I Prefer Paris

Parisian Dessert of the Month: Ice Cream Bar at Mini-Palais

One of the most beautiful terraces in Paris is located in the Mini-Palais restaurant in the Grand Palais. Opened a few years ago, Mini-Palais was supposed to be a pop-up restaurant for six-months to promote the Mini-Cooper car from BMW. It was such a run-away success, it is now open all the time.

I had dinner at Mini-Palais a few times in the past and enjoyed it very much. The pastry chef Eric Frechon had the clever idea of installing an ice-cream bar for the summer, scooping over 20 flavors of handmade ice cream and sorbets. He has intensified classic flavors like vanilla and coffee by turning them into Madagascar Bourbon vanilla and Arabica coffee plus he has created some exotic flavors such as Absinthe, violet, Poire William, and bergamot.

I was with my friend Michael House and it was a perfect warm, sunny day to have an ice cream. I decided to go exotic and ordered Verveine and Honey Rosemary. I had to have at least two scoops in order to do my precious research for my readers. Michael chose two scoops of Praline Rose. When they arrived, Michael’s certainly looked prettier than mine with two pretty summer pink balls of ice cream nestled in a clear glass dish as opposed to mine, which was more tone on tone with one beige and one off-white scoop. I was expecting a lemony taste to the Verveine but it turned out to be more of a strong liqueur taste, much like licorice. The Honey Rosemary was more subtle and just a hint of the Rosemary came through. I felt as though I made the wrong choice, as one flavor was too strong and the other too subtle. I may have been better off with the more classic flavors. I had a taste of Michael’s and it was more flavorful and I liked the crunch praline inside the rose flavor.


Verveine and Honey Rosemary

 I didn’t care so much about the outcome of my ice cream choices, as I was immensely enjoying the cool cross summer breezes on the beautiful terrace, which overlooks the magnificent Petite Palais. The terrace is quite long and has about 30 tables, which are well spread out, and the sky-high ceilings and intricate mosaic floor tiling plus the beautiful pillars and statues make the terrace so outstanding.

So take in the last great days of summer and indulge in some scoops on the grand terrace of the Mini-Palais.  Each scoop is only 3 euros, a pittance for such luxury.

Mini-Palais Ice Cream Bar
Till September 30
Grand Palais
Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008
Metro: Champs Elysees-Clemenceau
Open everyday 10AM till 2AM
Tel. 01 42 56 42 42
http://www.minipalais.com/en/minipalaisdesglaces.html

New Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of a new set of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 20 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

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.

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 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 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

Parisian Dessert of the Month: Pasteis de Nata at Comme a Lisbonne

I must have passed Comme a Lisbonne a hundred times, quickly but curiously staring down the intriguing mini- custard tarts in the teeny, tiny storefront on rue Roi de Sicile, before deciding to finally take the time to fully check it out.

The bright white tiled storefront has a glass case smack in front of you that you can't miss with the tantalizing pasteis de nata (custard tarts) with patches of burnt sugar on top. I knew just by looking and smelling them they would scrumptious.

I ordered one and a cafe noisette (an espresso with a touch of milk). The pasteis de nata was slightly warm and runny, and as I guessed (my pastry instincts are very rarely wrong), it was sublime. The custard was velvety and the crust was flaky and just buttery enough. I could have downed at least three more without hesitation but I refrained so I wouldn't overdose on such a good thing. Even though the coffee in Paris is good, it's mostly the same, either the Illy or Richard brand, so the Portuguese coffee was a welcome respite from the monotonous taste of the others.

The woman at the counter was warm and accommodating and told me some interesting facts about the shop. She told me the tarts were handmade in the basement. When I noticed painted birds on the walls, she said they were sparrows and that in Portugal they bring happiness when they are painted on the walls of your home.

Comme a Lisbonne also stocks their shelves with gourmet Portuguese specialties in color drenched packaging including canned sardines, codfish, tuna, mackerel, and squid from the oldest fish factory in Portugal, tea from the only tea plantation in Azores, olives, olive oil, and jams.

Now I know the first dessert I will order when I go to Portugal, but will have already had my fill in Paris at Comme a Lisbonne.

Comme a Lisbonne
37 rue de Roi de Sicile, 75004
Metro: Hotel de Ville
Open 11AM to 7PM, Tuesday to Sunday

 

In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New Yorkís best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!

Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. 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 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 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. www.eyepreferparistours.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, 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 Charlotteís 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, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

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

Parisian Dessert of the Month: Customized Strawberry Tart at Fauchon

 

In the Paris patisserie wars, upscale, boutique-like patisseries battle to stay on top and outdo each other with their extravagant confectionary concoctions. Even a simple strawberry tart can be reconfigured in a whole new way that makes it sexy and exciting, as I experienced last week at Fauchon.

On Fridays and Saturdays for the month of June, Fauchon has set up a strawberry tart stand where you can customize your tart. In total there are 27 variations on the theme and here is how it is broken up:

3 types of strawberries: Mara de bois (large wild strawberries), Fraise de bois (small wild strawberries), and Gariguette.

3 types of crusts: pate sable, sweet crunchy, and caramelized millefeuille

3 cream fillings: nougat, pistachio, lemon

3 sizes: individual, 4 people, and 6-8 people

You choose one for each category and voila! you have your perfect, personalized tart.

I chose the individual tart (although I would have had no problem polishing off the 4 person serving in a nano-second) with the pate sucre, the delicate, tiny fraise des bois, and the pistachio cream. I watched in fascination as the pastry chef skillfully prepared my tart. He took a pastry bag and effortlessly filled my tart, whizzing to and fro with the pistachio cream. He carefully arranged the fraise des bois on top of the cream and packed it in a Fauchon shocking pink box to go. It was gorgeous!

I live about 20 minutes from Fauchon, so it was 20 minutes of pure agony waiting to dig into my tart. Without even taking off my coat, I ravaged the pink box into shreds and dove in, mouth first. The crust was crunchy and cookie like, the strawberries tangy and pungent, and the pistachio cream subtle but flavorful. An harmonious dessert trio in perfect sync.

Fauchon

26 Place de la Madeleine  75008

Metro: Madeleine

Open 8Am to 9PM

The tart bar is open on Fridays and Saturdays for the month of June

http://www.fauchon.com/en/

 

In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New Yorkís best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!

Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. 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 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 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. www.eyepreferparistours.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, 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 Charlotteís 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, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

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

Parisian Dessert of the Month: Honey & Lavender Ganache, Sichuan Ganache, and Orange Peel Ganache from Michel Cluizel

I was walking on the rue Saint Honoré the other day and contemplating my Dessert of the Month. I was in that late afternoon craving chocolate mood and needed quick relief before my craving would get the best of me. I trotted over to Michel Cluizel, a noted chocolatier, lickity split.

Once in the shop, I couldn't decide on whether I should have a more traditional type of chocolate like a truffle or rocher or one of the more exotic varieties amongst the myriad of chocolate offerings. I thought one of the exotic ones would be more exciting for my readers, one of the many sacrifices I must make in the name of satisfying my readers.

Most of the exotic flavors were made with ganache and I chose the honey and lavender, Sichuan, and orange peel, even though orange peel isn't what you call exotic, it's a favorite of mine. Although the taste and texture were good in all three, the flavors were way too subtle. I expected there to be a more fiery bite to the Sichuan but was disappointed and the taste of bitter orange was barely detectable. The most successful of the three was the honey and lavender although I tasted mostly honey in it.

It seems that exotic flavors are not the strong suit at Michel Cluizel, but I would recommend the more classic flavors which I have had before and enjoyed.

Michel Cluizel
201 rue Saint Honoré, 75001
Metro: Tuileries
http://www.cluizel.com/

This is what I should have had

 

In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New Yorkís best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!

Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. 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 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 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. www.eyepreferparistours.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, 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 Charlotteís 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, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

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

Parisian Dessert of the Month: Fraisier at Gosselin Boulangerie

I was pondering my dessert of the month for April and didn't have any goods leads. Last week I was visiting a friend's house who is a private chef and I asked her if she had any suggestions. She said that I should try the friasier down the block from her at the popular boulangerie/patisserie Gosselin. A fraisier is similar to strawberry short cake except the whipped cream is replaced with butter cream. I thought it would be a light, spring-like dessert, even though the weather as of late has been more like the dead of winter with temperatures barely reaching 50 degrees Fahrenheit with fierce, cutting winds making it feel like it was in the 30s. I still decided to turn my mindset to spring with my fraisier even though I felt like having a warm tarte tartin to warm me up.

