i heart paris

Lufthansa Flight 4211

Paris to Frankfurt

This morning at 7am I was picked up by the Yellow Van Service for my trip to DeGaulle Airport. The van made a total of 3 stops, filling it to capacity. Regardless, I arrived at the airport on time with plenty to spare.

Todays flight was on a 1 hour delay waiting for incoming aircraft from Frankfurt. It seems like there was a little "weather" this morning which delayed the flights a bit. I'm glad I had access to Lufthansa's business longe it was a bit more comfortable in there (but not by much).

Actually, I am glad I didn't leave on Sunday because it snowed in Paris and some flights to Frankfurt were cancelled. I wonder what I would do if I was stuck at the airport on a cancellation until the next day. I guess it might be good to know what the nearby hotels are.

On todays flight I am in business class. Business class on this inter-european flight is nothing more than coach with the middle seat left empty and a bit more legroom. It's sort of like United Airlines Economy Plus section. The bigger difference is that you get a nicer meal. Today's breaKfast is a cheese plate with some tasty ham, a roll, a fruit cup and a croissant with jam. Not too bad!

Flight attendants today are very friendly and efficient, as they usually are on Lufthansa. They do a great job handling the meal and beverage service on only an hours time.

One of my favorite Lufthansa games is called "let's fool the flight attendant". I actually don't have to play very hard. I watch them go up and down the aisles and selectively speak German or English to each of the passengers. They simply have a knack for telling whether you speak German or English. When they get to me they always speak German. Ha ha!

My ears are popping so that means we are a few minutes from Frankfurt. My next flight is the long haul, Frankfurt to Newark.

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Le Caveau de l' Isle

36 rue St Louis en l'Isle 4e arr., Paris

Metro - Pont Marie

For my last dinner in Paris I took a walk from my apartment on the rue Rivoli to the Isle St Louis for dinner at Le Caveau

Le Caveau is really one of my favorite little places in Paris and it's always a pleasure to walk the streets of the Isle St Louis. This is my third visit to Le Caveau and I'm sure I won't be disappointed. I love the calm atmosphere and their reasonable fixed price menu.

I committed myself to try a different dish this evening. On my last 2 visits, I had the foie gras and duck both times.

OK, I am having the foie gras again. This is something I don't get at home very often so I think I will enjoy it's rich goodness. At Le Caveau they also don't have a surcharge for this dish. The slice they serve isn't huge, but it's a decent size and has a good taste. It is also artfully presented on the pretty dish.

My main course tonight will be a cote d'agneau (lamb chops) and I am interested to see how they are prepared.

When the dish arrives I am impressed. It was nicely served with 3 meaty lamb chops of good size resting on a disk of dauphinois potatoes (my favorite). The lamb chops had a bit of a rosemary flavor and were served in their own juices. This dish was very enjoyable.

Hmmmmm, dessert. I want to order the cheese assortment but I had this last time I was here so I need to try something different. The "gaufre" with ice cream and warm chocolate sauce sounded really good but it wasn't too exciting. What else can you do with a waffle with ice cream and chocolate syrup? It wasn't bad though.

On my third visit to La Caveau they have once again served a delicious meal and provided great service. I don't know why this place isn't packed every night. I have never had trouble getting a table, even at peak times.

For this visit I will have to give Le Caveau 4 hearts because of their tasty food, nice atmosphere and good service.

Smoking - I've been to Le Caveau 3 times and have never had a big problem with cigarette smoking. It isn't a very "social" dinner place so it doesn't seem to attract the chain smokers.

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La Cafetiere

21 rue Mazarine 6e arr., Paris

Metro - Odeon

Cafetiere Corse is a small but inviting bistro burried deep in the streets of St Germain.

The interior is warmly decorated with milk chocolate brown wainscoting with upper walls covered in a coordinating cabbage rose wall paper. Small shelves are randomly placed on the walls which hold colorful enamel coffee pots. Table are pretty close together and if you listen carefully you can hear your neighbors heart beat.

The midday menu is a good deal at €22 for 3 courses. You may also opt for the standard menu which has a wider selection which would run you about €28 for 3 courses. Today I was uninspired by the price fixed menu so I selected from the a la carte one instead.

I didn't order a starter and went right to the main course dishes. The person sitting next to me was eating the onglet which came with frites and this looked delicious. I couldn't resist. I had this for lunch yesterday but it's usually a decent dish, so I don't mind.

This dish was delicious. The onglet was served with a generous amont of handcut frites. The frites (fries) were freshly fried and had a great taste. The meat portion was generous and tender. The brown sauce the meat was bathed in had a nice flavor of rosemary. It was a very comforting dish on this cold, damp day.

