I Prefer Paris

Paris Cafes Reopen

I decided to gift you a bonus post this week in celebration of Paris reopening from the COVID pandemic on May 19. 

I was overjoyed strolling through the Marais yesterday and seeing all the outdoor cafes open and thriving. The sun was peeking through while Parisians were eating, drinking, smoking, laughing, smiling, and people watching. It’s human nature that we take things for granted while we have them and don’t realize how precious they are to our everyday existence when we don’t have them. 

Which is your favorite Paris café? Mine is Les Nemours in front of the Palais Royal on Place Colette. 

 I want to thank everyone for watching my live Rue de Martyrs Food tour last Wednesday and also for your generous tips to my PayPal account. I'm sorry I couldn't thank all of you individually, but know I really appreciate it. CLICK HERE to watch the video and CLICK HERE if you would like to leave a tip in my PayPal account (you don’t have to have a PayPal account), which I would greatly appreciate, as I do these tours free of charge for France.fr  Enjoy! 

Le Petit Relais Brasserie

Jonathan McNamara came from Ireland to Paris in the early 2000s, to stay a few months, and eventually stayed for good. I met Jonathan in 2006 when he was working at Le Philosophe Café in the Marais. He was full of life and could charm the pants off you with his irresistible Irish accent. Over the years, Jonathan worked at many restaurants and cafes all around Paris. His desire was to eventually open his own restaurant, and finally, last month Jonathan did. I got to know Jonathan a lot better through my friend Michele Kurlander from Chicago, who is one of his best friends. 

Le Petit Relais Brasserie is on a quiet side street next to Place Felix Eboue, in the 12^th arrondissement. I went there a few weeks ago on a Wednesday night and Jonathan greeted me warmly and welcomed me to the brasserie. The front bar was crowded with locals sipping aperitifs and beers and the restaurant part was for the most part quiet. I was the only American there and I could tell it was a neighborhood place. Eventually the dining room began to fill up. 

Perusing the menu on a chalkboard, I was immediately drawn to the carrot curcuma soup, since it was a chilly night. It was presented in an oval, casserole dish, and double the size of most soup bowls. The presence of the curcuma permeated the soup but didn’t overwhelm it. 

I asked Jonathan what he would recommend for my entrée, and he emphatically said the Palette de boeuf because it was a special cut of beef not usually served in most restaurants. The flat steak was tender and juicy and served with a pepper sauce, in a bouillon form rather than a typical thick version. Roasted potatoes with parsley were perfectly crisp and Jonathan poured me a glass of La Colombière Si vis Pacem para-Vinum, a bio- dynamic red wine from southwest France, which was a terrific accompaniment to the steak.

Last but not least, the rustic looking, apple tatin, topped with vanilla cream, was one of the best apple tatin’s I’ve ever tasted, making me want to return to Le Petit Relais just for that. 

The prices are very reasonable for the high-quality food, and the three courses and the wine came out to 41€. 

Jonathan’s girlfriend Alice recently left her full-time job to assist Jonathan to help run the restaurant. She was the bartender that night, filling the beer glasses and pouring the wine with a sweet smile on her face. 

I wish Jonathan the best of luck, so I urge you to support him in fulfilling his dream, by going to the restaurant.

Le Petit Relais is open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

95 rue Claude Decaen, 75012 Metro: Daumesnil, line 8

Tel. +33182833842

 

Alaia Café/Restaurant

Hidden in the heart of the bustling Marais near Hotel de Ville, is an open-air café under a large roof top, a little oasis from the crowds. Alaia Café/Restaurant is in the courtyard that houses the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, which curates fashion and style exhibitions. (CLICK HERE to read about their latest show).

The Alaia Café/Restaurant reflects two important sides of Alaia: his passion for design and architecture, and his love for cooking and entertaining his friends.

The courtyard is filled with black Bertoya, grill work chairs and bottle green tabletops. Inside is a terrific bookshop with coffee table books about design, fashion, and style. I especially like the Alaia postcards with great images of his clothes and models. There’s also dining room next to the bookshop, graced with more handsome furniture, and another small outdoor terrace.

Italian chef Ivan Schenatti offers a simple Italian cuisine of pasta, risotto, salads, fish, cheese, and dessert.

  I had the formule lunch menu a few weeks ago, two courses for 27€. A small ceramic bowl with chilled gazpacho was refreshing, and a few minutes later, orecchiette with white zucchini, smoked provola arrived in an oversized, white ceramic bowl. The top was scattered with micro-thin slices of fried zucchini, and the pasta had a big fluff of foam. I had a good, strong shot of espresso to finish with.