 There were only two frasier's left in the case and someone pushed ahead of me in line and I heard her garble the word fraises.I held my breath hoping she would order only one. It turned out I was safe and she had ordered a strawberry tart. I proudly selected my frasier and the lady at the counter twirled a sheet of bakery paper around it with the Gosselin logo. I first had to have my lunch and as I gobbled my lunch down as quickly as I could, all I could think about is the fraisier in my bag. I rushed home and had to go through the agony of photographing it before I could devour it. It was beautiful with its glistening jelled top with a single raspberry plumper than freshly Restalyn injected lip, a strawberry sliced in half, and a red currant. The layers below were densely crammed with piercing red strawberries jamming against the vanilla white buttercream and sponge cake. The cake itself was airy and light, the buttercream smooth but a little dense, and the tart strawberries evened out the sweetness of the buttercream. I had a strong cup of Nesspreso to go with it and in the end, despite the cold weather, I embraced spring with my fraisier.

 Gosselin

123 rue Saint Honoré, 75001

Metro: Louvre-Rivoli

 New Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of a new set of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 20 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

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.

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 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 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

Parisian Dessert of the Month: Charlotka at Cafe Pouchkine

Cafe Pouchkine is sumptuous pastry bar imported from Moscow in Printemps department store. One side has a counter that serves hot and cold beverages and the other has a showcase with an array of the most dazzling pastries.

Perusing the case with the eye of pastry detective, I had a hard time picking my suspect from the lineup. The pastries were all so lavishly decorated and I was taken more by their looks than what I was in the mood to taste. Did I want to choose the pastry because of its looks or its content? Kind of like choosing a supermodel I always wanted to take home with me. What would they be like when I got them home and would they ruin it once they opened their mouths. After much pining and my usual strife in making sure I picked the right one, I chose Charlotka. Interesting that she would have just a single name like most supermodels.They packed her into a square black box that looked more like jewelry box you would put a Cartier watch in than a pastry and the shopping bag was worthy of a much heftier purchase than the 6.50 euro price tag. Such decadent luxury for a mere pittance. 

When I got it home I carefully removed Charlotka from her box and placed her on my table to photograph, all the while imagining her taste. A few hours later after dinner, I cut her in half (I am trying to be good and not gain any more weight, so half was for me and the other half for Vincent.) and stared at her beauty for a few moments before I dove in.

Now as we all know, looks can be deceiving, even with pastry. I was dreaming of a wildly, gushing, cream-filled, messy, pastry. Outside she was all glamour and gold, but inside she was a simple, uncomplicated pastry, with delicate layers of sponge cake and subtly spiced slices of apple with a wisp of cinnamon.

I may not have experienced my supermodel fantasy, but Charlotka sure took my taste buds for a delicious ride.

Charlotka at Cafe Pouchkine
Printemps on the main floor
64 Blvd. Haussmann, 75009
Metro: Havre-Caumartin

Please click here to comment

 

In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New York's best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!

Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. 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 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 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. www.eyepreferparistours.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, 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 Charlotteís 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, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

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

Parisian Dessert of the Month: Caramel Eclair at Jacques Genin

I was on the horns of a dessert dilemma. After packing a few pounds back on during the holidays consuming foie gras and various desserts, I was eager to get back to a less sugar/fat filled regime for the New Year, but then two galettes de rois later (I luckily got the feve in each one, so I think it's is going to be a lucky year), the scale was staying the same. By January 15, I was more than ready but realized I still had to have my Dessert of the Month. In my memory bank of desserts, I recalled the almost obscene looking caramel éclair at Jacques Genin. My dilemma was a sense of duty required me to taste it and report about it, but I didn't want to down the whole thing, however easy that would be for me. I thought of taking someone with me to share it and remembered my friend Mary Gilbert was visiting from Cincinnati that week. Mary had made a date with me to go to Les Enfants Rouges market and Jacques Genin was a hop, skip, and pastry jump away from the market.

Mary brought three other friends with her and we enjoyed some hearty Moroccan food at the market. We headed over to Jacques Genin, one of the most beautiful patisseries and tea salons in Paris and we sat in their comfy, elephant gray leather club chairs. A simple tasting turned into a dessert bacchanal and our table was overflowing with hot chocolate, pastries, chocolates, and jelly candies.