This is my last day in Paris and before I leave I am hoping for a good creme brulee. Yes, this is what I ordered for dessert and my wish was granted. The creme brulee here is as good, if not better, than any I've ever had it had a nice depth of vanilla flavor and was thick, rich and creamy.

Service here is not overly friendly but it is very polite. English was wel spoken and that was a plus. I had difficulty translating the menu.

I can easily give La Cafetiere 4 hearts for good food in a nice atmosphere. The food was very well prepared. I got a simple dish and didn't try any odd specialty so the 4 heart rating is borderline.

Total bill - €23 including one glass of wine.

I would vote this is a good bet if you are in the St Germain area and are looking for a good meal.

Smoking - while I was here no one was smoking. Maybe this is the type of place that doesn't attract those who don't puff.

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Le Coin des Gourmet

5 rue Dante 5e arr., Paris

Metro - St Michel

I am a bit tired of French food so tonight I am trying a Vietnamese restaurant that got a high recommendation on Zagats.

The restaurant is located in the Latin quarter a short walk from the St Michel Metro station. The interior is what you would come to expect from an Asian restaurant. The walls are cover with an Asian motif wallpaper, pretty sconces and misc unmatched framed Asian art.

To begin I start with a fresh Vietnamese spring roll (€4.50) which is served cold with a tangy dipping sauce. The roll has vermicelli, shrimp and mint leaves tightly wrapped in rice paper. It's is a very refreshing way to start a meal.

OK, I couldn't resist, I ordered 2 starters. For my next starter I got Vietnamese dumplings (€7.50), or as the Frech call them, "raviolis". The steamed dumplings are filled with pork and topped with a variety of fresh chopped herbs. This again is served with the same tangy dipping sauce. They are also very light and tasty but I think they need some more filling.

My main plat came very quickly after my starter. I ordered a sate beef which was sliced beef stir fried in a hot sauce (€10.50). The dish didn't have any vegetables which was disappointing but it was good with the rice anyway.

I am skipping dessert this evening because I have a "tartelette poire" (a small pear tart) which I bought earlier in the day. OK, I admit, I have a piece of cheesecake too. I promise to eat only half of each.

Le Coin des Gourmet is a nice alternative to French food. The dishes are nicely prepared and if you have never had Vietnamese food before, you should try it. It's quite different from Chinese.

Service here is quite gentle and friendly. An English menu is available but you will have to consult the French menu for prices. They didn't put prices on the translated English menu.

I would easily give Le Coin des Gourmet 3 hearts for interesting food and good service at a moderate price.

Total bill - €31.25 including a glass of white wine and a small pot of jasmine tea.

By the way, your meal is finished with a nice hot towel to clean your hands.

Smoking is allowd but the restaurant was smoke free while I dined (as soon as I typed that someone lit up!)

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Le Florimond

19 ave Motte Piquet 7th arr., Paris

Tel - 01 45 55 40 38

Metro - Ecole Militaire

This is the second time I've been to Le Florimond. I think the last time was about 2 years ago but I wasn't impressed.

Today I was wandering around looking for lunch when I realized it was very late and I may have missed my last chance for a decent sit-down meal. I was walking rue Cler in the 7th and decided to detour to St Germain. When I stepped on ave Motte-Piquet I looked to the left and saw Le Florimond. I decide to walk over and see if they were still serving lunch and what the specials were.

To my delight they were stil open and the set price €19 lunch menu looked decent today. The set price, 3 course menu give 3 choices from each category. Dishes include meats, fish and internal organs (which I will have no part of).

The interior of Le Florimond is cozy and welcoming. The walls are golden yellow and the room is trimmed with dark woods and about 12-15 tables all dressed in crisp white linens. The best part is the Le Florimond is a non smoking bistro.

To start things off right, as I sat admiring the menu I was served 3 small cheese puffs which were laced with cumin seed. A tasty extra!

My starter selection is goat chesse and zucchini baked in a crisp pastry shell. On the side is a small bit of greens. The gooey goat cheese is pretty good but there wasn't enough zucchini inside to make a big difference. In general it was a tasty starter.

Today I am in a beef mood. It's Friday but I'm not catholic so I don't need to eat fish. There is one beef dish on the list and it's an "onglet du boeuf au poivre vert". That's beef in a green pepper sauce and it was delicious. The meat was cooked just right, medium rare, with a spicey delicioiu green pepper sauce. I know this is a classic French stand-by but it was really good! On the side was a cheesy layerd potato gratin which was the perfect side dish.

