Paris Journal 2015 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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The shop I love does have a name: Le Monde et Nous (The World and Us). The name was plainly printed on the receipt. It also has a motto: La Mode et l’Art (The Fashion and the Art). Both are on the sign above the shop windows, but the sign is difficult to see, in part because of the street trees. The trees are carefully maintained on the avenue Felix Faure. When one is sick and dying, it is removed and a new one is planted in its place. The trees may obscure the signage, but they are essential to the character and ambiance of the avenue. The trees, plus the wide sidewalks, are amenities for pedestrians like us. But we also adore the mysterious, narrow, and short streets – like the rue Ernest Psichari in the 7th arrondissement. We visited it for the first time on our way to the American University of Paris two days ago. We saw lovely, elaborate ironwork there.
And we spotted a big green garden gate between two old stone stanchions, with a narrow old oak door nearby.
And over one street, on the rue Duviver, we saw a promising restaurant: Bistrot Belhara. I was photographing its menu, which was posted in the front window, as a way of making a note of the place, when the chef, Thierry DuFroux, walked up behind me and greeted us warmly. He said a few things about the two different menus (lunch and dinner), and recommended that we make reservations for dinner. He was charming, welcoming, and precisely clear in his French. We will definitely dine there sometime soon, before he closes for vacation. By contrast, the maître d’hotel at Vin & Marée was taciturn, and almost surly, yesterday evening. He wasn’t able to scold us for not reserving because we had reserved, via Lafourchette.com. He frowned at the reservations book, then showed us to our table. The server assigned to us was very nice. But the boss was not speaking kindly to him. I pity the young man. Our dinner started out well enough, with croustillant de gambas (prawns in crispy pastry) that came with an interesting mayonnaise slightly flavored with tandoori spices. Tom’s lamb chop dinner was very good, and the puréed potatoes served family style in a little copper pot were smooth and light -- delightful. But my swordfish, alas, was way overcooked. A seafood restaurant should not commit such a sin. The menu has been shortened considerably since last year. Such was the case at L’Épopée and Le Granite, too. I wonder if that is a trend? Could it be a sign of the weak economy? At least the famous Baba au Rhum was still on the menu at Vin & Marée. We shared a serving for one, which includes a half of a ring of sponge cake. We could have ordered it for two, which would have included the entire ring, but trust me, that is way too much for two people. Vin & Marée serves the best rum with its Baba au Rhum: Clement, from Martinique. High quality rum makes a better Baba. So the lamb chops, purée, and Baba were the redeeming features of last night’s dinner. Another redeeming feature of the restaurant was its air conditioning. Yesterday was HOT. The temperature peaked at about 95 degrees F, just before dinnertime. So we were walking to the restaurant at the hottest time of day. Our apartment and the building it is in managed to stay in the 80s yesterday, so it was when we exited the porte cochere door onto the sidewalk that the heat hit us like a blast furnace. At least it was dry heat, which is more tolerable for short periods than humid heat. We ambled slowly up the street, as all good Southerners do. We’d left plenty of time for slow ambling. We cut through a part of the Villages Suisse as we approached the restaurant. All the shops were closed or closing, but we could still admire many of the antiques through the windows and grills. After dinner the heat was only just barely beginning to relent. But inside the apartment, temperatures and air quality were much better than outdoors. I woke up at 3AM and opened the kitchen window. The air was definitely cooler outside, so I opened several windows and went back to sleep. Street noise woke me up again at about 6. I’m sure I’ll make up for this by falling asleep while trying to watch the Tour de France this afternoon! Meanwhile, I have some contract pages to scan, to get one of our projects going. We also are trying to work out a plan for windows to enclose a porch back at home, so we’ve been communicating with a window contractor. A nonpartisan political organization asked me to serve on a committee this year. I must respond. And so life goes on. Every day we enjoy our work, shopping, errands, and activities very much. Everything seems like more of an adventure in Paris. Sometimes things are more of a challenge than they would be at home, but then, that’s part of the adventure, isn’t it? In the fresh fruit and vegetable category, one of our shopping delights this month has been cherries. They are exceptionally good this year! The latest batch that we purchased, at the market under the Grenelle tracks, were dark, juicy, sweet, and full of rich cherry flavor. Strawberries from Belgium have been a knock-out, too. I wonder why I have not been seeing cherry clafoutis on the menus at restaurants? Now is certainly the time for that dish! So far, we’ve been dining at restaurants we know from prior years – all in the 15th, except for Vin & Marée which is just barely in the 7th . arrondissement. But tonight we will try something new. The new place, Bacco, is on the site of one of our former favorites, Cristal de Sel. We loved Cristal de Sel when it first opened, when the two young men who owned it still had enthusiasm and bright ideas. But they burned out quickly, and the restaurant became a little boring and not so consistently good. I think the new place, Bacco, may be Corsican in its cuisine. Corsican is unique, but it clearly has both French and Italian influences. Another adventure! |
Friday, July 17, 2015
Le
Monde et Nous, at number 1 avenue Felix Faure – where I bought a dress,
blouse and handbag two days ago.
Tom
cheerfully waits for his dessert at Vin & Maree.
Dessert
arrives: rum soaked raisons and sponge
cake, with whipped cream and more rum on the side.
Me
wearing earrings I bought recently on the rue du Commerce.
A
flowery place in the Villages Suisse antique shopping center.
Kid’s
clothing shop on the avenue Félix Faure.
Graffiti,
“To die from love.” Nearby, a private Mathilde ambulance conveniently awaits
(below, right).
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