Being vegetarian anywhere requires extra effort and planning when it comes to dining out. Being a vegetarian in a place that eats pigeon, adores offal, and extols a head to tail philosophy (that is, Paris) requires Napoleonic strategizing.

At least it used to. In recent years, the dining scene in the City of Light has been opening up to alternative styles and menus, making it easier than ever to go veg (although you can still expect the occasional eye-roll from a waiter who simply doesn’t understand les végétariens). But whether you chalk it up to Anglo and ethnic infiltration, acceptance of new ingredients and spices, or simple ennui with traditional French cooking, it’s a great time to embrace your inner green goddess and take this meat-eating city by storm. Here are four delicious strategies to help.

Merce and the Muse (Julien Hausherr)

Strategy 1: Eat a big lunch

When Rose Carrarini (who’s British) and her French husband Jean-Charles opened Rose Bakery in 2002, their focus on fresh market salads—think: grilled tofu and tomatoes, and artichokes mixed with millet and chickpeas—was shockingly different from the staple of steak frites that many Parisians ate for lunch. Ten years and two additional outposts later, it’s hard to imagine Paris without Rose’s organic market salads, fresh quiches and famous carrot and pound cakes.

Similarly, when Marc Grossman opened Bob’s Juice Bar in 2006, the smoothies and bagel sandwiches the native New Yorker served up were wildly novel. Since then Grossman has not only spawned another café, Bob’s Kitchen, which serves additional goodies like pancakes and muesli, but a whole wave of casual cantines have followed suit. Hypercool concept stores Merci and Colette both have veg-friendly subterranean eateries; take-out lunch spots like Lemoni and Cojean always offer beautiful soups, sandwiches and salads; and lovely little cafes and bakeries such as SuperNature, Merce and the Muse, Tartes Kluger and Bread and Roses all offer outstanding veg fare.

Chez Omar (Roboppy)

Strategy 2: Eat ethnic

Another way to sate yourself without a bite of bifteck is by taking advantage of Paris’ ethnic restaurants. In the first arrondissement, Rue Saint-Anne is an oasis of Japanese dining options including hearty udon soups (try Kunitoraya or Higuma) and “okonomiyaki,” Japanese pancakes made of flour, grated yam, water or dashi, eggs and shredded cabbage. Or you can get stuffed on Indian lentils and curries (Saravanna Bhavan, Krishna Bhavan) and Moroccan couscous and tagines (Chez Omar). Decent pizza (Pizza Chic, La Briciola), and Italian (Caffe dei Cioppi, Olio Pane Vino) abounds and, with last year’s arrival of Candelaria, Mexican is firmly on the ethnic eating map of Paris.

Higuma (Laurie Illan)

Strategy 3: Call ahead

Since one of the great allures of Paris is its culinary heritage, it’s a shame not to make it to a neighborhood bistro, brasserie or café for a French classic. And while I’ve never heard anyone complain about a nice chevre chaud salad, accompanied by incomparable baguette and maybe a side of frites, such a meal becomes predictable and defeats the whole purpose and delight of eating out in Paris.

The trick is to call ahead to a restaurant and alert the chef that a vegetarian will be dining there. So long as they have the advance notice and proper ingredients, most chefs are all too happy to flex their kitchen prowess. Rino and La Gazetta are two great options to begin.

Amy Thomas – Tartes Kluger Paris

Strategy 4: Forage

Of course one of the biggest pleasures in Paris is going to the outdoor markets, where any self-respecting vegetarian will be beside herself. Everything from the apples and figs to asparagus and salsify will leave you wondering why all the other produce you’ve ever eaten in your life doesn’t taste as delicious.

And then there’s the dairy. Eating yogurt, eggs and cheese in Paris is revelatory because they’re so much purer and more flavorful than the industrialized, pasteurized versions we’re used to in the States. Grab some fresh fruit, a hunk of cheese and a baguette from the boulangerie, and don’t forget the chocolate, and even the most ardent omnivore would agree: you’ve got yourself one of the most divinely created meals on earth.

Carin Olsson

Related Links:

• Shopping for local produce in Paris - Phyllis Flick tells all
• Voy Alimento is a vegan resto off of the Canal St Martin
• For a shopping lunch break, check out the Galeries Lafayette’s organic cantine

Written by Amy Thomas for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in London, Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

VuTheara Kham

La fête

March 10-11: Colette Carnival in the Tuilleries: Bon anniv’ to one of our favorite concept stores! Colette will be celebrating its 15^th bday with a fab – and free – carnival in the Tuileries.

