Au revoir, Paris! A tout a l'heure! - Thursday, 9 October

OK, it really wasn't this bad! 

And if I had brought a smaller umbrella that I could tuck in my purse at all times, 

I wouldn't have gotten nearly as soaked!

OK, Just what WAS That? – Wednesday, 8 October

This thing was billed as a “Spectacle,” which means it could have been pretty much any kind of “performance art” from juggling to mime to puppetry to circus acts to satiric sketches to magic show to mythological tableau to theatre of the absurd to … well, who knows what! This production was called simply “J’Oublie Tout” (“I Forget Everything”), which didn’t help define it much! But I wanted to get in to see the now-almost-completed renovation of Carreau du Temple, an impressive structure in the 3^rd arrondissement, so I went ahead and bought a ticket. (For more info on this structure, see one of my posts from 2008 here:  http://mariellen-musing.blogspot.com/2008/09/nobody-mistook-me-for-fashionista.html )

The aftermath of the "Spectacle"

Even after seeing the show, I can’t quite figure out what it was. I guess that I’m going to have to attend more Spectacles to develop my knowledge and appreciation of the art form! Entering the hall, we found a proscenium stage; on the left in front of the curtain was a large framed mostly-clay-colored “picture” with an attached paint brush on an easel; on the right was a metal tower with a pendulum, topped with a vacillating bird-type creature. The lights went down and the “painting” started dripping water as the attached brush moved up and down (one of the three actors was sitting on a perch behind it and presumably operating the brush via a magnet), revealing a bucolic painting behind the clay. The pendulum started making a ticking sound and the bird’s mouth opened and closed. A gas lantern lit up. The curtains opened. One actor was sitting on a chair underneath the end of a conveyor belt, appearing to be sleeping, the belt started moving, and objects on the belt started falling on his head. A spotlight lit up, projecting a distorted silhouette of him on a paper canvas toward the back of the stage. Another actor entered with a bucket of paint and painted the top edge of the silhouette very thickly and wetly, creating blue dribbles of paint on the canvas below the edge line. Then a large turtle started moving up the conveyor belt and almost fell on the first actor, but he “woke up” first. He looked dazed and confused and walked across the stage to another actor, who also appeared to be asleep, and seemed to try to wake her up using various techniques including starting up a puppet circular saw and log contraption. After she "woke up," she went to the back of the stage and tore the paper-canvas-with-silhouette along the wet paint line. Etc. etc. etc. Large puppet objects (not characters) and contraptions, dripping water and falling objects, canvases that are painted and ripped, tilting and collapsing tables, recurring turtle sightings, interactions but not connections, minimal vocalizations, sleep-states, almost-awake-states, confusion-states, spotlight-projected silhouettes, squawking bird, etc. continued for about 1.5 hours. The crowd went wild. Some of us went away entertained but confused. Perhaps some of my theatre friends can speculate on what it all meant! [P.S. one of my friends responded, "yes, but you must remember that the French were crazy about Jerry Lewis!"]

Here's a link to their Facebook page about this production. It even includes an equally mystifying video!  http://www.carreaudutemple.eu/2014/06/16/joublie-tout

Carreau du Temple is located between the “Temple” and “Republic” Métro stops. It was raining by the time I got off the Métro, and I had left my umbrella back in the apartment (again! – when will I ever learn?!?) when I left in the early afternoon, so yup, I got soaked again. I did treat myself to a cab ride home after the performance and walked by Saturne resto at around 11 pm to see if I could get in without a reservation (see Friday’s post for more info about this place:  http://mariellen-musing.blogspot.com/2014/10/why-do-some-people-make-it-hard-to-be.html ). But no, they were totally booked for the evening and I could see that every table was full of apparently happy diners. Gotta give it a try next time I’m in town, and hopefully drag one or two others with me so that I’m not turned away for being a party of merely one! Or maybe I should claim to be schizophrenic, and say that there really are two in my party!

