I Prefer Paris

Café de Flore Reunion

In the early 1980s, Vincent and I brought my niece Sarah and her best girlfriend Alexandra to Paris for about 10 days in May. At the time, Sarah and Alexandra were 16 years old, living in and going to high school on the upper west side of Manhattan, and they were already cosmopolitan girls on the go, partying at Studio 54 and avid Rolling Stone groupies. 

We stayed at a small hotel on the Boulevard Saint Germain, and every morning we would cross the street and have croissants and coffee at Café de Flore. 

In an agreement unbeknownst to their parents, we allowed the girls to go by themselves to see the Rolling Stones in London for four days. Remember, in those days there was no email, internet, or cell phones, and even long -distance landline calls were expensive and difficult to make, so there was almost no communication between us during the four days, just a wing and a prayer. However, they had a safe and sure place to stay with the best friend of Sarah’s father’s girlfriend at the time and the girls ended up hanging out in some of the musician’s hotel suites, the ultimate groupie fantasy fulfilled. (Sarah and Alexandra swore they behaved themselves by not doing the perfunctory sex and drugs usually associated with rock and roll groupies) 

Sarah had lost touch with Alexandra for a long time but about eight years ago they reconnected online. Alexandra lives in the East Bay and Sarah lives in Scarsdale, New York. When Alexandra learned I was living in Paris and emailed me in 2014 to say she was coming to Paris with her two young daughters, Delphine, and Natasha, and wanted to do some tours. We met and had a great time, and it was lovely to see her again. 

Earlier this year Alexandra informed me she was coming to Paris again in mid-June with her daughters. A few weeks later my niece Sarah told me she was also coming to Paris in June with her daughter Avery, and when I looked at the dates, there was an overlap of three days when they would both be here. I immediately said we must have a Café de Flore reunion, and last Thursday night was the big day. We met at 6pm and had drinks inside. I had not seen Delphine, and Natasha, for a long time, and they were now budding mademoiselles, age 12 and 17, instead of cute, little girls. Natasha had just graduated high school, so coming to Paris was part of her graduation celebration. Delphine and Natasha both attended a French and English grade school, and I was impressed with their proficiency in French. My great niece Avery had just graduated Columbia grad school last month and was traveling over the summer before she starts her new job in September. 

We had a delightful time at Café de Flore, reminiscing about our trip, while Alexandra filled us in on some of the missing details we had forgotten. The ironic part was Avery was going to see the Rolling Stones on her own in London next week. (Mind you, Avery is a mature, well-traveled, and worldly 25-year-old, who has been to more places than I have.)

We were having such a great time, that I canceled my dinner reservations and we all had dinner together in an outdoor café in Les Halles. 

Left to Right: Vincent, moi, Alexandra, and Sarah

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Left to Right: Moi, Delphine, Avery, Sarah, Alexandra, Natasha, and Vincent

Alexandra took this photo of us on our original trip to Paris.That's me on the right. 

Kebi Restaurant

I am always eager to try new neighborhood restaurants, especially those that are close to my apartment. For years, there was a mediocre Italian restaurant on rue de Turenne, but it recently closed.

A few weeks ago, I noticed a beautifully designed new restaurant, Kebi, which celebrates and updates the ancient middle east dish kibbeh, replace the rundown Italian place.

As many of you know I am of Syrian descent and by mother and my aunts would make kibbeh for special occasions and for Friday night sabbath dinner. It consists of ground bulgur, which is formed into a round or torpedo shape, then stuffed with ground meat, pine nuts, chopped onions, all spice, cinnamon, and coriander spices, and finally deep fried. Kibbeh is found mostly in Syrian and Lebanese cooking and there are many variations on it, including kibbeh neyeh, which uses raw, ground lamb, much like a French tartare.

I met the owner Marc Naaman, a charming Lebanese man with a winning smile and he explained the concept of the restaurant. He said he wanted to modernize and play with the standard kibbeh dish by offering imaginative new versions with unusual ingredients.

The menu offered eight, enticing variations of kibbeh, and we narrowed it down to five selections.

