I Prefer Paris

Boulangerie du Pain et des Idées

Boulangerie du Pain et des Idées in the 10th arr. near Canal St. Martin, has a big sign on its window painted in gold letters proudly saying it was awarded the Gault Millau 2008 prize for the best baker in Paris to owner Christophe Vasseur. I could see why. The peasant bread that's cut into large pieces is crunchy and almost burnt on the outside and chewy and spongy in the inside. Perfection in my book of the perfect way to bake bread. The taste is beyond the overused words delicious, sublime, and unbelievable.

Christophe Vasseur was a blue suit, tie wearing fashion executive and when he turned 30, he thought there was more to life than pushing shmattes, and decided to follow his passion for bread baking. He wanted to restore the old craft of hand made bread baking,striving to be THE BAKER of Paris. His passion and hard work paid off and after opening in 2002, he was awarded the Gault Millau prize in 2008.

When looking for a location, his choices were limited because he wanted to take over an authentic boulangerie. He found one in the 10th arr. in the then still funky Canal St. Martin area, which has been gentrified in the last five years. It's just gorgeous inside with its hand-painted glass ceilings, tall brass stands filled with country loaves and baguettes, wooden slats on old wood tables showing off the award winning bread, and Provencal style painted ceramic platters filled with the most appetizing pastries. The windows are filled with colorful cookie boxes, and copper and tin molds from yesteryear.

Some of their other specialties are escargot chocolat-pistache, a most delicious treat of puff pastry woven with chocolate and pistachio paste, apple chausson, another authentic pastry filled with apples rather than jam, and a traditional North African specialty mouna, a butter brioche with orange blossom.

Boulangerie du Pain et des Idées is absolutely worth a special trip from anywhere in Paris, or for that matter in the world, and if you have trouble finding it, follow the intoxicating aroma emanating from about two blocks away. But once you get there, don't expect anything less than a line of hungry, patient customers out the door on to the street.

Boulangerie Du Pain et Idées
34 rue Yves. Toudic, 10th arr
Metro:Jacques Bonsergent
Open Monday to Friday 6:45AM to 8PM
Tel. 01 42 40 44 52
http://dupainetdesidees.com

Please read the wonderful, in depth interview about Eye Prefer Paris on the site French Creative Connection. Thibault Estellon, a Frenchman, lived in New York for over a year and started this insightful blog originally interviewing creative French people living in New York. Thibault has moved back to Paris and is now interviewing creative Parisians and I am most proud to be one of his choice few. Click here to read.
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Eye Prefer Paris Contest: Quiz #2

I have been thinking of a new quiz and thought since it was my third anniversary last month I would do a quiz based on your knowledge of Eye Prefer Paris. Now I get to see who are most my avid readers and loyal fans.

There are ten questions spanning three years of my blog and to help you just a little bit, I put the year the story was posted after each question.Subscribers, an easy way to access my postings is to go directly to the blog www.eyepreferparis.com. From there, look on the right sidebar under archives, and you will find archives from every month since July 2006. Another shortcut is to go to the categories list and access postings from there. For example, for a question about a Parisian of the Month, click on Parisian of the Month and all of them will come up. You can email the answers to r.nahem@gmail.com and contest winners will be announced next Thursday, July 16. Good luck and I look forward to your answers.

Oops! Forgot the most important part. THE BIG PRIZE!
An all expense paid trip to Paris for three weeks, staying at the Ritz Hotel,dining at 3 star restaurants every night, a chauffeured limousine, and a private jet at your disposal. Just Kidding! (Maybe one day if I get a sponsor).

All kidding aside, I will be awarding two wonderful prizes to the first two people who answer all the questions correctly.

First Prize: A copy of the Paris Movie Walks, a terrific and most original book with ten walks in different arrondissements that feature Paris movie locations.From Bourne's Identity to Da Vinci's code to Amelie's Montmartre cafe to the grand stairs Audrey Hepburn ran down in Funny Face, movie buff and journalist Michael Schuermann has put together 160 famous and even some obscure movie locations all over Paris.

 

Second Prize: A copy of the new CD Paris to Cuba by Mario Grigorov, with sexy, sauntering instrumental tracks just right for Paris summer nights and two sexy, sultry vocal tracks by Melissa Newman. The CD is inspired by Mario Grigorov's love of Paris architecture as well as traditional and classical French music.Click here to listen to some sample tracks.

