Let's start with a drink, always the best way to start IMO!
I always have lists going with places I want to check out in cities around the globe. I don't always know where I read about a place or who recommended it to me, as was the case when I suggested checking out the rooftop bar at Hotel Dame des Arts to my BFF Forest. But we thought it was odd that she wasn't familiar since she worked in the cocktail industry.
Off we went before dinner one night, and were told that the rooftop wasn't open since it was winter. We decided to stay anyway and have a drink in the cute restaurant/bar of the little hotel. As we sat there we both had the feeling that we had been here before. We started to search online for what the hotel had been before and found that it was the old Holiday Inn with incredible rooftop views of the Eiffel Tower where Forest had taken me years before!
The waiter invited us to take our cocktails up to the rooftop even though there wasn't anyone working up there, so we bundled up and enjoyed the entire terrace and views all to ourselves.
Next on my list was dinner of oysters at Huitrerie Regis. Again, I couldn't remember where I had read about it but Forest was game so we walked over to the 6th to find the address. When we came upon the TINY shop Forest laughed and told me that she had passed this place once and meant to come back to try it.
There are only about 6 tables and a small selection of the oysters they feel are the best at the time. We had a great dinner and great wine. The oysters here were served both with butter, as is pretty normal in France, and also Baume de Bouteville balsamic vinegar, made in French cognac barrels, standing in for the more typical mignonette. It was delicious!
After dinner, Forest took me to a little hotel, tucked back off the street and looking like it was from a Wes Anderson movie. Hotel de l'Abbaye had indeed been a home for nuns in the mid 17th century before being converted to a hotel in the 1990's.
We enjoyed a nightcap in the sweet little bar area, but be advised that normally this is only open to guests of the hotel. We just feigned innocence.
One afternoon we had lunch at a very traditional cafe near her place. There were no tourists at the L'Os à Moelle, and our meal started with lovely little amuse soups, served gratis, before my hearty main of duck. We finished with cheese bien sûr.
Late that afternoon, after some spa time at Hotel Crillon, Forest and I met our friend Matt at the hotel's uber ritzy Les Ambassadeurs Bar. This bar is such a stunner!
But it's not just for looks, the drinks are excellent. And spendy! The "Pear", their take on an Old Fashioned with Michter's bourbon, calvados, sauternes, and pear juice was delicious and €29!
That night we walked over to the restaurant Chez Rene in the 5th. I had first eaten here with my mom in 1999 while we were staying just blocks away. My mom liked it so much, and they treated us so well, that we went twice on our 10-day trip. Then a couple of years ago, my friend Albert posted about his dinner here! I was surprised as this isn't a trendy spot but he said it's on his semi-regular rotation. I really wanted to go back and Forest and our friend Cli said they would be up for it.
Well the girls thought it was great and that is high praise as they both live in the city and eat at MANY cafés. The restaurant was full and bustling and obviously very loved by its regulars. The food was still classic and wonderful and the service still kind. Cli's only complaint was that they brought the bill when we were done instead of asking if we wanted to order more wine. Which we did and then basically closed the place down! It was really a sweet trip down memory lane made even better by sharing it with friends.
Another afternoon I stopped into another neighborhood café, close by Forest's and a fave of another friend, A la Tour Eiffel. I enjoyed a simple lunch of duck confit and roast potatoes. What can I say? I love the classics!
Bar Nouveau had opened a few months before I was in town and was getting all the love so we went early one evening (there are only 8 seats upstairs so plan accordingly). The menu is also tiny with just 6 drinks listed. We had time for a couple of rounds and everything we had was wonderful. My favorite was their take on the Ramos Fizz made with vanilla yogurt and peated whiskey. They unapologetically use a milkshake machine to mix the cocktail for a full 3 minutes.
Dinner that evening was at Petrelle, my first time. The restaurant has been around for 20 years, and under its old chef was a favorite of celebs like Madonna and Mick Jagger. He sold it to sommelier Luca Danti and chef Lucie Boursier-Mougenot years ago and Forest and I were both excited to try it out.
They only serve a 4-course tasting menu, with an optional 5th choice, which is great for me, and the room is cozy and dim with lots of antiques and candles. When we were seated we were amongst the only one's in the room and I think we were both a little worried, but within an hour the restaurant was completely full.