The auditorium - nice comfy chairs! - it seats about 250

Here are some photos of the performance/concert hall (which is in the southeast corner of Carreau du Temple) - I took the interior shots after the show, hence very few patrons appear - the lobby areas were actually packed with people earlier in the evening:

The hall's lobby and box office

The bar and restaurant (in the background) near the entrance

Switcheroo at Le Cordon Bleu! - Wednesday, 8 October

My Le Cordon Bleu afternoon has arrived! I’m always excited to sit in on a 2.5-hour lecture-demonstration class with the fulltime students – I always learn something even if I’ve selected a fairly “basic” class, and of course tasting the results is a big bonus! 

As one of my former bosses used to say, “things change, you know.” Although Le Cordon Bleu has powerful strengths when it comes to cuisine and pastry instruction, and although they’ve made considerable progress on the administrative side over the past few years, I’ve come to expect a few little switcheroos and surprises (like being ushered to a different class than the one I thought I had signed-up for or finding some small curriculum changes). But 45€ for a half-day’s world-class instruction and tasting is always a good deal!

This afternoon’s lineup as listed in the term brochure was:

•Marinated mackerel fillets, pickle style cucumber and egg mimosa

•Veal tenderloin with morel mushroom crust, potato purée with caramelized apple, balsamic shallot compote, glazed root vegetables, Port wine sauce

•Figs in spicy strawberry wine, cocoa crisp and yogurt sorbet

The class actually consisted of:

•Deep fried jumbo shrimp, tartar sauce

•Veal Marengo with fondant potatoes

•Cherry or seasonal fruit flan

Um, OK, at least the main course still contained veal! I wasn't happy about the switch and this was clearly a class in the “basic” series, but I did enjoy myself and learn a few new techniques and taste the most wonderfully light batter (on the shrimp) that I think I’ve ever had – let me know if you’d like that recipe!

Photos of the class and the dishes are below. I attend one or two classes every trip, so scroll through my prior posts if you’d like to see more examples!

The view from my seat - in front are Chef Marc Vaca, the
translator, and the student helper getting plates ready for sampling

Students taking photos of the completed dishes

Chef's presentation of the three dishes

Shrimp & tartar sauce. Chef also made a "bonus" cheese
souffle, but it wasn't part of the presentation

My portion of shrimp & tartar sauce

My portion of the veal dish

Veal Marengo (veal is seared, then roasted with tomatoes,
onions, garlic, white wine, veal stock and bouquet garni)
with glazed onions & mushrooms and fondant potatoes

Raspberry claufoutis. Chef suggested making it with fresh
figs at this time of year. Great idea! I must give it a try.

My portion of clafoutis

The Le Cordon Bleu neighborhood -
near Metro stop Vaugirard

Hey, there's even a fancy "dollar store" in the 'hood!
(Well, not really, but the sign on the right says 700 items for 1 euro!)

Scrumptious, Surprising “Spring”- Tuesday, 7 October

Strong reviews and fervent local and frequent-traveler patrons make reservations at “Spring” hard to come by sometimes. It’s one of my favorite little restos in Paris – see my prior reports
http://mariellen-musing.blogspot.com/2013/10/fall-into-spring-thursday-24-october.html
http://mariellen-musing.blogspot.com/2010/11/spring-in-fall-wednesday-3-november.html 

This time my Spring experience came with a wonderful extra surprise. More about that later, but first a photo recap of their prix fixe meal for this evening! When you settle into your seat the waiter asks if you have any allergies or dislikes, and then if you would like to hear about all of the courses for the evening or if you'd like to be surprised and hear about each one when it comes. I usually ask to be surprised, but I seek the sommelier's advice on what would pair well with everything being served that day (assuming that I'll just get one glass of wine after my aperitif). So here we go:

I am SO predictable! But I do love my Kir Royales
(Champagne with Creme de Cassis). Almost all
tables on the ground floor (there's also a basement)
have a great view of the kitchen and chefs working -
you can see a little of that in the back of this photo. 

