I Prefer Paris

Lunch with Lynn/Under 20 Eats: Chartier

I've been hearing about the "legendary" Chartier, known for its classic French Brasserie atmosphere and dirt cheap prices, for years and maybe that's what kept me away. I am always weary of anything that carries the "legendary" stamp for fear that I will be disappointed. Located on the gritty Faubourg du Montmartre off the Grand Boulevard, Chartier is inside a a long passageway with velvet ropes to manage the crowds. (They don't take reservations). Built in 1896, I could feel the old world grandeur and it fulfilled the wonderful cliche of the lively Paris brasserie with dark wood paneling, long mirrors, high-ceilings, and tile floors. There was a wall of small draws, which I was later told were used to store the regular diner's napkins.

We were there at 12:30, smack in the middle of lunch hour and it was filled with mostly French diners. The entree/starter list had more interesting dishes than the plats/main courses, so I ordered three of them. The vegetable soup had a carrot base and served in a metal bowl. It was just the right thickness and what you would expect of a simple vegetable soup. The paté de compagne/country paté was hearty and quite tasty accompanied by crusty bread(the crust was good but the inside was like Wonderbread), cornichons, and strong mustard. Speaking of strong mustard, that's what was missing from the dressing in the frisee salad with lardons and croutons, which otherwise was crispy and delicious.It didn't bother me that it wasn't topped with a poached egg.  Lynn had the roasted chicken with fries/fries and her response when I asked how it was, she said "You can't screw up chicken too much, so that's why I ordered it". I tasted her frites and they were crunchy on the outside. A shared dessert was a passable, almost not -worth- the-calories chocolate mousse. The waiter kindly gave me the paper menu as a keepsake and he wrote our order on the paper tablecloth. When I asked for the bill he wrote and added it up on the tablecloth under our order. The total was a whopping 27.80 euros which included my 3 starters, Lynn's chicken, one dessert, and a half carafe of red wine. We sat next to a lovely French couple who lived in the south, but frequently visited Paris. Lynn asked them for some other cheap eats recommendations, figuring a French person's perspective could add a new dimension to our dining experiences, and they boasted of a place on rue Gregoire de Tours in the 6th, which we will try soon.

The "legendary" Chartier didn't disappoint and if you are looking for an authentic Paris Brasserie experience with simple, honest, straightforward French food at more than reasonable prices, head on down as soon as you can.

Chartier
7 rue du Faubourg Montmartre, 9th arr.
Metro: Grand Boulevards
http://www.restaurant-chartier.com/www/
Open daily- Lunch 11:30-3PM, Dinner 6PM-10PM

Napkin draws

Our bill

  

Marais Photo Contest

I am looking for unique and intriguing photos that don't show the typical Marais sites or a new perspective on a popular site. Take a cue from some of the photos I am posting today so you have an idea of what I am looking for. Please send no more than 4 images to r.nahem@gmail.com and also include a short description and location. I will post the winner and photo next Wednesday, January 27.

Now for the BIG prize. The winner will receive a copy of Murder in the Marais by Cara Black, a stylish and entertaining murder mystery about private female detective Aimee Leduc's attempt to unravel the murder of an old Jewish woman who was an Auschwitz survivor. Murder in the Marais is the first in a series of books of murder mysteries with private investigator Aimee Leduc in different areas of the city including Murder in the Sentier, Murder in the Bastille, Murder in Montmartre, Murder in the Ile St. Louis, Murder in Clichy,Murder in the rue de Paradis,Murder in the Latin Quarter and Murder in the Palais Royale coming out in March which takes Aimée back to the crime in Murder in the Marais. Click here to look at all the books in this series and to order.

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Restaurant Review: Le Pamphlet

Le Pamphlet is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and they have much to celebrate.

