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Welcome to AT YOUR SERVICE
Paris |
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Ah! The
Chic 7th arrondissement
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Our Restaurant Suggestion
- Vin sur Vin |
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Our
Furnished Apartment
Suggestion |
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Boutiques
in the Neighborhood |
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Our Hotel
Suggestion - Hôtel
Verneuil |
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Ah! The chic 7th
arrondissement. It's true that the
7th is considered one of Paris'
most elegant residential areas.
Luxurious townhouses, government
ministries and embassies
abound.
And it is also one of the richest
neighborhoods in terms of art and
antiques. It is home to the
Carré Rive Gauche, a clearly
delineated section of Saint Germain
des Prés born in the 1970's
out of the neighbor's love of Paris
and antiques. Walking around rue de
Beaune or rue de Verneuil is like
taking a walk through a French
history book. The multitude of
highly competent antique shops and
galleries display centuries worth
of artistic tradition and
heritage.
The trick about this part of the
7th is to discover it during the
week because if you decide to go
gallery hopping on a Saturday
curiously enough a good many of the
shops will be closed up. And those
that do decide to open are most
assuredly closed through lunch and
might re-open around 2:30. That
gives you the perfect opportunity
to have lunch at one of the
cafés along either boulevard
Saint Germain, for sentimental
reasons I still go back to the
Brasserie Solferino, or along rue
du Bac over by Le Bon
Marché.
While we're on the subject of
lunch, I'll suggest that you kill
two birds with one stone, so to
speak, and have lunch in the
exquisite salon du thé at the
Musée d'Orsay. It has a
fabulous view overlooking central
Paris, not to mention Art Nouveau
furniture collection
downstairs.
Since the 7th arrondissement is so
elegant and wealthy, it is only
fitting that many of Paris' best
restaurants are found here. Besides
out suggestion of the week, you
should also try:
Le Voltaire on the Quai Voltaire.
It has been owned by the same
family since the 1930's and now
Monsieur Picot fils (son) is in
charge and Monsieur Picot père
(father) is happily ensconced in
the kitchen. Which is where I had
the good fortune to meet him one
evening last fall. I had been asked
by a client to spend an evening in
the kitchen of her favorite
Parisian restaurant to learn how
the salads were prepared. That way
her cook would be able to reproduce
the dining experience at the Palm
Beach house. For a foody like me to
be allowed into the kitchen of such
a well-reputed French establishment
(and get paid for, let's be honest)
and learn their tricks of the trade
was like dying and going to heaven.
Maybe a little strong, but let me
assure you that not only is the
cuisine at Le Voltaire top quality
but the Picot family is wonderful.
And if you ever want to know how to
make a to-die-for truffle salad,
just e-mail me.
Another recommendation would be
Beato on rue Malar for classic
Italian fare. Chef Ivano Giordani
and his wife Agnès have been
welcoming clients since 1984 and
fortunately show no sign of letting
up. While Agnès says this was
never her business and had choose
between her career in high finance
and her husband's restaurant, you
would never know it by the way she
deftly manages the dining room.
This was one of Rock Hudson's
favorite spots and Frank Sinatra
used to come around as well for
traditional dishes like baked
eggplant and zucchini or tortellini
à la gorgonzola, for which I
will return over and over
again.
A recent event in the culinary
circle of the 7th was the opening
of Café Constant by Christian
Constant of nearby "Violon
d'Ingrès" fame. The idea was
to take over a typical café,
replete with zinc counter and serve
ultra-classic dishes like
Blanquette de veau, escalope Cordon
Bleu or Îles Flottantes. Seems
like the grand master is having
some fun. (139, rue Saint
Dominique)
My last suggestion is to go have a
glass of wine on the terrace of the
restaurant/cafe L'Esplanade at the
corner of rue de Grenelle and rue
Fabert around 7: 15 in the evening
(these days). The sun starts to set
and the sky get this staggeringly
beautiful shade of pink over the
gilded dome of Les Invalides and
all you can say is "Wow". This is
why I love Paris.
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This week we have
two kinds of accommodations to
suggest, the traditional Hotel
Verneuil and a lovely furnished
rental apartment, both in the same
area in the 7th arrondissement.
