À bientôt, Paris! - Thursday, 26 September

Uber vs. Taxi - Thursday, 26 September

For those of you who don't like using Uber, I have some good news. The Parisian taxi service G7 now has features similar to Uber's - you can register your credit card with them, call for a taxi from anywhere (and the driver will find you), book your trip in advance or for immediate pickup, type in your destination, get an ETA, watch the progress of your driver while waiting and of your trip while on the road, etc. You can also pick up a G7 at any taxi queue and just charge your trip on your pre-loaded credit card (no messing with cash and cards in the cab).

This morning I requested an Uber. The system said the car would be at my apartment in 3 minutes, then 1 minute, then suddenly the car changed position and it would be 5 minutes, then 7 minutes. After about 25 minutes I gave up and ordered a G7 that arrived in 2 minutes. It was slightly more expensive than the Uber would have been, but I got to the airport just in time. Whew!

https://www.g7.fr/en/

The Kindness of Strangers - Thursday, 26 September

Early this morning as I was leaving the apartment with a suitcase, a carry-on, my purse, a bag of garbage, and my cane it “just so happened” that a gentleman in another apartment on my floor was leaving too. This actually is rather remarkable since there were only three apartments on the floor.

He pushed the button for the elevator and nothing happened. Sometimes the exterior door can get stuck on another floor or someone can push the “stop” button to give them time to get things off the elevator and forget to turn it back on. Anyhoo, he ran up the stairs to the 6th floor and sure enough, with jiggling the door the elevator started working. After walking back down to the 5th he held the door for me, loaded my stuff in the elevator for me, and indicated that I should use it while he took the stairs. [It’s an elevator with an indicated capacity of 4 people, which means me and my two suitcases!]

I beat him down to the ground level, and started pulling my bags out of the elevator. He came along and helped. Then he took my garbage to the bins for me. Then he wheeled my cases outside for me.

I could have tugged and shoved and taken things one-at-a-time and managed, but God bless this stranger for helping a damsel in mild distress.

Little Annoyances - Wednesday, 25 September

Well, the hardware on the shoulder strap of my purse just broke, and it's raining again, so it must be about time to head home to Minneapolis (I need one hand for my purse, one for my umbrella, and one for my cane, and I haven't grown a third hand yet!).

Happily (in one sense) my flight is tomorrow morning. And happily, the hardware broke while I was in E.Dehillerin, my favorite cookware store so I could contain the spillage. But still, 😢

For Your Not-So-Conservative Male Friends - Wednesday, 25 September

There are a bunch of men's clothing shops in my 'hood. Some of them are very conservative and tailored, and then others of them....

Accents - My Happy Place! - Tuesday, 24 September

For the last three years or so, I have looked forward with great anticipation to a meal at Accents Table Bourse. Sometimes I’ve had lunch, sometimes dinner. I’ve always been enchanted by the imaginative dishes, pristine ingredients, flawless execution of some difficult culinary techniques, brilliant wine pairings, very warm welcome, and comfortable environment.

My view through the
kitchen window

The first time I visited, host/sommelier Etienne Billard seated me at a table for two just under the window looking into the kitchen. I loved it there, and he has remembered to seat me at the same table on each of my (5? 6? something like that) subsequent visits. I’m guessing that he takes notes on his “regulars” because not only can he predict what I might want to order, he also seems to remember details of conversations we’ve had (like what I did for a living!) as we’ve chatted outside while I’m waiting for my Uber at the end of the evening. It might be shallow for one’s happy place to be a resto, but if so, I’m shallow and proud of it! It’s my favorite resto in Paris.

So, Tuesday night. Six courses plus some amuse bouche, with wine pairings by Etienne. The courses are small but not microscopic, and they flow beautifully one to the next.

My first amuse bouche was just-warm squash crème with a hint of nutmeg, Niçoise olives, a splash of olive oil and a large shaving of Parmesan.

(Note, you can click on any photo in my blog to view a larger version.)

Next, poached duck liver in a nori seaweed wrap (what amazing interplay between those flavors – I’ve never had a combo like this before!), with a root vegetable crème, very thin pickled carrot coins, watercress, and currant jus. Such imagination and skill at balancing flavors, textures, acidity, sweetness.

Next, smoked chèvre sorbet, microplaned raw cauliflower, cuttlefish ink, and an impossibly thin sheet of spun sugar. The combination was downright explosive, I tell ya - sulfur and brine and earth! Wow.

