Newsletter #115: February 29, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012 
The Haunted House of Paris
Paris Dining Recommendations
Doisneau, en Deux
Buy Real Vintage Photographs
Current Paris Reading List
English Books Shipped Free to France
Creative Paris
Live Music at L’Hotel
Other Gigs in Paris
Emergency Locksmith/Plumber/Electric Scams
The Ideal Parisian Café Experience…except…
Coming in March
The Haunted House of Paris
Last week I went to check out the city’s first American-style haunted house, Le Manoir de Paris. It’s located in a gorgeous Art Nouveau building once used as a mosaic tile showroom on the somewhat scruffy Rue de Paradis, the street known for its ceramic and crystal shops in the 10th arrondissement, just of the Faubourg St-Denis. The entrance is quite impressive, and the only thing you’ll be allowed to photograph. They’ll ask if you prefer English or French (if you can even comprehend some French, go for the latter, as the actors are native French speakers, the English version is somewhat…restrained), and have you wait in what feels like the lineup to a Disney ride. Not only can you hear the people inside screaming, you also have two or three appropriately ghastly-looking actors working the crowd to get everyone in the mood. Once inside, you go through about 15 different scenes based on spooky Parisian legends and locations such as the Phantom of the Opéra, the Catacombs, Père Lachaise Cemetery,the Man in the Iron Mask, Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Assasins’ Cabaret, and even the 14th century butcher who inspired the story Sweeney Todd. And you’re not just looking – the actors inside make sure you feel like you’re part of the spooky action. Kids as young as 10 allowed, but those faint of heart – and bladder – should abstain, as it’s quite terrifying! Two things to note: there’s one spot where you squeeze between what feels like two air mattresses, beware for claustrophobics. Two: you exit into the gift shop, where you’ll get to see (and purchase) the photos they took of you inside. Smile! Open Thurs-Sun, see the site for seasonal hours. Entry €20/adults, €18 for students, €15 for kids 10-15.
Paris Dining Recommendations
Over the past month I visited the newly opened Comptoir de Brice, a sort of gourmet open kitchen in the relatively unknown Marché Couvert St-Martin (31 rue du Château d’Eau, 10th). You can sit at the bar stools overlooking chef Brice Morvent in the kitchen, or grab one of the half dozen wooden tables off to the side. I had the Croque Canard, a Croque Monsieur inspired sandwich made with duck confit and shallots, sliced into easy bites, accompanied by a deliciously simple arugula salad. My friends had French Opnion Soup made with actual onions, lots of onions. Starters are €9-€12, main dishes €14-€25, a deal for the quality you’re getting. They serve wine by the glass, and on weekends they have a house burger (very trendy at the moment). Food can be ordered to go. Note that the market is covered, but it’s not heated or air conditioned, as it’s open to the market. I went during Europe’s deep freeze, and it was reasonably warm, but I’m betting this place will be packed once it’s nicer out. Open Tues-Sat 9am-8pm, Sunday brunch (€27) 10:30am-1:30pm. http://www.aucomptoirdebrice.com
Not far away from this rapidly-gentrifying neighborhood is the newly-opened Brooklyn-style (of course) bistro and bar, La Quincaillerie (76, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis, 10th, tel 09 82 43 29 40). The décor includes tiled and rough-hewn wood walls, neo-retro bistro lamps, and what looks like a pressed-tin ceiling. The effect is supposed to look worn and aged, but in this ‘hood it sticks out as spanking new, the neon sign over the bar a beacon to Parisian BoBo’s. The atmosphere is friendly, the food a cut above what you’ll find anywhere else on the street (even in the fancy Flo brasserie). I had the Pot au Feu with beef cheek, and my friend had the hamburger and house fries, which were stacked like a Jenga game on stylish slate plates. Count on about €20 for a main dish and a glass of wine. Or come for plates of charcuterie and cheese with wine or cocktails before dinner. Some of you may recognize the manager Pablo, the charming Argentine expat who used to man the bar at the Petit Fer à Cheval.
