Heidi Ellison
Blue Valentine
Plenty of Noise, Little Excitement
I was surprised by how easy it was to get a reservation the very next day at Blue Valentine, supposedly the hottest new restaurant in Paris. In spite of its odd but poetic name, the title of an anguished song … Read More
Les Garçons et Guillaume, à Table!
Dearest Mommie Gives Birth to Actor
The title of Les Garçons et Guillaume, à Table!, the movie that swept this year’s Césars (the French Oscars) with five awards, including best film and best actor, says it all. When he was a child, that was the phrase … Read More
Le Bar à Burger
A Better Burger? Not Quite
Now that burgers are ubiquitous in Paris – mostly of decent and sometimes excellent quality – the trick is to make a better burger. After reading a few complimentary reviews, that was what I expected of the new Bar à … Read More
Les Vinaigriers
Rustic Charms in a Trendy Hood
The revival of the previously nondescript streets south of the Canal St. Martin continues apace. Just a month or so ago another new restaurant replaced a pizzeria behind the facade of a rustic-looking building at the corner of Rue Lucien … Read More
Golf Drouot
Rocking to aNostalgic Beat Henri Leproux, founder of the Golf Drouot, with Johnny Hallyday and Eddy Mitchell. © Jean-Louis Rancurel Last week, a little-known (outside of France) clan gathered in the City Hall of Paris’s ninth arrondissement to celebrate its … Read More
Clandestino
What’s the Secret? Creative Food, Cozy Setting
THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED Last week, a British friend who lives in Paris e-mailed me from New York City with an urgent message: I must eat at Clandestino. Ever obedient, I reserved a table for the following evening. In … Read More
Good Food to Go, Part Two: Grillé, Jules et Shim, Holybelly
Eating Well On the Go
GRILLÉ AND JULES ET SHIM ARE NOW CLOSED, BUT HOLYBELLY IS STILL OPEN Three-martini lunches were never a thing in Paris, but long, wine-soaked ones were. While lots of Parisian office workers still have a hot midday meal in a … Read More
Good Food to Go, Part One: Frenchie to Go, Freddie’s Deli, Caluc, Bulma
Fast Slow Food, Good to Go
ALL FOUR OF THESE RESTAURANT ARE NOW CLOSED Can a foodie have a quick lunch in Paris without compromising his or her culinary standards by going to a fast food restaurant? Absolutely. And it is getting easier and easier as … Read More
Balls
A Whole New Ball Game in The Paris Restaurant World
At first I thought it was another case of hilarious miscomprehension of an English word (see David Jaggard’s “Paris Shop Signs” series on this subject), but one glance at the photo (below) on the Facebook page of the restaurant Balls … Read More
Le Cercle Rouge
Mother-Daughter Bistros: Follow the Red Line
Many years ago, Parisian wine lovers followed the charming Dany Bertin-Denis, a former investment banker, from her little wine bar/bistro Le Moulin à Vins in Montmartre, where many boisterous evenings were spent singing chansons françaises to the tune of an … Read More