I often meet friends for drinks or coffee at the Alaia Café/Restaurant because of the pleasant and congenial atmosphere.

Lunch is served from 12-2:30pm, and dinner 7pm-10pm, Tuesday to Sunday. The café is open seven days a week, 11am to 10pm.

18 Rue de la Verrerie 75004

https://fondationazzedinealaia.org/en/cafe-restaurant/

 

Café of the Month: Café Sevenly Heart

I have a new favorite café: Café Sevenly Heart

After visiting Musee de la Chasse last Sunday, I was craving a good, strong coffee. Right across the street I peered through a glass door with a cool door handle into a cool looking café. It was 11:50 and they opened at 12, and while patiently waiting, a queue started after me with about five people. It was obvious I was on to something.

Once inside, the interior was lovely and adorable. The coffee menu was painted on white cotton fabric (very Margiela, circa early 2000’s). I ordered an espresso and looking at the vitrine with a wood frame, the row of cakes beckoned me, and I had to have a slice of banana bread.

I sat on a stone bench with individual cushions with a three-legged, dark wood table with a tarnished candle stick with melted wax that had dripped down. The natural daylight coming through a window with an old-fashioned Victrola and a tasteful floral arrangement set the pleasant mood of the café. A few minutes later my espresso arrived in an ornate, white porcelain cup with a stem on it and the cake was served on a small, stemmed cake plate of pewter ceramic. It looked like it was right out of a Martha Stewart home set.

While enjoying my hefty, moist slice of banana cake (it was so big, I saved half for Vincent) and the excellent espresso, I took in the remainder of the interior. It’s just fabulous. I love the purposely unfinished walls, the bric a brac and antiques, a wall lined with colorful bottles, and the chic bathroom sink.

I went to their website before I wrote this, and much to my delight, I discovered it’s also a wine bar in the evening which also has small plates and charcuterie platters.

55 rue des Archives, 75003 https://www.sevenlyheart.com/

That face, that face, that fabulous face

I WANT that sink

CAKE!

VINCENT'S cake, sweetly wrapped 

 

The Best Crepes in Paris: Maison Bretonne

I’ve eaten at creperies all over Paris, from the sixteenth arrondissement to the third to the fourth to the fourteenth and have rarely been disappointed. My top favorites, Briezh and La Ciderie du Marais have been my go-to places for crepes up until now, serving the authentic Brittany style galettes and sweet crepes with hard or sparkling apple cider. 

Last week I walked by a new creperie, Maison Bretonne, just a few doors from my house, on rue de Rivoli. The menu looked appealing and a few days later I went for lunch. 

The pleasant dining room had paintings of the Brittany landscape with cutesy artifacts on shelves. There was a formule of a savory galette and a crepe for dessert for 17.90 which appeared to be a good deal. Apple cider is a must with galettes, and I had a crisp, cold cider which was delicious and refreshing. My mammoth sized galette was filled with cheese, ham, and sauteed leeks. The taste was beyond any galette I have ever had, crispy and buttery on the outside, and the leeks melted in my mouth. As I kept eating it, I knew this was the best galette I have ever eaten. Stuffed, I had to make room for my crepe, and had to pace myself. 

A few minutes later the crepe arrived with a gorgeous mound of apple compote on top and drizzled with salted butter caramel. To say I was in dessert heaven is an understatement. Perhaps they were that good because the ingredients are organic and locally sourced. 

Good news for gluten sensitive or intolerant people, the galettes are made with buckwheat flour. 

What I also liked about Maison Bretonne, was the unusual flavor combination I’ve never seen before, including asparagus and fresh peas, smoked trout with potatoes and dill, and smoked shiitake mushrooms with bacon bits. The crepes were even more enticing with flavors such as pears poached in apple cider with chocolate ganache, rhubarb with a butter biscuit and rhubarb ice cream, and lemon curd with Italian meringue. 

In case I wasn’t overwhelmed enough by the crepe menu, Maison Bretonne has other Brittany specialties on the menu including sardine rillettes, stuffed artichokes, and a cheese plate with Brittany cheeses. 

5 rue de Rivoli, 75004

Grand Café Fauchon - Kyoto Meets Paris

Two chefs from opposite sides of the world, Parisian born chef Baptiste Limouzin, the newly appointed chef at Grand Café Fauchon in Paris, and Japanese chef Keiichiro Hayashi, from the Fauchon L'Hôtel Kyoto, have come together to prepare a special spring menu. The menu is inspired by the Japanese tradition of Hanami, which is the celebration of the cherry blossoms, which bloom from late March to early April. 