Another restaurant I’ve liked for quite some time now yet seemingly off everyone’s radar is Les Enfants Terribles (8 rue Lord Byron, 8th). Perhaps the name doesn’t mean much unless you’ve been skiing in the chic French resort of Megève, where the first restaurant opened in the Hotel Mont Blanc. This one is just off the Champs-Elysées on the corner of Rue Balzac, in an elegant Haussmann-style dining room with contemporary décor, lounge bar and open kitchen. Every time I’m there, whether with French friends or American clients, the staff are always accommodating (especially with kids) and professional, the food absolutely delicious, and all this without any of the Golden Triangle snobbery or absurd club music like so many other establishments in the neighborhood. The menu includes grilled fish, Angus steaks, free-range chicken, foie gras, risotto, and special dishes for vegetarians and health-conscious eaters. Expect to pay about €100/person with wine, €50 if you just get a hearty main course and wine. http://www.enfantsterribles-paris.com/
Doisneau, en Deux
For almost a half century, the legendary French photographer Robert Doisneau immortalized the people, the produce and the spirit of Les Halles de Paris, up to its removal and destruction in 1969. You can see these photographs, over 200 taken between 1933 and 1971, at the free exhibit, Doisneau: Paris Les Halles at the Hôtel de Ville, through April 28th, Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, free entry. The expositions at the Hôtel de Ville are generally excellent, and always seem to attract huge lines of people waiting to get in.
Step off the beaten track and see a smaller Doisneau exhibit at l’Ecole Estienne (18 boulevard Auguste-Blanqui, 13th, M° Corvisart or Place d’Italie), the art school Doisneau attended in the 13th arrondissement, right across the street from my favorite food market (open Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings). The free exposition is called “Robert Doisneau: Banlieue Pur Sucre” and appears to be a collaboration with the students. I haven’t actually seen it yet because they’re closed for the February ski holidays, and there seems to be zero press, but do check it out when it reopens March 5-11, 9am-5pm.
Buy Real Vintage Photographs
If the photos of Doisneau inspire you, perhaps you’d like to take one home with you. Not from the expositions, of course, but from the Galerie Verdeau (47 Passage Jouffroy, 9th). This gallery in the historic covered passages has over 25,000 photos in drawers, boxes, on shelves, and in frames dating from 1845-1970s, from great photographers like Doisneau and Brassai, from cinema, celebrity and fashion photographers, from international journalists, and many from anonymous photographers. Prices from €19-€100,000 (I saw a Doisneau for €1,100). Browse their collection online or stop by the shop Mon-Sat 11am-7pm. On March 22nd there will be a jazz reception to welcome the “new arrivals”, from 7pm until “late”. www.verdeau.com
Current Paris Reading List
Paris to the Past by Ina Caro takes readers on 25 daytrips by train that depart from Paris (and includes Paris sights) and transport you back through seven hundred years of French history. One of my favorite tour clients, who comes to Paris at least once a year, couldn’t get enough of this and sent it to me. It’s more inspirational than practical, the very information that’s usually missing in guidebooks and makes us get off our butts and travel.
Strangers in Paris edited by David Barnes and Megan Fernandes, is an anthology of stories by 36 contemporary Anglophone writers living in Paris, without the stereotypes of “expatriate Parisian literature”. A great place to find original stories by both known and emerging writing talent.
Balzac’s Omelette: A Delicious Tour of French Food and Culture with Honoré de Balzac by Anka Muhlstein had such a great title I couldn’t resist. Balzac was born just after the French Revolution, and lived though Napoléon’s Empire and two more revolutions. It was a time when restaurants didn’t exist yet, and cuisine was becoming the focal point of the new French society. He was one of the first novelists to write about food, using it to evoke the character, class, and social climbing of his characters. Fascinating stuff! But also quite academic, not for anyone looking for a fluffy food book about macarons. ;-)
English Books Shipped Free to France
I had to think a bit before sharing this information, because I’m a big fan of local bookstores in Paris. Even if the selection is smaller or the price higher, I like being able to just pop in and browse and take something home right away. But if you’re looking for a book that isn’t available at your local store, or live outside Paris without access to a good English bookshop, you can now order English books from the Book Depository, a British company that has a fine selection, free shipping to France, and prices competitive with the big A.
Creative Paris
Looking for a more interactive Paris experience? Paris Creative, a new website organized by the City of Paris, highlights creative activities to do in Paris for adults and children, such as sewing, pottery, cooking, dance, flower arranging, wine blending, perfume making, etc. The website is in English and French, although Franglais seems to reign, for locals and visitors with adventurous spirits!
Live Music at L’Hotel
The bar at this gorgeous boutique hotel (where Oscar Wilde lived his last days) has always been a great place for a romantic rendez-vous. But if you’re looking for something a bit more lively, check out their new Mondays at L’Hôtel events (so far scheduled Lou on March 5th and Nicholas Vidal on April 2nd) for live music by “Paris’ promising new talent”. There’s no cover and the music starts at 8:30pm. Not sure where they’re going to cram both the band and more than a dozen people, so get there early to claim your cocktail and one of those divine velour armchairs. 13 rue des Beaux-Arts, 6th.
