spices to enhance whatever you are planning for dinner.
IZRAËL
30, rue François Miron, Paris 4th
M° : Saint Paul
01 42 72 66 23
If you are looking for unique items for your home then be sure to stop into La Rochère on rue des Francs-Bourgeois. At first glance it appears to be a lovely shop full of lamps and glasses, but in fact La Rochère is the oldest active glassblower in France if not the world. Simon de Taysac founded the company in 1475 at the insistence of the Dukes of Lorraine, in eastern France. The right to produce glass was passed on to male heirs ‘born of legal marriage’. The collection of hand blown glass includes glasses, carafes, pitchers and La Rochère’s specialty, Art Nouveau lamps.
La Rochère
41, rue des Francs-Bourgeois, Paris 4th
M°: Rambuteau
01 42 72 08 07
www.larochere.com (in English)
If stylish interiors and textiles interest you then Caravane should be your next stop. They have fabulous ethnic home furnishings that never seem “too-much”. They can easily fit into most decors all the while giving your home a touch of exoticism. Whether you are in the market for a new sofa for your Paris pied-à-terre or a hand-embroidered throw from central Asia, this showroom is a decorator’s dream.
Caravane
6, rue Pavée, Paris 4th
M° : Saint Paul
01 44 61 04 20
Closed Sunday and Monday
And finally, if you love the fashions of the 70’s you’re going to love Christophe Lemaire’s shop on rue de Sevigné. Trained under Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Lacroix, Lemaire is a master of “cool, comfort, chic” clothes with a beatnik angle.
Christophe Lemaire
36, rue de Sevigné, Paris 3rd
M°: Saint Paul
Closed Monday
|
|
|
|
|
This month At Your Service is proud to announce its affiliation with the Paris Tourism Office. By joining forces with Paris’ most important tourist organization we will now be able to offer you an even wider range of services and things to do.
The selection was difficult this week simply because there are so many fabulous things going on in Paris. Here are just a few ideas.
One of the many wonderful things about Paris in September is that every year on the third weekend most of the national and private monuments are opened to the public. This year however, the City of Paris is outdoing itself and putting on a spectacular show to animate the nations heritage, and most of the performances are in and around the Marais.
Not only will you have the opportunity to see such landmarks are the Elysées Palace, Bank of France, National Archives, Panthéon, Paris City Hall and numerous hospitals, churches and museums but on Saturday the 20th you can see artists, musicians, and horsemen portraying Parisian life as it was in the 17th and 18th centuries complete with horses, leopards and tigers. Baroque music concerts will also be given in the courtyards of some of the Marais’ most elegant townhouses.
So mark you calendars now because these are two days you won’t want to miss. (A piece of advice; be prepared for long lines. This event attracts over 11 million people throughout France.)
Soirée du Patrimoine/National Heritage Night
Place des Vosges, Paris 4ème
September 20th from 8 pm – midnight
Journées Européennes du Patrimoine/European Heritage Days
Throughout Paris, contact us for more details or www.culture.fr (in French only)
September 20-21
As China is the country of honor at this years “Salon du Collectionneur Paris” you will have the good fortune to see one of the rare private collections of Chinese enameled Cloisonnés from the 15th to 18th centuries. About one hundred of the best European and foreign antique dealers will be on hand to display furniture, art objects, paintings and jewelry from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
Salon du Collectionneur Paris
Carrousel du Louvre
99, rue du Rivoli, Paris 1st
M° : Palais Royal/Musée du Louvre
01 56 26 52 00
September 12-18, from 11 am – 8pm
Admission: 11 € Catalog: 20 €
Dancers from some of the world’s most prestigious ballet companies; New York City Ballet, the Bolshoy, London’s Royal Ballet, unite in Paris for just three performances. This promises to be one of the highlights of the cultural season.
Gala des Etoiles du XXième Siècle
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
15, avenue Montaigne, Paris 8th
01 49 52 50 50
September 13th and 15th at 8:00 pm and September 14th at 3:00 pm
Tickets: 10 – 80 €
If you love the theater but are worried about your French, we have just the event for you. Deborah Warner and actress Fiona Shaw present their highly successful play “The Power Book” in English. This skillful adaptation of Jeanette Winterson’s novel is the story of two women who defy themselves in a contemporary story of passions.