These first courses & bites were served with a 2018 Albert Mann Pinot Blanc Auxerrois from Alsace – fruity, floral, medium-heavy viscosity, just a hint of fresh-pear-like astringency. Beautiful!

Next, flakes of mackerel (steamed, I think), on top of some jellied peppery fish stock with tomatoes, shortbread-like crumbles, hazelnuts, and hints of something quite acidic/sharp that was not lemon or lime or vinegar – I didn’t catch what it was.  In any case, way above my forensic dining pay grade! But fabulous! This was served with Sake – rich, fresh, barely lemony, with faint flavors of caramel, butterscotch and licorice.

To accompany the next courses, Eric Kayser’s spectacular very crunchy-crusty (yet tender inside) wheat bread. The closest I've found in the Twin Cities is Patisserie46/RoseStreet's Miche. Accents serves it slightly warm with their mind-blowing hay-smoked butter, the like of which I’ve not experienced anywhere else. I would come here for the bread and butter alone, I kid you not.

Up next, fabulously sweet and tenderly toothsome corn risotto, with Monk’s Head cheese, paper-thin slices of Cecina de boeuf (smoked & dried beef), softened mustard seeds, and deep rich beef demi-glace. With it, a 2014 Château Valrose white Bordeaux – crisp, refreshing, like a nice tart apple.

Next, a meaty roasted fish (whose name I didn’t catch – flaky and rich but not oily) with sea beans, cabbage, dill and a faintly cinnamon-scented sauce. Fascinating and fab! With it, a 2016 Clos Saint-Fiacre Montigny-Piel “L’Excellence” Chardonnay from near Orléans in the Loire valley – creamy, viscous, with a nice pineapple-y astringency that cut through this rich course beautifully.

Then wild duck (for the second time this trip – ‘tis the season!) with creamed celeriac, girolles (chanterelle mushrooms), roasted fig, duck fat, and roasted poultry demi-glace – rich, earthy, dark. With it a red wine made from the Mondeuse grape (yup, new to me too) by Cellier de la Baraterie in the southeast of France – juicy, slightly gamey, flavors of currant, roasted berries, and wood, with gorgeous tannins that cut right through the richness of the food.

First dessert: a beautifully executed thin chocolate cylinder filled with a light chocolate cream, fresh blackberries and raspberries, and coco-crispies, topped with beetroot foam. Entertaining, smooth, crispy, sweet, silky, acidic – it had it all!

Second dessert: an amazing spun sugar box (how did she do it?!?), filled with passionfruit crème, diced fresh peach, and a half-dome of white chocolate. Next to it, refreshing lemon verbena sorbet on a bed of green tea crumble. Holy moley!

And finally, Chef Ayumi’s famous green tea spongecake with coffee whipped cream. And then their wonderfully intense espresso.

with Sommelier
Etienne Billard

And then I was invited into the kitchen to greet and chat with the chefs! It’s corny, but I just had to get a photo with them. Such a souvenir!

Chef de cuisine is Romain Mahi.

Manager and Chef Pâtissière is Ayumi Sugiyama.

Really, folks, put this on your list. Accents Table Bourse, 24 rue Feydeau in the 2nd arrondissement (just steps from the Bourse). https://accents-restaurant.com/

Papier Tigre! - Tuesday, 24 September

So, today I happened across this groovy shop around the corner that designs, prints and sells a wide variety of notebooks and calendars and wrapping papers plus a bunch of cute pens, pencils, crayons, clips, desk organizers, games, and trinkets. I just couldn’t resist this entertaining spinner disk that tells what fruits and vegetables are in season by month. Ya, I need it like I need another hole in the head. But hey it’s educational – in French on one side and in English on the other – so if I need to brush up on my terminology at least I can be amused in the process!

And, bonus, they gave me a very cute cotton bag to carry it home in for free! I would have happily paid for it, it’s so darling. At grocery stores and other shops you can buy branded shopping bags – paper ones or sturdy plastic or mixed-fiber reusable ones – this is all connected with France’s ban on single use plastic bags. Love the creative solutions – and love my favorite new bag for when I need to carry just a little of something!

Check it out! Papier Tigre at 5, rue des Filles du Calvaire in the 3rd.   https://www.papiertigre.fr/en/

The Circus! - Tuesday, 24 September

The Cirque d’Hiver (winter circus) has been on my list of places to check out for a long time. They didn’t have any shows playing right now (you can see circuses, acrobats, stand-up comedy, concerts, clown shows, animal acts, and various other “spectacles,” as they call them here) but it’s just a couple blocks from the apartment so I headed over there on Tuesday.

