Bouillon Julien

The January 💌 map research (I'm late😳) entails eating out at art nouveau BOUILLON restaurants. Yesterday I went to newly-renovated heritage building, BOUILLON JULIEN at 16, rue Faubourg St. Denis, 75010.

(From Wikipedia): the first bouillons appeared in 1855 thanks to butcher, Pierre Louis Duval. He proposed a single dish of meat and a bouillon (soup/stock) to market workers of les halles. By 1900, nearly 250 bouillons had sprung up in Paris. The idea was to serve good quality food quickly at affordable prices. They became the first popular chain of restaurants.

Some other bouillons, more "upper-class", offered musical entertainment.Fernandel sang there in the 30s. There's a relaxed atmosphere at most bouillons today.

The menu prices at Julien are unbeatable so the crowd is a good mix age-wise.

My starter was a terrine de canard pistache, mesclun de salade(4,60€).

I've never seen the classic bouillon dish offered on a Paris menu as a main so who could resist. A deeply satisfying beefy broth with beef slices, orzo and vegetables (9,90).

Dessert I went for an old-fashioned meringue on top of whipped creme de marron. Total bill: a mere 18 euros.

The interior is simply gorgeous. Pale sea-foam green walls with globe lamps, mosaics, stained-glass ceiling.

And 'Mucha-style' figures.

Flowered-tile floors. Eye-candy everywhere. I arrived at midi/noon. By the time I left at one the big space was full and lively.

The 10th arrondissement doesn't attract many tourists like the 8th or 6th but its worth making the jaunt for Bouillon Julien. Excellent epicerie Julhés Paris is just up the street and not-to-be missed. Plus an Indian passage, Prada. Public transport is back today. Hooray Share PB with a friend and consider receiving Parisbreakfast in your real mailbox 📮. Back to work on the Jan Map💌 Cheers 🐻❤️

Maison de Balzac, JJ Grandville

HONORÉ DE BALZAC was known for drinking endless cups of coffee while he wrote endless novels.
  'Yesterday, I worked 19 hours and today I shall have to work 20 or 22. Copy is my master, 16 or 20 pages a day are required, and I write them and correct them.Le Constitutional has exhausted my provision, and they must have more. I've not left my desk.' Passy 75016, 30 October, 1846

On Sunday I went back to visit the Maison de Balzac .Seven years to the day give or take. 'Dernier Jours'/last days (as they love to threaten on the posters in Paris) for the JJ Grandville exhibit. I was hoping to catch the metro. No way. Instead I discovered the fabulous Bus 72 that passes a multitude of top museums (Louvre, MAD, Grand Palais, Petit Palais, Guimet, MOMA, Palais de Tokyo, Galieni) and runs every 8 minutes! And stops near Maison Balzac, one of The Little(r) Museums of Paris.

A facsimile of Balzac's study.

His immense head with unruly hair inspired Rodin and other artists.

One room is filled with plaster castes of the exquisite line engravings made by engraver Charles Huard of every character from Balzac's La Comédie humaine 

1000 characters in over a hundred books.

The Grandville exhibit was downstairs and quite crowded. Renown for his anthropomorphic drawings of human figures with animal heads bearing human expressions.

I love this benign lion getting his mane combed, a lap dog sits placidly. Meanwhile on the wall an engraving of a lion snatching a small child. Not so benign.

Many of his cartoons made outrageous political commentary until government censure laws were issued in 1835.

Then he moved on to book illustration and collaborated with Balzac on a number of projects.

Early days my own drawings were deeply influenced by 19th century satirical artists; Thomas Rowlandson, George Cruikshank, Grandville, Dore.

I crosshatched with a crowquill pen point and hand-colored with watercolor 19th century style. By the way, the museum has been renovated since I last visited 7 years ago. Now they have a gift shop and a branch of Rose Bakery where you can grab a healthy lunch and their famous Carrot cake. I did. Coming home on Bus 72, the route is scenic with plenty of closeup Eiffel Tower views. Hop on just for the ride across Paris if you like 👍🏻 THANK YOU❤️ PBers for your generous contributions to WIRES❤️👏 Please share PB with a friend and consider receiving Parisbreakfast in your real mailbox 📮 as well. Cheers 🐻❤️🙏🏻

January letter, Paris trash, weather, bears, WIRES

I'm still hooked on accordion letters and snowflakes.

This Eiffel tower doodle that got the January letter going. Tuesday I went to rue de Rivoli (take bus 75 these days) to find envelope fillers. I used to collect PARIS TRASH for kicks.

Now its part of my job description.

1st stop browse Angelina. I was thinking the mini galettes would make good painting subject matter, but within 10 minutes gone and a mess of flakey crumbs down my front to prove it. So much for painting subject matter.

