The sweet 7th

August 14, 2017 – The way to spend a beautiful Sunday in mid-August on the left bank of Paris is to amble along the streets of the 7^th arrondissement.  Frenzied Parisian drivers are away on vacation in the countryside or at the shore; the streets are as calm and quiet as they will ever be.  Mobs of tourists are nowhere to be found except at the Eiffel Tower.  Just avoid that place, and you will have a fine, mellow day fit for the dedicated flaneur.  You can relax, go at your own pace, not be pushed by the flow of people on the sidewalk, allow yourself to be delighted by the wonders – big and small – that you happen to see.

We zig-zagged our way through the 7^th, from rue Cler north to the Seine, from the Champ de Mars to the Esplanade des Invalides. 

An unnamed former church that we saw on our way from the rue Cler to the rue Malar.

An attractive gateway and courtyard on the rue de Grenelle.

Mosaic in the doorway to a day care center.

Entrance to the St. John Lutheran church complex on the rue de Grenelle.

A delightful building designed by Lavirotte (above and below) on the rue de Grenelle.

The Hotel de la Tulipe looks like a country inn.  Rumor is, it was a convent before
it became a hotel.  It is located on the rue Malar in the 7th.

Madame Rhodriguez's jewelry shop window on the rue de Grenelle.
When she returns from vacation, I just might buy the earrings in the middle.
She designs and makes the jewelry herself.

Before our walk, Tom and I had a Sunday afternoon dinner at La Terrasse.  We were delighted to be seated in the spacious upstairs dining room.  For a long time, I've wanted to see that space.  It is uncrowded, and affords a panoramic view of the Place de l'Ecole Militaire.  

Tom enjoyed watching a French family of six enjoying their Sunday dinner together.  The kids were so utterly well behaved.  Like them, we took hours to enjoy our mid-day dinner there -- six escargots, a Thai shrimp salad, chicken supreme with pureed potatoes, apple pie, fresh fruit, espresso and cafe creme.  It was all delightful and delicious.

We ended the day with a walk up to the Champ de Mars, where we just sat on a bench and watched people as the day faded into dusk.  Sweet Paris.

Paris in the summer, when it sizzles

August 27, 2016 -- The restaurant Bacco on the rue Mademoiselle gets into the spirit of the 15^th arrondissement’s past with a décor that is “industrial.”  The tables have metal tops, the colors are dark, lighting is good, and lines are simple.  We were warmly greeted when we entered; the hostess called me “Madame Barbara.”

We were pleased that the air conditioning was turned on for this sizzling hot evening, but we noticed that it seemed a little weak.  Sure enough, as the dinner hour went on, more people filled the space, and the kitchen fired away – the dining room became uncomfortably warm.

Mural at the top of an apartment building near the avenue de la Motte Picquet

We were given a mis en bouche of velvety, cool potato soup with several other flavors blended in – too many to remember.  But it was delicious.

Our starter course was very good, too:  la burratina: mozzarella burratina D.O.P.*, pesto de pistache, caviar d’aubergine et jambon de Parme Ferrari 24 mois.  This was a mozzarella burrata with pistachio pesto, eggplant, and Parma ham aged 24 months.  Balsamic vinegar and olive oil were brought to the table with it, so I drizzled some on the plate.  I’ve never had a burrata that was so good!

Tom’s main course was l’onglet d’Angus : cœur d’onglet de bœuf Angus, sauce au poivre sauvage de Madagascar, pommes « Pont-Neuf », asperges vertes et carotte nouvelles.  These were morsels of Angus beef steak with wild pepper sauce from Madagascar, “Pont Neuf” potatoes (essentially, steak fries), asparagus, and baby carrots.  Tom said the beef was good, and correctly prepared given the type of cut.  But most interesting was the way the dish was arranged on its rectangular plate (below).

My main dish was le risotto tourteau-gambas: risotto à la chair de tourteau et au safran, gambas juste poêlées, pointes d’asperges vertes, coulis de pousse d’épinard au beurre noisette.  This was a crabmeat and jumbo shrimp risotto with saffron asparagus, and a spinach sauce with brown butter.  It looked beautiful but the flavor was a little heavy and dull.  The shrimp were almost overcooked, but not quite.  I didn’t finish the risotto, which caused the waiter a little concern.  He asked about it, and I explained that it was good, but “c’est beaucoup” – too much.

Crabmeat and jumbo shrimp risotto at Bacco.