Impressive building! It’s round (er, actually icosagonic – a 20-sided polygon), 45 yards in diameter, and seats about 2000 spectators. Apparently you can rent it for private events too…hmmm…!

Shows of one kind or another have been presented there since it opened in 1852. It sits right at the Filles du Cavalier Métro exit. Sure hope something is playing there during my next trip!

https://www.cirquedhiver.com

Demonstrations - There's a Website for That! - Tuesday, 24 September

You have probably heard that strikes and demonstrations of various kinds are held in Paris and disrupt life (and, in some cases, safety) for people who are near them. And you might have been worried that they would affect you on your vacation. Well, I have good news – there’s a website where you can find out!

As I was enjoying a light lunch at a café on the corner of rue des Filles du Calvaire and boulevard du Temple (a major thoroughfare), I suddenly noticed that there was no traffic. Looking down the boulevard, I saw police turning vehicles around which were trying to head up the boulevard. Bicycles and some motorbikes and mail trucks got through, but that was about it. Should I be worried? How long might this last? Searching for answers, I found the website  paris.demosphere.net  and yup, there you can find your answers – who’s protesting, what for/against, what their timetable is, details of their grievance or issue, etc. I assume that this relates only to officially registered events (not spontaneous ones), but the amount of info is impressive. Here’s the listing for the event that affected me:  https://paris.demosphere.net/rv/71842

After a while, I saw probably a dozen vans full of police officers going down the boulevard, and I thought the demonstration might be over, but nope. As I was leaving, I looked up the boulevard and saw that it was empty all the way up to Place de la République, which was the location of the demonstration.

A half-hour or so later I noticed that the traffic was totally jammed on rue de Bretagne a few blocks away. Aha! Traffic from boulevard du Temple must have been diverted there. It was a mess, and horns were blaring even more than normal. C’est la vie!

May I Never Become Inattentive to the Beauty - Monday, 23 September

It's a gorgeously balmy and calm evening - 65 degrees and barely a hint of a breeze and quiet in my 'hood - so I decided to sit for a while on one of the benches in the little square just outside my door before heading inside after dinner.

As you can see, the streets are beautifully and safely lit without being overly bright. The beauty never ceases to charm, center and calm me. I hope and pray that I never become inattentive to it.

Attention, Gluten Intolerant Friends! - Monday, 23 September

Good news for those of you who are gluten intolerant - be sure to bookmark BigLove Pizza, 30 Rue Debelleyme 75003 Paris – just off rue Bretagne (and, as it happens, just a block from the apartment I'm renting!). Most excellent pizzas, and they are entirely gluten free.

The great Patricia Wells (with whom I studied in 2001) even recommends them on her “Food Lover’s Guide to Paris” app. I will shamelessly borrow (steal) from her: “…the pizza is why you should go to Big Love, and those who follow a gluten-free diet can rejoice, as all the pizzas here are completely gluten free. Paris is home to some very respectable pizzaiole (pizza chefs) but few who specialize in the unique style of Neopolitan pizza, that boasts a slightly thicker crust, and is more lightly baked than the well-done thin crusted versions from other parts of Italy. The result is a sort of pillowy experience, where the elements of the pizza seamlessly blend into one. The dough here is made from a mixture of buckwheat, corn and rice flours and fermented for at least 36-hours before cooking to give it a good rise and a faint acidity to the crust. For those not interested in a gluten-free diet, do not be put off for these bases are a cunning likeness to the wheat flour version and perhaps only in the thick outer crust can you tell that it’s made from alternative flours. As a point of pride for the Mamma restaurants, ingredients are of an exceptionally high standard – mostly sourced directly from favored artisanal producers in Italy – including the essential San Marzano tomatoes grown at the foot of Mt Vesuvius. The pizzas are cooked in a wood-fired brick Acunta oven, hand-made in Naples, that can get to temperatures so high a pizza can be cooked in 60 seconds (just shy of 930°F/500°C). The resulting Mammargherita pizza – for me the simple concoction of tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella and fresh basil is the best litmus test for pizza – was remarkably close to a true Napolitano pizza, that is to say, very, very good.”

Yup. What Patsy says.

