Heidi Ellison
Le Clandé
Aiming for A Perfect Ten
Friendly, attentive service in a restaurant can make an evening sparkle even if the food is less than outstanding. At Le Clandé the other night, we were spoiled on both counts: the service, provided by the chefs themselves, Chiho Kanzaki and Marcelo Di Giacomo, was totally adorable, and the food was great.
Cher(e)s Ami(e)s
That's What Friends Are For
The new rehang of the Centre Pompidou’s contemporary collection, “Cher(e)s Ami(e)s” pays tribute to the museum’s “friends,” those who have donated works during the past five years, whether patrons or the artists themselves. It’s a disparate group of pieces, with … Read More
Ara Chocolat
Organic Bean-to-Bar Chocolate
Bean-to-bar chocolate makers are control freaks who want to make their goodies from cocoa beans they roast and grind themselves instead of buying bulk chocolate from a wholesale supplier. While bean-to-bar is all the rage in the United States, until … Read More
Wasteland: New Art from Los Angeles
L.A. Comes to Paris and Pantin
After a couple of years of dormancy, the Mona Bismarck American Center has come back to life under its new artistic director, Raina Lampkins-Fielder, who has inaugurated a rich program of events held in the Seine-side mansion of the eponymous … Read More
George Desvallières: La Peinture Corps et Âme
Painter of Body and Soul, Forgotten but Not Gone
George Desvallières (1861-1950) is one of those bygone French painters blessed with a long, successful career but whose work has been more or less forgotten. The reason may be that, although he was a highly talented painter who absorbed many … Read More
Les Moussaillons
The Sea, the Sea and (Almost) Nothing But the Sea
If you are craving something fishy but don’t feel like dropping a fortune on a pricey seafood restaurant, hurry to Les Moussaillons, a small oyster bar that goes against the tide of most Paris restaurants, which typically offer one or two fish choices amid a plethora of meat dishes (although that is rapidly changing).
Lost in Frenchlation
Even fluent French speakers sometimes have trouble understanding the dialogue in French films, so the new service offered by an association called Lost in Frenchlation, which subtitles French films in English, is a welcome one. The goal is “to make French … Read More
Matérialité de l’Invisible
Messing with Mother Nature
One of the many things the Centquatre cultural center has going for it is space, such a rare commodity in Paris. Artists exhibiting there have plenty of room to spread out if they so desire. In the new show, “Matérialité … Read More
What to Do When Terrorists Attack
Paris Update What’s New in Paris WHAT TO DO WHEN TERRORISTS ATTACK Paris firemen of yore in a gym.After the terrorist attacks last November 13, which some of my friends witnessed up close, I wondered how one should react in … Read More
Elmer
A Meal as Colorful as a Patchwork Elephant
A few copies of the French-language version of the children’s book Elmer the Patchwork Elephant by David McKee sit decoratively on the hat rail at the new restaurant Elmer in the third arrondissement, but according to our waiter, the name has nothing to do with the book and was arbitrarily chosen after long reflection.