For dessert I selected the Gateau de Riz au Coulis de Clementines. I would call this a warm rice pudding in a sauce made from clemintines. The sauce had a very tasty flavor but the rice pudding lacked sweetness. It really wasn't bad, just not inspiring.

In addition to it's sweet atmosphere, Le Florimond is a very friendly bisto and I promise you will be greeted with a smile. Le Florimond is very popular and is recommended in many guidebooks so if you don't want to be disappointed, book ahead (your hotel will probably be able to help if you email them).

I give Le Florimond 3 hearts plus plus for good food, friendly service and a reasonable price fixed lunch.

Total bill including 1 glass of wine - $23.70.

I don't think an English menu is available but they are happy to help translate.

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Moissonnier

28 rue Fosse St Bernard 5e arr., Paris

Metro - Cardinal Lemoine

It's a miserable night in Paris. It's cold, damp and raining.

I had originally planned to eat at L'AOC tonight which is a bistro specializing in all AOC foods, but they were full with no room for me!

As I walked down the street I took note of Moissonier which was on my restaurant list. I didn't give it a high priority although it did get a Zagat 21 for food and was highly recommended by Time Out.

The menu here seems to be a mix of Lyonnaise and specialties from the Jura. It has many classic French choices in addition to a lot of things I couldn't translate. As I studied the French menu, it was obvious I didn't understand and I was promptly delivered one in English.

That was better. It's funny how these things translate into such simple English.

The atmosphere at Moissonnier is very comfortable and welcoming. The room is nicely lit and has textured creme colored walls coverd with antique prints and photos. The wall sconces made from varnished driftwood makes the room particullary interesting

For my starter I picked a warm sausage and potato salad (€10). The dish had about 4 slices of sausage with a mound of warm potato topped with a whole grain mustard vinagrette. It was a very tasty "salad" and more like a main course than a starter.

One of the specialties here is their "house"salad. If you order this, a cart is rolled to your table and you serve yourself "buffet" style. The selections includes about 12 items including cabbages, potato salad, lentils cured meats, etc. There is no "green salad" on the cart. It's all "serve yourself".

My main course was the spring chicken which was served in a creamy vinegar sauce (€15). The flavor was great but the chicken was a bit overcooked. This is the chance you take whenever you order chicken in a restaurant. I loved dipping my bread in the sauce. The dish is served with a side of cheesy potato gratinee which was the highlight of the meal.

I am skipping dessert and I think I'll hunt for a tart at a pattiserie instead.

Total bill - €29.80 which included a glass of wine.

The atmosphere here is very warm and friendly. I don't think English is widely spoken but there is an English menu. I will give Moissonnier a solid 3 hearts for good service, tasty food and decent (not cheap) prices. Note-there is no fixed price menu here.

Smoking - Only a few people were smoking this evening and Moissonnier also has a non smoking section. The room is sort of divided but I would assume if a lot of people were smoking, you smell it somewhat.

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L'Endroit

24 rue Tournelles 4e arr., Paris

Metro - Bastille

This is my third visit to L'Endroit and hopefully a good one. I am having a late dinner tonight because this afternoon I bought some goat cheese, baguette and wine and had a party with myself at the apartment. Afterward I took a nap. I didn't want to miss out on a good dinner tonight so it was either late, or never.

Tonight I am going for the three course €30 fixed menu. That's a lot of food at this hour but there are a few things I really want and there is no savings witjh getting them a la carte.

OK, I am basically having the same meal I had here a year ago. It was good then, so it should be good now.

To start I ordered the "Terrine de Foie Gras de Canard a la Vanille". This is a slice of foie gras infused with a vanilla flavor. Foie gras ois so creamy, think of this like ice cream! As described, the foie gras is delivered and is delicious. The vanilla really adds new depth to the flavor. This is a very enjoyable starter if you like foie gras. As in most restaurants in Paris, the foie gras at L'Endroit comes with a €3 supplement.

Since I earlier proclaimed tonight "duckfest" I have selected the "Magret de Canard au jus de noix, noisettes et raisins". That's a mouthful. I think it's a breast of duck in a sauce enhanced with nuts and raisins. The dish was excellent and the duck was cooked nicely and very tender. The reduction sauce, which I believe was made from grapes, had a great depth of flavor and was laced with hazelnuts and walnut bits. The dish was served with a moulded mound of rice which I think was good but I would have liked it with a potato gallette. Regardless it was yummy.

