Paris, a full Saturday

It might be touristy but no trip is complete without breakfast at Cafe Flore.  The OJ, the breads, and the eggs can’t be beat.  Simple and fresh.  The coffee is pretty damn good too.

There aren’t a lot of exhibits that I am hankering for this time around which is probably a good thing.  More time to just relax and enjoy the cafes.  Galleria Palais is the fashion museum of Paris although, considering the extent of design that comes out of Paris (and NYC) for that matter, you would think they would have a much larger museum with multiple exhibits at once.  Currently, there is a Martin Margiela exhibit.  This sweater was knitted by his mother with pieces of broomsticks whittled down by his father.

There are many things I love about Margiela.  He has kept an insanely low personal profile and has allowed his designs speak for themselves.  His designs have always been ahead of the curve by embracing deconstruction, beautiful materials, and taking classics to another level.  He reigned over his house for 20 years before passing the wand to a young group of designers keeping his vision alive.

His shoes.

The clothes.

Outside of the museum is a farmers market every Saturday.  The products are so amazing.  The figs were almost as big as my fist.

The cheeses.

The meats.

The fruits and this is without a filter.

I need to make jams this summer and store them in jars this big!

My all-time favorite is always the chicken rotisseries with salted potatoes that roast as the fat drips down from the chickens.

Around the corner from this is the YSL museum that was renovated last year at the same time the new YSL museum in Morocco opened.  He spent his vacations there so his connections to Morocco were deep.  I have seen many of these clothes over the years at events but the best part is the untouched office where he sat.  This is the original building where YSL was housed.

Across the small park is Le Patisserie Cyril Lignac known for pastries, chocolates and more.  This is a signature pastry filled with a Bourbon vanilla cream and coated with a light crispy biscuit…and yes it is utterly divine.

We went over to the Le Dersou for lunch.  Japanese food has slowly penetrated Paris from the restaurants to the nuances of some of the dishes you eat around the city.  I love the gritty vibe of this place.

We each had a don of some sort.  I went with the sashimi and the small plate on the side was foie gras with cherries on top.

Afterward, we walked, we needed to.   Tonight was Le Dauphin, a small plate restaurant where the menu changes constantly.  It is located down the street from Chateaubriand and next door to their wine shop.  Restaurants are opening their own wine shops where you can have a drink while you wait and a little nibble too.  I am a sucker for a good artichoke.  This came out with roasted potatoes stuffed with a crab salad.

Those ribs.  We are committed to making these over the summer.  Coriander, cumin, lemon and hints of Asian spices.

Black ink risotto is outstanding.  The intensity of squid paired with the layers of seafood broth.

Our night was not over.  The next stop was Aux Deux Amis, another wine bar.  People who weren’t eating hung out in front for a full on party and inside is where you can taste their ever-changing menu.

This was today’s menu.

We were stuffed but the key here is really cheeses and the charcuteries.  This chorizo was out of this world.

And another day in Paris comes to an end.

Comments (Archived):

  1. awaldstein

    Ahh…aux Deux Amis. My world of natural wine!The Ten Bells of Paris.Love that place and they treat me well as it is a small world full of iconoclastic interesting folks who all know or know of each other.Enjoy!

    1. Gotham Gal

      We are digging the natural wines here!

      1. awaldstein

        Paris and New York are the places for it.The community is really inclusive, the quality increasing every day, and the diversity and creativity from every corner of the globe, off the charts.You might be interested also that the number of women and couples making wine together in this segment is a new ballgame from the large industrial estates of the 70s and on.And that women like Isabelle Legeron (Raw Fairs) and Pascalene Lepeltier (former Rouge Tomate, now co-owner of Racines) and others are truly defining influences.Largest percent of interesting iconoclasts and smallest percent of jerks in this segment than any others I play in.

        1. Gotham Gal

          A fun sandbox

          1. awaldstein

            Exactly! Speaks to the power and importance of the artisanal in today’s world.When scale is a quotient of value, what happens to the arts and the artisans? http://arnoldwaldstein.com/

  2. Pointsandfigures

    Don’t know if they are still there but La Cremerie and Le Petit Vatel were two small places that were really really good. Vin d’ Orange homemade in Le Petit Vatel. Think they were by Le Grande Marche