May 17, 2012 by Marisa Williams
Our very own Erica Berman has just landed in Genoa for her yearly stint in Liguria, her favorite region of Italy. This still relatively untouched corner of Italy is one of our favorite spots for experiencing authentic Italian living in a gorgeous, seaside setting. Until the rest of us are able to make it there ourselves, we can live vicariously through Marisa’s gorgeous photography… -Geneviève
Sarzana details
I’ll just put it right out there: I love Liguria, and centrally situated Genoa is the perfect home base from which to delve into and savor Liguria’s many enchanting qualities and seaside cities. A maritime marvel, La Superba (the proud or the haughty, as it was once known) rivaled Venice as a powerful city-state for over 500 years. And while the splendor of its storied past as a seafaring legend is evident in the magnificent UNESCO-protected Strade Nuove and Palazzi dei Rolli, Genoa’s real charm is its present-day incarnation as a working port city.
Cinqueterre
This is a city that doesn’t bend over backwards to market itself to tourists. The result is an authentic Italian metropolis, more accustomed to the visiting Milanese than Manhattanite. As a traveler who thrives on finding and experiencing those places that aren’t (yet) teeming with fellow Americans, Genoa is a joy for me. Plus, I’m a sucker for labyrinthine medieval lanes, which Genoa has in spades. Continue Reading »
Posted in Italy tips & suggestions, Travel | 7 Comments »
May 15, 2012 by Nicole Smith
I woke up early with a nervous curiosity. I was about to have my hair colored by someone new for the first time in more than five years. After living in Paris for close to a year now, I have been extremely lucky that this moment did not happen months ago. My longtime hair colorist, Aura Friedman, travels to Paris for Fashion Week with Serge Normant and had been wonderful enough to color my hair in her downtime in her hotel bathroom between shows. This season, however, she was needed in Los Angeles, so I was forced to put my hair in the hands of someone new.
There are not many people I trust more than my hair colorist. My Norwegian roots make it impossible for me to dye my hair completely black, something I have desired since I was a teenager listening to heavy metal music in my bedroom. After several years of tinkering, Aura and I found the perfect mix of dark brown and red, or what my boyfriend so lovingly calls purple, to give my hair the edgy dark appeal that I desired without making me look like I just walked off of the Twilight set. Continue Reading »
Posted in Parisian Living | 6 Comments »
May 10, 2012 by Paige Bradley Frost
I’ll never forget the first time I was “perfumed” in Paris. After spritzing and sniffing numerous scents at a parfumerie in the Marais, I settled on L’Eau d’Issey by Issey Miyake, a citrusy floral just right for warmer weather. The chic saleswoman held the tester aloft angled in my direction. “Je vous parfume, mademoiselle?” she asked, dousing me head to toe in a scented shower of Issey.
Not since have I worn quite so much scent but will admit to feeling quite glam that afternoon as I trailed its sweet essence through the streets of Paris. It was an early lesson in the seductive power of fragrance.
That was more than ten years ago and I’ve tried many perfumes since. While I love the idea of a signature scent, I can’t seem to commit to just one. With so much wonderful choice and temptation, why settle? But whether true to one fragrance or scent schizophrenics like me, French women are united in a deep devotion to perfume.
Posted in Parisian Living | 8 Comments »
May 8, 2012 by Tory Hoen
Last spring, every food-following Parisian had their sights set on one restaurant: Rino. After it opened in February 2010, chef Giovanni Passerini’s cozy, modern bistro quickly became the place for innovative, market-driven fare at reasonable prices. At the time, nearly every review was favorable (if not positively glowing); a year later, we stopped in for lunch to see whether Rino has lived up to the hype.
The restaurant is tucked away on a fairly unsexy street in the 11th, and offers clean and unfussy décor, suggesting that here, the focus has always been on the food. As soon as we entered, we noticed a team of busy line chefs, chopping and arranging dishes in a small open kitchen.
In the tradition of Le Chateaubriand, Le Chapeau Melon, and Les Papilles, Rino offers a set menu (with little-to-no choice) that changes daily based on available ingredients and the whims of the chef. Luckily, Passerini’s impressive training (he previously worked at Arpège, Le Chateaubriand, and La Gazzetta)and innovative instincts mean that culinary missteps are rare—he has an innate sense for how to make seasonal produce shine in dishes that draw on tradition but play up surprises.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Restaurant Reviews | 5 Comments »
May 3, 2012 by Erin Dahl
May is the month to be in Paris, it seems, with events like the Saint Germain des Prés Jazz festival, Le Fooding’s Veillées Foodstock, Artist studios in Belleville and the highly anticipated Puces du Design vintage antique fair….enjoy! -Geneviève
La Bouffe
May 4 & 12: Veillées Foodstock 2012 includes two nights of all things we love: art, poetry, music, whiskey and ice cream. It may be a bit of a trip (held at the Contemporary Art Museum in Vitry-sur-Seine) but with those offerings plus the backing of Le Fooding, how could you say no?
