Springtime came upon us all at once this week. On Sunday we had the first warm, sunny day of the year and all of the skirts and sandals and short sleeve shirts came out of everyone’s closets. I went outside coatless and scarfless and it was great.

All of the trees bloomed all at once with a mighty fwoomp.

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Posted in: life, paris, Uncategorized | Tags: flower, flowers in bloom, guitar, montmartre, o, paris, paris flowers, park, park in paris, spring, spring in paris, springtime in paris | 2 COMMENTS

So I find myself in Montmartre more and more often nowadays. When I have a spare hour between whatever I’m coming from and whatever I’m going to, I like to stop in at People’s Drug Store for a bottle.

Like it says on the sign: all of the small bottles are €3 and the large ones are €6, so there’s no reason not to experiment and try new bottles. That Belgian quad is no more expensive than the Sierra Nevada you can get at home.

Though it is nice to be able to get a real American IPA when you want one.

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Posted in: dining out, paris, Uncategorized | Tags: 75018, alcohol, beer, beer shop paris, bottle shop, bottle shop paris, craft beer, craft beer in paris, montmartre, paris, people's drug store, people's drug store paris, travel | 6 COMMENTS

After dinner at Les Cocottes last week, I eschewed the metro for a chilly walk back home, accompanied the whole way by the good ol’ iron lady herself.

I ran into something I didn’t even know existed in Paris: the flamme de la Liberté, a full-sized replica of the Statue of Liberty’s flame.

And then, of course, the bling. I never get tired of this.

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Posted in: paris, Uncategorized | Tags: bling, bokeh, eiffel tower, eiffel tower light show, flame of liberty, flamme de la liberté, france, paris, travel, trocadero | 8 COMMENTS

Les Cocottes is one of those restaurants I’ve been hearing about for ages. Two years ago, when I visited Paris for the first time, a friend of mine in LA who had spent part of his honeymoon here insisted that I try one of Christian Constant’s restaurants, as he had had his favorite meal of his entire trip at Le Violon d’Ingres.

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to visit this place, but what better way to visit than with resident expert, Carin? I think she goes to Les Cocottes as often as I go to Frenchie bar à vins, which is kind of saying a lot.

Ravioles de langoustines, mousseline d’artichauts

I started with the langoustine ravioli, which has been lauded far and wide in the Paris blog scene as the entrèe to get, and not without cause. The shellfish was as tender and sweet as any I’ve had,  matched perfectly with the rich artichoke mousseline. And hiding the unattractively-colored mousseline under a blanket of creamy foam? Clever trick, that.

All of the dishes here — even the desserts — come in cast-iron Staub cocottes and pans, hence the name. It’s a cute concept, even though lots of these dishes were clearly not actually cooked in the cocottes in which they are served.

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Posted in: dining out, paris, Uncategorized | Tags: 75007, christian constant, food, gaufre, langoustine ravioli, les cocottes, les cocottes paris, paris restaurant, pigeon a l'ail, restaurant, soupe d'asperges, travel, wine | 12 COMMENTS

On a night so cold that my glasses immediately fogged up upon entering the building, I met up with T for drinks and snacks at Septime’s new offshoot bottle shop / wine bar.

Let’s get our expectations straightened out: Septime La Cave is not the kind of wine bar to which one goes for dinner. One goes for some nice little nibbles and a glass or two of beautiful wine.

There are bottles, which can be had for a €7 corkage fee, lining the walls. No tables to speak of, but a bit of counter space to work with.

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Posted in: dining out, paris, Uncategorized | Tags: 75011, bar, charcuterie, food, paris, paris wine bar, septime, septime cave, septime la cave, snacks, travel, wine, wine bar | 6 COMMENTS

Sing it with me: impeccably-sourced products, natural wine, chill ambiance, warm service…

Vivant is another contender in the list of modern bistros with spin-off wine bars in Paris (see: Frenchie, Verjus, Septime), and they’re doing it right. I went with lunch on a rare sunny day with A, who can eat with the best of them.

Risotto / encre de seiche

Gnocchi / ragout de canard

Both of our entrées were, surprisingly, Italian-themed and, less surprisingly, amazing. I dream about that gnocchi. Cloud-like pillows in a rich duck sauce, it blew the gnocchi I had at Le 6 Paul Bert the night before out of the water.

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Posted in: dining out, paris, Uncategorized | Tags: 75010, bistro, food, lunch, paris, paris restaurant, pierre jancou, restaurant, travel, vivant, vivant paris, vivant table | 10 COMMENTS

I met up with awesome Jackie at Le 6 Paul Bert on a freezing evening during a week when I felt like I was dining out every night. It might have been because I’ve been at restaurants so much lately, but this place didn’t really wow me. Don’t get me wrong — everything was fresh and well-made and beautifully plated, but nothing made me want to get out of my seat and applaud. Still, Le 6 Paul Bert is a solid adresse and I wouldn’t hesitate to go there again, and at €38 for three dishes and a dessert, it’s not too hard on the credit card either.

Tartare de bar, mayonnaise d’huitres et herbes amères

Coteaux XL juste saisis, eau de laitue de mer, daikon

Noix de veau, carottes blanches, persil et moelle

Longe de cochon, endive rôtie et poire

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Posted in: dining out, paris, Uncategorized | Tags: 6 paul bert, 75011, bistro, food, le 6 paul bert, paris, paris restaurant, paris wine bar, restaurant, travel, wine bar | 2 COMMENTS