1.    What is the name of the man who I went with on the Champagne tour?(2008)
A.    Trong
B.    Sam
C.    Cyril
D.    George Clooney

2.    What is the name of the chocolate shop in the 9th arr. with the chocolate bars from Lyon and the name of the woman that owns the shop?(2009)
A.    La Maison du Chocolate, Madame Ruiz
B.     Jean Paul Hevin, Madame Bourgeois
C.    A Tale of Two Cities, Madame DeFarge
D.    A l’Etoile d’Or, Madame Acabo

3.    What’s the name of the huge, fabulous emporium with a used bookshop, Annick Goutal perfume bar, house wares, furniture, and children's clothing? (2009)
A.    Loft
B.    Merci
C.    Walmart
D.    Colette

4.    Where was I a guest of honor?(2007)
A.    Hotel de Ville
B.    American Library
C.    Patricia Laplante Collins Paris Soirees
D.    Friars Club New York

5.    What foreign country did I visit and write two posts about?(2006)
A.    Morocco
B.    Germany
C.    Italy
D.    Iraq

6.    What glamorous film awards did I attend? (2007)
A.    The Oscars
B.    The Independent Film Awards
C.    The Tijuana Mexico Film Awards
D.    The European Film Awards

7.    What cemetery did I visit with Mary and Phil from Cincinnati and what famous grave was there?(2009)
A.    Père Lachaise, Jim Morrison
B.    Russian Orthodox Cemetery, Rudolf Nureyev
C.    Montparansse, Jean Paul Sartre
D.    Forest Hill Cemetery, Elvis Presley

8.    What famous Paris church did I go to with Polly (Sundays with Polly & Richard) that I had never visited before? (2008)
A Notre Dame
B. Church where Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker preached
C. St. Eustache
D. Saint Chapelle

9.    What upscale outdoor market where Catherine Deneuve shops at did I visit? (2006)
A.    Richard Lenoir
B.    Marche Aligre
C.    Farmers Market, Los Angeles
D.    Raspail Bio Market

10.    What Parisian of the Month is the events producer for the Mairie (city hall) of the 6th Arr. and organized a picnic for elderly women in Jardin du Luxembourg? (2008)
A.    Isabel Huppert
B.    Edith Lecoq
C.    Eva Gele
D.    Susan Shup

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

My Private Eye: Parc Montsouris

Parc Montsouris by Thirza Vallois
Photos Peter Olson

 I live, almost always have, on the Left Bank. Where else when you belong to the 60s generation? Our student lives were played out in the Latin Quarter and in pre-glitz Saint-Germain. Sometimes we merged night and morning at La Coupole in Montparnasse, or ventured across the river for an onion soup at old Les Halles. When we started having families,post 1968, many of us shifted our quarters to the 14th arrondissement,a leafy, more villagey neighbourhood just a bit further south, young enough owing to the presence of the Cité Universitaire.

The 14th  has none of the glamour and glitter of the city centre, but it has authenticity; and a provincial touch that is the mark of what is truly French. It has long been a draw to thinking and creative minds: Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, and also a good number of national icons whom foreigners are unlikely to have heard of - my favourite singer-songwriter, the modern-day troubadour Georges Brassens, or my neighbour Coluche, to name but two.

Like myself, Coluche lived overlooking Parc Montsouris, the jewel of the 14th. Unlike me, however, he owned a full two-storey house, an unassuming red-brick remnant from the neighbourhood's countrified past, thoroughly updated inside ( the neighbours say it had a jacuzzi or an indoor swimming-pool). But whereas Coluche lived on street level, I live perched high up as if in a tree-house, enjoying a stunning view of the gardens.

I remember Coluche queuing up at the boulangerie and greengrocer's like everyone else, always in his sartorial trademark - a pair of blue-and-white striped dungarees buckled over a potbelly and yellow T-shirt. His round, rimless glasses  and round, reddish face, his funny tufts of curly hair sticking out on either side of a shiny baldness, were no less familiar to the French than Charlot (Charlie Chaplin)'s moustache and bowler hat. 