I was invited by their publicist to have lunch two weeks ago and was so happy to finally have the opportunity to dine there since it's been on my must try list for years. Located in the northern Marais, Le Pamphlet's windows are covered with white drapes so its hard to see what it looks like and once you are inside it feels almost like a private club/dining room. The decor of the two rooms is tasteful enough with stone walls and contrasting flaming red high- backed chairs but what pleasantly struck me was how far apart the tables were set. I said it once before, but one of my pet peeves about Paris restaurants is how closely packed the tables are, to the point that its uncomfortable to sit for entire meal.

We were warmly greeted by the maitre d' and seated at a table by the window in the smaller, more intimate room. First we were poured a rosé Champagne which was dry and crisp and a perfect way to prepare our palate of for the five course tasting menu.

The first dish was a silky as velvet, satisfying split pea soup with croutons in a glass terrine. Avocado, Parmesan, and crab with diced mango garnish was superb with the sharp Parmesan giving the creamy crab a bite.The Coquilles in the Coquilles St. Jacques with truffle butter and squash puree in a foam was tender and juicy but the squash was over-salted. I thought the tasting menu was going to be all small dishes but the three hearty lamb chops with wilted Swiss chard and olives was heftier than a regular main course. The meat was cooked to perfection, just the right combination of juicy and flavorful without being the least bit tough.I find lamb chops one of the hardest dishes to get right and these were some of the best I have had in a while. Raspberry religieuse is a cream puff filled with raspberry cream and surrounded with edible rosebuds. Even though the rosebuds were an intriguing idea and I was game to try them, the texture was too dry and brittle. The shocking pink enamel like icing and pistachio piped ring around it made it look fake and cheap, and even though I liked the taste of it, I thought it was the least successful dish of the meal.

Split pea soup

Avocado, Parmesan, and crab with diced mango

Coquilles St. Jacques with truffle butter and squash puree in a foam 

Raspberry religieuse

After the meal,Chef Alain Carriere came to our table to introduce himself. He was modest and affable and he explained how he changed the menu every week according to the seasonal market ingredients that are available. I asked him who designed the beautiful and unusual china he used, specifically the black rectangular platters, and he said they were by Deshouliéres, a French china company that was started in 1826.

I wish that Alain Carriere continues his terrific, inventive, and creative cuisine for 10, 20, 30 years more. I know I will be back.

Le Pamphlet
38 rue Debelleyme, 3d arr.
Metro: Filles du Calvaire
Tel. 01 42 72 39
Lunch- Tuesday to Friday 12PM-2:30PM
Dinner Monday to Saturday 7:30PM-11PM
Closed Sundays
35 euros for 3 courses, 65 euros for 5 course tasting menu 

Bravo Chef Carriere

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Lunch with Lynn/Under 20 Eats: Baan Lek

It was my turn to choose this month so I decided on Baan-Lek, a small, Thai restaurant in the Marais near my apartment. The card says Cuisine de Siam, so one would think the food is authentic. Yes, it is and having eaten there a few times now, it has become one of my favorite Thai restaurants in Paris.

We went on a Friday afternoon at about 12 and pretty much had the place to ourselves. The interior with two side by side dining rooms is modern but warm and the wall behind us was made to look like a abstract painting. The formule is 13.50 euros for three courses and the choices were limited to two dishes for the entrees and plats , and one for dessert. I chose the clear vermicelli noodles with chicken, yam woon sen kai, and Lynn chose the spicy seafood soup,poh taek. Mine was fresh and fragrant and the slivered chicken bits were moist and tender. Lynn's soup had a nice tang of lemongrass along with good, solid vegetables including baby corn and big mushrooms and and a few large plump shrimp. Lynn wasn't too crazy about her salmon curry with fresh basil and coconut milk, chuchee pla,  and she found the sauce too rich and creamy. I liked the curried pork, moo phat prik,which was simpler with earthy flavors. I liked the fact that the dishes came with rice which usually costs extra at Thai restaurants. Grapefruit and mango sorbet were most refreshing and welcome after our spicy dishes and served in a lovely jade colored bowl on a stand, which I was tempted to swipe. Service was pleasant and low-keyed.

