Basketball, Ice Cream and Wine

Last night, we saw two basketball games: France vs. Germany and the US vs. Serbia. Both were exhilarating. I am convinced the audience pushed France to win. The noise, the songs, the chants—it was fantastic.

After one nail-biting game, we saw one for the records: the US vs. Serbia. The US was down fifteen points and truly never in the lead until the last few minutes of the game. LeBron was not going to lose. Our next game to watch will be the US vs. France. We hope that it will be as thrilling as the last two.

The next day was chill. We strolled around the Marais, checked out a few spots, and eventually ate lunch down the street from our place. They do have an incredible artichoke. This week, most spots have closed shop, and the city feels emptier as each day passes.

I met the crew at Folderol for ice cream and wine. If you follow the restaurant scene in Paris, Folderol has been written about countless times. How they closed during the pandemic, and returned with wine and then ice cream, and folded it into one. This is from the couple behind Rigamarole that opened to rave reviews.

We had been to Rigamarole, and were not wowed, but one off night can happen. Although I am not the only one who had that experience. Folderol blew up on TicToc and freaked the owners out because their idea was to be a local spot that serves ice cream and wine for parents (their concept) became out of control. Lines down the block, neighbors being pissed, etc. It is a hard line to balance as we all know. Social media can bring in the customers but it can also bring in utter chaos.

Fast forward, Folderol has banned all social media from the store. The ice cream is good with flavors changing daily from nectarine to chocolate fudge banana or sesame, served in cups of housemade cones (chocolate or vanilla). The wine selection is vast and my guess is they also sell to the locals to bring home for dinner.

Here is the thing, if you are going to open a charming concept of bringing together ice cream and wine, then be charming. Don’t rush you through the wine selection process, don’t have a puss on your face the second the door opens to take the ice cream orders. Perhaps they are not thrilled with all the English being spoken but the guy behind the counter is wearing a Zabars hat. I mean c’mon.

So perhaps it all goes back to my original post on Rigamarole: Don’t always believe the bunk.