The chefs have created a four-course, Franco Japanese menu with tea pairings for each course. 

Vincent and I were invited last night to have dinner. The special dining room is festively decorated with small vases of cherry blossoms, chopsticks, and traditional, black Japanese teacups on each table along with cherry blossom plants and pink and gold Japanese paper lanterns. 

The first course of charred mackerel with beets soaked in Sakura cherry vinegar, was beautifully presented in a white ceramic oval shaped bowl and was light and refreshing. It was followed by another appetizer of sea scallops on a bed of parsnip puree. Both dishes were served with a Chinese green tea scented with cherry and red fruits, which nicely complimented the starters. 

Two thick slices of perfectly roasted veal were served with French Mornay sauce prepared with white miso, served on a bed of delicious green peas and spring vegetables. Vincent loved his soy glazed pollack fish with carrot puree. The tea for the main course was a substantial black tea with vanilla, citrus and rose flavorings. 

Dessert was the always fantastic Fauchon staple, a pair of pastry lips but for the special dinner it’s filled with an apple compote and flavored with green tea. 

The Kyoto Meets Paris menu will be served until April 30, and costs 72€ per person plus 12€ per person for the tea pairing. 

CLICK HERE to make reservations

Fauchon L’Hotel 

4 Boulevard Malesherbes, 75008

Boubalé Restaurant

 

People ask me all the time, what’s my favorite restaurant in Paris? It’s always hard to single out one restaurant, so I give a list of my favorites at the moment, as it will change frequently. 

As of today, Boubalé Restaurant is on the top of my list. 

Award winning chef Assaf Granit, born and raised in Jerusalem, has built a culinary empire with 13 restaurants in Europe and Israel, television appearances, lectures, workshops, and cookbooks. Granit’s grandmother plays an integral part of his cooking, also influenced bythe cuisine of Jerusalem. In 2017, he opened his first restaurant in Paris, Balagan, which was a runaway hit and a celebrity magnet, with reservations almost impossible to come by. It introduced Granit’s eclectic blend of Israeliand Mediterranean food to Paris, and it spawned a new wave of restaurants serving Israeli style cooking. 

Granit’s newest restaurant, Boubalé, (which means sweetheart or darling in Yiddish) is a love letter to his

Polish grandmother and her Jewish Ashkenazi cooking. He takes her inspired dishes and updates them into Ashkenazi, nouvelle cuisine, making the dishes  lighter and more appealing. 

We had a special tasting menu, which is not listed on the menu, and must be requested beforehand. The wait person plopped down a gorgeous, shiny, round shaped challah bread dotted with poppy seeds, and we devoured it in a nanosecond. Next up, a fancy, glass tray, with lace doilies and an ornate gold crafted frame was set on the table. On the tray was a tasting of some of the signature dishes, including a lighter than usual chopped liver, beet cubes with feta, a sublime, house cured, gravlax with arak and dill, a delicately seasoned, pickled herring, and a giant, authentic tasting, sour pickle. A refreshing salad of coriander, parsley, green grapes, almonds, and horseradish cleared our palates for the upcoming dishes.

Vincent had risotto made with Israeli couscous, spinach, leeks, and parmesan, and I had the sensational, potato perogies with cottage cheese and caramelized onions, which were light and fluffy. 

Stuffed to the gills, but still craving something sweet, we practically inhaled the New York style cheesecake, one ofthe best I’ve ever had in Paris, and a warm, apple strudel with vanilla ice cream. 

The interior also reflects the chef’s tribute to his grandmother with warm lighting, sage green wood chairs with burnt orange cushions, vintage style, and printed fabric walls. Another vintage touch was the white China plates decorated with red and blue flowers. 

There’s also a wonderful, cozy bar next to the restaurant, which I will visit soon. 

Boubalé also serves lunch with an a la carte menu and pre-fixe menu for 39€ for two courses & 47€ for three courses. 

17 rue Verrerie, 75004 https://www.legrandmazarin.com/restaurant-bars

 

 

 

 

Lunch at Maxim’s de Paris

I was invited to Maxim’s de Paris last week for lunch by the Paris Society group, which has recently taken over the management of the historic restaurant. 