A luxury furnished Paris apartment
is an attractive and spacious
alternative to a hotel room. A
rental apartment also provides a
unique French living experience,
getting to know Paris more as a
native and less as a tourist.
The apartments we will be
presenting from time to time are
all located in the most sought
after neighborhoods of central
Paris, offering a multitude of
sights, monuments, fine restaurants
and shopping easily accessible on
foot or by metro. All the
properties are beautifully
decorated with quality furnishings
and all the modern amenities you
would want.
Almost across the street from our
selected hotel is our apartment
choice this week. This exclusive
property is quite unique - an
individual mews house in the heart
of Saint Germain des Prés
giving onto a quiet courtyard. The
two-bedroom apartment is spread out
over three floors, entrance on the
ground floor and the living
quarters on the first and second
floors. It can sleep up to five
people.
The quality of the furnishings,
fabrics and decorations is
remarkable. The owners taste not
only in furniture but artwork is
exquisite; you'll see many French
and British touches. You will feel
immediately at home in this
charming 'home away from home'.
The first floor (European first
floor, US second floor) has a small
Parisian kitchen, a living room,
full bathroom with separate WC, an
office, which can serve as a guest
room and the second bedroom.
Further up the perfectly waxed
staircase is the master suite,
comprised of bedroom, again
beautifully furnished, separate WC
and bathroom with a shower. The
apartment is cabled to receive
English language television and
local telephone service is
available.
The additional feature of this
apartment is availability of the
owners valet during the week for
daily housekeeping if desired for a
moderate fee of 10 € an
hour.
This apartment is available for
stays of one to two weeks; the rent
is 1,990 - 2,200 Euros per week
depending on the season.
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If there is one hotel on the left
bank that inspires calm and quiet
it is the Hôtel Verneuil. It
can easily be described in one
word, serenity.
Situated on a quiet street in the
heart of Saint Germain des
Prés, you are just minutes
from antique shops, art galleries,
fine dining, great shopping and
many of Paris'landmarks such as the
Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre,
Place de la Concorde or
l'Hôtel des Invalides. As you
pass through the entrance gate on
the rue de Verneuil you feel as if
you were entering another world.
This small 17th century hotel feels
castle-like with its stones walls,
exposed beams, rich tapestries and
red velvet covered furniture. The
low lightning only adds to the
romance of the neighborhood. The
library/sitting room invites you to
sit down, sip a cup of Earl Grey
and have a good read.
The 26 rooms are all decorated
uniquely, similar to a private
home. The pieces of furniture as
well as the artwork are all chosen
with great care. The marble
bathrooms all have hair dryers and
a bath and shower. The rooms are
equipped with cable TV, mini-bar
and internet access is available
upon request. Only 15 of the rooms
have air-conditioning so be careful
is you reserve yourself. The
service at the Hôtel Verneuil
is irreproachable, the staff is
available to assist you with a
number of services.
Discerning travelers treat the
Hôtel Verneuil like a
well-kept secret, only sharing it
with those they trust. We are
pleased to recommend it to you.
Room rates are extremely reasonable
for the exceptional location.
Single rooms begin at 120 €,
standard doubles are 140 €
and go to 185 € for a deluxe
double. A continental breakfast (12
€) is served in the vaulted
dining room or in your room.
Hôtel Verneuil
8, rue de Verneuil, Paris 7th
Tel : +33 (0)1 42 60 82 14
Metro : Rue du Bac
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Situated
practically at the foot of the
Eiffel Tower is this week's
selection, Vin sur Vin. The name is
a French play on word that refers
to a perfect score, 20 out of 20 as
schoolchildren are graded here, but
with a slight change in the
spelling to signify a perfect
selection of wines.
And amateur oncologists will
rejoice upon seeing the wine list,
which is more of a book. You must
have cocktail before dinner just to
allow yourself enough time to
select your wine in accordance with
your meal. If you are feeling a bit
overwhelmed by the possibilities,
have no fear, owner Patrice Vidal
will gladly guide you in your
choice.
Madame Vidal served us both had a
glass of chilled Macon Villages, a
honey colored Chardonnay, which is
perfect as an aperitif. Sipping my
wine, leaving my friend to his
reading, I took the opportunity to
admire the décor. The walls
are simply adorned with framed,
signed prints of vintage wines
while the tables are decorated with
a stream of dried lentils flowing
free around the glasses and plates.
