Presents for Host: Nespresso & Restaurant List

A planned two-week trip to Paris has morphed into a long-term stay entering its fifth week and I’ve always depended on the kindness…of good friends.

A good friend happened to relocate to Paris last month and moved into a large, light filled two bedroom on the border of the 8th and the 16th overlooking the Embassy of Uruguay. My friend is constantly traveling and offered for me stay in his guest bedroom. So, I moved in after staying at a hotel for a few weeks and set up temporary residence.

As a token of my appreciation, I wanted to give him a small present. Given my friend’s jet-set schedule, he usually doesn’t have time to make coffee before dashing to the next PR event or product development meeting. What to get? What to get?

I decided on two things.

A Nespresso Machine. The machine makes a perfect espresso or coffee in seconds. It’s easy to clean and easy to refill. The store on the Champs-Elysees carries 12 new colors. I chose burnt orange to match the tile of my host’s kitchen (and the fire in his personality!)

www.nespresso.com

A Restaurant List. Over the past few weeks, I had the opportunity to experience some great restaurants (and some not so great). I made a list of my favorites including ones in areas that he might not otherwise have time to explore.

L’Epi Dupin Restaurant
11 Rue Dupin
75006 Paris
01 42 22 64 56
www.epidupin.com

The best prix fixe I had in Paris. Casual elegance and young crowd. Amazing service and even better food. I love the fact that this restaurant is closed on the weekends so the proprietors can spend time with their families.

Les Bouquinistes a Restaurant by Guy Savoy
53 Quai des Grands Augustins
75006 Paris
01 43 25 45 94
www.guysavoy.com

Baccarat Cristal Room
11 Place des Etats Unis
75116 Paris
www.baccarat.fr

I am the biggest Philippe Starck fan of all time. Yet, I do profess that knowing he designed this space a number of years ago made me a bit cautious because even as a “fan” I perceive Stark experiences as becoming very dated very fast. The experience I had the Cristal Room was exceptional! The food was a work of art and the service far exceeded my expectations.

La Gazzetta
29 Rue de Cotte
750012 Paris
01 43 47 47 05
www.lagazetta.fr

The 12th is similar to the East Village in Manhattan. Historically, parts of have been inhabited by groups of immigrants which gives the area great “flavor”. From the 8th, I took the Metro to Bastille and walked to La Gazetta. Handmade raviolis for my entrée and a Corsican style steak for my main. Wow!

Diwan Lebanese
30 Avenue de George V
75008 Paris
01 47 23 45 45

The best chicken kebab I’ve ever eaten. 16 Euros for the plate which also includes generous portions of eggplant, humus, and tabouli.

404 Restaurant Familial
69 Rue des Gravilliers
75003 Paris
01 42 74 57 81

Very hip and hopping scene featuring cuisines of North Africa

Avoid Buffets on the Champs Elysees at All Costs!!

Let’s face it, as a travelisto, one should aspire to have an open mind about new experiences and ideas. One of my goals on this sabbatical to Paris was to try to give up the need to be in control. So when a group of Parisian friends invited me to Sunday Brunch, I agreed without knowing the final destination. In my head I was associating the word “brunch” with a lingering afternoon reading the paper and talking at Estia’s Little Kitchen in Sag Harbor or Babette’s in East Hampton. I’m sure my friends must be taking me to the Parisian equivalent? Why did I need to know where we are going ahead of time? These folks were locals and why should I feel the need to Google information about the restaurant ahead of time or “corroborate” their opinions?

Signs of Danger

Sign 1
My first indication that something bad was about to happen flashed on the IM screen of my new Blackberry Bold: “Meet at the Southwest corner of the Champs-Elysees and look for Danish flag”. Okay, this message was the equivalent of telling someone to meet at 45th and Broadway and look for the Marriott Marquis…

“Open-mind…Open-mind”, I started to chant so I wouldn’t grind my back teeth.

Sign 2
Well, at least Spring was in the air. The sun was out and birds were chirping as I quickly identified the Danish Flags and passed through glass sliding doors into a foyer with ballroom carpet, flowers of questionable pedigree, and a hostess in a black polyester uniform. I felt a bit disoriented…this felt very reminiscent of stepping onto a Carnival Cruise ship in 1987. But, the space was very bright and sunny. It almost felt as if I were in an outdoor atrium or courtyard. Settling into the my surrounds a bit more, I noticed bird nests everywhere in various colors of blue and strawberry as pre-cognitive senses started to send more danger signs to my brain…

These weren’t nests! These were coifs! The room was full of geriatric women swarming around something I could not identify in the center of the room.

Sign 3
The reality of this horrible, horrible situation was finally hitting me. Though I was trying my best to keep an open-mind, in an instant I knew in my heart of hearts what was happening….I was at a Buffet!

In France, I get with the program and can eat snails. With enthusiasm, I’ve tried raw beef, and even smiled when I’ve eaten cow’s cheek or sheep’s brain. Was this a French buffet or a Danish Buffet anyway? I guess it didn’t matter the nationality of the buffet…it was still a buffet. And as I passed a pair of dentures floating in the bechamel sauce, I knew Destiny had sent me to such a place to atone for naughty things I must have done in the past.

But, in the end, I made it through that two and a half hour “experience” picking at a stale croissant trying to smile graciously at my hosts. I thought “I gave up control and made it through this challenge” as I surveyed the carnage of soiled white table clothes and red lipstick scars on countless glasses around me.

Secretly, I longed for the New York Times and a proper Sunday afternoon brunch on the East End of Long Island…