We had such a fantastic meal and loved all our courses including a wonderful dish of amberjack in tigre de leche with Meyer lemon, pasta "candies" with roasted squash and bisque with saffron foam, a juicy cut of pork with candied leeks and a broth made of seaweed. A generous plate of cheese followed and then a small deconstructed apple tart. Everything was excellent. We also had a great conversation with Danti about a few of his wines and when we inquired about one he was pouring by the glass for another table he gifted us the remainder of the bottle. I really can't recommend Petrelle highly enough!
Without a doubt the highlight meal of this trip was lunch at the famed 1-Michelin star Tour d'Argent. Originally opened as an inn in 1582, during Henry III's reign, it evolved into a fine dining establishment late in the 16th century when Henry IV started using a fork to eat at the inn (forks having been used for serving only in France until then).
In the 1890s the restaurant was owned by Frédéric Delair who hosted the Wright Brothers for dinner! In 1911 the restaurant was purchased by André Terrail, and in 1947 he handed it over to his son Claude, and in 2006 after Claud's death, his son André took it over. The restaurant was closed in early 2022 for a huge renovation and had just reopened 6 months prior to our lunch. Part of the renovation included adding a lovely ground floor bar which is where we started.
Bar des Maillets d'Argent, named after Claude's polo team, welcomed us with complimentary mini cocktails and amuse bouche mini polo balls on a dish looking like polo turf. Then André came out and introduced himself to Forest and talked to her all about the bar and the concept. The bar area is also filled with cases holding all sorts of family and restaurant history. It's a great spot!
When it was time for our lunch we were led through a door disguised as a paneled wall, down a little hall, also with cases of memorabilia, and into an elevator waiting to take us to the 6th floor restaurant. The floor to ceiling windows have views of the Seine, Notre-Dame and the Ile Saint-Louis. It's fantastic!
Our table was set with a heavy glass duck paperweight, silver goblets and plate chargers. The entire restaurant seemed new and shiny! We started with perfectly poured rosé Champagne (by our possibly hungover young server) followed by some lovely amuse bouche.
At lunch they serve a wonderful 4-course menu so really the only thing we had to was pick a wine. Not so easy though with their famous cellar of nearly 300,000 bottles!!! Holy hell, the wine menu was the largest I have ever seen! We finally settled on a 2005 Saumur from Château de Villeneuve since we are both fans of Chenin Blanc from the Loire.
First course was a silky mushroom soup, poured directly into monogrammed china bowls. Second course was "Egg Mystery" a signature dish of sous vide egg, coated with breadcrumbs and then surrounded by sauce and shaved black truffles! Woah!
Third course was a perfectly cooked piece of bass with a foam sauce that was so airy! A sprinkling of various seeds lended great texture to contrast. And of course the fourth course was the dish the restaurant is most famous for, "Canard à la Presse".
The dish, created in 1890 by the owner at the time Frédéric Delair, uses a specific process for the pressed duck, and is served with sauces and garnishes based on the season. Delair also started getting the ducks from just one family farm, Maison Burgaud in Challans, on the west coast of France. And he started the tradition of numbering each duck served. Customers get a little card or certificate, mine was 1,182,459! That's a lot of ducks all still coming from the same family!
It was all fantastic; the food, the service, the people watching, the newly renovated room (google some photos of the old decor! Hello grandma!), and the million dollar views. We finished with a lovely selection of cheeses off of their cart, some more rosé Champagne, two dessert dishes (one a light sorbet and the other a chocolate & pear combo), then a small platter of chocolate mignardises.
We were almost the last ones in the dining room and when the bill finally arrived were were surprised and thrilled to see the hand written note from André letting us know it was on him! Incredibly generous! He was very excited that Forest was there and really valued her opinion.
One of the servers then took us on a tour of the rooftop, which has little tables and chairs, and looks like the perfect spot for a sunset cocktail. And on our way down in the elevator they also told us that there is an apartment for rent. So basically you don't ever have to leave the Tower! We chose to extend our stay with a few cognacs back in the bar (which they also comped).