Our caramel éclair was long and shiny, much like the garish 1963 Cadillac my parents owned when I was a kid. The glaze was so shiny, Mary was almost able to touch up her makeup looking into the reflection. I reluctantly cut it in half. We both agreed that the pastry was crispy, almost like a profiterole, which was unusual, because most of the éclairs we have had in the past were flaky. It was also light as air and the caramel cream was intensely flavorful and not super sugary.  What was also unusual is that the top of the eclair was chocolate and not caramel, which I thought was a smart choice because most of the time I find the caramel icing too sweet with a waxy consistency.

Mary had also indulged in the dreamy hot chocolate and I, of course had to sample some, plus every one else's dessert (I consider this must-do research for future Dessert's of the Month), plus sampling the exquisite chocolates and jelly squares which came with the hot chocolate. I totally blew my just-a-half-éclair theory and ended up adding about 10,000 calories.

Today is my birthday and not sure what the cake forecast is, but given the fact that everyone knows what a sweet freak I am, I am sure they will show no mercy and the cake will be sinful, rich, highly caloric, and delicious. The trouble is that I am going on a beach vacation in less than a week and don't want my black and white striped bathing suit to stretch so much that it will turn into solid gray. Guess I'll have to do something beyond power yoga.

Jacques Genin
133 rue du Turenne, 75003
Metro: Filles-Calvaire
Open daily 11AM-7PM except Monday
http://jacquesgenin.fr/

I SWEAR I gave the other half to Mary.

Eye Prefer Paris on Twitter 

I just launched a fun new daily Twitter post- Paris Photo du Jour. Every day I will post a photo of Paris. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/eyepreferparis

 New Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of a new set of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 20 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

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.

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 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 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

Parisian Dessert of the Month: Buche Grand Cru from Jean Paul Hevin

Glancing at the numerous gorgeous pastries in the refrigerated case a few weeks ago at Jean Paul Hevin, I fixed my eyes on the adorable red and green striped mini Buche de Noel and it stared right back at me. I figured this was a no-brainer for my December Parisian Dessert of the Month. This was no traditional or everyday Buche. Its name, Grand Cru, is usually reserved for fine wine.

Filled with praline, chocolate sponge cake, orange and ginger jelly, and chocolate mousse, this was pretty close to an outer body experience. The chocolate mousse so velvety passing the roof of my mouth plus the crunchy praline followed by the tang of ginger made me swoon. Even the sugar icing was delicious and not unbearably sweet. What a way to finish off the year.

Buche Grand Cru comes in three additional sizes to feed 4-6, 6-8, and 8-10 people.

Jean Paul Hevin
231 rue Saint Honoré, 75001
Metro: Concorde

23 bis, Avenue de la Motte-Picquet, 75007
Metro: Ecole Militaire

http://www.jphevin.com/ 

New Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of a new set of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 20 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

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.

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 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 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

Parisian Dessert of the Month: Terre de Feu at Pain de Sucre

As promised, here is the Dessert of the Month from Pain de Sucre,  which I wrote about earlier this month.

Whenever I have to choose one pastry from an incredible patisserie like Pain de Sucre, it's like the Sophie's Choice of the pastry world: How can you choose? Peering through the cases filled with a myriad of glistening, colorful pastries that looked like works of art I had to make that painful but delicious choice. Somehow the shiny hot pink dome topped with a strawberry named Terre de feu, which translates to land of fire, called my name at that singular moment. The big question: was this the right choice in the taste department? Many times have I chosen a pastry based on its looks and was disappointed by its content. I sat down on the long red bench in front of the patisserie, facing the busy rue Rambuteau. I dug into my Terre de feu with a vengeance, and the payoff from my Sophie's Choice proved to be absolutely the right one. The tangy, smooth, and sublime strawberry pulp mixed with a light touch of cream and the sable underneath with a hint of salt in a word(or actually a phrase) was dessert heaven on earth. Light, creamy, rich, satisfying, airy, and fresh, this pink domed baby had it all: looks, talent, and brains. It was a perfect 10 and is probably much prettier than Bo Derek is now.

Terre de Feu at Pain de Sucre -6 euros
Also available as a cake
14 rue Rambuteau, 75004
Metro: Rambuteau
Open Thursday to Monday, 10AM to 8PM, Sunday till 7PM
http://www.patisseriepaindesucre.com

Eye Prefer Paris on Twitter

I just launched a fun new daily Twitter post- Paris Photo du Jour. Every day I will post a photo of Paris. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/eyepreferparis
 

Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 17 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my courtyards, doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

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.