Our shared dessert was le canon de cacao: Parfait glacé à la mangue, fruit de la passion, cylindre de cacao croustillant garni de mousse légère au chocolat blanc.  It was excellent!  The centerpiece of it was a cylinder made of a thin crust of cocoa filled with a light white-chocolate mousse. 

The cocoa cannon with white chocolate moose and mango sherbert.

Chef Olivier Thiebaut is doing a good job at Bacco, but the menu is short, so it is difficult to visit the restaurant very frequently – there just isn’t enough variety.  But it is open for both lunch and dinner, and its style of cuisine – a mix of French and Italian – is unique for the neighborhood.

The neighborhood was quiet again as I walked early this morning.  Joggers, delivery truck drivers, and a few walkers like me were the only people out and about as the sun rose just after 7AM.

I walked up the Avenue de la Motte Picquet.  When I was near the equestrian statue across from the Ecole Militaire, a little woman passing by me stopped to say, in French, that this is the only time of day when there is a little coolness for walking.  We chatted about the weather for a minute or two, and then went on our separate ways. 

The St Francois Xavier church on the
Boulevard des Invalides

If this were a small town, I wouldn’t have been surprised.  But to be stopped by a stranger on the streets of Paris just for idle chit-chat is very unusual.  I took it as a sign that this will be a good day.

I walked to rue Cler.  The only action on that market street was – you guessed it – several trucks making deliveries.  After inspecting that sleepy market, I continued on the rue de Grenelle to the Place Salvador Allende, then turned back to the Avenue de la Motte Picquet toward home.  On the way, I looked up to see a cute mural of an old blue race car at the top of an apartment building just off the avenue. 

I went on to the Place du Commerce again, because I’ve learned that pausing there for a rest before going home is a great way to cool off.  The park benches are clean, and the flower beds are stunning.

I sit beneath the trimmed chestnut trees with my back to the Commerce Café, so I just hear the pleasant clinking of tableware being arranged and set.  I pretend to look at my phone a little, but I’m really listening to the birds.

Another sizzling summer day has dawned in Paris.

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*Denominazione di Origine Protetta

Good tea and good times

August 18, 2016 -- True tea lovers know about Mariage Frères, the Parisian tea company founded in 1854.  I’m only an occasional tea drinker, and Tom’s tea consumption is pretty much limited to the iced variety.  But we both were smitten, years ago, when we entered the old Mariage Frères shop at 13 rue des Grands Augustins in the 6^th arrondissement.  I believe that shop has since been “renovated,” but back when we went there to buy tea for our German friends in the summer of 2004, it still retained much of the old, elaborate dark woodwork, paneling, and bins, as well as the old-fashioned decoratively barred cashier’s window, as if the shop were a quaint, old bank.

The Eiffel Tower last night.

To reach the Prince Igor (number T940) tea that our friends wanted, the shopkeeper had to climb up a few steps on a wooden ladder, because the bins reached up toward the ceiling.

That shop charmed me as much as any sight I’ve ever seen in Paris.  To enter that place was to go back in time, a hundred years or more.

Now, of course, Mariage Frères shops are scattered throughout Paris, and there are now shops in London, Berlin, and Tokyo.

Yesteday, I discovered a new Mariage Frères on Rue Cler, just a short 20 minute walk from our apartment.

I walked on rue Cler twice yesterday.  The weather has been very warm, so I went out in the morning for a walk without Tom.  I did go to the rue Cler (a pedestrianized market street), but there was so much construction/road work at the intersection of the avenue de la Motte Picquet that I didn’t see the new shop. 

In the calmer evening, when the construction equipment was stashed away for the night, Tom and I noticed the Mariage Frères with delight.  It does not open until the 21^st, but the lights were on inside, and a young couple was being shown the wares, privately, by a shopkeeper.  We peered into the big windows.  The center window featured a display of special Brazilian iced teas, in honor of the Olympics.  While the rue Cler shop will never have the charm of that old place on the rue des Grands Augustins, it is attractive.

Our dinner table was reserved at Le Florimond, just across the avenue de la Motte Picquet from rue Cler.  We were ready for a good French dinner, having dined at the Bermuda Onion the previous night.  The Bermuda Onion has good burgers, a great view of the Seine at Beaugrenelle, sleek décor, and air conditioning; but the profiteroles that Tom had there were so terrible that they were inedible.  Back to French food from a real French restaurant for us.

Lobster ravioli with lobster sauce at Le Florimond.