La bouffe

March 17-18: A Brunch Bazar weekend has to be the best one of the month. Two nine-hour days filled with little bits of the things we love: food, music, workshops and even a funhouse for the little ones.

March 11-13: After a long stint in Deauville, the Omnivore Food Festival heads to Paris. In case plentiful tastings from some of France’s greatest chefs isn’t enticing enough, the alcohol and tunes that are sure to be in abundance make this a must-do.

La musique

March 8: Phenomenal Handclap Band at Nouveau Casino:  PHB’s feel-good fusion tracks hit Paris and are not to be missed.  If some old-school soul meets disco is what you crave, get to Nouveau Casino on Thursday night.

March 11: Super Sunday with Patrice is a mixed-medium event inspired by music, dance, graffiti and gastronomy. Enjoy some indie artwork and a delicious menu by Nelson Muller before jamming out to Afro-German Reggae artist, Patrice. Take a peek at the menu here.

March 20-April 1: Les Femmes S’en Mêlent, a cross-Europe indie music festival celebrating female music-makers comes to Paris. Check out the lineup here.

Les arts

March 7-August 5: The magical Tim Burton Exhibition at Cinémathèque Française opens today. Following a wildly successful showing at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the fantastical works of Mr. Burton made it overseas. This show is a true pleasure and treat for the imagination of adults and children alike.

Through March 18: Experiencing the works of a creative mastermind is always a pleasure, isn’t it? The Jean-Paul Goude exhibit at Les Arts Décoratifs is the designer/illustrator/photographer ‘s first retrospective, so it’s only appropriate that happening in Paris.

March 9-16: Louis Vuitton  – Marc Jacobs at Les Arts Décoratifs: Goude, Vuitton and Jacobs in the same location? That’s almost more genius than we can handle – but not quite. Once you’ve digested the former, be sure to check out the latter. The designers’ fabulous pieces are only on view for one week. In the mood for a teaser? Check out this video.

March 30-April 1: With 101 film screenings, the ECU film festival has something for every type of cinephile. Purchase tickets in advance by visiting this site.

Through April 28: Iconic photographer Robert Doisneau’s snapshots of ordinary Parisian life portrayed the popular Les Halles area like none other. Feel the energy of this bustling 1930s locale at this exhibit dedicated to his explorations of the “stomach of Paris” taking place at the Hotel de Ville.

Through July 15: The just-opened Bob Dylan Exhibition at Cité de la Musique: this venue continues its streak of successful musician-inspired exhibits with America’s folk hero. This show will focus on what many consider to be Dylan’s greatest days, the early and mid 1960s.

Misc

Ongoing: Workshops and classes on CreativeParis.info: this wonderful new site challenges Paris visitors to go out and experience the city like a local. They have classes and workshops in everything from origami to perfume making, so you’re sure to find something that tickles your fancy.

Related Links:

• Also worth checking out this month is the Matisse exhibit at the Pompidou center
• Check out Paris’ first food truck, le Camion qui Fume, at the Colette Carnival this weekend
• The Paris Cookbook fair is also happening this weekend at the 104

Written by Erin Dahl for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, London, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

Courtesy of Fadwebsite.com and Freedomrecord

How many times have you wandered around a department store, and with every identical rack and bored attendant felt your eyes glaze over and the thrill of shopping fade perceptibly? In my earlier post I wrote about the annoying pretense of many so-called concept stores; that post withstanding, this type of boutique does offer a refreshing alternative to mass-market retail when you’re looking for something a little more… creative.

On a recent afternoon I had the privilege of wandering through Paris with the grandiose objective of visiting and analyzing The Concept Store. As my esteemed colleague Tory had already entertained this blog with her witty rendition of Merci, I was left with a couple must-sees, Colette and Kiliwatch, and the new kid on the block, Suite 114.

Courtesy of Paris.Unlike and Visual Advice

Colette, the mother of all concept stores, houses a rotating selection of streetwear (mostly men), sneakers, sunglasses, cameras and other cool gadgets on the ground floor amongst coffee table books starring models and their friends, various tales of decadent-lifestyles-turned-decadent-careers, and a decent selection of serious magazines. The second floor is a rotating selection of haute-fashion, displayed on mannequins placed strategically throughout the room. None of the labels are displayed, so visitors are left to admire and wonder fruitlessly who/what/where these pieces came from, like a museum without the no-touching rule. There is also a gallery space at the back of the second floor, often home to (you guessed it) collaborations between designers, artists, musicians, etc. The music pumping throughout the space is most likely the product of a Colette-commissioned collaboration between an up-and-coming indie rocker/DJ and a hip-hop star-turned-record-label-exec-turned-fashion-mogul. In fact, most everything you will find here is the product of some sort of collaboration; the fact that it can only be found here, in limited numbers for a limited amount of time places the mythical Colette as a sometimes cringe-worthy patron of  “what’s next?” in edgy-kitschy-pop.

