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April 10, 2014

Marais Night Photos

After the breathtaking sunsets at the Pompidou a few weeks ago, I walked home from the museum. It was the blue hour, where evening is just beginning and the sky is that indescribable shade of vibrant blue. I walked down some alleyways with ancient buildings with figures walking in the night bathed in the dim light of yellow street lamps. Neon Tabac and flower shop signs glowed against the special blue sky looking like amusement park rides. The carousel at the Hotel de Ville plaza was all lit up with its tiny light bulbs and the BHV department store behind it with a red flag hovering above its black turret.

How do you like my portrait by my friend Blair Pessemier?

Blair and his wife Laurie give Plein Air Painting Classes in Paris, Giverny, and Auvers sur Oise. http://www.studiopessemier.com

COOKBOOK-LOGO-little 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 2 students, maximum 6 students.

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

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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.

Tours cost 210 euros for up to 3 people, and 70 euros for each additional person. 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

Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

April 10, 2014 in Neighborhoods | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 09, 2014

L’Institut Guerlain, 68 Champs-Elysees

A few weeks ago I went with Carol from Paris Breakfasts to the newly renovated L’Institut Guerlain on the Champs Elysees.

It was French luxury in its purest, most unadulterated form from top to bottom, from the littlest detail, like a doorknob, to the utmost extravagant displays.

The publicist gave us a thorough tour of the three-story boutique and spa that lasted almost 90 minutes. She told us the fascinating history of the esteemed perfume house, plus lengthy details about the construction and design and all the special services they offer.

We started on the top floor where the spa/Institut is located, entering into the Jean-Michel Frank vestibule (Jean-Michel Frank and Diego Giacometti designed all the original furniture when the spa was first opened in 1939). Softly walking through the corridors of the spa with special slippers they made us wear, we made our way to the Orchid Room, a serene waiting room for the spa with a hanging orchid garden and cushy sofas and plush club chairs where ladies of leisure waiting for their treatments sipped Guerlain tea (yes, they even make their own tea) from delicate teacups. I just wanted the tour to end there and laze around on the sofa eating petit fours.

There were nine spa rooms and each had gorgeous Opera Fantastico style marble sink consoles. We learned each spa treatment was made to measure and clients did a private consultation with a specialist before they designed their treatment. The spa has a variety of over 300 types of massages including Body Listening Ritual, The “Guerlain Massage”, and the Imperial Relaxing Ritual, where you are enveloped in the Eau de Cologne Imperiale. (I bet you smell like a million bucks after that).

Original Jean-Michel Frank table

Treatment room sign

The second floor was where most of the fragrances were displayed along with original bottles of Guerlain’s most famous fragrances. We learned the history of the fragrances and the design of the bottles and we surprisingly learned Guerlain started off as soap makers. In 1828, chemist Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain opened his first boutique at 42 rue de Rivoli, now the Meurice Hotel. Five generations later, Guerlain has produced over 850 fragrances and some of their most iconic perfumes include Shalimar, L’Heure Bleue, Eau de Cologne Impériale, and Samsara. We also learned Guerlain invented the modern day lipstick in a tube in 1870. The bee motif is heavily used in many bottles and in the displays and is based on bee emblem of Napoleon. A temporary art installation in the entrance foyer had floating gold bee sculptures hanging from the ceiling. Another cool thing on the second floor was a selection of leather gloves scented with Guerlain perfumes.

We were shown a special private room where wealthier clients can relax while having a perfume custom made for them which takes 18 months at a cost of 40,000 euros.

One side of the main floor had original counters made of 12 different marbles from the 1828 boutique and the other side was fully modern with sleek counters and fun displays of Guerlain’s newest hit fragrance La Petite Robe Noir.

Downstairs was a whimsical counter with sumptuous pastries by chef Guy Martin and a restaurant and tearoom with a menu also by Martin.

L’Institut Guerlain, 68 Champs-Elysees was designed by New York architect Peter Marino and took three years to complete.

