September 22, 2011 by Bryan Pirolli
This could be your hostess (Very Swell, by Lost in Cheeseland)
Even the French say that Paris is a hard city to crack socially. This may have been true once upon a time, but with the recent wave of foodie groups and networks bringing adventurous diners together in secret and not-so-secret Parisian locations, however, there’s no reason anyone should be eating alone these days. For every linguistic level and budget, there’s a way to meet the locals and experience authentic French cuisine.
All it takes is a few clicks:
Small, sophisticated bites at a Very Swell gathering (Lost in Cheeseland)
Super Marmite is a social site that puts the emphasis back on local cooking, literally. Users browse the site to locate neighbors who have made extra portions of quiche lorraine or who have a few crème brulée in excess on their counters. You can then purchase the servings (prices are indicated on the site), swing buy, say hello, and buy your homemade, locally produced French dinne
COlunching: Getting back to basics, COlunching started as a way for freelancers to escape their home offices for lunch and meet new people. Now the online network includes brunches and dinners in a number of international cities, allowing foodies and travelers to join eat and mingle in Paris, New York, and beyond.
Treats at the Super Marmite Improv Brunch (Super Marmite)
Voulez-Vous Diner: This site brings together French hosts and international travelers at – where else – the dinner table. For 65 euros per person, guests can sign up to dine in the French home of their choice. Simply browse the meals available and make a reservation. Continue Reading »
Posted in Events, Food, Restaurant Reviews | 11 Comments »
August 10, 2011 by Erica Berman
August. An ideal time to be in Paris, as long as you don’t expect endless days of sunny hot weather or being able to work on the perfect tan. Yes, as the current season has shown, Parisian summer weather can be unpredictable! Being in Paris in August is still fabulous (and my favorite month of the year by far), as long as you don’t need to:
• Receive medical attention of any kind…
• Get a haircut
• Order furniture
• Perform administrative tasks
• Renovate your apartment or fix a small leak
Picnicing at La Villette before a movie
As of July 1, the French are either on vacation, planning vacation or dreaming of vacation. When August 1 rolls around, they are pretty much all truly en vacances (if not physically, at least mentally). Nothing serious is possible in Paris before September and la rentrée. One must know this and plan accordingly.
You can forget about ordering the new couch you’ve been coveting anytime between July 1 and Sept 1. “Oh là là Madame… the factory where the couches are manufactured is closed until the end of August! Zut, alors the 6-8 week delay will bring you to at least mid- October before delivery can be made.”
You can try to get to the dentist to repair the filling that inconsiderately fell out over dinner. Another chorus of “Oh là là Madame, ze dentist is on vacation and will be back September 1.” Continue Reading »
Posted in Events, Parisian Living | 7 Comments »
May 25, 2011 by Stephanie Wells
Here in Paris, the warm days and longer nights have got us yearning for carefree summer fun… To tide us over, HiP Paris contributor Stephanie Wells shares her list of Spring/Summer concerts here. We’d love to hear from you too! If you know of any great gigs, feel free to leave them in the comments… -Geneviève
Having been either a student or an intern all of the five summers I’ve spent in Paris, it’s easy to understand why my entertainment budget is virtually non-existent. So when the pink cherry blossoms on the Canal Saint Martin turn the luscious green that signals the real beginning of spring, the promise of free concerts draws me like a magnet.
Last year’s Caetano Veloso concert at the La Défense Jazz Festival was a sun-blazed highlight of my summer. I’m chomping at the bit to see what musical gems are on this year’s program (under embargo until the end of May). What lucky folks we Parisians are that we can just hop over to the Esplanade de la Défense from June 18th-26th for a top-quality musical extravaganza – for free!
La Défense Jazz Festival 2011, 18-26 June 2011, Esplanade de la Defense, Free
While I’m waiting for the Jazz Fest’s unveiling, as if on cue, the Villette Sonique publicized their festival lineup a couple weeks ago. Continue Reading »
Posted in Arts, Events | 2 Comments »
May 2, 2011 by Erica Berman
When Sweet Pea Baking in Paris followed me on Twitter I was intrigued by the idea of an American baking for Frenchies in the city of light. Upon meeting Sweet Pea (aka Alisa Morov) I was seduced by her vivacious personality and her innovative new project Very Swell not to mention sated by her sinful 2-pepper chocolate cookies.
Themed dinners, afternoon teas, original artwork, and creative food are on the menu of this ‘retro but modern’ concept launch designed by Alisa and her partner Louise Brody of the Atelier 7 gallery.