The effect is quite unique. Each
table was a bit different from the
next, from the flowers to the
decorative items. The work of a
collector was in evidence.
A few of the items on the menu
needed a bit of explanation, which
allowed Monsieur Vidal the
opportunity to show us why he has
been such a success in this
restaurant for almost twenty years.
He is passionate about what he does
and it shows. He truly wants you to
enjoy your dining experience
because for him it is more than
just dinner.
For my entrée I selected the
"agneaulerie" which had just been
described to me at length. I must
say that the actual dish was even
more beautiful than what had been
described. I was expecting a
traditional dish of lamb layered
with peppers and courgettes. What I
was served was truly artistic, a
beautiful array of flavors, colors
and textures.
My friend ordered the "galette de
pied de porc", a sort of pig's foot
torte. My first reaction was, well,
"not sure I really want to try
that". However, in my never-ending
quest to discover new delicacies, I
responded enthusiastically, "Bien
sur" when asked if I wanted a
taste. And to my delight it was
fabulous. Monsieur Vidal later
explained the dish to me. The pig's
feet are delicately poached until
very tender, then the meat is
shredded and placed in a round,
covered with slivers of foie gras,
then a layer of sliced mushrooms
topped with fresh herbs to
compliment the other rich
ingredients. Despite two attempts,
the Vidal's have never taken this
item off the menu in 18 years.
Their clients just won't let
them.
As soon as I heard the description
of the "Lapin de Poitou" I knew I
wanted to try it. I couldn't
imagine there could be so many ways
to prepare rabbit. I must say that
all of them were wonderful. The
plate, Limoges China perfectly
coordinated to the food on the
plate, arrived with four variations
of the most tender rabbit,
accompanied by a crispy pastry
tower brimming with steamed peas.
You really must try this dish when
you go. It is fabulous.
My friend said of his free-range
pigeon, "Superbe!" and that from a
somewhat critical French food
connoisseur. This pigeon had
nothing to do with what you or I
would imagine. The succulent meat
was removed from the bone and
served as light and dark filets
cooked to perfection because
Monsieur Vidal had inquired how he
liked other kinds of poultry
cooked, the sign of a true
professional. While Antoine was
willing to give up a bite of his
entrée, there was no way I was
getting close to his main
course.
By now you're probably saying,
"This is all fine and dandy but
what about the wine?" Let me tell
you that it was just as wonderful
as the food. We selected, no, in
fact I offered no input at all -
hoping only to be enchanted by the
choice. And that I was. We tasted a
1998 Givry - 1er Cru - Clos de la
Servoisine from the north of
Burgundy. It was excellent. The
cellar at Vin sur Vin is very good,
offering an expansive selection of
relatively high-end vintages.
Now getting back to food. My
dessert was ordered at the
beginning of the meal, as it
required quite a bit of
preparation. I was thrilled with my
choice since I had never tasted a
millefeuille "à la fleur
d'oranger" or orange blossom. The
pastry cream, which was so
delicately perfumed with the orange
blossoms, was the perfect
compliment to the crispy pastry
layers, which just disappeared off
the plate.
The other dessert tested that
evening was simply called "Fraise"
on the menu. It turned out to be
three variations on a theme;
strawberries. There was a tiny (but
not too) strawberry tart, a
scoop(lette) of fresh strawberry
ice cream served with whipped
cream, and a paper thin sugar
crêpe layered with
strawberries and Chantilly. Funny,
I didn't get a taste of that
either.
We finished the evening with some
of the best coffee I had tasted in
a long time.
Overall the evening was wonderful.
The noise level got a bit loud at
one point but that was not to be
avoided. There were nine
businessmen, French and British,
heatedly discussing the merits of
serving wine in a decanter versus
in the bottle. All seven of the
tables were booked that night
mostly by neighborhoods locals and
a few of us who knew a good address
to recommend.
It turns out that the Vidal's
receive guests, and I say receive
since it is very much like being
welcomed into a friend's home, by
reservation only. You cannot simply
walk in and once the last
reservation has arrived the front
door is locked. Eighty percent of
Vin sur Vin's customers are
regulars; many if not most are
international. It is not uncommon
that they get a call from a
Brazilian couple, for example,
which would like to reserve for the
9th of December and would like to
have the "Coq au Vin" that they
enjoyed so much the last time they
were in Paris. All of which is
possible at Vin sur Vin.
