I Prefer Paris

My Friend Cheryl Matzker

One of the most rewarding benefits of my tours is the wonderful people I meet from all around the globe, and many of them have become good friends and who return to Paris frequently. 

In 2009, Cheryl Matzker, a retired French teacher from the St. Louis area, and bona fide Francophile, sent me an email requesting a tour. She shared that she was finally making a long-time dream come true: She always wanted to bring a group of her students to Paris, so she was coming with two former students and sisters, Barb and Karen, with whom she stayed in touch with for many years after she taught them. It became a family affair when Karen’s daughter and mother joined them. We did a Marais tour, and we had a blast! (CLICK HERE to read the blog post about the tour) I instantly connected with Cheryl and after our first meeting, she would return to Paris, her happy place, at least once a year for a few weeks and on certain occasions, twice in a year. Each time Cheryl came to Paris she would either book a tour, or we would make plans to do some fun activities around town such as new restaurants, food shops, and museum exhibits. Over the years we had become close friends and shared intimate details about our lives. 

I was very sad to learn that Cheryl passed away last week at a young 73-years old. Her last trip to Paris was just before Covid in February of 2019, and I am so sorry she never had the chance to return to her beloved city. 

 

What I loved most about Cheryl was how fun, upbeat, and adventurous she was. She was up for almost anything and sometimes I would invite her to some out-there activities including lunch at a restaurant specializing in porridge, and a pop up, immersive experience of Russian culture from the 1960s under Communism, where we ate boiled potatoes and boiled meat from tin trays. 

 

One of my fondest memories of Cheryl is when she invited me to tea at the Proust Tea Salon at The Ritz, when it reopened in 2017. We spent hours on a cozy banquette, indulging in a decadent procession of cakes and pastries, and Champagne. CLICK HERE to read my blog post. 

 

 

Cheryl spent a year in Grenoble, France as a student between 1969 and 1970, and spent a semester in Paris in 1972, studying at the Sorbonne and Cité Internationale Universitaire, quite a bold move for that time for a 22-year-old girl from Normal, Illinois. She went on to teach French at O’Fallon Township High School from 1973 to 2005.

I appreciated Cheryl’s support of Eye Prefer Paris over the years, always commenting on my blog posts, saying how she would put certain ones on her to-do list when she came here, purchasing my postcards and photos, and recommending my tours countless times to her friends, colleagues. and family. 

 

Cheryl had a special connection to Notre Dame and it would always be her first and last stop when she came to Paris.  

My dearest Cheryl, Paris will not be the same without you, and I will miss you terribly. Hopefully, there’s a Paris in heaven you can enjoy.

 

Please watch the special YouTube video Corey Frye/ A French Frye in Paris made as a tribute to Cheryl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsJfeJIgFCo

Cheryl, last on the right

Cheryl, bottom right, from our first Marais tour in 2009

 

Faurn Lebanese Pizza

I have never had Lebanese pizza before until last week. I read about a new restaurant on rue Saint Martin, near the Pompidou Museum and was intrigued by a new kind of pizza I had never heard of. I went with Vincent and our friend Lisa Anselmo, author of the best-selling memoir My (Part time) Paris Life, for lunch on a cold, blustery day with temperatures in the 30s Fahrenheit, perfect weather for comfort, and stick to the ribs food. 

There’s a high glass counter in front, stacked with rows of some of my favorite Lebanese delicacies including kibbe, falafel, lahme bajin, kefteh,and manouches (Lebanese flatbreads) and I was tempted to order a mezze platter of them, but didn’t want it to get in the way of my pizza. We each ordered the same thing, the Halloumi Zaatar pizza, and we settled in the dining room in the back while we waited. We had sides of baba ganoush and hummus for starters and they were both authentic and delicious, especially the hummus which was laced with sweet pomegranate seeds. We watched the bakers in the open kitchen rolling dough with rolling pins and behind them was a grill and pizza oven with a copper hood.  It took less than ten minutes for the pizza to served, and they were humongous. We agreed that we could have just ordered two and it would have been enough. At first, the taste was almost identical to Italian pizza, but once we each ate a few more slices, we could distinguish a different taste because of the intense and flavorful zaatar and the halloumi cheese, which had a different texture than mozzarella. It turns out the pizza was so good, we ate almost all of it, so the three pies didn’t go to waste. The crust was so crispy, I kept dipping it into the baba ganoush and hummus. 

 

Also, at the front counter were cake plates of mouth-watering Lebanese pastries but were too stuffed to indulge.  Our bill including a half-bottle of wine was a mere 39€, a super bargain considering the size of the portions and the quality of the food. 

 

Other menu items at Faurn include oven baked lemon chicken, kibbeh, and kefta, galettes with zaatar, labneh, and spicy lamb and chicken kefta, plus baked goods such as Lebanese cookies, babka, cheesecake, and carrot cake, made on the premises. 