Early the next morning I was in an Uber to CDG in A LOT of traffic (1 full hour on the road) but once at the airport I was checked into my biz class flight on Air France and thru security in 15 minutes total. The lounge in T2 is really basic, especially in the morning with not even Champagne on offer, so I did a bit of duty free shopping and then had a short flight to Heathrow. Even on this short hop, AF biz breakfast was a poached egg in tomato sauce, a wedge of Cantel, fromage blanc, croissants, and jam!
One thing about using points to fly is that a lot of time there isn't a direct flight available. And since I really try to only fly business when going international that makes picking slimmer. I would be having a 6-hour layover in LHR. Some might cringe but Heathrow is such a madhouse that as my friend Albert said, "I hope that gives you enough time to transfer!" ha!
I spent most of my time in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Lounge, which is easily in my top 5 fave lounges in the world. I sat in the restaurant and enjoyed a full service lunch of a cute sausage roll and champagne.
After lunch I went to the bar area and relaxed with more champagne for a bit before also hitting the duty free shops on my way to my boarding gate. I flew Delta One back to Seattle on their A330-900. The Suite was very nice and had lots of room and lots of privacy with the door completely closed.
The service, food, and wine was all very good but they don't give you pajamas or put mattresses on the layflats like many other airlines do! So it was very good for me but not excellent. Bonus points for serving high tea before landing though!
After a relaxing long weekend out in the Le Perche countryside, Forest, Thibault, and I returned back to Paris by train. My friends do this weekly in order to spend weekends in the country. It's easy and relatively quick, just long enough of a ride to listen to an hour podcast.
This was going to be a fairly short stopover in Paris, but I had a lot planned, as always! And after relaxing and repacking in the apartment, Forest and I headed out for cocktails at the Hotel Lutetia.
The stunning Art Nouveau building, taking up an entire city block of the Saint Germain area, was built in 1910, by the owners of the Bon Marche department store, for wealthy clients and designers. The name Lutetia is the name of the 1st century BC settlement that was located where modern day Paris is now built. It's well worth your time to visit the nearby Musee Moyen Age just under a mile away for an indepth look at this period of the city. There's also a lot of history around the hotel from World War II and the Nazi invasion of Paris. It's an interesting and gorgeous place for sure!
We were there to enjoy a cocktail at the stunning Le Bar Josephine, named after singer/dancer Josephine Baker who reportedly stayed there. We sat up at the bar and had a great view of the entire room. It's swanky and comfortable, historic and modern. All things, all at once! And our drinks were wonderful too.
There's a speakeasy in the hotel too; we didn't have time on this night but I've got it on my list for my next visit. Highly recommend a stop in at the Lutetia!
Just across the street was our dinner destination, 2 Michelin star, Marsan by Helen Darroze.
From the minute you enter, you know you are in for something slightly different, slightly better. Checking in on the ground floor we were escorted past the communal table room, up the stairs, and smack into the kitchen! We were immediately greeted and introduced to the chefs. It was quiet, but not in a tense way, and immaculate! There's a chef's table you can reserve right there also.
Then we were led into the dining room, which felt a bit modern Danish design. Also a very comfortable room with round marble dining tables and cushy leather chairs. As soon as we sat down the waiter rolled the champagne trolly over, truly the signal of a great night to come!
After choosing our champagne, and being served a few lovely amuse bouche, we decided on the 6-course tasting menu (the other choice is 9-courses). There were options throughout to upgrade with supplements, and for my first course I chose to upgrade to the "iconic oyster with Kristal caviar". An entire tin of caviar was brought out in an ornate pewter crab dish, and then generous scoops of caviar were added to the oyster nestled in a cold bean velouté. It was very decadent and delicious!
There was a lovely foie gras dish with French Charentais melon and also red mullet in a light tempura batter, from the French Basque region with zucchini flower and a traditional Basque sauce called ttoro which was excellent!
My main was "a chicken from les Landes and the corn used to feed him". Brilliant!
The chicken breast had a stuffing under the skin and was painted with a corn miso. There was also a "row" of grilled corn and zucchini with a corn and cocoa bean cream. A chicken wing was served on the side as "finger food". It was so good (and I also thought it looked a bit like an American BBQ). Forest supplemented the Grade 5 Japanese Wagyu beef which was an incredible cut!
