The Trendy 11th arrondissement

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Margy Hillman

Set the mood for your tour of one of Paris’s most populated and trendy districts with a trip to Place de la Bastille and the Musée Édith Piaf and then enjoy a bistro or two.

  • Place de la Bastille: The Bastille Prison was destroyed during the French Revolution and the Opéra Bastille now takes its place but you can try and channel the ghosts of the Gardes Françaises (who played a similar role to the Egyptian army in the recent Egyptian Revolution).

  • Musée Édith Piaf: Make an appointment (phone 01 43 55 52 72) to visit this small place of worship at 5 rue Crespin du Gast. Piaf, born to a street singer and street acrobat, lived in the 11th as a child. The museum is housed in the flat of Bernard Marchois, who is Secretary-General of the Friends of Piaf and is only open Monday through Thursday afternoons. (She’s buried at Père Lachaise Cemetary, so when you go to Jim Morrison’s grave, stop by and pay your respects.)

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Five in the Tenth: Where to go in the 10th arrondissement

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Margy Hillman

Continuing the journey through the 20 Parisian arrondissements, we reach the 10th!

  • Canal Saint-Martin: Enjoy a picnic along this tree-lined waterway built during the 19th century. Closed to traffic from Saturday afternoon through Sunday, it is a great respite from Parisian traffic.

  • Place de la République: Bronze monument commemorates the Third Republic and was designed and built by the Maurice brothers in 1880-1883; the barracks here have housed the French Republican Guard since 1947.

  • La Verre Volé: Relax and eat and drink in this quintessential wine bar; read the review by David L.Lebovitz to whet your appetite!

  • Passage Brady: Amble through this 19th century covered shopping arcade on the corner of Faubourg Saint-Denis and Strasbourg and feast on some inexpensive Indian food.

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What to Do in Paris on St. Patrick’s Day!

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Margy Hillman

Wondering where to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Paris? Not to worry! There are plenty of places to wander, drink green beer, and recite from James Joyce or Seamus Heaney till the wee hours. Try Quigley’s Point in the 1st arrondissement, Kitty O’Shea’s in the 2nd, The Quiet Man in the 3rd, or the The James Joyce in the 17th. Or check out the list of pubs on Irish Social Networking.

Enjoy Irish music at The Centre Culturel Irlandais, which is in the Latin Quarter and hosting a musical concert on St. Pat’s Day called “The Re-enchantment of Ireland” (at 19:30 for 15 euros). (Note: Irish citizens and other lovers of all things Irish can also overnight at the Centre.) Or maybe celebrate at home and cook a contemporary Irish meal of Guiness-braised beef short ribs and rhubarb tart — and later while you drink a dram or two of Irish whiskey, read a bit of Heaney:

Lightenings viii (Heaney, 1991)

The annals say: when the monks of Clonmacnoise
Were all at prayers inside the oratory
A ship appeared above them in the air.

The anchor dragged along behind so deep
It hooked itself into the altar rails
And then, as the big hull rocked to a standstill,

A crewman shinned and grappled down the rope
And struggled to release it. But in vain.
‘This man can’t bear our life here and will drown,’

The abbot said, ‘unless we help him.’ So
They did, the freed ship sailed, and the man climbed back
Out of the marvellous as he had known it.

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9th arrondissement: Mixed bag!

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Margy Hillman

La Rue Pigalle by Édith Piaf captures the ambiance of the Pigalle neighborhood of the 9th arrondissement. (In fact, click on the Pigalle link and listen to her sing while you read on!) The 9th has high end shopping on the Boulevard Haussmann with its Galeries Lafeyette and Printemps department stores and sex shops and strip joints on its seamier side. Tourists would do well not to walk on its wilder side — although it is quite trendy to walk in Louboutin’s sexy low-cut Pigalle high heels while shopping in the district’s grands magasins.

In the 9th, you’ll find the beautiful Palais Garnier, better known as the Paris Opéra. (Check this site for the Calendar) and the kitschy Musee Grévin, with eclectic wax visages that include Jimi Hendrix, Céline Dion, and Charles de Gaulle.

After the opera or ballet, head to a la cloche d’Or, where you can feast till 4 am on traditional French cuisine. Maybe you’ll even be seated where once Piaf and Cocteau dined after a performance of Le Bel Indifférent.

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Perfect Ménage à Trois!