I liked my meal better than Lynn, and would for sure return to Baan-Lek for its good value lunch.The prices a la carte run about 30 euros per person for two courses including wine.

7 rue de Jarente, 4th arr.
Metro: St. Paul
Tel. 01 42 77 49 35
Open 7 days

Spicy seafood soup,poh taek

Pork curry,chuchee pla

Mango & grapefruit sorbet

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Restaurant Review: La Taverna

There are many excellent Italian restaurants in Paris but they are not always easy to find. Most of them have come from recommendations and my newest find La Taverna was one of them. The 7th arr. is a ways from me but I was feeling adventurous and said what the hell, it's worth it if the restaurant is good.

On a quiet street a stones throw from the Eiffel Tower, the outside looked like a postcard cliche of an Italian restaurant but in this case it was very appealing. Once inside, La Taverna had a warm, inviting ambiance with hues of soft orange lighting. In fact the color was so warm that my food photos have a strong orange hue to them. One rare element for a Paris restaurant was that it was spacious and the tables were set far apart from one another. Too many restaurants are cramped with tables that are too small and after I am finished I feel as though I need a chiropractic adjustment.

The menu selection was just right  with enough variety in each menu category. A tart of Taleggio cheese and roquette in a phyllo crust was rich but light with the bitterness of the sweetly dressed roquette balancing the sharp aftertaste of the Taleggio.  My dining companion had the eggplant, smoked cheese,pesto,sun-dried tomato millefeuille which I of course tasted, and the thinly sliced vegetables were delicate and lightly sauteed. 

I always have an ordering dilemma in Italian restaurants as to whether I should get pasta or meat/fish for my main course and the tempting selections made it worse. I finally opted for the tagliatelle with duck ragout and once I tasted it, I had no doubt I ordered the right dish. It was smoky and intense with the duck so tender it felt like velvet on my palate. The true test of any exceptional pasta dish is that the pasta itself is flavorful enough on its own and the tagliatelle easily passed the test.

For dessert, I stuck with a classic, tiramisu, because I was confident from the two courses before that it would be good. Fluffy and light as air with a bite of bittersweet cocoa,it was a dreamy end to a near perfect meal.

The service was friendly and attentive but most important of all it was efficient.Another common complaint is that many a good Paris restaurant meals have been marred by lack of service or being understaffed to the point where you wonder if your waiter will ever surface.

So if you are craving authentic, beautifully prepared Italian cuisine in a comfortable dining room, treat yourself to La Taverna.

La Taverna
22 rue du Champs du Mars, 7th arr.
Metro: Ecole Militaire, 8 line
Tel. 01 45 52 64 59
Price range: 35-45 euros a person including wine. 

Tagliatelle with duck ragout 

Lemon tart

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Restaurant Review: Angelina

Angelina by Emily Monaco 

Walking down rue de Rivoli in mid-afternoon around this time of year, you may be surprised to see a lineup outside one of the many upscale cafés that dot the street: this is most certainly Angelina, and you should most definitely join the queue... don't worry, it moves quickly, and you're standing in line to await the hot chocolate experience of your life.

As soon as you make it inside, you'll be able to press your nose against the glass case containing the various pastries made and sold by Angelina: try not to drool all over it, as the classic French waiters dressed in black tie tend to frown upon this sort of behavior. The most famous is the Mont Blanc, a confection of crème de marrons, or sweet chestnut cream, squeezed through a small pastry bag to make a pile of threadlike cream upon which is sprinkled powdered sugar “snow.” As delicious as it is, I recommend veering more towards something fruitlike, like a black cherry-pistachio Napoleon (millefeuille) or strawberry tart: trust me, with the chocolate you're about to order, you won't be able to handle anything sweeter.   

