The first is that the Louvre, in a situation they can't control, will have to co-exist with the odeurs of a MacDo in its midst. ... PARIS — French culture and American convenience will come together in December — thanks to plans by the McDonald’s restaurant chain to hang its shingle in the shadow of the Louvre. ... The McDonald’s will be installed in the food court of the underground mall adjoining the museum, known as the Carrousel du Louvre, as the fast food chain fetes its 30th anniversary in France, McDonald’s France said.
The decline of French cuisine in Seattle Times Newspaper
September 6, 2009
We are just back after 14 days in France, and after having read this article in the Seattle Times, I quizzed everyone I know about the supposed "decline" in French food. ... Elsewhere, it's caveat emptor though the odds are still higher in Paris than in San Francisco for good that tastes like the primary ingredients, rather than slop reconstituted from a can off the Sysco Food Services truck. ... It's nice to kick the French off their high horse, and real data trends seem to indicate that the French are eating more fast food including McDonald's.
First foray into cooking was through Silver Palate Cookbook
September 1, 2009
I read today that Sheila Lufkin, the author of "Silver Palate Cookbook 25th Anniversary Edition" (Julee Rosso, Sheila Lukins) had passed away. I was struck that her cookbook got me started cooking when i was just out of college, some 25 years ago. During my weekends to NYC from Boston where I attended college, many people were talking about her…read more
Advantage France
August 31, 2009
My husband and I were just talking about 'terroir,' and why is it that we feel healthier, and more connected to the earth, when we're in France, even though it seems we eat more cream, cheese, and desserts when we are here. Roger Cohen encapsulated my thoughts more perfectly, 'TIme bows at the altar of gastronomy in France. In the…read more
Chez Michel
August 29, 2009
What a find. Our friends Jean-Jacques and Jane, my husband and I had a dinner out at Chez Michel, in the 10th arrondisement. Cuisine is Breton, and the atmosphere breezy. According to our discriminating friend Jean-Jacques, Chez Michel is one of the top 10 traditional bistros in Paris, and indeed, I think it lives up to its status. My fish…read more
Kong
August 29, 2009
Our friend Pierre surprised us by inviting us for a Sunday brunch at Kong . ... Food was nice enough but definitely an 'inside' experience, especially its kooky, disco-ball-and-kid-sumo-adorned bathrooms. Apparently, It was featured as a chic eatery in Sex and the City. 1 rue de Pont Neuf, Paris, 75001.
Tarte du Soleil and other perfect plats
August 29, 2009
We always see our friend/proprietor Sophie Clavié and her gracious husband Philippe when we're in Paris. Her neighborhood bistro is Closerie des Lilas, the world famous magnet for the avant-garde for generations. Their book shows all those who have passed through the place, from Bernard Kouchner, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, Ingres, Henry James, and even Sarah Jessica Parker!…read more
Chocolatiers Abound
August 26, 2009
Two more chocolatiers opened in the neighborhood, giving competition to Pierre Hérme. Patrick Roger, voted the best chocolatier in 2000, seems to be guided by the seasons and his whimsies, as my daughter Hadley and I saw the largest 6' chocolate pencils to commemorate the start of the school. Down the street, on rue de Rennes, is another contender, L'Atelier…read more
France, land of bad French food?
August 22, 2009
I can't tell you how relieved I was when Steinberger's recent book, "Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine, and the End of France" (Bloomsbury USA), came across my desk not long after we got back from Paris. ... Maybe we were just old and out of it. ad_icon Even if all those things are a little bit true, reading Steinberger, a wine columnist for Slate magazine (which is owned by the Washington Post Co.) and admitted "food-loving Francophile," reassured me.
... We'll be in Paris on Monday and we have plenty of old standards to go to (some not as good as they used to be), but I'm glad that we don't have to try to find places to eat "au pif."
Gourmet Paris, the Remix « ArtsÉtoile
July 9, 2009
Here's another good round-up of food feasts in Paris, many in our neighborhood, and old favorites like Pierre Hermé and La Durée (though we've soured on the last given prices and crowds). ... Stop by Pierre Hermé on rue Cambon on the right bank or rue Vaugirard or Bonaparte locations on the left bank for mouth watering macarons – these are the best in Paris, seconded, perhaps by Ladurée (skip the macarons at Paul). Another worthwhile stop for an afternoon pause gourmande is the Grande Epicerie du Bon Marché, where you can sample many top shelf products, from cheeses, to meats, to a shellfish bar, more types of water than you have ever seen, and speciality products from Fauchon and Hediard.
