Sunday morning in Paris. After a croissant and coffee in the apartment, Forest and I took up our friend Cliodhna on her lovely invitation to come over for a glass of champagne at her home in the 18th. Her and her hubs have a fantastic terrace and she'd done a great job of turning it into quite the garden.
From here the three of us had a nice walk past Sacré-Cœur on our way to lunch at Bouillon Pigalle. We met Thibault, Gail, and a few other friends of Forest's already in line. It wasn't too long of a wait and soon the 7 of us were seated at a big table upstairs in a terrace style space.
This is such a fun spot for lunch! Bouillons are traditionally large, casual restaurants serving up good food at low prices. They were particularly popular in the late 20th century with workers who could get a hot meal (especially the namesake bouillon) at just about any hour.
We ordered a bottle of pink champagne to start, everyone had starters and mains, and we had a Jeroboam of rosé! There were other random drinks and desserts and our total came to €196.80. For 7 people! A JEROBOAM! And the food was great! This is a do not miss if you are looking for traditional French food at a great price!
Many know of my love for hotel bars. I had read about the recent renovation of the Paris Hilton Opera and was interested in checking out the cocktail bar there, so Thibault, Clio, and Forest joined me.
We finished our evening with a wonderful dinner at our friend Luke and Nic's. Lots of food, lots of wine, lots of laughing. Did I say lots of wine?
To top off this already over-the-top weekend, Forest took me on a tour of the UNESCO offices the next day! She works for them so we didn't even have to sneak in! The organization owns and manages over 500 pieces of art. The Calder in the courtyard has been on the grounds since 1958!
There are many pieces on display in common areas, like this Picasso mural decorating the lobby!
It was time for lunch, and luckily we had reservations at L'Antre Amis in the 15th. As we walked along the pretty streets, we passed a film being shot. The street was lined with beautiful vintage cars! Très cool!
L'Antre Amis has a wonderful atmosphere. It's contemporary with modern decor, but relaxed. This sweet little restaurant offers a €35 lunch menu that was absolutely delicious! And they send an amuse bouche of grilled cheese sandwiches to start!
I left Forest to go do some shopping, while she packed for our adventure in the Swiss Alps the next day. I had read recently about the resurgence of Vuarnet, and how the company had remained family owned since the beginning. As an 80's kid I remembered the brand fondly so I headed to their shop on Rue Boissy d'Anglas, the first one they opened in 2017, on the same street that the brand was founded in 1957!
I had a great time trying on all the sunglasses, and finally chose a pair for my alpine hiking adventure.
The 8th is a beautiful area for strolling, so I spent some time walking around, stopped for a glass of wine, and did a little more window shopping before meeting Forest at our agreed upon time.
We were starting our last night at my current favorite Parisian cocktail bar, Danico. I love the quirky cocktails here, I love the history of the location, inside the Galerie Vivienne passage, and that the space was once the atelier of Jean-Paul Gaultier. It's beautiful and comfortable at the same time.
Jodi had her own catching up to do as she hadn't been back to Paris in some time, so we said goodbye and Forest and I left to meet Thibault at Gallopin. This 100+year old traditional brasserie has recently reinstated a cocktail program but unfortunately the bartender wasn't working that evening so we weren't able to sample. The menu looks good though, I'd be happy to go back!
We had a lovely light dinner at the bar, the restaurant has great ambiance as one of the old grand dame brasseries, which I am a big fan of. And then Forest and I left for nightcaps at Mabel.
Mabel has been open for years now, always getting glowing accolades. I had met owner Joseph Akhavan at La Conserverie back in the day and was really keen to check out this new bar. But every time I've been in Paris since their opening they've been closed. Either because it's been a Sunday (closed) or August (closed) so I was very excited to get here finally!
Besides the fantastic cocktails, Mabel also has a selection of delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. What better way to soak up the booze! We shared one.
And then it was time to wrap it up. Another wonderful visit to my favorite city to see some of my favorite people. Tomorrow was the start of a girl's hiking trip in Switzerland and we were very excited!
All Paris photos here.
Prior post:
Long Weekend, Paris Part 1
Swiss Ms Behaving
Round Two in the Swiss Alps
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