It's very popular - here's a pano view from my table in the "front room/" There was another room even larger up a couple steps to the rear (right side of this photo).

https://www.bigmammagroup.com/en/trattorias/biglove-caffe

And You Thought You Knew Cream Puffs! - Monday, 23 September

There’s an outpost of Pierre Hermé (my favorite Parisian pâtissier/chocolatier) just a block from my apartment. Danger, Danger!

This afternoon I picked up one of his “Ispahan” cream puffs for my afternoon coffee – a baseball-size choux pastry into which some pieces of lychee fruit and a little lychee syrup were spooned, then topped with rose crème (as in the flower), encircled with perfect fresh raspberries and topped with a rose petal. Sweetness, acidity, intensity, unctuousness. Yup. I could learn to live like this. He also makes this flavor combination in a macaron and a cake. Heaven help us!

https://www.pierreherme.com/

If You Can't Drive Through, ... - Sunday, 22 September

So, no McDonald’s drive-throughs here, but I did see a walk-up window for “emporter” (take away) orders! (Sorry for the blurry photo - my Uber was moving!)

Resto Coretta, Adjacent to MLK Park! - Sunday, 22 September

Most restos are closed on Sunday, but I've had Coretta on my list of places to visit for a while and they serve Sunday lunch. It proved to be worth the drive to the 17th! It’s right next to MLK Park, and of course its name honors Coretta Scott King. I’m often cheered by French tendencies to honor and remember worthy Americans (and other luminaries) in this way. Interestingly, they tend to name things after humanitarians and peace workers (I think immediately of the sweet and peaceful Jardin Anne Frank), not so much industrialists and criminal presidents!

Getting there proved to be slightly challenging since today is “car free” day in Paris, and only cabs, Ubers, buses, and police/emergency vehicles can be on the streets (some of which are blocked off to all traffic). It’s a day for pedestrians, bikes and scooters!

Anyhow, I made it for my 1:00 reservation despite the fact that three Ubers responded to my request and then dropped it before picking me up. Number four was the charm!

For my amuse bouche, swordfish tartare in a light vinaigrette on a bed of beet purée with a slice of cucumber and some herbs. Yummy, refreshing, and palate stimulating!

Jean Luc Poujuran used to have the most charming little patisserie on rue Jean Nicot in the 7th, and he made the best bread and astonishing pastries, including some savory ones that I miss enormously. He sold the shop but continues to bake for restos and wholesale clients, so I was overjoyed to see his name on the bottom of Coretta’s menu as the supplier of their bread! This was very crusty whole wheat stuff, served with fabulous salted butter.  That, with a glass of nice red wine and a bottle of Badoit could keep me satisfied for a long time!

My first course featured flaked crabmeat mixed with sprouted sesame seeds, topped with some red onion purée and a scoop of butternut squash sorbet (genius!!!), encircled with almond/passionfruit crème (some piped on the plate, some in little cylinders of blanched carrot strips) and topped with a scattering of cilantro. What gorgeous flavors and textures! The sorbet blew my socks off – must try to make some when I get home – and overall the interplay of sweet, smooth, crunchy, earthy, fruity and astringent was remarkable.

For my main course, roasted salt-crusted wild duck with beets two ways (roasted and puréed), a large fresh fig just warmer than fridge temperature, and some poultry demi-glace was sweet, comforting, warming, and deep. I used the fabulous bread to mop up every bit of the sauces. The Touraine-Malbec (Domaine des Grandes Esperances) I ordered was, when sipped independently, rather tannic and revealed flavors of currants, Belgian endive, roasted root vegetables and stone; but when sipped with this course it made all the complex flavors of both the food and the wine explode in my mouth. Wine pairing is such an art – my waiter told me that this would be a good combination, and he was right!

For dessert, now this was what I call a fresh fruit tart! A nice pastry shell spread sparingly with a red fruit jelly, then mounded with crème diplomate (a combination of crème pâtissière and whipped cream), fresh figs, apples, red plums, and Mirabelles, and then sprinkled with herbs – fairly rich, but hey, at least I got my minimum daily adult requirement of fruit!

Two tasty tiny chocolate and marron (chestnut) tarts were served with coffee.

Aaahhhhh…what a way to wile away a Sunday afternoon! I would have taken a little stroll in the adjacent Parc Clichy-Batignolles-Martin-Luther-King, but it was raining. At least that was my excuse!

https://www.restaurantcoretta.com/

Here's a pano of the entrance to the adjacent MLK Park

Tiny Child, Huge Presence @ ACP - Sunday, 22 September

The American Church in Paris is my favorite Sunday morning haunt here. It’s a nondenominational Protestant church with a “light” liturgical service, fabulous music, fine preaching, and programs & education & services for its parishioners and the whole community that are astonishing. Its congregation is the most diverse I’ve ever experienced – the church attracts people from around the world (both those now living in Paris and visitors) for whom English is a first or second language. And they serve great coffee at a fellowship time after the Sunday morning service!