When Coluche was killed in a motorcycle crash on 21 June 1986, the night France beat Brazil in the World Cup, his death somewhat overshadowed the euphoria of victory. Interminable files of mourners streamed to his house the following days, bringing the limelight to our hitherto little-known street. Loved for his irreverence towards the establishment, he had received substantial support (but also death threats) when he attempted to run for the presidential elections, in 1981. Even today Coluche is a living icon, still entertaining television viewers with his old films and sketches; but he is remembered perhaps even more for the soup kitchen charity he founded, les restaurants du coeur, now a major institution. When I take a cab home and indicate my street to the driver, he will often respond - Ah, mais c'est là où habitait Coluche! and slow down to check out his house as we drive past it.

Parc Montsouris was laid out under Baron Haussmann, one of the "English" gardens that were woven into his urban scheme, emulating in miniature those his emperor Napoleon III admired in England.Although often accused of vandalism, he was in effect a visionary of genius, precociously attentive to environmental issues. Closer to us, memorable scenes were shot here for important  French films, not least Agnes Varda's Cléo de Cinq å Sept, an award winner at the Cannes Festival.

Parc Montsouris started, however, with a tragedy, for no sooner had the lake been filled up for the official inauguration than it emptied again, causing the chief engineer to commit suicide.

The gorgeous weeping willow by the lake is gone, as are the swans, and the one-time manicured lawns have been given over to the crowds and look more like meadows. But the venerable cedar and the balm of the slender coniferous, the lime, the elm, the azaleas, the winding paths, the miniature yet spectacular ravines, the little brook that leaps merrily to the waterfall, have resisted the erosion of time. Come here in the morning, when the birds converse across the tree branches and everything is divinely serene: a mother with a pre-school doll of a child may be feeding the ducks by the lake, an elderly retiree dozing off in the sun on a bench. A lithe jogger is wired to her ipod, her ponytail swinging to a rhythm I can't hear, a fitness enthusiast fiercely exercises at the top of the steps, a cross-legged guru meditates on the grass. Up the hill, a woman is engrossed in her novel in the little rose garden that, thank heavens, goes unnoticed by most... Paris is so many miles away.

Thirza Vallois is the author of the internationally acclaimed Around and About Paris series, Romantic Paris and Aveyron, A Bridge to French Arcadi (click here to order). She is also the author of the Paris entry of the Encarta Encyclopedia. Thirza has lived in Paris most of her life and holds several degrees from the Sorbonne, including the most prestigious agrégation(a French doctoral-level teaching degree).

Thirza Vallois lectures worldwide on various aspects of Paris. She appears and contributes to television, radio and magazines in the UK, US, France and elsewhere - PBS, BBC, The Travel Channel, Discovery, CNN, The French Cultural Channel, NPR, The Financial Times, Condé Nast Traveller among others. Her award-winning "Three Perfect Days in Paris", written for Unites Airlines' Hemispheres, was aired as a video on United Airlines international flights and travel channels worldwide.

www.thirzavallois.com

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Metro Station of the Month: Madeleine

After photographing Le Steles de la Creation sculptures at Place de la Madeleine, I discovered this new striking mural in the Madeleine metro. Ryaba la Poule/Ryaba the Hen is by Russian artist Ivan Loubennikova  and it's his homage to Russian culture. It has 20 panels of stained glass and black metal measuring 40 meters and the 80 kilo brass egg is supposed to bring you prosperity and good fortune.
At the exit of the #14 line
Metro: Madeleine

I know I have been tooting my own horn a lot lately (it's hard being a blog superstar), but here are two more fun photos one of my generous readers Layla Morgan Wilde sent me. Check out Layla's blog. I love her description:If Martha Stewart and Woody Allen had a secret love child, it would be me.

Also, please read the very kind review of a tour I did with a most interesting New Yorker Melissa Morris. Melissa's very popular blog May December was featured on the cover of the Sunday Styles section of the New York Times.

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Le Steles de la Creation at Place Madeleine

Surrounding the Madeleine Church are these bold, sometimes colorful sculptures. They are part of a new exhibit Le Steles de la Creation, which will be a biennale (a show every two years). There is also an indoor exhibit in the lower level of the church and altogether there are 50 works by 45 artists. Check it out and then go have coffee and pastry for me at Fauchon across the street. 