I read about Le Florimond last year in Le Figaro, the mildly conservative French daily newspaper.  Le Florimond is not in lafourchette.com, and the restaurant’s web site does not offer online reservations.  One must telephone for a reservation; how quaint! 

The restaurant had been closed for a couple weeks of vacation, but yesterday was the first day it was open again.  I called in the late afternoon and had no trouble reserving.

But we were stunned at how many people were already dining when we arrived at 7:30PM.  Then the place filled up completely.  And they were all English speakers!  Last year, too, I had been surprised at how many English speakers filled the place.  I chalked it up to the little hotels all over that part of the 7^th arrondissement; the hotels must be calling the restaurant to reserve tables for their guests, I had surmised.

Veal filet with vegetables at Le Florimond,

But last night we learned from the couple of Californians seated next to us that Rick Steves evidently recommended Le Florimond.  That explains that!

The restaurant was noisy, and it became hot as the evening went on.  The experienced server was still on vacation, leaving the dining room to two young guys who were clearly overwhelmed.  Amazing, isn’t it, how a seasoned professional can make the difficult look easy?

So the service was frenzied and scattered, and the ambiance was hot and noisy.  But the food, oh my goodness, the food was wonderful.

We were given a mis-en-bouche of a cool purée of cauliflower and grapefruit (no kidding!), which was mild and refreshing.

Then Tom’s starter course was an excellent little plate of lobster ravioli in a lobster sauce. Mine was crêpes with a layer of blood sausage in between.  Yum!

Tom’s main course was beautiful as well as delicious – veal filet in a rich, dark sauce with fresh veggies, including peas that I consumed.  Tom has something against peas, but these were fine peas.

I had the rabbit main course, which was served with a braised cabbage.  That did not make for a colorful dish, but it was supremely tasty.

Apricot and almond tart at Le Florimond.

I could not resist ordering the apricot and almond tart for dessert.  The apricots just melted in my mouth – they were so good!  Tom had an astounding assorted dessert plate.  The picture tells the story.

Oddly, we did not feel over-fed when we finally were able to get our check and pay up for the evening.  The walk home was lovely, including a shining view of the Eiffel Tower at the other end of the Champ de Mars.

The evening air was just beginning to cool at 9:30.  We’ve had three days of warm weather, but not hot (well, not hot for south Floridians), and the evenings have been cool enough (low 70s down to the mid 60s).  Today, finally, some rain showers are expected, followed by several days with highs in the 70s.

We will experience a few more very warm days – maybe even one truly hot day! – before our stay is over, but that’s not bad.

This is the week when Paris begins to come alive again, after all the vacations begin to end.  Some shops may not open until the first week of September, but many places are re-opening this week, in the aftermath of the Feast of the Assumption, which was Monday, the 15^th.

Magnificent dessert plate at Le Florimond.

La Poste had been closed on Monday, so it was Tuesday that we made our annual trek there to put just exactly the right amount of postage on our vote-by-mail ballots, and mail them off to the Supervisor of Elections in Lee County, Florida, in time for them to be counted in the August 30 primary.

Back in the first several years that we summered in Paris, this trip to La Poste was a real pain.  The line for waiting was always long, and the post office was hot and stuffy.  We had to wait our turn to be served by a junior bureaucrat working behind a counter at an ugly, bank-teller type of window.  Of course, we had to speak French at the window.  I suppose some of the clerks might have spoken English, but you couldn’t count on it.

Then La Poste remodeled.  I think almost every branch in Paris has been modernized by now.  These days, when we enter La Poste, we go directly to the machines that automatically walk us through the process of ordering and paying for just the right amount of postage for each envelope.  Then it spits out printed peel-and-stick postage, just the way the metro machines spit out metro tickets.  All of the interaction with the machine is in French, but this is written French, and it is very predictable – much easier than dealing verbally with an unpredictable, overworked, underpaid, junior bureaucrat.  Even when treated with the utmost kindness and courtesy, these junior bureaucrats could be quite grouchy.

New Mariage Freres shop on the rue Cler in the 7th arrondissement, just off the avenue de la Motte Picquet.

Now we breeze in and out of La Poste, and insert our ballot envelopes in the “Etranger” slot of the yellow mailbox outside.  When we do have a more complicated transaction to conduct at La Poste, we do wait in line for service from a real person behind an open desk, and that person generally is in a helpful and good mood.  I guess the old system did have to go.  Change is good.

Florida voters who want my recommendations for the August 30 ballot are free to send me a private message on Facebook.  I have received some requests by email already.  Otherwise, I’m keeping politics out of this journal – for now.