It’s easy to get nostalgic when the beam of the Eiffel Tower swings over a darkened balcony in Montparnasse. I’m looking out my window over the sloping roofs on Boulevard Raspail that come into focus moment by moment under a shimmer of Parisian light. I have completed my first day of classes at the Sorbonne,…
Paris
A Return to Paris
“To be happy you must have taken the measure of your powers, tasted the fruits of your passion, and learned your place in the world.” – Santayana, Epigraph to M.F.K. Fisher’s, The Gastronomical Me There are times in life that bring you back to where you started. Years ago, I wanted to write about food rather than…
Melting into Summer on the Seine
A heat wave has gripped Paris. Picnickers sat on the edge of the Seine last night drinking wine and nibbling on snacks, thawing under layers of blue and gold. Summer may be in 19 days, but at 80 degrees, Paris in spring-almost-summer, may be my favorite season yet. What better way to cool off than…
Hungry Mornings, Happy Pancakes at Holybelly in Paris
Then, finally, the pancakes arrived. I drizzled syrup from a small glass container, dug my fork in, and took three layers of pancakes in one big bite…
Steak Frites On the Go
Sometimes there is only one menu item that will fill a growing hollow in one’s stomach after miles and miles of walking, and for me, that is the classic and simple bistro offering of: a caramelized strip of steak, tower of french fries, and healthy greens on the side in a piquant vinaigrette. I can…
Taste of Paris — The Finale
It is not typical to go through a grand festival of Paris’ best fare famished. But I’m hungry about my visuals too. After entering under the cheerful green and glass vaulted roofs of the Grand Palais, I roamed around the kiosks of the annual Taste of Paris for about an hour and a half, soaking…