 

Faurn

212 Rue Saint-Martin, 75003 

https://linktr.ee/faurn_boulangerie

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

https://eyepreferparistours.com/

Sangham–Art Installation by Subodh Gupta at Le Bon Marché

Le Bon Marché has an ongoing program that gives artists carte blanche to create special works to exhibit in the store and in their windows. The newest show is Sangham is by Indian artist Subodh Gupta, who collects vintage furniture, kitchen tools, objects, and dishes and turns them into sculptures and art pieces.

 Two striking centerpieces start on the main floor on mirrored pedestals, reaching up the four-story atrium, ending with a collage of gleaming stainless-steel pots.

On the second floor is The Proust Effect, a large circular sculpture, made of old pots, hanging from the ceiling, which you can step inside of.

The ten windows on rue de Sèvres exhibits a series of furniture and objects enclosed in ropes, which channels French culture and Gupta's penchant for using ordinary objects in his work.

Until February 19, 2024

Le Mon Marché

24 Rue de Sèvres, 75007

https://www.lvmh.com/news-documents/news/le-bon-marche-welcomes-sangam-the-confluence-of-art-and-domestic-objects-by-subodh-gupta/

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

https://eyepreferparistours.com/

Yayoi Kusama & Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton has invited for a second time, world renowned artist Yayoi Kusama to create a new collection. Kusama, who is 93 years old and lives in Japan, has received international acclaim and exposure in the last 15 years, now making her one of the most popular artists in the world. She is known for painting and creating infinity rooms with colored dots.

The limited-edition collection at Louis Vuitton includes handbags, wallets, purses, clothing, shoes, sneakers, and other accessories, covered with Kusama’s signature dots.

I visited the flagship Louis Vuitton boutique last week (the line was surprisingly short, I only waited 15 minutes) and the outside has a massive, life-like sculpture of Kusama perched on top of the building and metal dots covering the facade. Inside, I loved the dots covering the floor and the walls, and the salespeople wore specially designed white smocks with the dots. On the second floor is a fun video installation of Kusama along with models sporting the clothes and accessories. Gourds with dots, another Kusama signature, are also referenced in the collection.

Kusama has also delved into the other arts during her long career including film, poetry, novel and short story writing, performing, and videos. She lived in New York City in the late 1950s and early 1960s and was an important figure in the Pop Art world. She also organized live happenings in the 1960s in Central Park and on the Brooklyn Bridge to protest the Vietnam War. In 1972 Kusama returned to Japan and currently still lives there.

https://eu.louisvuitton.com/eng-e1/stories/lvxyayoikusama

 

 

 

Blast From the Past- Années 80/ The 1980s

The new exhibit, Années 80/ The 1980s, at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, was a terrific blast from the past. It recalls the creative boom period for fashion designers, artists, galleries, furniture and home designers, and graphics and art directors of the 1980s in France. Jean Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, Claude Montana, Azzedine Alaia, and Christian La Croix became superstars with their daring and innovative fashion, Philippe Starck shook up the home design and architecture world, and Jean Paul Goude, with his whimsical and glamorous ad campaigns. Over 700 pieces are displayed including clothing, accessories, posters, ad campaigns, furniture, art, objects, album covers, and photos.

Walking through the exhibit, it brought back memories of outrageous shoulder pads (think Dynasty!), Memphis furniture, a fabulous Thierry Mugler leather jacket I bought at Bergdorf’s, Maud Frizon shoes, Agnes B. snap cardigans, and first discovering the Marais, when it was still a scruffy neighborhood.

Until April 16, 2023

MAD Museum

107 rue de Rivoli, 75001

https://madparis-fr.translate.goog/ExpoAnnees80?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

Remember Naf-Naf? 

Azzedine Alaia 

Vivienne Westwood- RIP

Gaultier

Gaultier 

Memphis 

La Croix, sweetie! (Do you get the reference/) 

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

https://eyepreferparistours.com/

LV Dream

LV Dream is a one-year pop-up exhibition (it opened November 16, 2022) presented by Louis Vuitton. The exhibition celebrates the 160 years of the house with a nine-room display of its history, designs, and its collaborations with artists and designers starting in the 2000s. I have seen numerous and similar Louis Vuitton exhibitions in past years at museums and other venues in Paris. Much of it looked familiar and I moved through it rapidly. At the end I treated myself to a decadent pastry at the café upstairs. 

