Fall feel

With September right around the corner autumn is in the air.

Lapin à Gilles

View over the city from the terrace of former Montmartre cabaret the Lapin Agile.

(To Gilles, who lives next door. The cabaret was named for former owner André Gill)

Sun spots

The late afternoon sun cuts a dappled path through trees in the Palais-Royal gardens.

Vins du jour

 

A café ardoise gets an update of the day's wines.

Madeleine and tea

No, not Proust's "madeleine moment" but view from an elegant Russian café-pâtisserie-salon-de-thé overlooking the Church of the Madeleine.

Café Pouchkine

16 Place de la Madeleine 75008

 

Fashion for all

The French femme is renowned for staying active and chic even with age.

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Next month's newsletter

 Magret on the menu:
No matter how it's prepared... duck is my favorite fowl

Where to find it: 5 great addresses

 (click to enlarge)

Beached

Photograph in a métro station of Paris-Plages, the city's annual pseudo riverside beach set up on quais around Île Saint-Louis.

Ends September 2, 2018

A corner table

Parisians prefer cafés on corners.

Ceviche & pink champagne

 

My very first address in Paris was on rue de Seine (a 6th-floor walk-up atelier belonging to a French comtesse that did wonders for my backside), a street and neighborhood to where I often return.

Above: celebrating Life with a beautiful friend and equally beautiful daughter -

 3 ceviches (tuna, salmon, cod); breads w/seaweed butter; our icy bottle of Laurent-Perrier Champagne Cuvée Rosé Brut

Huguette, Bistro de la Mer

81 rue de Seine 75006

Chairs pileup

  It's mid-August and a café gets ready to close.

Subodh Gupta: last days

Artist: Subodh Gupta / India

Ends August 26, 2018

 

Monnaie de Paris
11 quai de Conti 75006

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Tasting Aubrac #5

End of the camino: long slices of home-made berry pie and fragrant coffee made us stop and linger in a small village flanked by fields and, we did not realize, right in the path of pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Above: tartines of salmon and fresh goat cheese, beef carpaccio and avocado, comte and pickled cabbage, all atop sliced pounti, a savory cake made w/sorrel and prunes; dandelion root and gentiane artisanal ice cream

Below: early breakfast for two on our last morning

 

 

***

PARIS - RODEZ

 
Direct flights daily (1 hour 15 minutes) + car rental at airport
 

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Tasting Aubrac #4

Once everyone's plates of aligot were polished off it was time to bring on the meats - and almost everything else, farm style, at the same time: charcuteries, planches (for 6) of fork tender Aubrac beef smothered in shallots, crunchy retortillats - a truffade of fried potatoes, garlic, bacon and cheese, re-fried til crisp - grilled sausages, local cheeses, wine.

Below: an enormous hot apple puff pastry tarte was cut into squares then each portion topped with home-made hazelnut studded caramel ice cream (not shown: espressos all round; local specialty gentiane liqueur digestifs); view from our table

- Tomorrow: pie in your eye -

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Tasting Aubrac #3

Made with fresh potatoes, butter, garlic, crème fraîche, sea salt, pepper and tons of cheese, aligot, the signature dish of Aubrac, is one of life's not-to-be-missed culinary pleasures.

Above:  piping hot and stringy w/cheese the aligot is finished off at our table from an isolated hilltop stone hut used by shepherds to make cheeses in winter, turned into a casual restaurant in summer

Below: table awaits our group; scenic rolling pastures beyond

- Tomorrow: a carnivore's dilemma -

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Tasting Aubrac #2

The first thing I do to get a feel for a region's foods (loads of olive and saucisson stalls? Apéritifs are a big part of local lifestyle) is to get up and out early and head to town or village markets.

- MARKET SCHEDULE FOR AVEYRON-AUBRAC -
Note: Some markets are in the evening; others are seasonal


- Tomorrow: aligot, pride of l'Aubrac -

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Tasting Aubrac #1

July was the perfect time to visit this fairytale region just north of Provence. Few tourists, incredible weather, and easy-to-nab rooms made our stay here perfection and, as every region in France, Aubrac came through with its own signature specialties: aligot, red label boeuf d'Aubrac, Cantal cheeses, punti, farçous, tripous, estofinado and fouace, to name a few.

Above: village of Estaing; driving in the countryside; a walk along the river

Below: breakfast awaits

- Tomorrow: to market to market -

As summer wanes

It's barely mid August and Paris is slowly returning to its old bustling self.

And while August is when most take their annual vacances, our summer has already seen 3 exquisite trips to 3 exquisite regions in June and July:

1) June, a few days chez friends as guests at their fantastic vacation home south of Brittany right on the beach overlooking Île de Ré with its white villages: there were market visits, terrace bbq's, biking, boating, windsurfing, seaside restaurants, sunset apéritifs - making it difficult to return to Paris

2) Late June, a week in Burgundy, a stunning region we love and where hubby would spend summers at his grandparents' growing up

3) In July, on the heels of France's World Cup win, it was off to meet family in the Aveyron-Aubrac, another region steeped in its own culture, cuisine, and an easy drive into Provence and Spain

And August? For me, the best time to stay and savor Paris.

All this week:

 

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Tasting Aubrac

Gift list

A sign inside a boulangerie on my street yesterday.

Much to be thankful for.

Eat street

I used to live on narrow rue des Trois Frères on what locals call "the Abbesses side" of the butte, a street reputed for its diverse restaurants such as (recommended):

Le Potager du Père Thierry #16
Le Refuge des Fondus (wine / all drinks served in baby bottles) #17

Le Dan Bau (Vietnamese) #18

Le Jardin d'en Face #29
La Famille #41

Summer cafés

Less people in Paris means squares can be turned into terraces with tables and chairs.

Below: with room to spread this café takes up an entire square