Of the chocolate choices, I give you permission to choose between two: the African hot chocolate is the obvious forerunner, but if you have someone at your table who is willing to share, then order one hot white chocolate as well, which is served with chocolate whipped cream and is just as decadent. When the chocolate arrives at your table, you will understand the hype: what you will receive is essentially a pitcher of high-quality chocolate melted into cream, rich and heavy enough to be eaten like pudding with a spoon, but better when poured into a cup and topped with a ridiculous amount of unsweetened whipped cream which, inexplicably, considering the fact that you just shoveled more cream onto your dessert, cuts the richness. Chased with a few bitefuls of whatever fruity confection you chose, this is chocolate Heaven.   

Many of the people in this café are American: it's made its way into most guidebooks toted around by tourists. This may deter you—it would me, always on the lookout for the “genuine” experience, but please, for once, put such thoughts out of your mind and just sit down with the rest of your countrymen: they know what they're doing.   

What no tourist guidebook mentions, however, is the fact that the croque monsieurs (I'm partial to a croque madame, with an egg on top) are also incredible, especially when eaten with bites of green salad tossed with perfect vinaigrette. If there was a time to eat your lunch backwards, this is it: sweet and dark chocolate can only coat your mouth for so long before your stomach will be begging for gruyère cheese and a fried egg, and who are you to say no to what the stomach wants?

224 rue de Rivoli, 1st. arr.

Metro: Tuilleries

Emily Monaco is an American student/expat from New York who has (hopefully permanently) moved to Paris. She spends her time in Paris seeking out artsy movie theaters, eating in amazing restaurants and trying to figure out how to use the Vélib.

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes

I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Lunch with Lynn/Paris Under 20 Eats

My second under 20 euro food adventure with Lynn was at a Turkish restaurant that she has been raving about. She said they served an excellent 3 -course lunch for 13.50 euros, so I was already sold.

Most French restaurants get busy after 12:45, so we arrived at 12:15 to beat the crowds. Since Lynn frequented the restaurant the waiters all knew her and cheerfully welcomed us.  La Voie Lactee has a warm atmosphere with red fabric lanterns that give off flattering light,simple wood chairs, and tables with white tablecloths and dark red paper napkins.

We choose the buffet for our starter and it was exceptional. I am always weary of buffets because usually after tasting 3 or 4 things, everything seems to meld together and you can't distinguish the various tastes. Not so with the La Voie Lactee buffet. The room temperature dishes all had their own distinct flavor and I experienced good salty, smoky, creamy, tart, chewy, crispy, and sweet & sour in dishes like taramasalata, haricot verts and red peppers in vinaigrette, hummus,beet salad, kidney beans in a red sauce, baba ghanoush, tomato & cucumber salad, and lentil salad.

Satisfied from the buffet, I ordered the boulettess de veau/veal meat balls for my main. What came out was more like flat veal discs, but the consistency was pure meatball with savory, mid-east spices A delicious Bulgar rice with tomatoes and salad greens accompanied the dish. Lynn had the chicken brochettes which were tender and practically fell off the skewer.

I just had enough room for dessert (I ALWAYS do) and a rice pudding with coconut milk and cinnamon was the correct end to the spicy meal. It was more like a creamy flan than rice pudding but I wasn't complaining as I polished it off in no time flat. Incredibly, the formule also includes wine, soda, or ayran, a strange concoction that I ordered.Ayran is yogurt mixed with a little water and spices. I'm not a yogurt lover, so it was wasted on me.

As we left, the restaurant was full and I can see why: solid ethnic food at a great price with good service and comfortable atmosphere.What's there not to like?  Lynn once again came up with an under 20 euro winner, so next time I'm going to take Lynn to one of my finds.