To start the finishing courses we had an unpasteurized 6-month aged hard sheep's cheese grated over house-made crackers with a jam made of black cherries from the Basque region. It was so unique and absolutely delicious. A cheese trolly followed, that also had a lovely selection of Basque cheeses.
The next trolly to arrive was carrying a selection of Darroze Armagnac. Helen Darroze's family has been producing Armagnac in the town of Roquefort for 50 years. I had chosen their signature dessert, the baba, and was invited to choose one of the armagnacs to have poured onto the split-open cake. Our waiter kindly left the rest of the armagnac on the table for us to enjoy. The dessert was excellent, served with fresh and cooked peach and chantilly cream.
One of the chefs then arrived at our table with a final dessert, an ice cream made with the leftover house baked bread from the day. I'd never had anything like it, and really loved that they were creating a dish out of something that otherwise would just be tossed out.
We were handed little pastry boxes on our way out and after 3 ½ hours of really exceptional food and service we headed home. It's been a long time since Forest and I chose to do a Michelin star dinner since the cost can be very high, the dishes aren't always better than what we can have during lunch, and often they just go on too long and we're left exhausted. But I'm so happy we did this dinner at Marsan as it was so enjoyable and delicious! It's now no surprise to me that Darroze has 6 Michelin stars and 3 restaurants!!
The next morning I visited the Bourdelle Museum which is just a short walk from my friend's apartment. Sculpture Antoine Bourdelle was a student of Auguste Rodin. After he left he opened his own studio, working in wood, bronze, marble, etc., and exhibited at a number of shows. He then went on to teach other artists such as Giacometti and Henri Matisse.
The museum is filled with Bourdelle's work and his studies. Photos, sketches, and of course sculpture fill interior spaces as well as gardens. Some of the pieces are huge! It's really a beautiful setting and I saw quite a few locals just enjoying the gardens with their books, surrounded by these amazing sculptures.
For lunch, I met up with my friend Albert, who was also just transitioning through Paris. He and his friend were on their way home from Morocco, which is where I was heading to next! It was a very fun coincidence!
Albert wanted to try Le Recamier which is known for their soufflés (and their terrace). The 3 of us ordered both savory soufflés and dessert soufflés and everything was delicious- as you can clearly see by how happy Albert was!
I will say the prices were quite high compared to if you had a very similar dish in a classic bistro. The restaurant is in the 7th, which is pretty affluent and also has a lot of tourists. But if you are looking for a fun splashy lunch I'd recommend it!
One of the things I was very interested in seeing was the Yayoi Kusama temporary exhibit, which was suppose to be up until the end of September. A HUGE statue of Kusama, seemingly painting polka dots on the Louis Vuitton HQ! Albert and his friend were both up for seeing it so we crossed Pont Neuf and headed to the space between LV and La Samaritaine department store.
Foiled! Even though it was only the 13th of the month, the installation was gone. Well none of us had been into La Samaritaine since it reopened so we went in for a look. It's such a stunning space!
They were heading back out to the airport and I needed to get back to Forest's to get ready for drinks and dinner that night, so we said goodbye. I took a quick metro to the Opera Garnier to check out the art of JR which was covering the scaffolding of the building.
Wow!! So cool!!
As I mentioned, Paris was a stop on my way to Morocco, and that trip would be spent with friends Caitlin from London and Gail from Seattle. They both decided to meet me on my last night in town so we could all fly into Tangier together! Together with Forest, we've been in a book club together for the last 4 years or so, but we've never been all together in real life!
Paris is always the answer, right? We all had a great evening of drinks at the Novotel in the 15th (pro tip- this bar has fantastic views of the Eiffel Tower) before meeting some more of the Paris friends for dinner.
Dinner was at Procope, which Forest and I had both been very interested in checking out as it is the oldest restaurant in Paris, founded in 1686! Unfortunately the service was awful, it was unbearably hot in the dining room and the food was just ok. I'd say give this place a pass, there are many many many better choices out there.
And with that, my 3rd stop on my month long vacation came to an end. I think this was my 21st visit to Paris and it's still my fave city 💖.