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 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 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

Parisian Dessert of the Month: Espresso Cake at Les Philosophes

Even though I am off my cleanse, my Dr. still wants me to lay off the sweets and I also want to maintain my new svelte figure (this is the thinnest I have been in 20 years) that I worked so hard to get. So now I have to be super discriminating about my Dessert of the Month since I will only indulge in dessert a few times a month.

Les Philosophes is a popular Marais cafe that I frequent which serves good, solid food with a versatile menu of salads, sandwiches, eggs and omelets, breakfast, and main courses. Smack in the heart of the Marais, it's a mix of Parisians and tourists and terrific for people watching with its long outdoor cafe. I have salivated over their specialty dessert (it says it on the menu), the espresso cake  on other people's plates for ages but have never ordered it. Yesterday it was down to business and I ordered the cake to share with Vincent, who was my dessert accomplice. He was on the same cleanse as me and is adapting the same healthy but sometimes boring new eating habits and I roped him into joining me. It wasn't hard, he has a bigger sweet tooth than I.

I first had a tomato tart tartin served with an arugula salad so my palate would be ready for something sweet after the bitter taste of the arugula. Now I was ready and the cake was impressive looking standing four layers high: The top a creamy frosting with slivered almonds, the next layer the cake, the following a ganache infused with coffee liqueur, and then another layer of the cake decorated with a ring of custard cream around the rim of the plate. Beautiful to look at but was it as beautiful in the taste department? YES! It attained that rare dessert feat of being rich and light at the same time. The cake layers were airy and light as a feather while the ganache was not super dense and the intense coffee liqueur taste sustained a few seconds afterwards. Vincent chickened out and only had a few bites. Never wanting to see a perfectly good piece of cake go to waste, I polished it off. I didn't have a sugar rush or high afterwards which is a good thing and didn't have an ounce of guilt:  I earned that luscious Espresso cake.

Espresso cake 7.50 euros
Les Philosophes
28 Rue Vieille du Temple,75004
Open 7 days 9AM to 2AM
Metro: St. Paul or Hotel de Ville

I thrilled that I have won an Easy Jet Blogger award for my September post, Quirky, Charming, 5th Arr.

Click here to read.

Eye Prefer Paris Contest
I realize it's been a while since I have had a new subscribers contest and figured it was time for one. I know many of you forward my blog posts to friends, family, and fellow francophiles and many thanks for that. The next logical step would be for them to subscribe.

I am obsessed with increasing my subscriber numbers for a myriad of reasons but one big reason is to attract advertisers. Right now I have 5522 subscribers and my goal is 6500 subscribers by the end of the year.  So please support my obsession and subscribe everyone on the planet you know to my blog.

I will make it simple for you: Please send me a list of the e-mails you want me to subscribe and I will personally subscribe them. My email is [email protected]. Once I sign them up they will receive an email saying this:
Please check your inbox for a verification message from “FeedBurner Email Subscriptions”, the service that delivers email subscriptions for Eye Prefer Paris. You will need to click a link listed in this message to activate your subscription. If you don't see a confirmation e-mail in a reasonable amount of time please check your bulk/spam folder.

The winner of the contest is the person who has the most people click the activation link. The grand prize is a copy of The Bonne Femme Cookbook: Simple, Splendid, Food that French Women Cook Everyday by Wini Moranville. I just received a copy of The Bonne Femme Cookbook and I have not been this inspired to cook again since my catering days in New York before I moved here. I spent an hour looking through the surprisingly easy to execute recipes that are the staples of most French women. I highly recommend buying this cookbook with 250 mouthwatering, no fuss recipes which are easy to prepare with ingredients that are readily available at your local market.

Wini Moranville, is a food and wine writer and restaurant reviewer. She has spent over 20 summers in France learning the art of simple French cooking which she lovingly shares.

Click here to order from Amazon. Also check out Wini's yummy blog http://chezbonnefemme.com/

I will announce the contest winner next Wednesday, so send me your list right away.

Love the cover

 

In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New Yorkís best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!

Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. 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 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 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. www.eyepreferparistours.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, 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 Charlotteís 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, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

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