Courtesy of Paris.Unlike

Another store that would call itself “concept” but, refreshingly, lacks the heavy-handed pop-culture ego of Colette is the relatively new Suite 114. Incongruously located in the heart of the un-trendy 7th, this peaceful and unassuming boutique, meant to feel like a luxurious hotel suite, carries a lovely and carefully selected collection of items from designers such as Phillip Lim, Veronique Branquinho, AF Vandevorst and Michel Perry. Clearly intended for the more in-touch ladies of the 7th, the intimate and friendly boutique also (in requisite concept store fashion) featured furniture from a German gallery and photography by Philippe Terrier-Hermann the last time I stopped in. The price-point unfortunately makes this boutique generally inaccessible for actual shopping, but otherwise fulfills the (conceptual) inspiration requirement with flying colors.

Courtesy of MPDclik

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum stands Kiliwatch, the ultimate vintage emporium located in the bustling Montorgueil neighborhood. If the indie music, even-more-indie sales assistants and racks upon racks of items your mother wouldn’t be caught dead in back in the 60s didn’t clue you in, this is where the cool kids shop these days. If you can manage to not be put off by the pervading “this is where it’s at!” air, Kiliwatch actually is an incredible warehouse of gems of decades past – if you have the patience to wade through the slightly overpriced racks. From the fashion-centric hardcovers and special edition glossies in the front of the store, all the way to the extensive menswear section in the back, Kiliwatch makes vintage reassuringly accessible to wannabe fashionistas and hipsters alike. Just watch the neo-retro-punk cashier doesn’t talk you into reconsidering that Madonna-style corset top you had picked up as a joke.

Colette: 213 rue Saint-Honoré, Paris, 75001, 01 55 35 33 90

Suite 114: 114 rue du Bac, Paris, 75007, 01 42 84 07 56

Espace Kiliwatch: 64 rue Tiquetonne, Paris, 75002, 01 42 21 17 37

Ah, the concept store.  Prescriptive, arrogant, attractive, alternately kitschy-cheap and prohibitively expensive; it’s hard to avoid mixed feelings when dealing with these store-size display cases of “cool”. Except, that is, if you wander up the Rue Vieuville in Montmartre and stop by Spree on a lazy, sunny afternoon.

This gallery/boutique was started 8 years ago by low-key creative couple Roberta Oprandi and Bruno Hadjadj, she a designer, he an artist, with the unambiguous purpose of allowing their inspirations to mingle and match.

Whereas fad-meccas like Colette inevitably make you feel like you’re walking into a museum where the docents are the judges and executors of trendy, Spree manages to elusively walk the line of cozy, intriguing and unpretentious. Perhaps it’s the easy smile and friendly manner of the salespeople and owners, or the effortless blending of art and clothes throughout the store, but visitors are refreshingly not made to feel as if they do or don’t belong, and are finally free to be as curious or unimpressed as any shopper should.

On my last visit, artist Bernat Sanso’s work anchored the front of the boutique – from the centerpiece sculpture with a distinct nod to Giacommetti, to the “contemporary cave paintings drawing on archaic pictograms” that filled the walls, nudging an Isabel Marant coat and Marc Jacobs handbags placed just so on Pagholz chairs. The display case contained clothes and was color coordinated with the artwork hanging behind it, in a playfully literal mimic of the store’s founding theme. Bruno Hadjadj’s pieces can also be found throughout the store permanently, and in the past the duo has featured the likes of Damien Peyret, Patrick Messina and Ward Yoshimoto.

Down the central spine of the store, Helmut Lang jeans are matched with straw fedoras and fringed boots under the benevolent eye of Suzie Smith dolls. Kuhn Keramik tableware (“I hate everything”) and Martin Margiela selections populate a tabletop lined by Friso Kramer chairs that are, of course, also for sale. As you finally emerge into the racks that fill the back of the store, the idea of feast after famine comes to mind when faced with row after row of thoughtfully matched pieces. Find a complete list of the designers they carry here.

After emerging from Spree, I marveled at the fact that instead of feeling cluttered and overwhelmed by brands and price tags, sensorial imprints of fabrics, colors, shapes and textures entertained me for the rest of the day. Spree, mission accomplished!

Spree, 16 rue de la Vieuville, Paris, 75018, 01 42 23 41 40

Colette, 213 rue Saint-Honoré, Paris 75001, 01 55 35 33 90