Room with a View

Originally posted October 10, 2014.

Before heading to Burgundy, on one of our last days in Paris on the front end of this fall’s trip, Dick and I signed up for a Paris by Mouth tour, one which focused on food emporiums in the 3^rd  arrondissement. (I first read about Paris by Mouth on David Lebovitz’s info-packed website.) As often as we’ve been to Paris and wandered through the Marais—home to Musee Carnavalet (focus is on the history of Paris), the beautiful Hotel de Ville, and Place de Vosges—we’ve not been able to get a good handle on the Marais. So why not try eating our way around?

Tip: David lives in the Marais and has an extensive list of recommended eateries, food stalls, and marches in not just the Marais, but also Paris’ 19 other arrondissements. Find David at davidlebovitz.com.

Our guide on our Paris by Mouth expedition was a young woman from Dublin. Her love of Paris she said came from her parents exposing her to France at a young age.  Claire went to University in Paris before going to culinary school and working in bakeries and restaurants. Still searching for what career she wants to follow in life, but young enough and focused enough to make things happen, she was an enthusiastic, knowledgeable guide.

Tip: A tour with Paris by Mouth is a cinch to reserve online through a credit card or PayPal, which I love. Just decide early enough, as these small tours sell out quickly (parisbymouth.com).

In a review of the Mini Palais, a restaurant in the 8^th located in the Grand Palais, Patricia Wells, the celebrated cookbook author and grand dame of her cooking schools in Paris and Provence (fyi: her classes sell out about a year in advance), describes the Mini as among her favorite places for “enjoying the city’s constant elegance and infrequent sunshine.”

Tip: If you’re going to Paris, you don’t want to be without Patricia’s Food Lover’s app. Her GPS location guide and A-Z culinary glossary are priceless (foodloversparis.com).

And so it was on our Marais food tour. No sun, lots of drizzle. But like any seasoned traveler knows, dress accordingly and weather is rarely a problem. And Mark Twain might as well have been referring to Paris when he reportedly said, “If you don’t like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes.”

More than a few minutes later, back at our hotel in the late afternoon, I took this picture from our balcony overlooking Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore. Parisian rooftop views are legendary, none more so than from the incomparable Hotel le Bristol. N’est-ce pas?