Le Café qui Parle
Le Café qui Parle is worth a trek to the far side of the Butte Montmartre. Pros: Original dishes made with good quality ingredients; nice decor; great staff; outdoor seating available. Cons: Might be a bit noisy with a … Read More
Archive
Qui A Peur des Artistes?
Life and Death in Dinard
Here’s an excellent excuse for an excursion to the seaside: François Pinault, French billionaire businessman, art collector and father-in-law of Salma Hayek (choose your own order of importance) is showing part of his extensive collection of contemporary art in the … Read More
Frenchie
Sidewalk table at Frenchie, a new Paris bistro worth knowing about. Pros: Excellent food at wallet-friendly prices; fine, shortish wine list with a good sprinkling of non-French wines Cons: Nothing worth mentioning, apart from the loud music issuing from the … Read More
elles@centrepompidou
Affirmative Art Action
“What’s the point of going to see five hundred artworks by women?” a friend asked. “Would you go to see a show that advertised five hundred artworks by men?” The question came up in relation to the Centre Pompidou’s new … Read More
Les Fines Gueules
The asparagus with white truffles looked like an abstract painting. Pros: A delight in serving well-sourced products (Desnoyers again), pleasant surroundings Cons: A slightly ditzy waitress, who was so nice and new to the job that her faux pas were … Read More
Fragments
Men living in bags are goaded from above in “Act without Words II.” © Alastair Muir Fans of Samuel Beckett, or those wanting an initial insight into the brilliance of his work, should not miss out on a handful of … Read More
Dans l’Œil du Critique
Committed Critic
Visitors to the exhibition “Dans l’Œil du Critique: Bernard Lamarche-Vadel et les Artistes” may not know who Lamarche-Vadel was and need not care: with 250 works of art, dating mostly from the 1970s through the ’90s, on display, the show … Read More
Bollywood Lounge
The dance numbers on the big screen matched the dance of spices on the palate. I’m one of those glass-half-full people. A born optimist, a trusting soul. So I always tend to think that I’m going to find the holy … Read More
Le Bain et le Miroir
“Vénus à sa Toilette.” Anonymous. France, c. 1550. © RMN/Daniel Arnaudet. Those who decry the vanity of our era and mock the current obsession with Botox and other less-than-natural methods for physical enhancement need only pay a visit to the … Read More
Les Enfants Perdus
Pros: Eager-to-please staff; fresh, well-sourced, well-prepared food Cons: Not much in the way of decor Things are looking up on the canal-side culinary front. New boutiques, cafés and restaurants are springing up nearly every day in the wildly popular … Read More