Vin sur Vin
20, rue de Montessuy
75007 Paris
Tel : 01 47 05 14 20
Closed: Saturday lunch, Sunday, and
Monday lunch
Count on around 73 € with
aperitif, without wine
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If you are looking
for good shopping in Paris, it
doesn't get much better than the
7th. From the very upscale
department store, Le Bon
Marché on the rue de
Sèvres to the irresistible
home furnishings shops along rue du
Bac not to mention the antique
shops and art galleries behind
Boulevard Saint Germain. The best
that Paris has to offer is at your
fingertips.
It is, in fact, the Saint Germain
des Prés area that we are
going to discover this week.
Leaving the Hôtel Verneuil,
continue down rue de Verneuil and
you will pass a beautiful fabric
and decoration shop, La Soie
Disante. On display are gorgeous
silk challis shawls that can also
serve as armchair or sofa throws.
Besides offering the majority of
the designer fabrics, this tiny
shop specializes in embroidered
silk lace.
At the corner of rue de Verneuil
and rue de Beaune is a perfect
example of what makes France…
well… France. The Gallery
Lacombe-Marchand is a tasteful
antique dealer that doubles as a
wine shop. How very practical
indeed! If, during your
negotiations for the 17th century
polychrome statues in the window,
you suddenly become parched, the
owner can offer you a vintage 1998
Gevry-Chambertin and get you
immediately back to the business at
hand.
Around the corner at 14, rue de
Beaune, Catherine Arigoni holds
court in her vintage clothing and
accessories shop. From the 1940's
black Chanel rounded-toe pumps that
are just the rage today to a
fabulous hand-embroidered and
sequined Guy Laroche sleeveless
sheath dress, you are sure to find
a timeless fashion piece to remind
you of your stay.
As you probably have figured out by
now, I love cooking. So it won't
surprise you that I stopped dead in
my tracks when I came upon the
brand new AGA oven store at the
corner of rue de Lille and rue du
Bac. Originally created in Sweden
now produced exclusively in
England, an AGA oven/stove is the
Rolls-Royce of ovens; beautiful,
extremely functional, built to last
a lifetime. These glossy, lacquered
cast iron oven units are available
in an almost endless possibility of
configurations; from a simple
two-burner, two-oven model to a
six-burner stovetop, including a
wok burner and a warming plate with
four ovens underneath all in fire
engine red. The stuff culinary
dreams are made of. In addition to
great stoves, AGA also has a
collection of pots and pans,
kitchen furniture and rustic
looking butcher-block units in many
sizes.
Not surprisingly, our next stop is
a food shop. And not just any food
shop, it's Androuet, the legendary
cheese shop that recently opened on
the left bank. If you like cheese,
then you'll love Androuet. The
selection is overwhelming and if
you find something you would like
to share with your friends back
home, no problem. They can
vacuum-pack your purchase so that
you can pass customs upon arrival.
An example of one of their
assortments; camembert, chavignol,
banon, valencay, langres, bouton de
culotte, trappe de l'echourgnac and
a piedon for good measure, all
packed to travel for 38
€.
Quite often I am asked where to
find good quality Provençal
bed spreads. Here is my answer; Le
Rideau de Paris on rue du Bac. It's
on that wonderful little stretch of
rue du Bac just opposite the Hotel
Montalambert near the many great
furniture and decoration shops. The
Rideau de Paris has a fabulous
selection of print and solid
"boutis", all exceptionally well
made, perfect for gifts.
Our shopping trip ends here but I
suggest you continue down the rue
du Bac until you reach Le Bon
Marché. Along the way you will
discover some wonderful little
shops sure to tempt you not to
mention some great little
cafés for lunch. So
enjoy…
La Soie Disante
36, rue de Verneuil
01 42 61 23 44
Galerie Lacombe-Marchand
01 42 60 50 35
Catherine Arigoni
14, rue de Beaune
06 22 10 60 66 (Call for an
appointment)
Androuet
37, rue de Verneuil
Mon : 4pm - 7 :30 pm
Tues - Sat : 9am - 1pm, 4 pm - 7
:30 pm
Le Rideau de Paris
32, rue du Bac
01 42 61 18 56
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