Menu at lunch:
2 courses with wine 11.50 euros
3 courses with wine 13.50 euros

La Voie Lactee
34 rue de Cardinal Lemoine, 5th arr.
Metro: Cardinal Lemoine
Tel. 01 46 34 02 35

Buffet

Veal Meatballs

Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Restaurant Review: Ase Theodros

Ase Theodros by Emily Monaco

What with the economy the way that it is, most food-related articles that you read nowadays seem to lean more towards "the best way to cook for less" as opposed to the best places to go. While I agree, in theory, that many dishes that we eat out can be recreated just as easily at home, there are some places that you should always go to for the real thing: when I was growing up, my mother was an incredible cook, but she always left Japanese and Indian food alone--why try at home when there are so many amazing places to eat out?
 
That's how I feel about Ethiopian food, especially because at Ase Theodros, in the 5th arrondissement, you get so much delicious food for so little.
 
There is a large and varied menu, but the only thing I've ever ordered and--based on tastes of other people's dishes--the only thing, in my opinion, worth ordering is the Beyanyennatou, an assortment of Ethiopian dishes served on Ethiopian bread called injera, not because the other dishes aren't good, but because with this assortment, you don't have to choose between them.

Sure, you could probably make some of these things at home but the fun lies in having a little bit of everything, a novelty that is hard to accomplish in a home kitchen. If you order in the traditional Ethiopian fashion, everyone at the table would order the same thing, which would then be presented on a very large platter for everyone to share, using more injera in place of silverware. If you can rope a few friends into doing this with you, I really think it's the best way to go: the atmosphere created by watching your friends manhandle their food at the table really makes this experience fun and different. If not, order it yourself anyway: you may never finish all the food that is presented to you, but you can try.
 
On the plate, you'll get several different dishes including stewed vegetables and lentils, stewed meat that literally falls off the bone in a savory and complex sauce, salad, spinach, Ethiopian cheese similar to Mexican queso fresco, boiled eggs... the possibilities are endless and often change. The food is generously spiced but not hot, complex but not overwhelming. Most Ethiopian dishes, as many Indian dishes, start with a varied base of spices that are then built upon with the addition of other ingredients. I don't know how they do it, but nothing that I've ever tried has come close.

The best part? The price: one order of Beyayennatou costs 16.50--it's easily enough for two to share if you're not ravenous, but after one trip here, you may be hard-pressed to find anyone who wants to give up half of this unique and interesting meal.

Ase Theodros
7 rue de La Collegiale, 5th arr.  Tel. 01 43 37 70 60‎
http://www.asetheodros.vpweb.fr/default.html

Emily Monaco is an American student/expat from New York who has (hopefully permanently) moved to Paris. She spends her time in Paris seeking out artsy movie theaters, eating in amazing restaurants and trying to figure out how to use the Vélib.

I was thrilled when The Obeserver Magazine, which is part of the British newspaper The Guardian, asked me to write an article for their travel section about what to do if you've got an hour to spare between trains in Paris.Checkout what I wrote.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/sep/20/paris-spare-hour-between-trains
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Best of 2009: Sweet Week Finale: Le Jules Verne

I'm taking a summer blogging break for two weeks. Enjoy my selection of the Best of 2009 posts.

Here's the grand finale to sweet week and what a finale it was.

My two cousins from New York, Pamela and Arlene have been visiting and we've been painting the town from the Palais Royal to the Marais to Montmartre all week. As a thank you to the fabulous time we've been having, they invited Vincent and I for lunch at Le Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. I have never been and neither have my cousins, so I thought what more festive and Parisian way to celebrate their trip to Paris. 

The restaurant was completely refurbished to the tune of 10 million euros about a year ago and is now owned by master chef Alain Ducasse. It was a not so cold gray day and we were whisked in the private elevator up to the restaurant. The sleek interior of smoky gray and tan was a combination of retro seventies modern and futuristic Jetsons. It was surprisingly quiet with only three or four tables full, considering it's one of the hardest reservations to get in town.