Their children’s choir (among others) provided special music this morning. One of the little girls was so small that her robe fell all the way to the floor, and the sleeves were much longer than her arms. Let me tell you, she was a very enthusiastic singer! I thought I had caught her in this snapshot, but only barely – she’s to the right of the director, just stepping behind a little boy (she was rather lively!). Too cute!

https://acparis.org/

Independent Gastronomic Research! - Friday, 20 September

Friday! Episode 1 of my independent gastronomic research project! Lunch reservations at La Condesa in the 9th, a place I read about on John Talbott’s blog, that received its first Michelin Star this year. It now has the coveted Mariellen Star too! It’s tiny (by U.S. standards) – about 20 seats.

The “menu” was just a price list! How many courses do you want? How about wine pairings? Here’s your price. The server asked if I had any allergies (nope!) and if I wanted filtered or sparkling water, and then it was off to the races!

For my first amuse bouche, a crispy lacy freshly-made tiny corn tostada, with soft and slightly herby goat cheese and tiny flavor-packed fennel flowers. Fascinating! And just the thing to get the taste buds fired up all around your palate.

The second amuse, a summer pumpkin frittata. A little wedge of tender pumpkin was dipped in tempura batter and fried. Slightly spicy mayonnaise had been piped on top after frying, and then some Espelette pepper sprinkled on top. Sweet!

And an entertaining presentation to boot - it's been a trend for the last few years!

Third amuse, a lidded bowl containing mild-flavored fennel foam, with a quenelle of Verjus-grape sorbet. On top of the lid was some pumpkin seed crumble to stir in. So entertaining, and lighter than air. I didn’t clearly hear what the server told me about the sorbet, and I had a heckuva time identifying what the flavor was (faintly lemony, clearly fruity, a bit of a zing) so I had to ask again when she came to clear my dish…I’m glad I did.

First course, a slice of very tasty pork-veal-foie gras terrine with baby radishes splashed in lemony vinaigrette and herb purée. Lovely crunch and slight astringency from the radishes, perfectly balanced terrine where every element complimented the others. Also, a nice thick chunk of very crusty whole wheat bread. Yummers! With it, a Rainer Wess Grüner Veltliner white wine – its soft, slightly floral, delicate flavors of stone fruit married very nicely with the mild flavors of the terrine.

Second course, some line-caught charcoal-grilled Pollock (a type of cod – firm, mild, very slightly oily, deeeelicious), with grilled zucchini slices, braised leeks, fennel purée and fronds, and a ribbon of daikon. These were all fairly sweet flavors, and a quite tannic and fruity Etna Planeta red from Sicily balanced it nicely. This was an interesting wine – on the nose I got soft flowers and chocolate spongecake, but on the palate it was more astringent and minerally and stoney.

The Domaine Overnoy Crémant du Jura Extra Brut that was poured before dessert could have been dessert all by itself. Wow! The gorgeous intoxicating (in every sense) tiny bubbles and herbal, earthy, slightly funky flavors were outta sight. It would be fantastic with soft cheeses or chocolate anything!

The dessert theme was white peaches – a peach custard-type cream in the bottom of the bowl, topped with some chunks of fresh peaches, then a mild peach foam. A quenelle of pomegranate sorbet added a terrific element of freshness and red-fruitiness. It was lovely and refreshing by itself, but it fought with the Cremant so I just drank my water and saved the bubbly for sipping with my post-dessert hot rich espresso.

I had a chance to chat with chef/owner Indra Carillo after lunch. He grew up in Mexico, where he started cooking as a very young boy. He has worked in India, the Far East, New York, Copenhagen, London, Italy and Paris (in some of the very top kitchens), and he got his formal training at Institut Paul Bocuse. His English is very good, so be sure to talk with him when you visit!

When I glanced in the kitchen, it looked like the United Nations! I wonder if Chef Carillo gets some menu ideas from his workers. In any case, they sure have the skills to execute the varied-yet-solidly-French techniques required for his menus. I’ll want to try more of his concoctions next trip!  http://lacondesa-paris.com/en/home/