This hip, and happening supper club/ art gallery/afternoon tea, gathering space will kick off its first event May 5th with a Mad Men themed dinner (appropriate dress obligatory and taken very seriously).
Alisa is a transplant from LA who has lived in Paris for 9 years and has two dessert cook books on cupcakes and meringues (a third on birthday cakes coming soon) under her belt. She will be cooking up a storm of Mad Men reminiscent food with a modern twist (no cool whip or processed mayonnaise). Louise, a UK native who has spent her formative years in the US and now calls Paris home, will style and host the event.
Signature champagne cocktails, straight bourbon whiskey, old-fashioneds, vodka gimlets, in theme music, dancing, Mad Men wall projections and original artwork will round out the much anticipated soirée. Continue Reading »
Posted in Arts, Design, Events | 2 Comments »
April 26, 2011 by Sara Rahman
Literary woman about town Sara Rahman has the scoop on Paris’ newest and hippest artsy event: The Book Club, occurring monthly at trendy SOPI wine bar, Le Carmen. The next gathering takes place tomorrow, so here’s everything you need to know. -Geneviève
Dress code: book required, clothing optional (not really, please don’t do that). The Book Club at Le Carmen was launched this February in order to promote a new literary magazine, A Tale of Three Cities (TOT), which will be debuting this June. The lit-chic fête is held the last Wednesday of every month at Le Carmen near Place Pigale in Paris’ 9th arrondissement, in the rooms where Bizet composed his most famous oeuvre.
I recently met with Rosa Rankin-Gee, one of TOT’s founding fathers and a talented writer, editor, and purveyor of merriment in her own right. We sat atop a hill this Easter Sunday and chatted about her most recent work in progress.
Naturally, my first question was who attends.
“Beautiful people who read.” Excellent. Those non-prescription Ray-Ban specs are being put to good use after all. Truly, though, the crowd at the two parties I attended was mighty fine looking indeed (see photos).
Now, if that isn’t reason enough, why did TOT decide to do TBC?
“It’s all to do with the magazine which is a join-up of dots between Paris, London, and Berlin. And I suppose it’s the exchange of stories by writers in those cities. The Book Club’s quite a nice way of doing that. We’re sharing books, we’re sharing stories.”
So, what to wear? Continue Reading »
Posted in Arts, Events, Parisian Living | 8 Comments »
April 18, 2011 by Sara Rahman
We’re a bit obsessed with Paris’ budding coffee scene as of late. At the heart of it all are the Frog Fights, where Paris’ best baristas compete to show off their brewing, frothing and presentation skills. This month the event took place at Coutume Cafe. Our girl about town, Sara Rahman, has the inside scoop. Stay tuned for the location of the next event! -Geneviève
Earlier this month, an eclectic crowd bulged from the seams of Coutume Café, the host of Paris’ 9th monthly Frog Fight barista competition. Cameras clicked, wine glasses clinked, and at the center of the huddle, 25 or so baristas took turns in pairs behind a gleaming espresso machine, shuffling to execute caffeinated masterpieces as quickly and elegantly as possible.
Certainly not the first item on the menu to tempt the flocks of foodie pilgrims seeking sensory nirvana in Paris, coffee is usually an afterthought in traditional French dining. Sort of like the benediction rounding out a Catholic mass: essential, yes; transcendent, only if your priest/server is endowed with certain god-given qualities rarely found in the earthly realm.
Fortunately for Paris and all of us who pray for mercy each time we encounter the flat, soupy stuff that passes for espresso in some of this city’s finest restaurants, something interesting is brewing in our back alleys. In the past couple of years, several hip coffee shops have popped up around town, surprising their easygoing clientele with something other than the atmospheric qualities French cafes always get right: really good coffee. The Frog Fight is part of this trend.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Events, Food | 7 Comments »
March 11, 2011 by Toma Clark Haines
Some people shop flea markets as a hobby. For Toma Clark Haines (also known as the Antiques Diva), antiquing is a sport, a profession, an art, a lifestyle. What started out as a blog to share her passion for digging up rare gems in markets across Europe quickly evolved into tours, an online store and a popular international following. Today, we are happy to present her advice for making the most of her very favorite of flea markets, the world-renowned National Fair for Ham and Antiques at Chatou. – Geneviève
The fair coordinators who organize my favorite French flea market – La Foire Nationale à la Brocante et aux Jambons in Ile de Chatou – which is going on in the Paris suburbs March 11-20, 2011, have compiled “Les 10 Commandements du Chineur a la Brocante de Chatou” or “The 10 Commandments of Flea Marketing at Chatou” to help customers shop the fair.