Three appetizers:
a thin slice of dried "prosciutto style" beef with a fried
quail egg, herb oil and freshly cracked pepper;
a chestnut foam with chestnut pieces and scallions;
pickled mushrooms with horseradish;
all served with terrific bread and salted butter

First course: poached oysters in a vegetable-
seaweed broth with fennel, turnips and
tapioca pearls

Second course: perfectly cooked crispy-
skinned seabass with shaved daikon radish in
a slightly astringent ginger creme fraiche sauce

Third course: grilled partridge breast with black
trumpet mushrooms and a chunk of pumpkin
enrobed in pork belly 

The roasted thigh and leg of the partridge with
black grapes, toast "buttered" with a thick layer
of liver puree, and watercress 

Goat, cow and sheep milk cheeses

Four desserts:
an individual tarte tatin with creme fraiche
chocolate and coffee ice creams with a chocolate tuille
praline cream with a slice of fresh pear and hazlenuts
fresh figs with an herb syrup

After my Kir Royale I had a glass of a red Burgundy from the Marsannay commune of the Côte de Nuits. It was delicious and just flinty enough to pair well with seafood, fowl and dessert!

6, rue Bailleul  http://www.springparis.fr/en/

So the other surprise with my dinner was encountering some Minnesotans right across the aisle from me!  I knew that my former boss, Deb Welf’s son Joel and his bride Brandi had been honeymooning in Europe, with their last stop Paris. I normally try to avoid listening in on others’ conversations, but when I heard the young woman across the aisle tell the people sitting to her left that she worked for Target and her husband worked in technology, I just had to get up and go over to them and ask if by any chance they were Brandi and Joel.  And ya sure y’betcha, they were! And sitting next to them? The owners of The Convention Grill in Edina. It’s a small small small small world.  Brandi and Joel were half-way through their dinner when I arrived, so when they were done they suggested that we meet for a drink somewhere close when I was done with my meal. They headed down to a corner café on rue Saint-Honoré and I joined them for coffee when I was done with my dessert. They’re a really fun couple, and we had a great time sharing stories and tips of Europe and my favorite haunt, Paris! What a wonderful extra treat! Unfortunately, I didn't think to snap a "selfie" of us.

"Punch" for World Champions! - Tuesday, 7 October

My 'za

It’s popular. It’s comfortable & pleasant. It has a nice layout of multiple rooms, accommodating the lunchtime crowd (which they do get) without too much chaos. It offers 100+ combinations of pizza toppings plus pastas and salads. It has its own school. It’s open noon-midnight daily. It’s in my favorite 2^nd arrondissement ‘hood.

But it won 4^th place in a World Pizza Championship in Parma this year? (And apparently 2^nd place in some previous year.) Hmmm. Must have been rigged. Calling itself “champion of champions” (Il Campionissimo) and a “temple” of Italian cuisine seems a bit … well … pretentious.   http://ilcampionissimo.fr/index.php 

My pizza was perfectly fine: a nice crushed tomato sauce, mushrooms, Paris ham, artichokes, mozzarella, tasty crust.  And they do have cute custom frosted water bottles. But although our local Punch Neopolitan Pizza offers way fewer toppings to pick from, their ‘zas are much better! 

The view from my table

Go for Baroque! - Monday, 6 October

So, continuing the story of my adventures in the rain!

Tonight it was the English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir under the direction of Sir John Elliot Gardiner – so exciting – I’ve not heard them in person before. They were performing one night only at the concert hall at Cité de la Musique in the northeast of Paris (more about that huge entertainment complex later) and I was able to nab a seat back in July. (The best “acts” come through Paris, and you often need to book early!)

Given the delay in obtaining a cab (see my previous post) and the traffic congestion from the rain, the trip took longer than I anticipated. And I was drenched when I arrived. The concert had already started, but an usher kindly turned on the sound on the monitor in the bar! It didn’t approach being inside to hear the exquisite Monteverdi Choir singing the Scarlatti Stabat Mater a cappella, but I was able to settle down, get something of a sense of their performance, use the “facilities,” dry out a bit and comb the wet tangles out of my hair before inflicting my messy self on my neighbors in the hall.

Pretty soon it was intermission, the first portion of the concert being significantly shorter than the second. As everywhere, streams of patrons came flowing out to get their tokens from the ushers before grabbing an intermission snack/drink. Wait, what? Get tokens? Yup, the ushers were standing at the doors with grey fabric shoulder bags containing blue rectangular “chips” and giving one to each person. I’m guessing that these were collected to identify ticket holders after intermission, preventing opportunists from sneaking in for just the second half of the concert. Hmmm. Wonder if someone heard me suggesting such a strategy to a friend recently. Not that I would really do it, but, it must be a “thing” elsewhere!

