CHOCOLAT SHOWS!

Yesterday I was FMing with a terrific food blogger, Roboppy and she said she didn't much like going to food shows...

We had a little bit of a disagreement about how useful they are so I thought I'd take you back to the 2008 Salon du Chocolat in Paris..

I find them very educational in fact...

You learn all sorts of essential information....

And in Paris there are slew of informing books to browse and buy...

I have to wonder why my parents didn't take me to something like this..?

What an opportunity to practice my art skills painting a chocolate mask like this one - do you then eat it while wearing it...? Hmmm

Look at this Paris gown made entirely of chocolate!
Did you know that all pastry chefs have to make elaborate sculptures in chocolate in order to graduate?
Oh well back to the chocolate...

I hope you had some breakfast before stopping by PB...

A good breakfast is essential before tackling a chocolate show...

Otherwise you might loose it very quickly. Remember the lesson about the marshmallow?

Restraint is a good thing to bring along to a chocolate show...yes sir ree...

And there is more than just chocolate at the Paris Salon...

In fact if they changed the name to salon du MACARONS they wouldn't be half wrong...

Sadaharu was there and Christoph Roussell too...

Oh enough of dragging you around the chocolate show...

Did you like it or hate it?

BONJOUR CHOCOLAT SHOWS!!!

The Fancy Food Show

Here's a beautiful newly designed chocolate bar from Valrhona for all of you for helping me find an apartment in Paris in October!!!
And even more Valrhona chocolate bars for you.
I went to the annual NASFT FANCY FOOD Show at the Javits yesterday to do research for you all...
Life can be tough as a food-bloggeur-journalist. I am forced to try and taste many hot chocolates like this multi-prize winner, CHUAO...
And CHOC-O-LAT, you stir a block of chocolate in your hot milk for 1 minute et voila! Miam
I am praying that the US Customs lets this French hot chocolat, Castelanne, into the US s.v.p. Green card coming up!!!

Pralus, a wonderful French chocolatier was at the show

No wonder French women are thin. Their tasting samples. Are you supposed to enhale?...ahem

Meanwhile over at Ciao Bella, happiness was...
Any and every flavor you wanted.

There were cheeses galore to taste from around the world too...

And salt of course - this fleur de sel Guerande from Brittany...

You're always on the lookout for new trends and tastes.
Bacon salt with no bacon!

Norwegian water in a cardboard box = green water!

Tons of gluten-free and organic products were present. Here is a tea that goes beyond organic - it's biodynamic!!

Remember good old fashioned animal crackers?

Have the animals become couch potatoes?

And finally Eiffel Tower fromage! adorable...

BONJOUR LUNDI!!!

Wanted: Sm.Paris Stud.2 Wks Oct *PRIZE OFFERED*

We need to go to Paris again...
Teddy, Yellow Bird and moi in October...
We don't care what arrondissement we stay in. In fact we like to discover new areas to report back to you.
We're going for 2 weeks in mid-October so we can research the SALON DU CHOCOLAT...
And do more serious research on macarons for you.
But we're having a hard time finding a suitable place to stay....
We've looked and looked. So we (really just moi) thought we'd ask for your assistance. You were so terrific last time helping me find something, but that apartment is booked :(
Oh and there is a prize if you succeed!
More on that later...
Requirements:
A desk (you'd be surprised at how many Paris apartments do not have desks!!)
Internet access is essential so I can keep you well-informed of my Paris comings and goings
A Microwave would be awfully nice to heat my hot chocolate in the morning...
Small is preferred to large.
Not too many stairs puhleeeze
Internet connection bien sur encore...

We want to bring you back lots more good stories about Paris...

And the prize if you help me find something suitable?

A box of Ladurée macarons, or...

An 9" x 12" watercolor of Ladurée macarons -

definitely a longer shelflife on this one...

Please contact me if you know of a specific place that would suit one person. No web sites please. I've already weeded through too many of those :(

BONJOUR WEEK-END!!!

Annechovie

Please take a moment to check out Annechovie.

Artist Anne Harwell posted an interview yesterday on yours truly...ahem.
One question she asked was:
If you could have only 1 last meal, what would you want on the menu?
Burnt marshmallows,
popcorn,
coffee ice cream milk shake,
caramel macarons from Laduree,
a bacon sandwich
and an apple.
~
But I forgot to mention tarte citron!!!!

Please visit Annechovie. Her artwork is terrific!
THANKS Anne!

Tentation

When you see this sign do you start to salivate in anticipation..?
Winston is tempted at Ladurée, original art, 9" x 12"

Le leche-vitrine means literally in to lick the windows and it now seems all too appropriate to me. Tentation means temptation - what a good name for this dessert...

I thought I'd provide you with a little torture this morning...

I hope you brought your bib...
At the same time it's a chance to comparison shop for Canneles...
You can never say that the French do not show you the prices...

In fact they display them with great style and ingenuity.

Why is it when a French pastry shop opens in New York they never show you the prices? Never a price list or a big board like in France?

I don't get it - is it because if you have to ask, you shouldn't think of buying?

&^%$#@

It makes me that mad :(

Oh well back to dreaming...