The lunch was excellent but I will skip what we had and cut to the dessert chase since this is sweet week. The girls ordered bittersweet chocolate souffle with Bourbon vanilla ice cream,Vincent, light wild strawberry and coconut cake with lime-coconut sorbet, and moi, Tower bolt, dark chocolate praline, and hazelnut ice cream. Right before the desserts were served, a tray of petit fours including macarons, almond financiers, a lemon & chocolate concoction, a bowl of marshmallows, and petit cubes of chocolate truffles were put on the table. I guess they were the appetizer desserts. Then came the main course desserts and we just stared in awe at this cavalcade of unbelievable desserts and confections. That moment of awe didn't last long as we chowed down on this dessert orgy. In between the oh-my-god's, ummm's,  and uhhh's, the girls said it was the best chocolate souffle they ever had and with the sweetest expression on her face, Arlene said she had dreamed for a long time about having a chocolate souffle in the Eiffel Tower. My chocolate dream was so rich and intense I couldn't finish it. The wild strawberries and coconut in Vincent's dessert were light and refreshing and the coconut cake sublime.We all agreed the desserts were the best part of the meal and a sweet, divine send off before the girls leave today.

Arlene's dream come true of having a chocolate souffle at the Eiffel Tower

Pretty Pamela enjoying her almond financier

Vincent seriously enjoying his dessert in black & white

I couldn't think of a better way to end sweet week. Now I am on a strict no sugar regime for a while but it doesn't mean I will stop my eternal quest to bring you the latest and greatest sweet shops and dessert updates in Paris. Until the next sweet week.

http://www.lejulesverne-paris.com/

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Le Reminet-Lunch with Lynn/Paris Under 20 Eats

My friend and wonderful writer Lynn Jeffress is always boasting about the best lunch bargains in Paris and inviting me to join her for her great culinary finds. I very rarely go out for lunch, as I spend the days I'm not touring toiling away at the computer. I finally decided to take Lynn up on one of her great finds, as I was getting cabin fever early one afternoon last week and called her on the spur of the moment to see if she was free. Indeed she was and we happily scurried to Le Reminet, which I have been told has an incomparable three-course lunch menu for 13.50 euros. Our mutual friend Meredith Mullins dines there every Monday for lunch and was actually the first person to tell us about this terrific bargain.

We arrived at about 12:30 and the small, intimate dining room with crystal chandeliers, deep plum walls and velvet banquettes, and gold gilt mirrors, was crowded with almost all French diners. The very,very, very, handsome (aka very,very,very hot) and genial waiter Gabriel read off the enticing menu. We of course went for the 13.50 menu. 

For the starter, I chose the smoked mackerel, endive salad with little bits of Granny Smith apple. It was a most refreshing summer dish and the tart apple was a nice offset to the bit heavy smoky fish. Lynn had a mozzarella tart with the cheese melted on top of puff pastry and wisp of salad greens underneath more for color. I took a bite and the pastry was light and the mozzarella gooey.

I like the fact that the chef was attentive to the season in his selection of dishes, as many French restaurants ignore it and serve heavy dishes like beef Bourguignon, lamb, and andouillette sausage in the summer. A simple sliced chicken breast was accompanied by two interesting sauces, a thin liquid curry with coconut milk, and a mango chutney.The hot and sweet flavors worked great together to give the tender but barely spiced chicken a kick.

Although I enjoyed my bananas topped with caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, I think Lynn's cheese plate would have been a more satisfying end to the so far excellent meal. It consisted of just the right size slices of Pont l' Eveque, Camembert, and chevre over roquette, radicchio, and walnut salad dressed in a light vinaigrette.

Mozzarella tart

Chicken with curry sauce and mango chutney

Cheese plate

Lynn and I both agreed that the portions of the food were just right for lunch and we felt satisfied but not stuffed.We spoke to the owner Michel Pascal and his son the very, very, very handsome Gabriel at length about the restaurant and told us they had taken it over from the original owner three years ago. We could see the restaurant was their pride and joy and the warm, personal and efficient service was the cherry on the gateau of this perfect lunch.

After this wonderful experience, I decided that Lynn and I would make a regular date every month for lunch and discover the best lunch bargains for under 20 euros.  Our quest to find another restaurant that's comparable or will surpass Le Reminet will be difficult and I think we have a long, lunch-filled road ahead of us.