Maxime Frédéric, the acclaimed and award-winning pastry chef from the five-star Le Cheval Blanc hotel has created a special pastry menu for the café. On a long, white marble counter each gorgeous dessert, a jewel in itself, is individually displayed on a pedestal, covered with a glass dome. It was very difficult to choose just one (I was alone and didn’t have the benefit of sharing another pastry with someone else) and finally settled on chocolate entrement. While I waited for my pastry and coffee, I took in the colorful and beautifully appointed décor with eggplant color leather banquettes dotted with fun patterned and print throw pillows, and almost a jungle of lush trees and plants, making me feel I was a tropical, outdoor terrace, which made up for the gray skies and cold temperature outside. The elegant table setting had ruby red, woven placemats, blue and purple water glasses (so beautiful, I was tempted to buy a set in the gift shop) and Christofle flatware. The pastry, embossed with the LV logo, was served on a Bernardaud, white china plate. To say it was sublime is a gross understatement and I savored every morsel. 

Prices are steep and range between 16 to 20€ for a pastry and coffee starts at 6 euros (my café crème was 9€!) but absolutely worth it for the experience. 

After my pastry, I sauntered over to the chocolate boutique with glass vitrines filled with tempting chocolates, which cleverly had the LV logo stamped and sculpted on them. I bought Vincent a box of four chocolates, each one in a different color and with a different flavor. Vincent generously shared them with me. 

There’s also a gift and product shop attached to the pastry bar.

Tickets are free for the exhibit, but you must reserve online. https://eu.louisvuitton.com/eng-e1/magazine/articles/lv-dream

You can visit the pastry bar independently without seeing the exhibit.

2 rue Pont Neuf, 75001 (just across the street from La Samaritaine)

 

La Galette des Rois 2023

Every year starting on January 6th, la galette de Rois (the cake of the three kings), a cake made of frangipane (almond cream paste) and a buttery crust, is sold in patisseries all over France. These delicious cakes celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, where the three wise men came to see the baby Jesus. In certain parts of France the cake is made with brioche and filled with glazed fruit.

A feve- a little china figure is hidden inside of the cake, and whoever gets it, (without breaking a cap when biting into it) is crowned king and gets to choose his queen. The cake is usually sold with a gold paper crown.

If you would like to make your own, below is a recipe. 

Recipe: Galette des Rois
(Serves 8)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb frozen puff pastry
2 eggs
7 oz almond paste

Preparation: Leave the puff pastry at room temperature for about 2 hours until defrosted but still cold.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Line a baking sheet or pizza pan with baking parchment or grease the pan and lightly sift flour on it. Shake off any excess flour. Roll each sheet of pastry into a circle about 12 inches across. Place one circle on the prepared pan.

Mix the egg with the almond paste until smooth and spread the mixture evenly on the prepared circle of pastry, leaving a border 1 1/2 inches wide all around. If you have a small piece of china, insert it into the almond mixture (you may also use a bean as the fève.
Place the second circle of pastry on top and press it down tightly around the rim.

Beat lightly the remaining egg and brush it on the top of the cake. With a long-bladed knife, press lightly but firmly through the egg glaze marking a crisscross pattern. 

Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden and puffed. Do not check for doneness for at least 15 minutes, as the pastry may collapse. Serve slightly warm or cold.

January 2023 Eye Need to Do’s: Ca d’Oro, Kimono, Annees 80, and Cabaret

Ca’ d’Oro, Masterpieces of the Renaissance in Venice

Discover the glory and beauty of the Renaissance in Venice at the Hotel de la Marine. Over 70 works from the greatest artists of the period including Pisanello, Tintoretto, Titian, Alessandro Vittoria, Bartolomeo Bellano, and Andrea Riccio are on loan from museum in Venice during its renovation.

Until March 26, 2023

Hotel de la Marine

Place de la Concorde, 75008

https://www.hotel-de-la-marine.paris/en/The-visit/The-visitor-circuits/La-visite/The-Al-Thani-Collection

Kimono

Over 200 dazzling kimonos are on display which trace the history of the iconic Japanese garment with latter day kimonos designed by Paul Poiret, John Galliano, and Yohji Yamamoto and one worn by Freddie Mercury.

Until May 23, 2023

Musee Quai Branly

Quai Branly, 75007

https://www.quaibranly.fr/en/exhibitions-and-events/at-the-museum/exhibitions/event-details/e/kimono

Annees 80

The 1980s in France comes alive again with an invigorating tribute to the significant design and graphics of the decade. Superstars Jean Paul Gaultier, Philippe Starck, Thuerry Mugler, Jean-Paul Goude, and Jean-Baptiste Mondino are represented along with over 700 works including objects, furniture, fashion silhouettes, posters, photographs, clips, album covers and fanzines.

Until April 23, 2023

MAD Museum

107 rue de Rivoli, 75001

https://madparis.fr/Annees-80-Mode-design-et-graphisme-en-France-2292

Cabaret

The beloved and provocative musical Cabaret makes its debut in Paris at the famed Lido on the Champs Elysees. Cabaret is performed in English with French subtitles.

Until February 3

116 bis avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008

https://billetterie.lido2paris.com/en