Now Open: Yannick Alleno of Le Meurice has opened Terroir Parisien, which boasts dishes made from ingredients from Ile de France. An additional perk? It’s open every day, so feel free to pop in for Sunday dinner. Terroir Parisien, 24, rue rue St-Victor, 5e, 01.44.31.54.54
Now Open: Restaurateurs Juan Sanchez and Drew Harré continue to expand with their new resto Semilla, offering fresh and contemporary French dishes from an open kitchen. Note: these are the guys behind Cosi, Fish and La Dernière Goutte. Semilla, 54 rue de Seine, 6e, 01.43.54.34.50
L’Art
May 19: The 8th annual Nuit Européenne des Musées – or European Museums Night – boasts more than 160 events in museums big and small, and many have free entry. You can view a list of all participating museums and their offerings here.
Through May 19: The current exhibition at the Russian Tea Room Gallery is Amours Libres, Jean-Philippe Charbonnier/Antanas Sutkus. Sutkus is a Lithuanian photographer who shot moving black and white images of the impoverished people of his country, while Charbonnier focused on everyday moments of Parisian life.
Through June 15: On view at Fondation Dina-Vierny – Musée Maillol: Artemisia – Pouvoir, Gloire et Passions d’une femme peintre. A feminist rule-breaker in 17th century Italy, this daughter of famed painter Orazio Gentileschi harnessed her creative drive and has since been considered one of the best painters of her time.
Through August: If you’ll be in Paris with your little ones, be sure to see the Babar exhibition at Les Arts Décoratifs. The show details the multiple creators of the world’s favorite pachyderm and includes games, drawings and a series of 3D animations sure to entertain.
Through June 23: The Maison de la Culture du Japon à Paris celebrates its 15th anniversary with the exhibition Humour, parodie et vidéos: Créations vidéo du Japon contemporain. Images and video all centered around the theme of “laughter,” this show can’t help but put you in a good mood.
Through August 19: The Musée d’Art Moderne is currently showing Crumb: De l’Underground à la Genèse. This show is the first French retrospective of famed American cartoonist Robert Crumb. R. Crumb is known for his satirical portrayal of American life, but this exhibition spans his work from early underground drawings to the publication of his graphic novel The Book of Genesis. Continue Reading »
Posted in Arts, Events, Parisian Living | 4 Comments »
April 30, 2012 by Tory Hoen
Julien Hausherr
Yes, more chocolate! Paris does not lack for it. But in a town that boasts everything from over-the-top delicacies to perfectly executed classics, we’re always impressed when a shop manages to distinguish itself from the cacao-hawking competition.
Puerto Cacao is not the most decadent, shocking or renowned chocolate shop in Paris, but it might just be the most conscientious. On a recent visit, we sat down with store manager José Evrard to learn more about owner Guillaume Hermitte’s vision for an équitable (fair-trade) chocolate shop that does as much to promote social good as it does to promote deliciousness.
Amazing hot chocolate! Tory Hoen
Hermitte’s team works directly with Venezuelan cacao producers, cutting out unnecessary middlemen who might drive up prices for consumers and deprive cacao producers of fair payment. In addition, they work with “entreprises d’insertion,” organizations that help people who have encountered various difficulties (poverty, imprisonment, etc.) re-enter the workforce and improve their lives. Continue Reading »
Posted in Food, Parisian Living | 5 Comments »
April 26, 2012 by Tory Hoen
Fresh off the heels of their successes in Paris, London and now New York, the Experimental Cocktail Crew makes its culinary debut in Paris (where else?) with the Beef Club. If you stop by, let us know what you think in the comments! -Geneviève
Just a few steps from one of Paris’s least charming spots (Les Halles) has suddenly appeared one of its most charming. Le Ballroom du Beef Club, the month-old clandestine cocktail den from the team behind the popular hideaways Experimental Cocktail Club, Curio Parlor and Prescription Cocktail Club, leaves no doubt that Paris has arrived as a serious mixology destination. In the space of just a few years, the scene here has evolved from an experimental “cult” to a full-blown cocktail culture—largely thanks to Olivier Bon, Pierre-Charles Cros, and Romée de Goriainoff, the handsome young triumvirate behind the quickly expanding Experimental empire (they have a spot in London and will open their first New York outpost later this month).