Le Reminet
3 rue des Grands Degres, 5th arr.
Metro: Cluny Sorbonne, Saint Michel, or Maubert Mutualite
Open everyday 12PM-3pm, 7:30PM-11PM Reservations recommended 01 44 07 04 24
http://www.lereminet.com/

Michel Pascal and his very,very,very handsome son Gabriel

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Restaurant Review: Pho Dong-Huong

Pho Dong-Huong by Emily Monaco

When you up and move yourself from New York to Paris, you tend to get a lot of visitors. Since I moved to Paris in September 2007, I’ve been visited by my parents, both of my mother’s sisters, a handful of friends and even a few people I hadn’t heard from since we played in the sandbox together. Without fail, each and every one of them has the same expectations: they want to climb the Eiffel Tower (which I banned as an option after my seventh or eighth trek—my friends are perfectly capable of climbing the tower themselves and meeting me for a drink afterwards). They want to shop. They want to take pictures from the top of Montmartre. And of course, possibly most of all, they want to eat.

Finding appropriate places to take them for the quintessential Parisian dining experience is extremely difficult, and I end up perusing the same guidebooks they tote along with them and ignore in favor of following me, “the local.” But as far as eating out is concerned, I’m a fairly useless local. Why? Because contrary to popular belief, I do not eat cassoulet every day in a cute café.

 If I do treat myself to dinner every once in awhile, it’s definitely not going to be at a place I would take my friends: my favorite restaurant in Paris is decidedly un-French, but maybe that’s why I love it so much.

Directly above the Belleville metro stop is a small, unassuming place called Pho Dong-Huong. This is not the sort of place where you bring out-of-towners. Until recently, the menu was pasted on the wall in a series of pictures, and the tables are more a reminder of plastic cafeteria tables than those in a cute brasserie.

France is not known for its international cuisine, but Paris is, in fact, a multicultural city, and there are Vietnamese and North African restaurants dotting nearly every street here. If you’re willing to step outside the box and take a day off from soupe à l’oignon gratinée and salade niçoise, choose this place as a location to venture forth into the world of Vietnamese food. You’ll know you’re in the right place if you’re the only non-Vietnamese person there—this is the place where immigrants come for a taste of home.

The menu reminds me of diner menus from back in the States: all of the choices are illustrated with photos. The plastified pages are thick and seem unending, but there’s no real reason to turn past the first page, home to an assortment of traditional pho, the Vietnamese rice noodle soup that the restaurant is named for. I don’t even touch the menu anymore: by now, they know me here, and I can quickly order my haricots rouges—a drink made out of gelatin, sweet red beans and condensed milk—and P5—the fifth pho soup on the list, with meatballs and raw beef that slowly cooks in the piping hot broth.

A bowl of soup may not seem like an adequate meal, but the combination of rice noodles, bean sprouts, meatballs and beef that can be dipped into sauce served on the side or slurped from a spoon fills me up every time and is easy on the wallet.

It’s hard to wait for your order to appear: the entire restaurant smells of cilantro and beef broth, so appetizing and wonderful when you come in out of the cold. I arrange my chopsticks and spoon in anticipation, grasping the bright red bottle of Sriacha sauce that I will use to tinge the translucent broth orange, allowing the heat of the traditional chili paste to warm my mouth.

When it finally comes, I savor every spoonful: this may not be the Paris that American tourists expect, but this is the Paris that I call home.

14, rue Louis Bonnet,11th arr.

Phone: +33 01 43 57 42 81

Metro: Belleville

Average Cost: 10-15 euros

Hours: Daily 12pm-11:30pm, closed Tuesday

Emily Monaco is an American student/expat from New York who has (hopefully permanently) moved to Paris. She spends her time in Paris seeking out artsy movie theaters, eating in amazing restaurants and trying to figure out how to use the Vélib.

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com