PARIS

Happy Monday!  To remind, you can leave comments or questions on this thread.  Scroll to the bottom to see where. 

Before I get into my Paris itinerary, if you take my monthly online cooking class, I am holding Zoom “office hours” on Tuesday at 12 pm PST if you need help with anything at all or have questions about recipes, meal planning, entertaining or just want to hang out.  Check your email for a link.  

I returned on Friday from a 6-day trip to Paris, which considering everything happening in the world and my heart, was a trip I wasn’t sure I could take and find joy.  Well, Paris never disappoints and it was a much-needed break from the energy back home.  The first few days I visited very dear friends who are renting an apartment in Paris and then I joined a group organized by Staub for a day in the city and a day at the Staub factory outside of Paris.  Keep all your tickets to Fashion Week, friends. This was a dream come true for me!  Many of you asked me to send you my itinerary and recommendations, and where I am no expert on Paris, I am always happy to share with you. And, yes, I felt perfectly safe, and no, I did not experience any problems with bedbugs (although I was told to avoid cinemas, public transportation and cheap hotels.) And just to be extra careful, when I returned home, I emptied my suitcase outside and separated all items into two trash bags - one for the dry cleaner and one for the laundry. I left my suitcase in the garage and it will stay there until it is needed again.

Restaurants

There is no shortage of amazing restaurants in Paris.  I went to all of the below which were all very different from the next, and loved each one.  If you are planning a trip to Paris, I encourage you to look up each one and the location to see if it’s the right vibe for you.  Reservations can be hard to come by for the trendier restaurants, so do enlist the help of your hotel concierge or travel agent to help you.

Loulou 

Francois Felix

Le Recamier (this was the souffle dinner I posted - so good)

L’Avenue

Le Petit Marche

Mon Square

Thoumiex at Hotel Thoumiuex (probably my favorite meal of the week. Great vibe and great food.)

Rue Cler (a darling street with produce markets, artisanal food shops and fresh food for “take away”) 7th arr.

Breizh Cafe (this was the crepes restaurant - loved!)

L’avant Comptoir de la Terre Wine Bar

La Societe (same owners as L’Avenue)

Base Coffee tiny coffee shop in the 8th Arr. which was close to my friends’ apartment. Impeccable coffee and matchas, but not a classic cafe

Patisserie Michalak

Boulangerie Poilane

Museums

Musee de l’Orangerie

Musee D’Orsay Van Gogh exhibit (book a ticketed timeslot)

Rodin Museum (such a special museum and a quick visit)

Dior Gallerie (not a museum but an exhibit)

Tabletop and Cookware and Food 

La Tuile a Loup (by appointment only)

Marie Daage

Le Bon Marche

Marche Saint-Germain

E. Dehillerin

Transportation

I walked as much as possible. Otherwise, I downloaded the Lime app to use electric bikes or I used Uber.

There were obviously so many places on my list I didn’t get to this trip, but there’s always next time!  Not to give you too much info, but in advance of my trip, a Parisian friend sent me this list and I also thought GOOP’s recs were great.

Those are the arrondissements you should visit:

1,6,7,8,15,16,17. (the rest is OK but those are my favorites)

Best things to visit in Paris:

Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, Place de la Concorde, Place des Vosges, Trocadero, Place Vendome (of course!), Montmartre-Sacre Coeur, St Germain (quartier latin), Place de La Madeleine, L'Opera, Le Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Le Marais, Notre Dame De Paris, rue de Rivoli, Avenue Montaigne, Champs Elysees, Jardin des Tuileries, Jardin du Luxembourg. Le palais de la decouverte. Centre George Pompidou.

I recommend you walk around all those places and look. (no need to be in a car)

Best pastries shops and snack places:

Pierre Herme (rue Bonaparte), Cedric Grolet, Laduree, Le Notre, Fauchon, Linas, Carette (great place facing the Trocadero), Angelina, les Deux Magots, La Maison du Chocolat, le Cafe de Flore.

My favorite small restaurants:

Bonnie, Callaghan, Loulou and Maison R are very trendy right now.

Look for bistrots in the 17th quarter (bistro des Ternes), le relais de l'Entrecote (boulevard Perreire), Les caves Petrissans (avenue Niel) ...

" L'entracte" in Montmartre is small but absolutely excellent and typically French (is that good?). Savvy, it is a brasserie close to Avenue Montaigne. Also Orient Extreme (in Neuilly and avenue Montaigne) for sushi as Japanese cuisine

My favorite nice restaurants:

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon at the Drugstore Publicis. La maison du caviar

The restaurants of the following hotels: Hotel de Crillon, Hotel Costes (rue Saint Honore, close to Place Vendome), Plaza Athenee (the Relais Plaza: One of my favorite places for a memorable lunch or dinner). 

Hotel Royal Monceau has it all: Nobu Matsuhisa restaurant (beautiful restaurant, excellent food), Il Carpaccio, and the bar is fantastic. You can also enjoy a cigar in the inside patio.

Also, L'Avenue (Avenue Montaigne), Jules Vernes (Eiffel Tower), Lucas Carton, le cafe de l'Esplanade (Invalides), L'ami Louis. 

At the Four Seasons Hotel, Avenue Georges 5: LE GEORGE. Also, the restaurant from the Bristol hotel. Monsieur Bleu. La petite maison de Nicole. Very good Japanese: OKUDA (rue de la Tremoille). Also Kinugawa Vendome (rue du Mont Thabor). Bonnie, Mun, Girafe, Gigi, 

La maison de la Truffe. Le petit Lutetia (a great Classic restaurant)

Great fish restaurant: L'apicius, La Cagouille. l'huittrier (if you like seafood). La mediteranee.

Best shopping areas:

Place Vendome, Rue du Faubourg St Honore, rue St Honore, Avenue Montaigne, Rue Royale, Grands Magasins, Le Bon Marche, Place des Vosges, le Printemps, les Galeries Lafayette, la Samaritaine, Le Marais....

Great after hours bar for a drink or snacks:

Le bar du Plaza Athenee (outdoor): Fantastic.

Castel night club, Raspoutine, Bonnie.

xxPamela