To top our fabulous fantasy perfume afternoon we were given a bag of parting gifts (just like the game shows!), and it included a scented candle, lipstick (unfortunately it wasn’t my shade) and a bottle of Parfum du 68, a fragrance created exclusively for the boutique by head perfumer Thierry Wasser.

L’Institut Guerlain, 68 Champs-Elysees
68 Ave. Champs Elysees, 75008
Metro: Franklin Roosevelt

Secret room

Perfume scented gloves

Floating bees

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Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

April 09, 2014 in Fashion, Shopping | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 08, 2014

Trip to Amsterdam: Museum of Bags and Purses

I was thrilled to see the Vermeer paintings and the Night Watch by Rembrandt at the recently reopened Rijks Museum and delighted in viewing the amazing paintings at the Van Gogh, but the most fun museum in Amsterdam was the Museum of Bags and Purses.

My friend Sandra’s accessory weakness is handbags. She had never been to the museum and asked if I wanted to go. The Hendrikje Museum of Bags and Purses is housed in a stunning former home from 1668 on the Herengracht, one of the most prestigious canals in Amsterdam. Thirty years ago the owner of the museum, Hendrikje Ivo, purchased a small antique tortoiseshell bag inlaid with mother of pearl in England, dating back to 1820 and after that she was hooked, collecting over 3,000 bags. Looking for somewhere to show her extensive collection, Ivo started with a two-room exhibition space a villa and in 2007 bought the 4 story Herengracht house.

The collection is in chronological order starting at the top floor. The oldest object was a bronze Flemish clasp from 1420. Some of the earliest purses from the 1600s and 1700s were small and made of velvet or hand embroidered silk and used for coins for gaming. Another type was the Sweetbag, a perfumed luxury packaging for fragrant flowers or money and presented as a New years gift to the King. A silk bridal purse from 1725 has a Limoges portrait on the outside.

On the next floor were the 20th century purses and the history of how the industrial age changed the production of handbags. Another highlight was the Normandie leather clutch given to each passenger on the maiden voyage of the Normandie ocean liner. The novelty showcase was fun including the Judith Lieber cupcake bag covered in Swarovski crystals and the Diet Coke can bag. The collection then moved into the iconic “it” bags including the Kelly bag, the Fendi baguette and the Chanel quilted bags but surprisingly there wasn’t a Birkin bag. The last part of the permanent collection had innovative, brightly colored bags by mostly Dutch designers.

As if that wasn’t enough fun, that evening we went to the Bijlmer Parktheater near Sandra’s house to see a Marvin Gaye revue. The singer John Oldenstam did some authentic Gaye classics including I Heard it Through the Grapevine and What’s Going On, and when he sang Let’s Get It On, things got a little out of control when he invited a woman from the audience on stage and seduced her with his sexy crooning into unbuttoning his shirt.

Museum of Bags and Purses Herengracht 573 1017 CD Amsterdam
http://www.tassenmuseum.nl/en

Janice Macleod's, book PARIS LETTERS has been selected as a Kindle Daily Deal on Tuesday, April 8! That would be TODAY. It will be featured on the Kindle deal homepage for $2.99 under biographies/memoirs, as well as on Kindle store on all devices. CLICK HERE to purchase PARIS LETTERS. Janice was my Parisian of the Month in March 2014.

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Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

April 08, 2014 in Museums/Galleries/Exhibits, Travel | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 07, 2014

Trip to Amsterdam: Keukenhof Gardens

Last week I went to visit my friend Sandra from New York who now lives in Amsterdam. I always wanted to see the tulips blooming and I made a plan with Sandra to visit for a few days.

The best place to see spring flowers and tulips is Keukenhof (Kitchen Garden), the largest flower garden in world with over 79 acres. Located about 30 minutes from Amsterdam in the Dutch countryside, Keukenhof is in the small town of Lisse. We drove there on Wednesday morning and it was sunny and warm with a bit of a hazy sky.

I calculated that this would be the best week to go because Holland had a mild winter like Paris this year and I figured the flowers would be blooming when I went. My timing was right and we hit the jackpot. The endless sprawling emerald lawns had rows upon rows of tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths in perfect symmetrical formation. I loved the color drama of the bold deep purple hyacinths against their pale pink sisters. The color arrangements of the tulips were spectacular and there were varieties I had never seen before. A special greenhouse had an exotic orchid show.