Le Steles de la Creation
Till August 29
Place Madeleine, 8th arr.
Metro: Madeleine


Metaphores by Haude Bernabe 2009




H. Picardie


I think A Fish Called Wanda needs some water


Germination 013A by Philippe Desloubieres


L'eau Vive by Derbré





New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

July Eye Need to Do's: Gilbert & George, Madeleine Vionnet, Lady Gaga & Chopin

Madeleine Vionnet- Puriste de la mode
Madeleine Vionnet was a pioneer in couture and was called the couturier's couturier. Many modern designers including Yohji Yamamoto, Azzedine Alaia, and Balenciaga were all very influenced by her. She generously donated 122 dresses, 750 patterns, and 75 photo albums. Don't miss this exquisite show.

Les Arts Decoratifs
107 rue de Rivoli, 1st. er
Metro: Palais Royal/Musee de Louvre
Till Jan. 31, 2009
Tuesday to Friday 11Am-6PM, Sat. & Sun. 10AM-6PM, Thurs. till 9PM
http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/

Gilbert and George: Jack Freak Pictures
The forever cutting edge duo is exhibiting their largest, most extensive body of work ever, called Jack Freak Pictures. The red, white, and blue Union Jack flag is the strong theme running through the show.

Galerie Thadeus Ropac
7 rue Debelleyme,3d. ar
Metro:Filles Calvaire
Open Tuesday-Saturday 10AM-7PM
Till July 25
Tel. 01 42 72 99 00
www.ropac.net


Lady Gaga
Is wild, crazy, funky Lady Gaga too outrageous for Paris, or can you handle her? Find out on July 9.

Lady Gaga
Olympia Hall, July 9-8PM
28 Blvd. des Capucines, 9th arr.
Tickets

Chopin Festival at Bagatelle Gardens
World known musicians play along side with up and coming new talent in a series of Chopin concerts.Enjoy the haunting sounds of Chopin outdoors in the delightful Bagatelle gardens in the Bois de Boulogne.

Orangerie de Bagatelle
-Parc de Bagatelle 
Bois de Boulogne
Till July 14 http://www.frederic-chopin.com/f_b1a.htm

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Parisian of the Month: Cyril Ermel

Cyril Ermel runs IBU GALLERY, one of the most beautiful galleries in Paris located in one of my favorite places in Paris, the Palais Royal. IBU has the most exquisite collection of art, objets, and hand crafted jewelry.

Where were you born, where did you grow up and when did you move to Paris?
I was born in Larmor Plage, a lovely Breton sea resort famous for sailing. I grew up in a boarding Jesuit school  and have wonderful memories of those days. I moved to Paris when I was 20, what a year!!!

What is origin of the name IBU?
IBU simply used her initials as her artist’s name. IBU is Irena Borzena Ustjanowski. She was born in Poland and emigrated to New York in the 60’s.

There is a tragic but somehow inspirational story about the owner of the gallery who died. Can you tell us that story?
IBU died in October 2002 in a helicopter accident. Her two daughters Apollonia and Athéna Poilâne asked me to work with them to carry on IBU’s projects/legacy. I did not think twice and stepped in immediately. It was so clear to me that there was no time for lament! Artists are eternal.

 When did you start working for IBU GALLERY and how did you get the job?
I met IBU at a vernissage in 1999, where we were introduced to each other thanks to Joyce Ma. It was a fantastic period for IBU, She was presenting her jewelry during the Chanel haute couture shows, exhibiting her first bronzes pieces at Christian Liaigre. Then, she took the gallery space under the arcade of the Palais Royal to exhibit her artworks and to share her visions about art.

My experience with IBU was extraordinary, she became my mentor. I felt so fortunate to be her assistant and to work with her. I remember each and every word of advice from her, cherishing them to this day.

Tell me about the artists you represent and the philosophy of the gallery?Does the gallery have a particular specialty?
At IBU GALLERY we exhibit IBU’s artworks: bronze functional sculptures, sculptures and jewelry… creating a dialogue with other artists who have the same artistic endeavors and shared inspirations.

We exhibit photographs selected by Jayne Baum from the JHB Gallery in New York including Ellen Carey’s 20” x 24” Polaroids side by side and the IBU “soap sculptures” in bronze ; Don Freeman’s giclee prints in coversation with “thank you nature” vases by IBU.

We regularly exhibit a group of South Korean artists discovered and collected by IBU in the 90’s: Lee Ufan, Lee Bae, Choi Byung So, Kim Chun Hwan, works that are sympatique with her dream stone table, levitation consoles…

We also highlight jewelry created by IBU, Ted Muehling, Aude Lechere, Jean Grisoni, Alina Alamoréan, Vincent Vaucher…  Always present is IBU’s vision of beauty and art. Her philosophy reigns.