Angelina's galette des rois feves are irresistible.

Fortunately I succumbed 2 years ago.

The Laduree Thé et Beauté shop at 232 rue de Rivoli has more than tea and candles.

I succumbed to their washi tape happily sealing January's envelopes.

The weather this week in Paris is mid 40s to mid 50s. Overcast with occasional drizzle and brief intermittent hints of sun. The Greve/strike is still on so to catch a metro join the work crush before 9:30 or jump on a bus (the back door is best entry these days).

There are big bears in Paris windows during the holidays.

Please consider saving the koala bears (really marsupials) and other animals at risk in Australia from the rampant bushfires. For 30 years WIRES the wildlife emergency fund has been training people to go into the field and rescue animals. I'm donating the proceeds from these 2 watercolors on Etsy to WIRES. Praying for Australia 🙏🏻❤️XXX🐻

La Galette du Coeur, La Galette des Chefs, St Germain des Près

The first Saturday in January after New Years is the don't-miss annual Galette du Coeur/La Galette du Chefs. If you don't know Or never tasted king's cake with almond frangipane filling, here's a fast video with subtitles. I certainly didn't before moving to Paris.

Now its a month long struggle to resist the buttery aromas wafting out of every boulangeries. Held in the street and open to all in Place Saint Germain under the church come rain or shine.

Paris' top, top pastry chefs donate their galette des rois/Epiphanie kings cakes to raise money for OPIC. Bear insisted we arrive by 10 am before the giant galette was gone unlike last year.

We fell hard for this tiny feve/favor of the bell hop from Hotel Peninsula.

Solli and I had a grand tea there. And I stayed one whole unforgettable month in the Hong Kong Peninsula in my fashion design days.

Box tops are constantly flipped open to show off the contributions like this almond-covered galette from François Perret of the Ritz. It was gone in a flash though you can still find it at his chalet in Vendome.

Somehow I was easily convinced to buy this outrageously delish Ritz Belle Helene jam. Sadly its almost gone. Bear was at it last night. 

Pierre Hermę's galette Mogador has his signature combo of passion fruit, roasted pineapple + milk chocolate.

On Friday Bear leché vitrine/licked the windows at Hermé admiring the 'individual' galette with a feve/favor from fabulous jeweler MESSIKA (6,90€). 

Not just cake was on offer. Sud-Ouest hardy soup Garbure, paté, oysters were provided for early morning cake shoppers.

If you didn't make it to yesterday's galette feast you can find plenty in the surrounding neighborhood at Maison Mulot, Christolphe Michelik, Arnaud Larhrer, Pierre Marcolini and all over Paris for the month of January. Post feast we ran to see LITTLE WOMEN and absolutely loved it. The colors and lighting are wonderful among many other things. Go see it💋Thanks so much for keeping us in Paris 😄❤️ XXX Carol and 🐻

Le Dome Montparnasse

If you're lucky enough to know some darling PBers who invite you to dinner on Christmas day at LE DOME MONTPARNASSE do not think twice. Say Oui, si, yes vite vite vite(very fast). I admit I hesitated - too much homework, the metro isn't working, I'll be a 3rd wheel, bla bla bla. Fortunately I came to my senses. Besides December 26th in 2012 is the date I arrived in Paris and I'm still here. My Paris-Anniversary!

A good reason to celebrate, raise a glass 🥂and remember life is good and people are kind.

What a lovely evening at one of Paris' swell, classic old brasseries (it opened in 1898).

We had 'The works'. Champagne first.

We shared a plateau of oysters. Their seafood is reknown. They even have their own fish store.

Food writer Patricia Wells said, "I could dine at Le Dôme once a week, feasting on platters of briny oysters and their incomparable sole meunière." Bonnie had the incomparable sole, her favorite.

Rob and I had our favorite, coquille St Jacques, on a bed of buttery leeks.

We shared Rob's dessert. One of the lightest, best 'Millefeuille Napoleon parfumé au rhum (barely evident) et la vanille' I've ever tasted. Our waiter suggested we get it instead of the chocolate buche de Noél. Listen to your waiter.

By the way the service is 'old school'. Elegant yet friendly and attentive without being stuffy. And, merci deux 🙏🏻 no one asked us 'how were we enjoying our meal?' in the midst of eating.  If you have a birthday or anniversary of any kind coming up, start saving and celebrate it at LE DOME in Paris. Bear was there, but he...umm stayed inside my bag. Have an Absolutely Fabulous NEW YEARS EVE 🥂🍾dear PBers. And Thank you so much for keeping us in Paris to share another year with you bla bla bla😄❤️ XXX Carol and 🐻