The famous Café de la Paix is at the Place de l’Opéra near the Palais Garnier opera in Paris. It was originally built in the Haussmann style like the Grand-Hôtel, which it served. Paix means peace, and though it is at a busy intersection and buzzing with tourists can be a restorative spot to drink a café crème and eat a croque-madame.
In Little Washington, you will find une petite boulangerie at Patty O’s Cafe and Bakery. The old-world feel is the result of exquisite design, and the bread and les viennoiseries or all things puff pastry originating in Vienna, such as croissants and pains au chocolats, are from extensive research and development at The Inn at Little Washington.
When it comes to patios, Chef Patrick O’Connell’s Patty O’s Cafe and Bakery is inspired—inspired by the French custom of dining au plein air. The former gas station is situated adjacent to The Inn at Little Washington and serves bistro classics, such as escargots with herb butter, onion soup gratin, lemon tarts, and chocolate mousse. To peruse the menus, go to https://www.pattyoscafe.com/
In the mid-nineteenth century, Michael Thonet, a German-Austrian cabinetmaker, began steaming and bending wood into charming chairs. This lightweight bentwood seating started popping up everywhere in Europe, especially in coffee shops.
The distinctive design has been copied around the world, and for good reason. It’s easy to move, comfortable, and elegant at that! Whether in your dining room or at your bedside stacked with books, it is truly the “chair of chairs.”
When I enter a restaurant and see a chalkboard prominently featured, I know I’m in the right place. What does it mean? First, it is tres francais—almost any bistro in Paris has one. Second, it means the chef is motivated to change the specials often, if not daily, based on available ingredients or spontaneous inspiration. If you happen upon a cafe with a blackboard and chalk-white, curlicue lettering, I advise you to set aside the regular printed menu. Each offering might be erased or struck through (with a squeaky scrape) at any moment, if products are limited, which adds to the excitement of dining in such an establishment!
That is, lentils with coffee… With a trustworthy chef like Alain Passard, alternative preparations appear to be classic. Watch this presentation and try it; we thought the earthiness of the ingredients were quite symbiotic.
If you find yourself on the Champs-Elysees, you must stop at Fouquet’s at least for a cafe or an aperitif and some people-watching. It helps if you look like a movie star to get a seat up front, for the famous frequent this place and have been doing so for more than a century…
The highly popular Tolix cafe chair can transform a room. Want to modernize, industrialize? Mix the Tolix with an antique farm table.
It has been gracing gardens and French corner cafes for decades. Designed in 1934 by Xavier Pauchard, who revolutionized an industry with galvanized steel, it has entered into collections at the Pompidou Center and MOMA. Here is where you can purchase the chair:
http://www.dwr.com/product/mobile/marais-a-chair.do
Truc (Tip): Despite its appearance on patios, do not expose to rain and snow—unless you don’t mind a little rust.
This gritty port city around the corner from the Cote d’Azur is a rich cultural mix where there is an endless array of restaurants and cafes. Read this article for some recommendations:
http://www.saveur.com/article/travels/city-by-the-sea?src=SOC&dom=tw
An excellent article takes you on a tour of the cafe culture of Paris, including the haunts of many famous writers and artists, through time:
http://nyti.ms/1atBgGD
Maxim’s in Paris opened in 1893 and has been a grand institution ever since. It is known for its many larger-than-life patrons, including Jean Cocteau and Marcel Proust. And one of its chefs was no less than Wolfgang Puck.
There is also Minim’s right next door on rue Royale, which is good for a coffee.
Le Petit Fer a Cheval, “the little horseshoe,” is a quaint cafe in the Marais, with a horseshoe-shaped bar. It has been there for more than a hundred years, and it exudes antiquity from the cracks in the marble bar to the old, distorted mirrors. The shape of the comptoir (counter) is conducive to conversing with strangers. How marvelous!
eatingfrench 