The first post-intermission piece was Bach’s Cantata Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut (“My heart swims in blood”) BWV 199, with unusual scoring for soprano (no chorus), oboe, two violins, viola and basso continuo.  An absolutely stunning young soprano from the Monteverdi Choir (her name was, unfortunately, not identified in the program) sang with controlled power and exquisite phrasing.  The text is a lament for and confession of sins, a petition for God’s mercy, and an eventual expression of joy in the knowledge of forgiveness and restoration. Her singing and the instrumentalists’ playing (especially the oboist’s gorgeous lines) seemed to me to be a perfect match for Bach’s style. It was a very moving performance.

Then finally, Handel’s Dixit Dominus (“The Lord said”) HWV 232, a setting of Psalm 109, for chorus, soloists and orchestra. Holy moley! I have never heard such clear and crisp articulation of the text from a chorus. The instrumentalists sitting in front of them must have become moist from the sprays of saliva on the consonants! In some spots a few of the men produced sounds that I can only compare to flutter tonguing on a wind instrument. Yet none of this came across as gimmicky – the musicality and continuity of the performance was so solid that these techniques fit the text perfectly and just flowed naturally. Solo, duet and trio sections for some of the singers and for some of the instrumentalists were also performed very effectively. Although I don’t know this piece from the inside (gotta learn it!), it is clearly very complex. Yet chorus and orchestra (and remember these are period instruments they’re playing) delivered a very moving and effective performance. The audience called them back for many bows, using unison "euro-clapping," regular clapping, and many shouts of "bravo!" 

Now for a few words about this concert hall and the area it's in. Over the past few decades the city of Paris has been developing this new entertainment area, Cité de la Musique, in the 19^th arrondissement in the northeast of Paris. It contains an amphitheater, this 1,000-seat concert hall, a museum, a café, and a Harmonium Mundi music store. The Paris Conservatory is just down the street.

You might be able to tell from this photo that all of the chairs on the main floor of the concert hall are attached to platforms where even the first row is about 4 inches above the floor, presumably to allow them to easily rearrange seating (but still keep tidy rows and assigned seats) for various purposes. Oddly, these platforms didn’t sound hollow when people walked on their aisles or rows – they must be well insulated. Pretty cool, hey?

A new large concert hall for the Orchestre de Paris (they’ll depart Salle Pleyel in the 8^th arrondissement) has been under construction in this complex for about 5 years. It’s called the Philharmonie de Paris and is expected to cost about 170 million euro (or $215 million), was designed by Jean Nouvel (who designed the new Guthrie “blue box”), will seat about 2,400, and will open in January 2015 with a gala concert featuring my favorite pianist Hélène Grumaud (oh, what a party that will be!). I quite intensely dislike the Guthrie, but the drawings of this new Philharmonie look pretty impressive!  You can find some wonderful construction photos showing progress over the months at this site:  http://www.philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr/nouveau-batiment/au-fil-du-chantier

The traffic congestion in the area was just terrible. I’m wondering if there’s anything they can/will do about it before the new Philharmonie de Paris opens. As it is, taxi access is very difficult. Métro station Porte de Pantin is just on the perimeter of the Cité de la Musique, and this being Paris, it’s likely that most people will arrive by Métro.  Few are likely to arrive on foot given the distance out from the center of the city and the slightly dicey neighborhood.

The new Philharmonie de Paris exterior drawing

The new Philharmonie de Paris interior drawing

Planning & Re-Planning & the Kindness of Strangers - Monday, 6 October

My plan was to see an exhibit called "The Disasters of War" at the Louvre today, the last day of its run.

Well, I certainly wouldn’t classify my afternoon as a disaster, but my plans didn’t quite turn out the way I hoped!

Before heading off to the Louvre, I had a nice café crème in my neighborhood – a terrific double espresso, two packets of sugar, and hot milk in a very cute pitcher with little dimples for your fingers. The pitcher itself was warmed up too – love the little details of service here, even when sitting on the sidewalk.  So far, so good, right?