Towards the back of the gardens there were massive open fields with thousands of flowers as far as the eye can see. I wanted to lie down in between the flowers and soak in the intense color.

Jan David Zocher, the architect of Vondelpark in Amsterdam, designed Keukenhof in 1830, which was then owned by Baron and Baroness Van Pallandt and was made a public garden in 1949 by the mayor of Lisse. Over 7,000,000 bulbs are planted annually.

http://www.keukenhof.nl/en/

Congratulations to Cheryl Matzker who won a copy of the book When Paris Became Paris by being the first to leave a comment.

Sandra & I

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April 07, 2014 in Parks, Gardens,Outdoors, Travel | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 03, 2014

New Book: How Paris Became Paris

Rosemary Flannery reviews the new book How Paris Became Paris by Joan D Jean.

How Paris Became Paris is a must addition to the library of Paris lovers. De Jean traces Paris’ fame and status as a singularly great and beautiful city back to the work of 16th and 17th century monarchs, dethroning Baron Haussmann as the mastermind of modern urbanization. Her principle protagonist is Louis XIV, who laid the template for broad tree-lined boulevards, lovely parks and squares, and grid planning. In many ways, the revelation of DeJean’s formidable research is how deeply in touch and invested the king was with Paris while residing himself in Versailles.

By the mid-17th century, Paris outshone other cities literally as well as figuratively with its innovative and beautiful street lighting, establishing it as the ‘City of Lights’, allowing for longer business hours, greater security and naturellement, the new nightlife. Paris was also the first to establish a public mail system and ingenious public transport, with its horse-drawn omnibus carriages. Her chapter on the Pont Neuf is one of the most fascinating: the ‘new bridge’, the first to be built entirely of stone and without houses, exalted the Seine; its innovative ‘balconies’ lent it to the admiration of the city’s fine perspectives as much as to its purpose of crossing the river. Commerce, theatre, thievery, amourous rendez-vous – it all happened on its paved sidewalks, yet another phenomenon. The bridges and the parks led to an intermingling of the social classes and to the democratization of the city.

As far back as the 1650’s, Parisian architecture was envied and admired by other European capitals, who would eventually copy it. The proper proportions for city squares and correct height for their surrounding houses were studied by the Sun King’s experts in 1674, thus establishing the unique and pleasing harmonies of the Parisian landscape. With DeJean’s history of the evolution of the Ile St Louis - the ‘enchanted island’ – we learn of young architect Louis LeVau’s creation of the ‘French style’: houses with balconies and purpose-built rooms, often in graceful round or oval shapes. These elegant mansions, magically reflected in the Seine, contributed to the city’s prestige.

DeJean delves into the political and economic exigencies of the times: financing the many wars of Louis XIV spurred the gigantic fortunes of self-made men – ‘financiers’ - who were awarded select plots of land in today’s districts of the Marais, St-Germain-des-Pres and the 7th arrondissement, settings for their fabulous mansions. New words evolved to describe them: millionaires, nouveaux riche and parvenu.

Surprisingly, although Dejean speaks of the ground-breaking 1676 map of Paris conceived by the brilliant architect-engineers Francois Blondel and Pierre Bullet, she omits mention of their earlier collaboration on the triumphal arches honoring Louis XIV’s military victories: the majestic Porte St Denis and Porte St Martin, still presiding in today’s 10th arrondissement. And while crediting Henri IV with the Pont Neuf and the Place Royal – today’s Place des Vosges – she claims he ‘added but a few streets’. Yet he opened 68 new streets, and projected a stupendous ‘Place de France’ in the northern Marais, a hemicycle of eight streets to be named after principal provinces radiating out from a rampart, crisscrossed with streets named after minor provinces. This plan was cut short by his assassination in 1610, but echoes of it prevail in Marais street names: rue de Bretagne, Poitou, Saintonge and Beauce.