In 1893, the bistro Maxim’s, was opened by a former waiter, Maxim Gaillard, on rue Royale. Preparing for the 1900 Universal Exposition, Maxim’s was transformed into an Art Nouveau showplace with stained glass ceilings and screens, Tiffany lamps, and hand-painted nymphs on the walls. It became the most fashionable restaurant in Paris and a magnet for international celebrities.

When Pierre Cardin was refused entrance to Maxim’s because he wore a turtleneck instead of a tie, it caused a media scandal. Ironically, years later Cardin was invited to buy the restaurant and took it over in the early 1980s. He turned Maxim’s into a worldwide brand with over 30 products and opened branches internationally, much like he did with his own brand. The expansion paid more attention to the brand and the international expansion, and the the maintenenace of the the Paris restaurant eventually weakened the name and Maxim’s became a tourist trap. It greatly needed new management and definitely some TLC.

The Paris Society hospitality group owns over 70 restaurants, hotels, and event spaces throughout Paris and France. Their restaurants are some of the most popular and sought after in Paris, including Gigi, Monsieur Bleu, Girafe, Bonnie, and Beau Coco. 

I had only been to Maxim’s once for a press event about seven years ago. Walking through the restaurant again, I remembered the grandiose and glamorous interior. I am a huge Art Nouveau fan, and Maxim’s is the epitome of that wildly ornate style that will never be replicated. 

The menu has mostly classic, French dishes and a few modern-day specialties.

I stuck to the classics and ordered the Dubarry soup, which is a rich soup of cauliflower, veal stock, egg yolks, and heavy cream, and Maxim’s version had added an extravagance, truffled crème. My friend had a half lobster with salad and truffled dressing. For my main, I had Albert-style sole, which is cooked with vermouth, and the waiter skillfully fileted it in front of us. Dessert was a heavenly chocolate souffle, perfectly cooked.

I toured the two floors of the restaurant to take in the magnificent décor and discovered the stained-glass ceiling in the rear of the main floor dining room, the dazzling Tiffany glass, the decorative red and green flowered carpeting, the beautiful mirrors, and red velvet banquettes. Going to the bathroom on the second floor, I uncovered a fabulous lounge and bar with a grand piano, and I thought what a great place to throw a blowout party someday.

 3 rue Royale, 75008

https://restaurant-maxims.com/

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, Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, Emily in Paris tours, and Chocolate and pastry tours.

Tours start at 275 euros for up to 3 people, and 85 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 

 

 

Pop-up Dinner with Chef Alison Settle

In mid-October, I received an invitation from Dana McMahan, a freelance travel and food writer from Louisville, for a pop-up dinner with the James Beard nominated chef Alison Settle. Never one to turn down a dinner invitation, especially with an esteemed chef, I emphatically replied YES to the invitation. 

The dinner was organized at Kai's Kitchen, a highly coveted Air-Bnb, mostly occupied by a long dining table and chef’s kitchen in the 11^th arrondissement. (It’s been named one of the top Airbnbs in Paris by Conde Nast Traveler).

Dinner was called for 7:30 pm and it was a very rainy night, so it was a welcome relief when I stepped into the kitchen effusing tantalizing aromas from the stove. The long, wood plank table was attractively set with white dishes, beige cloth napkins, and lovely, fresh flower arrangements. 

Twelve guests were invited, mostly bloggers and travel and food writers, two-thirds Americans and about a third French. Some of them I had met previously, so it was nice to see and catch up with them and meet some new, fun people. 

I could tell by the first course, a festive salad of radicchio, endive, fennel, red onion, Sicilian olives, and blue cheese, which are some of my favorite foods, that the dinner would be a roaring success. 

Next up was duck fat roasted fingerling potatoes and leeks with celeriac cream, a necessary, stick to the ribs dish for the cold rainy night. It was so good, I wanted to have a second portion, but had to pace myself for the upcoming courses. A cioppino with fresh oysters and clams was like a bouillabaisse, but much more robust and in red sauce. Last but not least, the roasted spring Onion and chanterelle Fratelli pasta with pecorino cream was sublime.

A simple fruit plate of prune plums, persimmons with clementine, and lime crème fraiche was the perfect finale, rather than a fussy dessert. 

The whole table cheered and applauded chef Alison, for her fabulous and unique dinner. Alison spoke at length about how she arrived in Paris the day before, hitting the ground running with little sleep and jet lag, going to the Marche Aligre, and a variety of other, specialized food shops, to shop for the ingredients. She spent the day cooking and preparing the dinner, and she also shared about how inspiring and exciting the food markets were and how much less expensive the prices were than in Louisville. Her menu wasn’t planned and she created the menu, as she shopped at the market. 