I am really not in the mood for dessert and have a "abricot-pistache tart" back at the apartment. It's included so I select the "Marquise au chocolat, sauce fruit rouge". If you don't read French that a very thick rich dark chocolate dessert with a red fruit sauce. It's not like a flourless chocolate cake, but a slice of soft solid chocolate. In fact, it's 2 slices. If you are a chocolate lover, you'll like this one!

Tonight I had a good meal at L'Endroit but I think I enjoyed it more last year, just a bit more. Maybe it was the refinement of the food, maybe the presentation. I believe last year the service was on much nicer dishes. It seems like this year they switched to everyday white bistro-ware. Maybe all the old plates broke and were too expensive to replace. I also think service was a bit "brisk".

Total bill - €33 and did not include wine or coffee.

I will rate L'Endroit a solid 3 hearts and I still consider this wine bistro a good find. I recommend it if you are in the Marais or Bastille area.

Smoking alert - You cannot escape smoking in Paris. Even though L'Endroit has an area reserved for non smokers, the depth of smoke in the room is terrible and it makes no difference that "these" tables are smoking and "those" are not. I wouldn't let this stop you from visiting L'Endroit but I suggest to visit them either at lunch or for an early dinner when they are less crowded.

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La Poulbot Gourmet

39 rue Lamarck

Metro - Lamarck-Caulaincourt

Since Montmarte is the area I planned to tour today I decided to start with lunch at La Poulbot Gourmet.

I came here because it is suppose to be a highly recommended restaurant with an €18 2 couse lunch plus a glass of wine. On arriving the menu looked so tempting that I decided to skip the 2 course and go straight to the 3 course lunch which is €36.

Can you imagine a €36 lunch? That's $43. Well I figured it's too late to turn back now plus they had oeuf meurette as one of the starters. Ouef Meurette is one of my favorites. It's eggs poached in red wine with bits of ham or bacon.

The dining room is nicely decorated and lit overhead with retro looking globe lighting. There are only about 10 tables which are nicely arranged and not too close together. The walls are lined with antique prints, crown moulding and a lot of mirrors which make the room seem larger. If you are lucky (like I was) you you may get one of the more private seats which set into the exterior shopfront window.

As soon as I placed my order my server brought me a small appetizer which was a crepe in a light cheese sauce.

My starter, ouef meurette, was very good. It wasn't the best o ever had but it was original. The dish contained 3 poached eggs in a deep dark wine sauce which was laced with lardons of bacon and topped with an excessive amount of wild mushrooms. You have to really like mushrooms to enjoy this dish at La Poulbot Gourmet . I don't remember ever having it with mushroom at other bistros.

I ordered the lamb riblets for my entree. I think I have to consider this "dinner for lunch" today. The dish include 3 lamb cutlets which were in a cider reduction that had the flavor of pepper and rosemary. On the side were some sliced, roast potatoes and sauteed spinach. I could live without the spinach! The dish was very tasty and was a decent size portion. I have to say 3 lamb riblets is usually what you get in this type of dish but for me they never have enough meat to satisfy.

I should have ordered the side of lamb.

For dessert I ordered the "Opera" I've heard of this but can't remember what it is. Today it's the "dessert special" so I thought I'd try it. Something in my mind tells me it's like a napolian.

The "Opera" was not what I thought it was. It was a torte which was layered with cake, mocha cream, sugar filling and topped with hard chocolate. It was more like candy than cake. All this sweetness was served in a pool of creme anglais. The French really love their creme anglais!

Total bill - €36. I didn't have wine or coffee today.

Service at La Poulbot Gourmet was very welcoming and friendly. France has changed so much in the past 20 years. I can remember going to bistros and nearly getting yelled at because I asked for an English menu. At La Poulbot Gourmet I wasn't offered an English menu but my server spoke English and was glad to assist. I didn't really require much help since I understood most of the menu. The only thing I wanted to make sure of was that the l'agneau (lamb) I ordered was meat and not guts.

La Poulbot Gourmet is a more formal bistro than most. I would classify this as a "special occasion" restaurant rather than an informal meal. Today I am in jeans and feel a bit too casual compared to other here who are in suits.

I wouldn't say that this is one of my favorite restaurants but I'd give the service and quality of food 3 hearts "plus". I think everything was great but the price was a bit steep. Somehow it seems like €36 is more reasonable for dinner rather than lunch.

While I was at Le Poulbert Gourmet I didn't notice a lot of smoking. Perhaps it was the upscale clientele rather than working class patrons. If you don't smoke all you need is the person next to you to light up to ruin a good bite of food.

I am so tired today. I could just sit in this little corner window seat all day!

Someone remind me that you only live once.