Although DeJean hails Louis XIV for his notion of a ‘grand dessein’ (design) for the city, the term was first employed by Henri IV – whose works earned him the nickname ‘le grand macon’ – the great builder. Tribute to his prodigious construction of the 460-meter long Grand Galerie of the Louvre with its river views is curiously lacking.

Quibbles aside, the book is fascinating. DeJean describes the early elegant boutiques of the courthouse arcades, and the rise of the luxury goods industry under Louis XIV and his brilliant finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, in mesmerizing detail. Shopping as an activity and the ‘selling of emotion’ evolved from the creation of products under strict standard and quality controls set then, which hold sway to this day. Her detailed report of the five-year Fronde – a rebellion against the royalty – with the ensuing rise of propaganda, breaking-news journals printed with their date and hour of press, and vaudeville songs evoking the tempo of the city, is integral to understanding modern demonstrations.

A dedicated scholar, DeJean’s acknowledgements, notes, bibliography, credits and index consume 82 pages of this 307 page book – leaving the typical Paris lover a little hungry for more information and for her next book.

Rosemary Flannery is author and photographer of Angels of Paris: An Architectural Tour through the History of Paris, published by The Little Bookroom in 2012. The French version, Les Anges de Paris, will be released in October 2014 by Guy Tredaniel Editions.

Win a free copy of How Paris Became Paris: Be the first to comment on the review. (In the U.S. or Canada only). Click here to comment.

Click here to order

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April 03, 2014 in Book Reviews, Books | Permalink | Comments (6)

April 02, 2014

French Cooking with Wini Moranville: Three French Ways with Asparagus

It’s finally arrived! Asparagus season. Here are three French-inspired ways I love serving this veggie.

But first, a little know-how:

Of course you know how to trim asparagus—you simply bend the stalk in a few places toward the bottom end until you find that magic spot where the tough part will snap off easily. Then, snap it off and discard (the tough end, that is).

But…what about those scales? If you want to be true-to-France you probably should trim them. It’s a texture thing—for the French diner, those flinty scales ruin the silky appeal of the stalks. Simply use a vegetable peeler to swipe them away.

Now, here’s how to serve asparagus:

1. As part of a first course

Pass the platter! This is one of my favorite sit-down first courses. You simply serve roasted asparagus with some lovely prosciutto (or other charcuterie) and some oeufs-mayo. If you need a little primer on the latter, check my Oeufs Dur Mayonnaise post.

2. Asparagus Vinaigrette

Simply serve with your favorite vinaigrette dressing. This photo shows some chopped red pepper, but you could also do chopped egg, chopped green onions, shaved parmesan (or any snappy cheese), roasted red pepper, etc.

The French would serve asperges vinaigrette as a starter course; however, there’s no shame in serving this alongside a grilled or roasted meat as a side dish.

3. Asparagus Goat-Cheese Crêpes

This is a great sit-down first course; or, if you wish, you can serve them with a salad for a light lunch or brunch (I’d serve two per serving). You can also roll the crêpes up like a cigar, cut them crosswise, stick toothpicks in them and pass them as amuse-bouches.

Makes 8 crêpes

Crêpe batter (see my recipe)
1 pound asparagus, trimmed 
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
3/4 cup freshly grated aged goat cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Place the asparagus spears in a large, shallow roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roll the asparagus around to coat each spear in oil. Spread the asparagus into a single layer. Roast until tender and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the crêpes: Brush the bottom of a 6- to 7-inch nonstick skillet with butter to coat it lightly. Heat over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into hot pan quickly swirling pan to coat the bottom of the pan with batter. Return to heat and cook until nicely browned on bottom; flip and cook until somewhat crisp (you want to cook these crêpes longer than you would for dessert crêpes). Cool on individual plates, then stack once cooled.

3. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Place one crêpe on a lightly greased baking sheet. Sprinkle the top half with about 1 1/2 tablespoons goat cheese. Arrange asparagus spears in the crêpe, cutting as needed to fit. Fold the crêpe over. Repeat with remaining crêpes.