While we waited for our food, we relaxed in the well-designed dining room with contemporary furnishings. A few minutes later, five beautifully plated dishes arrived on brightly saturated, ceramic plates, which we found out were from the superstar, Israeli chef Yottam Ottolenghi. Each plate has three kibbehs, with the top one cut in half. The foie gras kibbeh with dates, nuts, and sage was a brilliant and winning combination, the sweet potato with butternut squash, caramelized onions, yogurt, and mint, was light and refreshing but still had an intense flavor, and chicken with tarragon and mushrooms, was piquant and delicious. Other kibbeh dishes on the menu include salmon tartare, potato, calamari, and shrimp.

Kebi also offers appetizing sides to go with the kibbeh, including sauteed spinach with sumac and peanuts, roasted eggplant, and a salad of pine nuts, greens, and molasses.

Marc recommended a dessert kibbeh of banana, roasted hazelnuts, and melted chocolate but we were too stuffed and satisfied, all the more reason to return to Kebi.

I also told Marc I had just tasted the Lebanese ice cream a few days before at Baltis,(CLICK HERE to read my blog post)  and Marc not only knew about Baltis, he said it was on their dessert menu.

Kebi

3 rue de Turenne, 75004

Metro: Saint Paul

https://kebi-restaurant.eatbu.com/?lang=en

 

 

Baltis, A New Paris Ice Cream Shop

Parisians love their ice cream and they patiently queue sometimes for up to 30 minutes at the more than a dozen shops in the Marais, especially on the weekend. 

In case there weren’t enough shops to fill the current ice cream fever around the city, there’s a new kid on the block now making its mark. Of course, I had to do my duty and report about it here. I brought Vincent along for my tasting, so he could at least share the calories, as I have been successfully dieting since February, losing close to 14 pounds (Truth be told I’ve recently been doing tastings at other new food shops and have gained back about a pound or two in the past week.)

A new trend in the past few years has been the proliferation of Lebanese ice cream shops in Paris. The ice cream is dense and rich with flavors such as rosewater, halvah, and orange blossom.  

Baltis on the rue Saint Antoine, close to the Bastille, just opened last week and serves artisanal, Lebanese style ice cream. Nadim Kettaneh, who is Lebanese , and his cousin Jean-Michel, shared about the concept of the shop. All the ingredients are organic, and the ice creams and sorbets are all produced on the premises. Part of their plan was hiring Jean-Thomas Schneider, a master ice cream maker, who won numerous awards including World Pastry Champion 2017, Ice Cream World Champion 2018, and Meilleur Ouvrier de France for ice cream in 2019, to create the products. 

It was so hard to choose a flavor, I asked Nadim to pick for me, and he chose the apricot sorbet. He personally prepared by cup and added a few toppings, including crushed pistachios, chopped dried apricots, and pine nuts. While Nadim was preparing my ice cream, he told me to hold out my palm, and he proceeded to fill it with halva flavored cotton candy, which was as light as air. The sorbet was divine, and the consistency was a bit gummy, almost like a custard, rather than a sorbet. I commented about that to Nadim, and he said the way they processed the sorbet was different, so it wouldn’t melt so quickly. I also like that it wasn’t so sweet and the same with the toppings, which I savored instead of the usual sugary sprinkles.  

For my research, I also had tiny tastings of coffee, which was like a super strong, iced espresso, achta, which tasted like vanilla and is infused with orchid, orange blossom and rose water, and halva, which reminded me of the dry, flaky, halva my mother used to buy in the middle eastern gourmet shop in Brooklyn, when I was growing up.  

Other chilled and refreshing offerings include artisanal lemonade with orange, and house made iced tea. Lebanese coffee with cardamom, herbal anise tea, and hot chocolate are on the hot drinks menu. Baltis also sells a line of delicate, Lebanese style biscuits and cookies, in a smartly designed, oblong box. 

There are tables and chairs outside to enjoy your treats. 

27 rue Saint Antoine, 75004 

Metro: Bastille

Paris Window Boxes 2022

This is my annual post of my window boxes of of Paris. We have had the most beautiful spring this year, with hardly a trace of rain since the end of March, so the window boxes are brimming over with their glorious blooms. Do you have some favorites?