After a week in Paris, I headed south with my friends Forest and Cliodhna, for a little weekend in Marseille. Even though we had a 7:30 am train ( SO EARLY!) out of Gare du Lyon, I was excited to return to Marseille; my last visit had been in 2010!
It's a very pretty 3 hour train trip down to the oldest city in France, and the weather was lovely. We brought mimosa makings on board and had a little breakfast picnic. Once we arrived at the main station it was an easy walk to our Airbnb in the Opera neighborhood, which is right near the old port. It was only 11am but we were able to leave our bags at the key pick up place until check in.
You don't go to Marseille without eating bouillabaisse and we were headed to the 70+ year old family restaurant Chez Fonfon to have ours for lunch. Fonfon is in the tiny port of Vallon des Auffes which is just a short Uber ride away. We somehow scored a very posh Cadillac SUV Uber that was decked out with party lights and leather pillows on the seats! Fancy!
Bouillabaisse is serious business in these parts and there are traditions that are followed religiously by local chefs. Typically the dish must contain 4 species of fish, one must be the bony rockfish rascasse, and all fish must come from the Mediterranean Sea and caught that day.
First, you are served a bowl of the broth, heavily flavored with saffron, which you eat with rouille, a spicy aioli which you spread on toasted bread and float on the bouillabaisse. Then they will bring you your cooked fish and more broth so you can have it all together. It's not the prettiest dish but oh my it is delicious!!
After lunch, we walked around a bit and had some wine at a little bar overlooking the Mediterranean, watching the swimmers and sunbathers on the rocks. It was a lovely afternoon!
We headed back to check into our Airbnb and grab our luggage. The space was very pretty and the location was just perfect. We walked that evening to the speakeasy Carry Nation for cocktails.
This spot was a big hit with all of us. Sometimes speakeasies can be quite pretentious but the staff was wonderful and the drinks were great. Also the menu had a Ramos Gin Fizz on it, and if you put that on your menu I am 100% ordering it without apology.
It was a stunner!!
From here we headed to Copper Bay; a favorite of mine in Paris so I was very happy to check out their Marseille location. No surprise that the cocktails were fab!
The next morning we walked along the old port; the area has been spruced up quite a bit since my last visit, there's now a mirrored roof over the fish and flower vendors, lending an arty vibe.
On the other side of the port there are lots of little kiosks selling local products and souvenirs. It's all very cute and bustling. And right across the street was our lunch destination, La Caravelle
Inside the adorable old bistro, we scored a window table with incredible views of the cathedral across the harbor. Pastis was ordered, and rosé, and we had an absolutely wonderful lunch. My salad of melons, feta, jambon, and olives was crazy good and only €15!
After lunch we continued our walk all the way to the end of the port to the Saint John Fort and the MuCEM (Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée). Walking on the ramparts around the fort give you amazing views of the city in all directions.
Once you've made your way around you'll see the MuCEM, it's an absolutely stunning building! We didn't go inside but we walked across the (high and slightly scary) bridge and had a drink on their terrace.
This is a great walk! Highly recommend!
From here we walked back through the port area of town and made our way to the Intercontinental/ Hotel Dieu. It's a gorgeous grand old hotel and Capian Bar turns out very delicious martinis.
We chose to have ours on the terrace with another great view of the cathedral. It's really a beautiful spot for a drink.
The entire weekend had been very sunny and warm but as we walked back to our Airbnb the skies turned dark and the wind kicked up. It was pretty dramatic!
That evening we had a very good dinner at Ourea, a charming neighborhood restaurant filled with locals. 5 courses for €52!
As we were finishing dinner a MASSIVE rainstorm happened! The streets started flooding and Forest and I remembered a similar night in New Orleans years ago! Even though our apartment was just blocks away, there was no way we were braving that in our dresses and heels! Thanks Uber! Our walking in Marseille was officially over.
We had a few nightcaps back at ours and said our goodbyes to Cliodhna as Forest and I had a 9am flight to Corsica the next morning and would be out the door quite early.
I had been wanting to go back to Marseille for years, in fact Forest and I originally had a trip scheduled in May of 2020... we know how that went. It was so good to be back and so fun to be with these two lovely ladies!