This time around, the team has upped the ante. Upstairs, The Beef Club is a stylish steak house (we can’t wait to settle into one of those mid-century modern chairs for a night of carnivorous hedonism), and downstairs, the cavernous Ballroom du Beef Club offers a sensationally sexy setting where you can slip in for an after-work drink or linger into the wee hours of the night.
By 9pm on a Wednesday, multiple groups had already discreetly tucked themselves into the bar’s various dark nooks, and at around 10pm each night, the bar’s second lounge space opens to accommodate the larger late-night crowd. Continue Reading »
Posted in Restaurant Reviews | 4 Comments »
April 23, 2012 by Paige Bradley Frost
Is there anything more romantic than a wedding in a French chateau? For part 2 of her story, Paige Frost takes us through her last-minute preparations for the big day…- Geneviève
Most brides obsess over something. Will the flowers look right? Will my dress fit after the alterations? Will the DJ play YMCA (even though I begged him not to)? Will Dad’s wife get smashed and ruin the reception?
And then there’s the mother of all bridal worries — the one none of us can control and yet endlessly fret over: the weather.
We planned our wedding at a French chateau in May knowing full well that the weather could not be counted on – not in May or any other time of year. (This is France, after all). And so, with a million and one concerns filling my bride-addled brain, I focused on rain. Will it or won’t it? And what will we do if?
Despite my obsession, there was no time to lose: A hundred plus guests were descending on Paris from locales as far flung as San Francisco and Sarajevo. Everything had to be perfect and I had to oversee it all. I’d spent my first year here planning every last detail. If I could just get everyone from Paris down to the chateau in Burgundy, surely the festivities would all come off without a hitch? Continue Reading »
Posted in Parisian Living, Travel | 3 Comments »
April 19, 2012 by Victoria Wall
35 hour work week – time for gazing at the Seine - Christophe Hue
Many associate French working life with 35-hour weeks, strikes, long long lunch breaks and even longer holidays. This is certainly the image that I’d carefully conjured in my idealistic head before setting foot in France.
The big question: does reality live up to this delightful worker-friendly dream?
Well, I can confirm that the 35-hour week does exist (at least for a privileged minority), strikes do take place on a not-infrequent basis, lunch breaks remain sacred, and holidays are considered to be an untouchable national right (right up there alongside liberté, egalité, fraternité).
However, beneath the shiny and appealing veneer, day-to-day work has its fair share of up and downs.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Parisian Living | 4 Comments »
April 17, 2012 by Paige Bradley Frost
When we decided to move to France, one of the biggest decisions was where to send our kids to school. International bilingual? (Too expensive.) Private Catholic? (Too Catholic.) American Montessori? (Too American.) Public French school? (Perhaps too…French?)
We opted for total immersion in our neighborhood maternelle, the French equivalent of preschool + K. And so our adventure in French schools began. What we’ve found has been a cultural education in itself, surprising, occasionally maddening and enlightening all at once.
School is free. For Americans and Brits accustomed to shelling out thousands for private education, this was a most welcome change. No more paying $800 per month for our three-year-old to attend morning preschool. No more monthly kindergarten fee (even at the local public school). School was free! It was hard to imagine.
The Napoleonic dream. The French system is indeed rigid, disciplinarian and devoted to the teaching method envisioned by Napoleon. Kids are not so much taught as trained – to absorb information by memorization and dictation with an eye toward shaping little French citizens. Where was the individuality? Creative problem solving? These were American constructs with no place in a system with only two answers: right or wrong. Hmm.
Le Menu de la Semaine The state-sponsored lunch service (“la cantine“) surprised and delighted us with its weekly menus rivaling a Michelin-starred restaurant. A sample daily menu, including four courses, might include:
Salade de pomme de terre/tomates
Escalope de poulet à la crème
Duo carottes / salsifis
Yaourt aromatisé Poire
Pain / fromage Jus de pomme
At least one day per week is strictly bio (organic). And no menu is complete without the daily “suggestion du soir,” the recommended dinner selection to prepare at home to complement that day’s dejeuner. The scene at the cantine is something to behold: Groups of preschoolers sit at small round tables, their place settings complete with porcelain plates, bowls and glasses. They spend no less than 45 minutes a day a table. Just like the States, non? Continue Reading »
Posted in Parisian Living | 15 Comments »