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Margy Hillman

French cooking, French wine, and good friends! Talk about the perfect ménage à trois! Celebrate all three this month.

Share the work and the fun by choosing a menu and giving friends a recipe from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Have them bring the ingredients for their recipes and a bottle of wine (or two). Then mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup!


I’ve picked out a sample menu with some fabulous French wine recommendations from David Clark, a wine buyer at The Wine Connection.

Before your friends arrive, make Fondue au Gruyère and slice several fresh baguettes. (Or you can cheat and buy the fondue ready-made and heat it up before guests arrive.) Serve with N.V. Gosset Brut Excellence! And then gather in the kitchen and start the first course while you sip the bubbly.

  • Filets de Poisson Pochés au Vin Blanc (fish filets poached in white wine) with a side of Haricots Verts à l’Anglaise (buttered green beans). Drink with the 2006 Bourgogne Blanc from A.P. De Villaine. Take it out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so before serving.

Then push yourself up from the table, fill your water glasses, and prepare the next course.

  • Bifteck Sauté au Beurre (steak pan-fried in butter) with a side of Navets à l’étuvée (turnips braised in butter). Drink with the 2006 Anton Guyon Chambolle Musigny.

Brew some French roast and dish up vanilla ice cream topped with Pralin (carmelized almonds). Then adjourn to a comfy room and rev up the conversation with some sugar and caffeine! 

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8th arrondissment: All That Glitters

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Margy Hillman

Not visiting the 8th arrondissement while in Paris would be like not going to Times Square while in New York City. Pas possible! The 8th is known for its upscale boutiques, restaurants, and hotels. But better reasons for a visit are the Champs-Elysées with the Place de la Concorde at one end and the Arc de Triomphe at the other. The Place de la Concorde was once called Place de la Révolution; it was home to the guillotine where Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and Robespierre “lost their heads.”

Be sure to see the Obelisk de Luxor — now about 3400 years old — in the middle of this square; it guarded the Luxor Temple in Egypt until Muhammad Ali Pasha gave it to Charles X in 1929. The Arc de Triomphe was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 and honors Napoleonic victories. It is also the burial site for the WWI Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. But it is most well known as a symbol of freedom: Hitler’s troops marched through in 1940 but the city and the Arc were reclaimed by the French and Allied soldiers in August 1944 and then celebrated by the French nation on November 11, 1945.

When you have had your fill of shops and historical monuments, stop by Charbon Rouge for a hamburger, or if you’ve just inherited great sums of money, treat yourself to a meal at Pierre Gagnaire’s.

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L’Heure Bleu, Wine Bars, and Paris

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Margy Hillman

It’s cold and rainy in San Diego and almost l’heure bleue. Seeking comfort, my mind turns to Paris and its bistros à vins. Sometimes these are wine shops, sometimes small cafes — but perfect for a blend of conversation, wine, and  food. Here are a just a few. Let me know if you have a favorite to add to the list!

L’Avant Comptoir in the 6th arrondissement, Paris’s hottest wine bar, for small plates (including delicious Basqe ham). Alfred in the 1st arrondissement for its charcuteries, veggie dishes, and cheeses. Rino in the 11th for a glass of wine but mostly for Giovanni Passerini’s fresh fare. And Les Pipos in the 5th for good wine, fresh oysters, and hardy drinking food!

Want to try and recreate the atmosphere in your own home? Invite a few friends, open a couple of bottles of 2005 Albert Bichot “Vieilles Vignes” Pinot Noir, and prepare this crespelle and pop it in the oven about a half hour before your bons amis arrive. (Thanks to Tony Mantuano for the original recipe.)

To make the crespelle:

Whisk 3/4 cup of flour with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. In another bowl, whisk 2 large eggs with 3/4 cup milk. Then whisk the two mixtures together till they are smooth. Next, whisk 1 tablespoon of melted butter into the new mixture but just till it’s blended. Don’t overbeat! Cover this batter, put it in the refrigerator, and let it sit for an hour.

After an hour, take the batter out and rub a skillet with olive oil and heat it on medium high heat. Heat the pan till a drop of water sizzles on its surface. Then pour in 1/4 cup of batter and tilt the skillet till the batter covers the bottom. Heat the batter on one side till it’s brown –about 2 minutes — and then flip it and cook the other side for about 1 minute. Put the crepe on a baking sheet and cook the rest. Re-rub the skillet with olive oil whenever it dries out.