 

What are your current exhibitions and the story behind them?
Currently on view is a selection of candles and giant vases in bohemian glass and consoles in bronze by Eric Schmitt. In September we will present works on paper by the South Korean artist Kim Chun Hwan, sculptures by Antoine Tarot, and the “beach art” objects by Emile Perauer.

The Palais Royal where the gallery is located has changed a lot in the last few years. Many of the antique shops and galleries have been replaced by big name designer fashion boutiques. How do you feel about the changes and do you think they have a positive or negative effect?
The change at the Palais Royal is really for the best. Not only do well known designers like Marc Jacob and Stella McCartney have a presence in Palais Royal, but It introduces people from the “mass” luxe to a different vision of luxury. Under the arcades, you also have new exquisite boutiques presenting beautiful gloves by Marie Beyer, alternative fashion by Rick Owens, handmade glasses in tortoiseshell from the Maison Bonnet, and of course the Pope of elegance vintage, Didier Ludot. Thereon, all the galleries and shops of the Palais Royal will celebrate Didier in October, exhibiting different versions of the little black dress in his honor.

What neighborhood do you live in and what are some of your favorite things & places?
I leave near the Parc des Buttes Chaumont. Trees and nature are important to me, especially outside the windows of my apartment.  I am not going to give you a list of shops, food places as there are so many… but my favorite promenade after work : from the Palais Royal I walk to the Pyramides du Louvre, cross the garden of the Tuileries, end at the front of the Musée du Jeu de Paume. Look at the Concorde, Champs Elysée, Grand Palais, Tower Eiffel… it is so cliché but it stills moved me so much and make me happy even after twenty years in Paris.

 What’s the most exciting thing about your work?
My relationship with the artists. I love them, they live in a different world. They understand and respond to life in an extraordinary, creative way and to present their visions is so enriching and fulfilling. I also have a very privileged relationship with my clients.

Who is the one person, living or dead, that you would love to come to the gallery?
Baron Haussmann, he was such a visionary. He brought Paris from the middle age to the 20e century, keeping the spirit, and an aesthetic unity. I admire him!

What do you prefer about Paris?
Every day is like the first time, the first day I set foot in Paris.

IBU GALLERY
166 Galerie de Valois-Palais Royal
Metro:Palais Royal/Musee de Louvre
Open Tuesday 2-7PM, Wed.- Sat. 11AM-1PM, 2PM-7PM ,Tel.01 42 60 06 41

www.ibugallery.fr
cyril@ibugallery.fr


Eric Schmitt

Metro Posters

Before I get to today's post, I just want to say many, many, thanks to the out pour of responses and comments to my Third Anniversary post last Friday. You were all so kind and generous and I am now newly inspired to write Eye Prefer Paris. I also heard from new people I have never heard from before, so please don't be shy and would love to hear from you again. Below is an adorable reconfiguration of my beret photo lovingly and cleverly designed by one of my long time friends Kathleen who lives in Los Angeles. My beret is off to you for creating this.

I've decided to post photos of recent metro posters and will do so on a regular basis. I have taken dozens of photos of the imaginative, sometimes even arresting images and for some reason never posted them, so now is the time. Even the metro posters are works of art in Paris, as opposed the the ads I used to see in the New York subways mostly advertising injury settlement lawyers with 800 numbers and Dr. Zizmor, the creepy looking dermatologist.

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Eye Prefer Paris Third Anniversary

 

Today is the third anniversary of Eye Prefer Paris. It's been a fantastic, exciting, and unpredictable joyride for the last three years and I have no intention of getting off of it. 

513 posts later, I still love the joy, passion,creativity, inspiration, and challenge of producing Eye Prefer Paris four times a week. It's interesting, I sometimes read that bloggers have trouble consistently finding new things to write about and it's the opposite for me. If I had the time I could write something everyday about this amazing city and still have tons to write about. I have hundreds of photos backlogged to yet post.

I think Eye Prefer Paris has evolved more into an online travel magazine about Paris rather than still being a blog. Let me know if you agree.

