things just aren’t the same after claude terrail’s death last year; the owner of La Tour d’Argent, (established in 1582) was a great host; i noticed yesterday that there were more waiters than guests in this great restaurant with still the most beautiful view of Notre Dame. the food was its usual “starry” delicious and delicate of course.
the cheese cart and the wine stay the best in grand restaurants but you to leave your arm and one leg to pay for it!
for somebody who orders a wimpy decaf/nonfat/soy latte in a los angeles starbucks and comes originally from a tea/chai drinking part of the world, it is interesting that i am fascinated by coffee cultures of the world . i love the smell of fresh ground coffee especially if it’s mixed with some french waiter’s shout accross the caf
i am in paris since may 10th in a rather unusal neighborhood (for me): 100 meters from the eiffel tower! call me a snob but i like to see the tower from afar; i see much to my surprise that i like it upclose too.
i went to musée du quai branly on friday – the maven of “cultural diversity” – the collections were not to my taste but jean nouvel‘s architecture was sublime.
saturday was spent on my first visit to fontainebleau; coming from southern california, i always forget how densely green western europe is; i love the myriad shades of green – much to my delight, i discovered a poppy field and got a bit nostlagique (i haven’t seen a red poppy since i left my country in 79).
the château itself was very impressive but i still prefer the one in chantilly.
paris is a great walking city, day or night…