Now preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix 1 and 1/2 cups of ricotta cheese with 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped cilantro or parsley and 2/3 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. (Grate it yourself — the kind in the bag doesn’t taste fresh.) Add salt and pepper to taste.

Now fill the crepes with about 2 large tablespoons of the cheese filling and fold them in half and then in half again.

Place 3/4 cup of marinara sauce (homemade or a brand you like) in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Then put the folded crepes in and then top with another 3/4 cup of marinara and sprinkle with more grated cheese.

Bake for about 25 minutes. Magnifique!

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7e: La Tour Eiffel is but the icing on the cake!

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Margy Hillman

La Tour Eiffel — I distinctly remember the first time I heard about the Eiffel Tower. French class, sophomore year, high school. Took me 13 years to get there. But — Je reviens toujours! Get there before the crowds or buy your tickets beforehand (just click on the link to go to the online site) and hike up the stairs to the  second platform. Incredible views of the city! Then take the elevator to the top and buy a glass of champagne and toast your good fortune.

If you’d like to stay in the 7th arrondissement, you may want to consider an apartment. Check out Patricia Pastor’s article, “At Home in Paris.” You’ll want to wander on Rue Cler. As Rick Steven’s says in his homage to the street: “If you wish to learn the fine art of living Parisian-style, rue Cler provides an excellent classroom.”

What else should you do while in the 7th arrondissment? I always go to the Musée d’Orsay and enjoy the architecture, light, and impressionist paintings. And the Musée Rodin – wonderful space and it’s there I discovered the works of Camille Claudel.  Rodin’s “Le Penseur” is in the garden, so be sure to step outside. My next trip, I’m planning on touring the sewer museum of Paris: Les Egouts de Paris. If that sounds crazy, Read Barbara Noe’s article in National Geographic and see if it doesn’t intrigue you!

For a visual and culinary splurge, I’m going to save up for dinner at l’Arpège, Alain Passard’s restaurant in 7e. For a description that will have you salivating, read the Food Snob’s review. And I’ll leave you with the Food Snob’s refrain: bon vivant; vivant bien!

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Happy Valentine’s: Paris and French and Love

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Margy Hillman

French Kiss. Amelie. Forget Paris. Before Sunset. Chocolat. You think of love, and you think of France. You think of France, and you think of Paris. And Paris is quintessentially the City of Love. So today from ParisVine, a French toast: à votre santé!

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6th arrondissement: A Parisian side of paradise!

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Margy Hillman

My very first solo trip to Paris, I stayed in Hotel Bonaparte in the 6th arrondissement. The hotel is a very European two star (the room was small, the bathroom miniscule, the service friendly) and in a perfect place to enjoy the Left Bank. I spent an afternoon first sipping coffee and channeling Sartre and de Beauvoir at Deux Magots and then sipping red wine and channeling Camus at Café de Flore. Near a nervous breakdown as a result of my contemplation of a raison d’être, I hurried to the cool silence of Saint Germain de Pres, founded in the 6th century. Its peaceful interior belies the number of times it was destroyed by the Normans to be finally rebuilt in the 12th century.

If you are a Da Vinci Code fan, you’ll want to visit Saint-Sulpice and catch a glance of Silas’s shadow. However, another more musical reason to visit is the organ concerts, as the church is famous for its fine organ, organists, and stellar sound. I can’t explain the splendor of the sound — if  you were moved at all by the music of Phantom of the Opera, you’ll be infinitely enthralled.

It’s always good to save a day to do nothing but eat and nap. On one of these days, stroll to Palais de Luxembourg and then enjoy Jardin du Luxembourg and its lovely park.

Bill Daley suggests that you visit Chef Camdeborde’s wine bar L’Avant Comptoir for small plates: “…tissue-thin strips of cured Basque ham, a little bowl of black olives, assorted pates and sausage, pickled peppers, even little squares of fresh tuna paired with micro-beet greens.” Or that you savor third-generation chef Dumonet’s innovative take on French fare at Josphine Chez Dumonet: “Consider the “mille-feuille” of pigeon. A golden cake of thin potato petals is mortared with moist chunks of rare breast meat. The two legs, roasted and crisp, are posed like miniature swans on the plate atop a dark, rich sauce.” (Even the similes make my mouth water!) Bon appétit!

Thanks to Alexander Lobrano for the pictures and review of L’Avant Compoir!

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