Then I hopped the #39 bus down to the Louvre. The bus stop was right next to this lovely little “pocket park” called Square de Louvois, just across from the Bibliothèque Nationale (National Library) on rue de Richelieu. The library has been under renovation for some time, and there was a fire there about a year-and-a-half ago that destroyed part of the roof and made the renovation site even more of a mess than it would otherwise be. But work continues. 

Sadly, I couldn’t grab my camera fast enough to take a picture through the bus window of a sign that was hanging on one of the fences outside the library – it was a drawing of a smiling construction worker in a hardhat and contained the text “chant interdite” – basically meaning singing prohibited on the job (or so I thought). Ha! If that were true, I would surely get kicked out of that workplace!  But it actually means "worksite closed" (to the public).

Then to the Louvre with just a couple hours to see the exhibit and other stuff before they closed. Crowds weren’t too terrible, but I had a hecuva time finding the exhibit. No signage, no evidence of it in the temporary exhibit area of the Richelieu wing where my info said it would be. I'm guessing that it had closed some days ago. Not a disaster, but a disappointment. So I wandered around looking at other stuff and doin’ some shoppin’ and whatnot until the “we’re closing in 15 minutes” announcement. My plan was to take the bus back to the apartment, drop off my purchases, grab a bite somewhere and then head out to Cite de la Musique for a concert at 8:00 (details of that in my next post).

My Croque-Monsieur and
Leffe ("a meal in a glass!")
just across from the
Comedie-Francaise

It had started drizzling and I had left my umbrella at home, but I thought no problem – I can tolerate the rain for a couple minutes while waiting for my bus. But a few minutes came and went and I consulted my really swell new RATP app, only to discover that the bus was held up somewhere and I’d be waiting – in the rain – for 15 minutes – maybe.  It had started raining harder, my legs hurt, I was grumpy – time to regroup! I walked over to a café about a block away to wait out the rain (I hoped) and get some nourishment. Well, the rain didn’t let up and time was running short so it was time to regroup again! There was a taxi queue just across the street, so I decided to head over there to grab a taxi to Cite de la Musique for the concert. Unfortunately, taxis were in short supply (did I mention that it was raining?!?) so I had to stand there for a while, getting more and more soaked.

But then a nice young middle-Eastern looking man carrying an umbrella came up behind me, said “bon soir, madame,” and just held his umbrella over my head until a taxi came. Such a kind gesture! God bless that stranger!

A city this huge with so many people (residents & tourists) and so many language and cultural barriers has the very real potential of being terribly impersonal and competitive. But clearly (and happily) it doesn't have to be that way.

Nourishment. Contentment. And Staggering Distance! – Sunday, 5 October

Did you see the movie “Something’s Gotta Give” with Diane Keaton (Erica) and Jack Nicholson (Harry)? Remember the scene where Erica is having dinner in a fancy Parisian brasserie and Harry comes to find her? Well, that brasserie is Le Grand Colbert, and it’s staggering distance (as a friend of mine so charmingly puts it) from my apartment. They’re open Sundays, so guess where I went for an early dinner tonight?

It was a bit worrisome that there were only a few other people in the place when I arrived, but it filled up by about 8:00.  A large group of people mostly well, um, about my age, all wearing permanent name badges, arrived at about 7:15. There was some settling into a row of tables in the back, then passing of drinks, then a couple speeches – maybe it was someone’s retirement party!

Although I love the inventive work done by young chefs here and in the ‘Cities, the old classic French dishes that they serve here are so satisfying and provide such a deep sense of well-being. So I was able to stroll back to the apartment on a fine evening feeling nourished and contented.

See the photos for descriptions of my smoked salmon with blini & crème fraîche, lamb chops with green beans & broiled tomato, roasted figs with ice cream, and an interesting toilet seat! (You can't accuse me of withholding important info!)  2, rue Vivienne  http://www.legrandcolbert.fr/

Smoked salmon with a blini (yeasted buckwheat
pancake), chive creme fraiche and lemon - sweet,
smooth, earthy, tender, and just acidic enough

A very tasty combo!