The good news is that the dinner was such a success, that Alison and Dana are returning next year, most likely in April to create more dinners. I will keep you posted here and, on the link, below when the dates are finalized. 

https://elleferafera.com/get-lost-in-paris/

Photos are courtesy of Panos Achouriotis

 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, Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, Emily in Paris tours, and Chocolate and pastry tours.

Tours start at 250 euros for up to 3 people, and 85 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 

 

Tekes- Vegetarian/Vegan Restaurant

Up until recently, Paris has not been kind to vegetarian and vegan diners, relegating them to a measly selection of time warped, 70s-style vegetarian restaurants with hanging plants or having to eat goat cheese salad again and again. The non-meat/ plant-based food revolution has finally hit Paris, and many restaurants and cafes now serve vegetarian bowls and have vegan selections.

Tekes is a supreme example of how innovation and imagination can create delicious and satisfying vegetarian fare.

Chef Assaf Granit has taken the restaurant scene by storm in Paris with his daring and refreshing Israeli and Mediterranean cuisine with hit restaurants Shabbour and the now defunct, but incredibly popular Balagan. Granit has put female chef Cécile Lévy, who is Israeli but trained in Paris, in charge and she prepares a menu of sophisticated Israeli street food with a generous use of rich and aromatic spices and the freshest produce.

Located on a small side street in the second arrondissement, near rue Montorgueil, Tekes has an open, airy dining space with high ceilings and contemporary furniture and there’s an expanded outdoor terrace and bar in the rear.

I chose the three-course menu/formule – entrée, plat, and dessert- for 35€ and the limited menu has 4 entrees, two plats, and two desserts to choose from. My starter was a smash hit, a combination of gazpacho, peaches, and taboule, with plump walnuts mixed in, beautifully presented in a deep, terracotta bowl. It was so good, I could have eaten another one and skipped the main course.

Next was an interesting pasta made of just white asparagus with pesto and topped with a raw egg, which I liked but didn’t love.

Dessert was a massive mound of chocolate mousse, and the waitperson poured a sizable amount of olive oil on top and then sprinkled coarse salt after that. I thought it was an odd topping but once I tasted it, I got it. The salt and oil gave it a whole new taste sensation, and I may never go back to eating just plain chocolate mousse again.

Some of the other appealing menu choices include a risotto prepared with small peas and a ginger mousse, a Fattoush of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini with a yogurt sauce, and a starter of tzatziki, zucchini, and potatoes.

Tekes

4 bis Rue Saint-Sauveur, 75002

https://www.tekesrestaurant.com/english

CLICK HERE to read my article on Travel Agent Central about other vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Paris.

Amourette Restaurant Passy

The Passy neighborhood in the 16th arrondissement is not a place I often visit, but when I do, it’s lovely and charming with oodles of handsome Haussmann-style buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

A few months ago, I received a text message inviting me to check out Amourette Restaurant Passy and I replied I would visit next time I was in the 16^th. Fast forward to last month when Vincent and I were invited to an art opening nearby and decided to have dinner at Amourette.

Located on a two-block long boulevard near Place Trocadero, the outside was a typical café setting with a gray and white striped awning with scalloping on the bottom and white chairs and café tables. The inside is small and intimate with about 15 tables, tastefully decorated with mint green rattan and bamboo chairs and eclectic lamps, with the ambiance of a restaurant on the upper east side of New York City.

We liked the long list of entrees and plats on the menu because many Parisian restaurants these days offer only four or five dishes in each category. For our starters, we chose foie gras served with mango chutney and grilled eggplant with burrata. The texture of the foie gras was smooth and velvety and the mango flavor was a nice alternative to the usual fig jam and the eggplant was artfully presented. Our mains were sea scallops’ Provençale style, which were rich and buttery in a red, peppery sauce, and Vincent had the chicken paillard, thinly pounded with a tangy lemon sauce. Dessert was outstanding, a house-made clafouti with figs, a perfect warm winter treat.

Other appealing dishes on the French and Italian menu include macaroni and cheese with ham and truffles, risotto with grilled shrimp, butternut squash soup with hazelnuts, escargots from Burgundy, pistachio, and hazelnut crème brulee, and a separate raw seafood menu with clams, oysters, lobster, and crab.

10 Boulevard Delessert, 75016

https://www.amourette-passy.fr/en/