Please read two of my recent articles for Travel Awaits.

14 Things You Need To Pack For Paris In The Summer https://www.travelawaits.com/2767638/what-to-pack-for-paris-in-the-summer/

7 Fabulous Hotels To Stay At In Saint Germain, Paris https://www.travelawaits.com/2750924/best-hotels-to-stay-at-in-saint-germain/ 

Jasmin

Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris. 

I am excited to launch a new series of Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris. 

The limited-edition series of Eye Prefer Paris Door Collection Postcards are available three different ways.

18 cards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors, 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers. 

Cost: $65- Free shipping 

9 postcards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors.

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

9 postcards: 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

Each postcard is printed on thick matte coated card stock, similar to traditional vintage postcard stock, that enhances the vibrancy of each image. Eye Prefer Paris Postcards come in classic postcard size (6”x 4.25”), perfect for collecting, framing, or sending to that special someone. 

Each order is specially hand wrapped with love from Paris and mailed in an elegant, French blue envelope. Postcards take about 4- 7 days to arrive in the U.S. 

Just in time for the holidays, the Eye Prefer Paris-Paris Door Collection make a perfect gift for your Francophile friends and family, and I can write a handwritten note for you and include it in the envelope. 

CLICK HERE to order 18 cards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors, 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers. 

Cost: $65- Free shipping 

CLICK HERE to order 9 postcards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors.

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

CLICK HERE to order 9 postcards: 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

Green Doors

Blue Doors

Metal Doors

 

Garden of Delacroix Museum

On my Saint Germain tour, I always show clients the courtyard and entrance to the Delacroix Museum behind the Saint Germain church, in the lovely Place Furstenberg.

It has been forever since I’ve visited the museum and the gardens and after finishing a Saint Germain tour a few weeks ago, I decided to revisit.

Delacroix lived in this house, which also contained his painting studio, from 1857 until he died in 1863. The reason why he lived at this location was because he was commissioned to paint three murals at the nearby Saint Sulpice church, which included one of his finest works, Jacob Wrestling the Angel. After Delacroix died in 1863, the building faced a serious threat of being torn down to make way for a parking garage in 1929, but luckily the Société des Amis d'Eugène Delacroix/ The Society of Friends of Eugene Delacroix came to the rescue and saved the building from destruction. It was donated to the city in 1954 and finally in 1971, after almost 100 years, the Delacroix Museum opened. Today the museum exhibits memorabilia, paintings, and drawings plus three frescoes. There’s also a collection of documents, notes, his easel, painting tables, and palettes.

My favorite part of the museum was the tranquil garden which was in full bloom with an abundance of pink roses, towering trees with their gigantic leaves creating shade, mint green lawn chairs, and neatly trimmed box hedges and lawns.

I sat for over 30 minutes on a chair, savoring this calm oasis in the middle of the city.

6 Rue de Furstemberg, 75006

http://www.musee-delacroix.fr/en/

Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris. 

I am excited to launch a new series of Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris. 

The limited-edition series of Eye Prefer Paris Door Collection Postcards are available three different ways.

18 cards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors, 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers. 

Cost: $65- Free shipping 

9 postcards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors.

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

9 postcards: 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

Each postcard is printed on thick matte coated card stock, similar to traditional vintage postcard stock, that enhances the vibrancy of each image. Eye Prefer Paris Postcards come in classic postcard size (6”x 4.25”), perfect for collecting, framing, or sending to that special someone. 

Each order is specially hand wrapped with love from Paris and mailed in an elegant, French blue envelope. Postcards take about 4- 7 days to arrive in the U.S. 

Just in time for the holidays, the Eye Prefer Paris-Paris Door Collection make a perfect gift for your Francophile friends and family, and I can write a handwritten note for you and include it in the envelope. 

CLICK HERE to order 18 cards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors, 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers. 

Cost: $65- Free shipping 

CLICK HERE to order 9 postcards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors.

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

CLICK HERE to order 9 postcards: 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

Green Doors

Blue Doors

Metal Doors