Two thinly-sliced lamb chops, perfectly grilled
to crusty on the outside and pink on the inside,
with the sweetest green beans I've ever had and
a perfectly broiled tomato topped with
buttery thyme breadcrumbs 

Roasted figs with vanilla ice cream - the figs
were sprinkled with some sugar before putting
them under the broiler, providing some
wonderful bites of crunchy caramel

The interior

A Diane Keaton look-alike? Well, no.

This toilet seat was round, and it circulated through
a cleaning station when you flushed!

So Happy that I Didn't Succumb to Exhaustion! - Saturday, 4 October

To think that I almost gave up with exhaustion making my way to Église Saint-Éphrem for a Piano Trio concert this evening. Wow, what a loss that would have been. More about that part of the story later, but first something about the musicians and music.

Three students from the Paris Conservatory performed this spellbinding concert for us:

Hugues Chabert, piano

Thibault Maudry, violin

Armance Quéro, cello

Not only were they wonderful musicians, they also all had matinee idol good looks. Bonus!

Mozart’s Piano Trio in B-flat major K 502 kicked things off with sunlight, energy, inter-playfulness, introspection, and that wonderful Mozart genius that I too-often take for granted. The musicians played with wonderfully understanding phrasing, long fluid lines in the second movement, and a collegial spirit throughout.

Next, the Shostakovich No.1 opus 8 Trio in C major. This was soul-stirring passionate stuff with deep heart-breaking sighing, conflict, resolution, strength.  The intensity of their playing took our breath away (indeed, controlled our breathing) – the cellist’s playing in this piece was especially compelling. The audience responded audibly in places during the performance and we called them back for multiple bows before we allowed them to take their intermission break.

Then Mendelssohn’s No.1 Op 49 Trio in D minor – oh, those sweetly marvelous hummable Mendelssohn melodies – they make you cry with their beauty then laugh then cry again – and I did. Again, wonderfully controlled yet expressive playing throughout (and oh, my goodness, did the pianist’s fingers ever fly!). We even got the third movement (the one that makes you chuckle) again as an encore!

This small (it seats maybe 80) stone church with a barrel ceiling has superb acoustics and hosts multiple chamber music concerts every week, yet somehow I had not heard of it before. Wow, live and learn, hey? Now you are not as informationally deficient as I was! I’ll post photos of the October lineup. The building dates from the 18^th century, although its first chapel was built here in the early 14^th century.

The church sits on rue des Carmes in the 5^th arrondissement, near the Sorbonne, on a steep hill (well, steep for me anyway) that leads up to the Panthéon. I had been walking all afternoon and my legs were more exhausted than usual. I took a look at the hill and almost gave up since I couldn’t see the church from rue des Écoles (it is set back from the street) and I hadn’t looked to see exactly how far up the street it was. I was stupidly walking up the “wrong” side of rue des Carmes (people who have walked with me in Paris will know what I’m talking about!), and the pitch was quite significant. So about half way up to the church I almost gave up again, but I plowed on! Suffice it to say that I was sweating and walking very gingerly by the time I reached the door. But I was rewarded for my efforts!

Église Saint-Éphrem is in the Syriac Catholic Church, an autonomous branch of the Christian Church that extends back to the origins of Christianity in Antioch! The Syriac Church has archdioceses in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and Sudan, and other jurisdictions in Israel, Turkey, the US and Canada. Its Patriarch resides in Beirut. I have goosebumps just thinking about its history and ministry. Ephrem the Syrian, after whom this particular church was named, was born in 306 AD. He was a prolific Syrian-language poet, hymnographer, theologian and preacher.

Tickets for concerts here can be ordered online through classictic.com.  Here’s a link: http://www.classictic.com/en/concerts_at_st._ephrem_church_in_paris/13585/203453/  When I got home I looked at my e-ticket again and discovered that they are located on Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Str. in Berlin, so even the Lutherans get honorable mention in this setup!

The performance

Bows

Three candelabras were lit just before the concert 

Beautiful shafts of light suddenly appeared
while we were waiting for the concert to begin!

Barrel-vaulted ceiling

The entrance