Other Gigs in Paris
The French aren’t particularly known for their music (unless you count David Guetta, and I don’t), yet the Parisian music scene attracts some very good international bands you might not want to miss, especially since some groups used to playing concert halls in the States or the UK play in tiny Parisian clubs or even bars, much to the happiness of those of us lucky enough to hear about it. If indie and pop rock is your thing, check out Gigs in Paris. Mark Thompson not only keeps you informed of the latest live shows, but also does interviews, live recording sessions and drawings to win tickets to the shows.
Last week those on his mailing list got to see Hold Your Horses! play a secret session in a tiny boutique near Montparnasse. Check out their amazing video for “70 Million” where band members “playfully reconstruct famous paintings in an off the wall lyrical interpretation all their own”.
The boutique is called Storie (20 Rue Delambre, 14th), run by the lovely English-speaking Fiona, where everything sold has a story behind it. If you’re in the area Thursday March 1st, the young French designer EELD will be showing her new collection of this seasons silks (at good prices) from 6-9pm; wine will be flowing!
Emergency Locksmith/Plumber/Electrician Scams
If you live in Paris, it has either happened to you or someone you know: you accidentally lock your keys in your flat, or the toilet starts leaking on a Sunday at 11pm, or your fuse box melts down when you tried plugging one too many high tech appliance into one early-20th-century socket. In a panic, you look for one of those flyers that are regularly shoved under the door or in the mail boxes of every building in town, the “Numéros Utiles” for your arrondissement that include the local Town Hall, police, hospital, and – of course – locksmiths, plumbers and electricians. They look so official, those flyers, but they are scams, and the City of Paris is trying to crack down on them. They are shady (and often unregistered) businesses that charge upwards of five times the standard rate for these services, who pressure their victims into signing the quoted fee (don’t ever do this if it seems high, and never sign once work has already started), or require advanced payment before work even starts (this isn’t legal either). They’ll charge €3000 to open a “porte blindée”, change your entire water heater when you just needed a new rubber washer, or actually cause more damage than fix it. How to protect yourself? Right now, find the closest businesses in your neighborhood via Pages Jaunes or just by taking a walk around your block, ask your home insurance agent for a list, or even your concierge or a trusted neighbor for their recommendations (and, while you’re at it, ask them to hold a spare key for you, too). Keep these numbers handy (in your phone, on a piece of paper under the doormat, etc). One night I awoke to my young neighbor having his door noisily sawn open at 2am. “No spare key?” I asked. “Oui, but I can’t get it until tomorrow.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him it would’ve been cheaper to check into a cheap hotel for the night than pay the emergency locksmith. Ne panic pas, and be prepared. Don’t let anyone pressure or threaten you, and when in doubt, call the police (you do have that number, right?), you’ll be helping them catch these bullies. This article about the scams (in French) is hair-raising, but it may save you a month’s salary, or more.
The Ideal Parisian Café Experience…except…
One of the questions I ask my tour clients before they arrive in Paris, especially if it’s their first time, is to describe their “ideal Parisian café experience”. Without fail, they all reply that they want to sit outside at a sidewalk café, people-watching with wine and cheese (or coffee and croissants), enjoying the typically Parisian street scene. One woman even threw a flower cart in the scene. But no one, in the seven years I’ve been asking this, has ever imagined smoke in their face. Sadly, this is almost always a given in Paris. Although no one can smoke indoors, they can smoke on the terrace just outside. And smoke they do. Try to position yourself upwind. No one imagines the beggars, the bad street musicians, or the theives who snatch your bag/wallet/cell phone right off the table. If there are several rows of chairs, sit in the ones furthest from the street, preferably with your back against the café (probably the driest spot, too, if the spring rain kicks in), with your valuables in your lap at all times. And don't worry if your dream image of the Parisian sidewalk café doesn't fit the one you actually discover in Paris. If you keep your eyes open, you may see and learn a few things about this city that you never could've imagined. ;-)
Coming in March
Check in to the Secrets of Paris or Facebook page this month to discover author Cara Black’s own Paris secrets, the new and improved version of David Lebovitz’s Paris Pastry app for iPhone and Android, the new Mini-Guide to Visiting Chantilly, and the reason why duck is just so much tastier in France.
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Reader Comments (1)
I wish you a lovely weekend:)
LOVE Maria at inredningsvis.se
(Sweden)