This little fondue restaurant is in the Marais, just down from the Georges Pompidou Center, you can actually see the back of the center down the street. We ate here a couple months ago, when it was still raining and cold and I finally decided to write a post (lazy summer). There are not very many fondue restaurants in Paris and judging from the reviews this is the best although it is really a “hole-in-the-wall” location. Still, we enjoyed the food and everyone was very friendly. The restaurant is owned by two brothers who speak English and are both nice to talk to.
Ciro Italian Restaurant, 16th Paris
Just a couple of weeks ago Ciro's Italian restaurant opened just a few steps from our apartment in the 16th on Rue de Siam and Rue de la Pompe. They have been an instant hit and have been packed almost every night. They renovated the interior from an old bar which had previously been there and the result is a sparkling Italian interior. The food is really good and inexpensive. As a result we have now eaten there several times.
Paris Opera Ballet at the Garnier, Paris
We were fortunate to obtain tickets to see Ludmila Pagliero and Florian Magnenet perform La Sylphide on July 3, 2013. The world knows La Sylphide mainly through August Bournonville’s 1836 ballet, carefully preserved in Denmark and in the repertoire of companies from Covent Garden to St Petersburg. The original Sylphide, however, was French: a showcase for Marie Taglioni that was choreographed by her father Filippo to a different score and soon lost to the vagaries of history. Forty years ago, choreographer Pierre Lacotte set out to recreate it using limited archive material. It is a pastiche of classical ballet in the Paris Opera Ballet repertoire, an elaborate variation on the Romantic style, and it has made a return to the company’s stage after a nine-year gap to close the season.
Fajitas Mexican Restaurant, Left Bank 6th, Paris
Fajitas is a Mexican restaurant located in the 6th arrondissement, in the heart of Paris, just down from the Pont-Neuf bridge. This restaurant is owned and operated by a Mexican/American couple and serves traditional Mexican cuisine in a friendly, inviting atmosphere. When you are craving food that has the flavor and kick of Tex-Mex this is the place to go.
La Grande Cascade for Lunch. Bois de Bologne, Paris
It has been raining quite a lot in Paris, we were getting a little stir-crazy, so we decided to get out for lunch to a famous Paris restaurant, La Grande Cascade. The building started out as a cottage for Napoleon III and was converted to a restaurant for the Universal Exhibition of 1900 by Gustave Eiffel. As our waiter put it, “the flower is by Eiffel”. The restaurant been directed by many chefs including Alain Ducasse from 1995-1997 and the current chef Frédéric Roberts who moved from Lucas Carton. Over the years, the Grande Cascade has evolved while maintaining its “retro-modern” style. Le Grande Cascade is a place of memories, the grand alleys of the Bois de Boulogne, the splendor of the Second Empire, the elegance and lavish lifestyle of living La Belle Époque. Currently the restaurant has one Michelin star but a second star is expected by almost everyone who has eaten there.
Le Chalet des Isles, Bois de Bologne, Paris
According to legend in 1880 Napoleon III gave his wife the Empress Eugenie, this authentic Swiss chalet, which he had fully dismantled and reinstalled in the same way on an island in the Bois de Boulogne. At one time it was the location of a literary cafe frequented by Proust and Zola. The chalet has been burned and restored many times; the latest restoration took place in 2001 when the chalet was refurbished in French colonial style. It is located in the Bois de Bologne, on the largest lake in the park, Lac Inferieur. You get to the restaurant on a cute little boat that crosses the water.
Ozio Italian Restaurant, Paris
We were looking for an Italian restaurant near the Trocadero and came across Ozio. We have now eaten dinner there and had to go back again for lunch because we loved the food. The restaurant interior could be in San Francisco or NYC, staff was friendly and helpful in English, the food was great, and the price was very reasonable. The pizza is similar to that found in Naples and there are many varieties. We had the Margherita pizza, spaghetti Bolognese, and gnocchi for dinner with a large group and a few days later tried the Bufala pizza and beef carpaccio with lemon and arugula for lunch with just the two of us. Both meals were delicious and we plan to make this our go-to Italian restaurant.
George V Hotel and Jeff Leatham, Paris
When I was traveling professionally, I always used to stay at the the George V because it was so luxurious and centrally located just off the Champs Élysées. The Four Seasons Hotel George V was built by Joel Hillman at a cost of $31 million and opened in 1928 in honor of King George V. Its next owner was François Dupré who also owned the Plaza Athénée at 25 avenue Montaigne in Paris and the Ritz Carlton Montreal. It is one of the most famous hotels in Paris, Le Cinq restaurant has two Michelin stars. It was bought in 2008 by the Four Seasons Group. The flowers at the hotel have a special story. Jeff Leatham is the superstar florist who has been named best hotel florist in Europe three years running. He is the official artistic director of the George V and has often been compared to an abstract artist. Jeff’s work is a combination of his love for flowers and his passion for design. His creations are bold statements, using shape, color and simplicity to produce a dramatic effect. Breathtaking and unforgettable, Jeff’s flowers and design essentials are always integral to the setting, never merely a backdrop.
George V High Tea, Paris
We decided to have tea at the Georges V since we had heard it was great and we wanted to see the latest flower show of Jeff Leatham. The Four Seasons has a high tea in Las Vegas but this room was much more elegant. The tea is held in La Gallerie, next to the lavish flower show in the marble courtyard.
Dôme du Marais and Crédit Municipal de Paris, Paris
We were in the Marais and found this cool restaurant near the National Archives. Located in the heart of the Marais in the auction room of the first pawnshop in Paris, opened in 1777, the Dôme du Marais offers an unusual and surprising setting for dinner in an elegant and historic environment. Unlike the United States, the business of of pawnshops is performed by a municipal department of the City of Paris. This restaurant used to be where they auctioned off the objects people didn't redeem.