Because their version is only available in French, I thought I’d provide you with a rough translation (and a few ad libs) to let you know what the French fair coordinators have to say about what to do – or more importantly what not to do – when shopping this National French Fair of the Flea Market and Ham. Now that’s what I call the inside scoop à la française!
1) Se lever tôt et venir en semaine. Get up early and come shop during the week (to avoid weekend crowds).
2) Ne pas hésiter à revenir souvent: la marchandise se renouvelle pendant la durée de la Foire. Don’t visit the market just once; return often as many vendors continue to put out new inventory throughout the duration of the fair. Continue Reading »
Posted in Design, Events | 6 Comments »
January 2, 2011 by Genevieve Sandifer
Bonne Année! During this time of deep, philosophical soul-searching, buoyed by the imminent successes of 2011, all of the ladies here at HiP Paris would like to take the opportunity to thank you, dear readers, for reading and contributing to our blog. You are what makes this such an amazing journey. We send you our warmest wishes for a wonderful year to come: may it be filled with joy and laughs, travels, adventures and new discoveries, beauty, sincerity, love and friendship. Happy New Year!
Photos by Camille from Paris in Pink – Camille is a French-American freelance writer living in Paris, and she adores pink! Check out her fabulous blog here. Written by Genevieve Sandifer for the Hip Paris blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.
Posted in Events | 14 Comments »
December 22, 2010 by Fiona Hilliard
Above: Christmas window at Galleries Lafayette, Paris (JournaldesVitrines); Below: Christmas windows Galeries Lafayette (JournaldesVitrines); Eiffel Tower (Colodio)
Whoever said “all that glitters is not gold” can’t have visited Paris in December. I mean, why would anyone recoil at the prospect of ordinary, everyday sights being transformed into such delicious, enchanting illusions? From a damp black pavement glowing red, then amber, then green to the Eiffel Tower fizzing in a blaze of sparks, Paris in winter is pure magic.
But this light show is nothing new. The French capital has been flickering on and off for centuries. Its history stretches all the way back to the 1600s when a public decree ordered for lights to burn in the windows of all houses that faced onto the streets of Paris. Ta-da, and so the City of Light was born…
La Grande Roue at the Place de la Concorde, Paris (Feuillu)
These days, over 100 streets are lit up from late November to late January to accompany Paris’ permanently illuminated monuments. Fancy basking in the city’s reflected glory? Follow my lead and wrap up warm for a bracing evening stroll along the Champs-Elysées. The mile-long route from place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe glistens under a canopy of bright white fairy lights. Everywhere you look, there’s a sprinkling of fairy dust and Christmas cheer. Only the proverbial Scrooge would turn down a helping of roasted chestnuts or a spin on the twinkly Tuileries Ferris Wheel.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Events, Parisian Living | 8 Comments »
December 3, 2010 by Amy Thomas
Larry Clark courtesy of urban-gear.com
Nipples are often flashed on bus sides and at the beach but, still, the Frenchies have their limits. As evidenced by Mayor Bertrand Delanoe’s decree that no one under the age of 18 be allowed entry to Larry Clark’s retrospective, “Kiss the Past Hello” at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (until January 2, 2011).
Clark is no stranger to controversy in the more puritanical U.S. His 1995 movie, Kids, and his earlier collections of photography, Tulsa and Teenage Lust, caused quite a ruckus. But while the Parisian press lampooned the decision to ban minors from the exhibition—“hypocrisy, “censorship”, “repression” and “excess of prudence” were all bandied about— the raw, sometimes disturbing photographs of teens having sex or shooting drugs is certainly not for everyone.
Larry Clark courtesy of urban-gear.com
The exhibition starts harmlessly enough. The first series of the 200+ photographs, which span 50 years, are campy baby portraits and pet collages, shot by Clark’s mother, who was also a photographer. But once he moves to the Tulsa and Teenage Lust era, the 1970s and ’80s, featuring young addicts and hormonal teens, Clark’s dark side starts emerging: needles searing the skin of underage junkies, boys wielding guns or preening their privates for the camera, teenagers entangled on couches, in tubs and across beds—well, it’s not for the fainthearted.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Arts, Events | 10 Comments »