Théâtre National de Chaillot
1, Place du Trocadéro, Paris 16th
M°: Trocadéro
September 17 – 27, at 8:30 pm; 3:00 pm on Sunday
Tickets: 25 € or 11.50 € for those under 26
And finally, for children of all ages, Tintin the musical. Five years in the making, this spectacle is sure to be a hit. There will be a cavalcade of actors, singers, musicians and special effects on hand for the two-part show directed by Frank Van Laecke and starring Vincent Heden in the role of Tintin.
Tintin et le Temple du Soleil
Hippodrome d’Auteuil, Bois de Boulogne
Route des Lacs, Paris 16th
01 42 61 39 95
From September 19th, 3: 30 on Sundays, 3: 30 and 8: 30 Wednesday – Saturday
Tickets from 27.70 € - 57.40 €
|
|
|
|
|
As promised in the last newsletter, we are continuing our excursion to the Normandy coast, this time to Etretat and Fécamp.
If you’re not already in Normandy and can merely follow the coastline west, then you will want to rent a car (or ask us to hire you a car and driver for a luxurious day trip) and head northwest of Paris for about two and a half hours. I suggest you start in Etretat and then proceed to Fécamp. The reason is your lunch stop but we’ll come back to that later.
Victor Hugo wrote elegies about Etretat as early as 1835; “It is the grandest architecture there is.” He was speaking, of course, of the chalk cliffs that plunge into the English Channel. In the early 19th century Etretat was already earning it’s reputation as a charming Norman seaside resort that was attracting renowned artists in droves. Over time Monet, Corot, Courbet and later Matisse spent considerable time painting the majestic cliffs.
And what an image they present even now. “La Porte d’Aval”, the famous arch you see in our picture, is considered one of the natural wonders of the world. Take the time to walk up the hill to the top to admire the view all the way down. Just don’t stand too close. On the other side of the pebble beach is the “falaise d’Amont”, or Amont cliff, which you can reach by car. At the top is a charming little church in front of which you have a breathtaking view of the cliffs opposite you.
After you have worked up an appetite by hiking up and down the cliffs you will need lunch. So aim in the direction of L’Huitrerie, located just at the base of the Aval cliff to the left of the beach. The view alone is worth the stop. But once you taste the perfect oysters, served very cold with just the right amount of shallot vinaigrette you will be convinced you made the right lunch selection.
After oysters, try one of the fish dishes. Even if you are unfamiliar with the exact kind of fish, don’t worry. They are all good. Then let yourself be tempted by the cheese cart. Remember that you are in Normandy and here they take cheese seriously. The other day I tasted a perfectly aged Brillat-Savarin, a Chaource, a Maroilles and finally a Saint Néctaire. I probably should have stopped at three but I couldn’t resist. Then there is dessert. I recommend anything with apples, once again because you are in Normandy, the land of apples (and cows). And this 4-course feast is a mere 28 € without wine but with view.
Once lunch finished you might want to take a stroll along the beach just for a bit of exercise before heading to Fécamp.
The history of Fécamp can be traced back to the 10th century when the Vikings passed through the region. The current Sainte Trinity Abbey, which suffered terribly at the hands of the Vikings, dates from the 12th and 13th centuries and is the burial place of many of the Dukes of Normandy. Just in front of the Abbey is the Ducal Palace which was reconstructed by Henri II, King of England and Duke of Normandy at the end of the 12th century.
While these monuments are historically important to see in order to understand the region of Normandy, the Benedictine Palace shows you another side of abbey life. During the renaissance a Venetian monk staying in Fécamp created an elixir from 27 plants and spices from the four corners of the world. His elixir was greatly appreciated by King François I and continued to be distilled by monks at the Benedictine Abbey until the late 18th century, when the recipe was misplaced. Fortunately in 1863 Alexander Le Grand found the recipe, gave the elixir a new name, Benedictine, and the rest is history. The one-hour tour of the Benedictine Palace, which Le Grand had built for the production of his elixir in 1882, takes you through the complete distilling process without divulging the secret ingredients. The Palace remains the site of production as well as a museum housing an impressive collection of 15th and 16th century art. Le Grand wanted the property to reflect the intermingling of the art with industry. The highlight of the tour, I think, is the spice room. You will see displayed all of the plants and spices that go into Benedictine and B&B, from hyssop and cinnamon to thyme and coriander. At the end of the tour you will, of course, get to sample the elixir of the monks.
Fécamp and the Normandy coast have so much to offer in terms of natural beauty, history, leisure activities that you will surely want to spend more time here. But it’s time for At Your Service to show you other regions around Paris. So next time, look forward to a guided visit of Reims and champagne country.
Until next time….
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