4. Bake in a 350°F oven about 10 minutes or until the crêpes are warm and the cheese has mostly melted.

Photo credits:
Asparagus stalks by Livin’ Spoonful via Flickr
Asparagus with Prosciutto and Oeufs-Mayo by Richard Swearinger
Asparagus Vinaigrette by Renée S. Suen via Flickr
Asparagus Goat Cheese Crêpes by Wini Moranville

To continue to bring a little bit of France to your table, follow me on Facebook: Chez Bonne Femme, or check out my blog at http://chezbonnefemme.com. And be sure to check out my book, The Bonne Femme Cookbook: Simple, Splendid Food That French Women Cook Every Day. A bientôt!

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April 02, 2014 in French Cooking with Wini Moranville | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 01, 2014

April 2014 Eye Need to Do’s: Into the Woods, Robert Mapplethorpe, Easter Egg Hunt Vaux Le Vicomte, and Watteau & Fragonard

Into the Woods
The annual presentation of a Stephen Sondheim musical at Theatre du Chatelet continues in 2014 with Into the Woods, one of the most beloved of his musicals. A dark and bittersweet reinterpretation about the world of classic fairy tales, Into the Woods turns Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk on their heads. It premiered on Broadway in 1987 and starred Bernadette Peters with the clever book written by James Lapine.

April 1- 12
Theatre du Chatelet
Place Chatelet, 75004
Metro: Chatelet
http://chatelet-theatre.com/2013-2014/into-the-woods-en

Robert Mapplethorpe
Controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe died of AIDS in 1989 but his powerful and graphic images continue to stimulate our senses. In the first Paris retrospective, over 200 works are shown from the 1970s to 1989 including nudes, flowers, and portraits in the stark black and white style Mapplethorpe became famous for.

March 26 to July 13 4014
Grand Palais
3, avenue du Général Eisenhower  75008
Open every day except Tuesday 10AM to 10PM, 10AM to 8PM Sunday & Monday
http://www.grandpalais.fr/en/event/robert-mapplethorpe

Mapplethorpe- Rodin
Robert Mapplethorpe is feted again with an unlikely pairing with Rodin. Both artists were fascinated with the form of the human body and the 50 sculptures along with 102 photos set up a dialogue for comparison.

April 8 to September 21, 2014
Musée Rodin
79 rue de Varenne, 75007
Metro: Varenne or Invalides
Open daily, except Mondays, from 10am to 5.45pm
http://www.musee-rodin.fr/en/exhibition/exposition/mapplethorpe-rodin

Leonidas Easter Egg Hunt at Chateau Vaux le Vicomte
The traditional Easter egg hunt goes grand in the gorgeous manicured gardens of Chateau Vaux le Vicomte. Leonidas chocolates has hidden over 85,000 eggs throughout the Le Notre designed grounds. There is a separate egg hunt for adults plus egg decorating workshops, face painting, and pony rides for children.

April 19, 20, 21
http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/en/actualites#5232

From Watteau to Fragonard
Inspired by the pastoral paintings of the countryside by Flemish and Venetian painters in the 16th and 17th centuries, Antoine Watteau invented the fete galante painting style. This new exhibit presents 60 paintings by Watteau and his followers Boucher and Fragonard.

Till July 21, 2014
Musée Jacquemart-Andre:
158 boulevard Haussmann, 75008
Métro: Miromesnil
Open daily, 10am-6pm, until 8:30pm on Monday and Saturday
www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com

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Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

April 01, 2014 in Eye Need To Do's | Permalink | Comments (0)

I Prefer Paris

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April 10, 2014

Marais Night Photos

April 09, 2014

L’Institut Guerlain, 68 Champs-Elysees

April 08, 2014

Trip to Amsterdam: Museum of Bags and Purses

April 07, 2014

Trip to Amsterdam: Keukenhof Gardens

April 03, 2014

New Book: How Paris Became Paris

April 02, 2014

French Cooking with Wini Moranville: Three French Ways with Asparagus

April 01, 2014

April 2014 Eye Need to Do’s: Into the Woods, Robert Mapplethorpe, Easter Egg Hunt Vaux Le Vicomte, and Watteau & Fragonard

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