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Metro to Montmartre

Why is it that no matter what time I wake I can't get out of the apartment until noon? One side of me says this is so relaxing, why rush outside? The other says there is so much of Paris to explore and the city is waiting..

When I was young (in my 20's) I use to get up and be on the streets by 9am. Now I am lucky to be awake by 9. Maybe it's because this is my 8th trip to Paris and I know it so well that I don't have a need to rush onto the streets. Maybe it's because the apartment is so nice. This morning I blame Martha Stewart because she was on TV with Larry King. How could I miss that?

After a hot shower and a second cup of tea I decided to head to Montmartre today. It seems like a nice day to walk through this bohemian part of the city.

It's a long Metro ride with 1 connection (at Concorde) to the north of the city. My destination stop today is Lamarck-Caulaincourt.

For lunch I have selected a place highly recommended by Time Out named La Poulbot Gourmet at 39 rue Lamarck. They are suppose to have good €18 lunch menu. We'll see how it is when I arrive. I could always turn away and go somewhere else.

After lunch I am will take a walking tour through the district. This is a part of the city I have been to but I am not real familiar with.

Isometime I wish it wasn't so sunny. The weather has been so nice (but cold) since I've been here that I barely want to go inside. If it would rain I would go to the Louvre or Musee d'Orsay but the though of bing in a stuffy museum on a bright day depresses me.

You may also wonder why o don't mention a lot of other sights. That's because I've seen them all! In fact yesterday when I was in the 7th I didn't even walk to see the Eiffel Tower. I know it's still there.

I also dubbed this the trip where I would do whatever I wanted to do!

OK we are at my Metro stop, that was fast!

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Is it Wednesday?

When I woke up this morning I couldn't remember what day it was. I guess I am lost in time.

Todays is Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. I guess everyone at home is running around like a bunch of nuts trying to get their turkeys, cranberries and stuffing. I don't think that's fun!

This morning I was not sure what I would get for breakfast. On one side I wanted a baguette from a new boulangerie at the St Paul Metro stop. The other side of me wants some sort of a pastry with a filling. So what did I do? I got both!

Big deal it only cost €2.50 for a baguette and a "pain au chocolate et framboise". Delicious!

Why do we have good bread in the USA? We are a nation of Wonder Bread and mass processed loaves. Yes, there are some artisan bakerys in New York but a plain baguette could cost anywhere from $3-5.

I am lucky, I do have a artisan baker in my little New Jersey neighborhood who makes their loaves in coal ovens. Their bread is delicious and costs just over a buck. I would say it's more of an Italian style bread rather than French. I have to admit, I don't buy loaves there very often because when I buy one I can eat the entire loaf in one evening. While here in Paris I am active all day but when at home I sit in my chair at work for most of the day.

I walked 11 miles yesterday. I started my wandering on the right bank but then I took the Metro to the left bank for lunch at Le Petit Troquet. It was one of the best bistros I've been to in Paris and I plan to return.

After lunch I walked the length of rue St Dominique and peeked into a few shops. After my stop at the pastry shop named Julian, I headed to rue Cler where I had a espresso in a cafe with the pistachio macroon I bought at Julian. From there I continued to walk the rue Cler. Rue Cler is a active market street with cafes, brasseries and stalls selling everything from food to shoes spreading onto the street.

From rue Cler I walked to the end of ave de la Motte-Picquet to Hotel des Invalides. From the Hotel des Invalides I walked to rue de Grenelle which is a picturesque street in the 7th. Rue de Grenelle leads to rue Bac where more shops and markets begin to appear as you enter St Germain.

Two of my favorite shops on rue du Bac are Cedre Rouge and The Conran Shop. Cedre Rouge is a great home and garden shop selling. All sorts of home items which reflect natural living and gardening. The Conran Shop is completely opposite and sells al sorts of item representing modern living. Both shops are in the area of rue de Varenne and are worth checking out for gifts and unique items.

While in the area I did a walk through Le Bon Marche department store (too expensive) then walked back to blvd St Germain for some more main stream shopping.

No wonder why I was exhausted last night!

One thing that I think really wipes me out is the Metro. I have come to dread having to make a transfer at any station, especially the Chatelet station. A map doesn't represent how much walking you will do in the endless underground tunnels and passageways. I never assume when I enter a station that the train will be right there. In New York when you walk down the stairs to the subway, the train is generally right there.

Well, it will be another day of walking and wandering. I am still trying todecide if I wantto take a trip to Fountainebleau. It's been very cold outside and I am not sure if I want to be outside all day far away from Paris.

Today I may tour Montemartre or maybe take one of those ferry cruises on the Seine. I decide once I'm more awake!

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