I have never put a photo of my self on my sidebar (although I have posted a few photos of myself in my stories) because in the last three years I have not had one photo taken of me that truly captured me in Paris. A spontaneous photo by a tour client who insisted on having me put on a beret ended up being the perfect photo.
What do you think? You like?

I want to thank and acknowledge my readers and subscribers- 2111 of you- who take time out of their busy schedules to read what I write. After all what is a writer without an audience? I also appreciate the emails and comments you send me, many which are quite inspiring and most kind.

One important question I would love for you to answer:
What is your favorite thing about Eye Prefer Paris?

I raise a flute of Champagne to the third anniversary of Eye Prefer Paris and please join me in a toast to Paris. Clink!

Below is my first post from June 26, 2006. I hope I have fulfilled what I set out to do.

About This blog
This blog is about how a native New Yorker dreamed of moving to Paris …… and what he discovered once he got there. Come live this Paris dream vicariously through the eyes(and ears) of Richard Nahem. He writes his blog from his 18th century apartment overlooking tree-lined Place St. Paul in the fashionable Marais district of Paris.

Three years later I still write my blog on my Mac in front of this window with a lovely garden view. As I tell all my friends who come over, this is where all that blog magic happens.

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Lille Part Three: Great Food Finds

Although my visit to Lille was short, I did discover two great food finds.

Meert is a sensational old world patisserie, confiserie, ice cream parlor,salon de tea, and restaurant, a visual delight and a gastronomic treat for the sweet tooth. Opened in 1761, it became reputable for its ice cream and the count of Lille declared it the best in the world. I came across Meert on Friday night after the patisserie part was closed and I nearly broke the glass to get a taste of the amazing looking chocolates and sweets. I contained myself and went the next morning for breakfast, although I did dream of Meert and counted different flavors of chocolate truffles instead of sheep to get to sleep.

The Louis XVI style tearoom built in 1908 is most inviting with its creamy vanilla walls, high ceilings and plush forest green velvet chairs. I enjoyed a strong put-hair-on-your-chest coffee served on fine white china and a flaky, but not too buttery croissant. The icing on the cake was they served three chocolates along with the coffee and croissant. You have to love a place that serves chocolate with your morning breakfast.

I quickly finished so I could fully give myself over to the patisserie and chocolate shop. I could have spent the whole day there but my boring, rational mind said I had to get the 1:24 train back to Paris. The shop had only been open for 30 minutes so I watched  the the staff stock the shelves with the most beautiful tarts, and glazed, fruit topped loaf cakes and brioche as my sweet tooth reared its ugly, ravenous head. I tore myself away from the patisserie to visit the chocolate, tea, and sweet shop next door. I savored the precious moments I had and took in (without sampling anything believe it or not!) the boxes of pastel colored marshmallows, chocolate bars in foil resembling gold bricks, appetizing jars of jams, and stacked boxes of intriguing caramels.

Elegant tearoom at Meert

Pastries & sweets at Meert

My friends Jerry and Daniel from Monterey told me I must dine at L'Esaminet de la Royale, their favorite restaurant in France. They said they had been going there for years and had become friendly with the vivacious owners. With that winning recommendation I booked a table for Friday dinner. The restaurant was charming and Jacques, one of the owners greeted me warmly. I immediately told him him that Jerry & Daniel sent me and he couldn't have been more gracious. He profusely praised the boys and sent them his best regards. It goes without saying the service was great. I started with two slices of two different types of jellied vegetable terrines topped with white asparagus spears, served with a glass chilled avocado soup. It looked gorgeous and tasted even better than it looked. It was a perfect light, summer dish and the soup was one of the best chilled soups I ever had. Calves liver was simply prepared but a little on the thick side accompanied by a potato gratin and fresh steamed vegetables. Dessert was an fresh apple tart with a caramel and vanilla syrup. The apples on top barely had any sugar on them so that you fully appreciated the intensity of the syrup. Many thanks Jerry and Daniel for this memorable and special meal.

If you love good art, excellent food and great architecture, a trip to Lille is a must.

Meert
27 rue Esquermoise, Lille
Tel. 00 33 (0)3 20 01 84 21
Closed on Sundays
www.meert.fr

L'Estaminet
37 rue Royale, Lille
Tel.  00 33 (0) 3 20 42 10 11
Lunch Monday to Saturday
Dinner only on Friday night
Reservations necessary

Jacques from L'Estminet de la Royale- Monsieur Friendly

Carbo loading

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com