Even a pastry shop can put up a sign that their window is in the process of redecorating or réalization!
Only in Paris.
BONJOUR TENTATION!!!

Le Poste

There is a lot of tarte citron yellow in Paris...
And not just because Parisiens can be a bit tart at times...

Le Poste in France is colored tarte citron jaune...

With much fear and trembling I ventured into the rue Cler poste all by myself...

Inside you take a number like in a US bakery...

They have chairs for you to sit down while you wait your turn!

And travel videos to watch and books to read while you wait! What?
This guy is appropriately dressed for the poste...

Later I found out there was a special boutique for people like me...foreigners etc. They speak perfect English and are actually willing to assist you!?

They sell other stuff besides stamps here = like books...

And citron yellow gilets or vests to wear when you're biking...

And Givenchy prints or stamps or something or other, I'm not sure what this is...but I don't see any Oscar de La Renta at our USA post offices. How come?

If you don't feel like going inside you can drop your envelopes in the color co-ordinated yellow box outside...

Or perhaps hand your mail to this sweet little lemon truck...

One thing they do not sell at Le Poste is chocolate bars - well not yet...

But they do have these stamps called, Bloc Le Chocolat, that smell exactly like a tablette of chocolat! Pas mal non?

Merci beaucoup Anne!

BONJOUR LE POSTE!!!!

Place Saint Sulpice

Pierre Hermé at Place St. Sulpice, original art, 9" x 12"

I've heard it said that after you get your goodies...

At Pierre Hermé on 72, rue Bonaparte...

You can take them over to a park bench at Place St Sulpice...
And devour them in plain sight and no one will much mind one way of the other...
I've also heard you can take your PH goodies up to the second floor at Cafe de la Mairie (where Catherine Deneuve takes her petit dejeuner daily...or so they say), but I've never dared try. Have you..?
If you do sit down on that park bench at Place St. Sulpice you'll be facing a very attractive monument- the Fontaine de Quatre-Eveques build by Ludovico Viscounti in 1847...
After gazing at this fontaine more times than I can count I've come on the idea that just maybe the master pastry chief himself might sit here too...

Don't you think what he calls the Saint-Honoré Satine may be a not too distant cousin of...

This fontaine?

What do you think?

Am I off my rocker comme habitude (as usual) or do you see the strong resemblance too? Should not this gorgeous dessert have it's name changed peut-etre to Saint-Place Sulpice Satine..?

And might it not deserve a spot on this P. Hermé box of not-to-be-missed monuments - Les Incontournables de Paris?

I can find all sorts of ways to waste time...

Though I'd much rather be walking this dog at Place St. Sulpice...

Or about to dive into this heavenly tarte citron of Hermés sitting on this Paris park bench...

BONJOUR MARDI!!!

SECCO

Secco, original art, 9" x 12"

I went back to Boulangerie Secco many times last trip...

Not just because they were a 10 minute walk from where I was staying at 20, rue Jean Nicot, 75007...
And not just because they have a wonderful old country store feel to their boutique..
And not just because they had excellent savories and very nice salade nicoise, perfect for a light dinner after too much macaron tasting...

And not because of their macarons, which I never tasted - too many other goodies to taste...
And not just because they seem to be open practically round the clock, well at least until 9pm daily except for Sundays when they are fermé (closed - an important French word to learn if you go to Paris)...

And not just because their interior is pretty darn gorgeous for a bakery shop!

*In French it's also useful to know the difference between the plafond(ceiling), the placard (closet), and the par terre (floor) so you don't end up saying I was walking on the placard though you may be after visiting Secco...

More of Secco's interior gorgeousness...

They even have wine on offer and homey jams of a thousand different flavors...

Another reason not to miss out on Secco...though I resisted.

I resisted these wet-on-the-inside chocolatey moussey little cakes...

I even resisted the mini version...

Their sandwiches and salades-never could I resist!

Unfortunately I resisted what Jamie Cahill suggest may be some of Paris' best madeleines -

"They have an unusual flavor, attributable to a "secret" recipe featuring sucre vergeoise, a sticky brown sugar, rather thaan the refined variety. Secco also adds a tiny hint of lemon. The cakes' darker color and courser texture is unique but wonderful".

Who knew?

And why did I leave my copy of this very useful pastry guide at home pray tell?

What I did not miss out on several times over was...

The remarkable tarty lemoniness of Secco's tarte Citron, noted in Figaro's best of Paris at #4!!! I've now tasted 7 out of the top 10, so I feel qualified to highly reccommend this little tarte.
BONJOUR SECCO!!!

Les Bonbons

Les Bonbons, original art, 9" x 12"

I am ever curious about the French attachment to penny candy and other things of childhood...

A French friend, a philosophy Ph.D, first pointed out Les Bonbons to me on rue Brea in the 6th, a delightful penny candy emporium, though I seriously doubt you can get anything for a centime there...
It was her favorite shop...
The "penny" candy kisoque at the Odeon Metro Station is constantly busy, though you rarely see children scarfing up these pricey lollies and gummi bears. I hesitated when I saw $5 for just 100 grams (3.3 ounces)
The old fashioned ice cream cone is a Parisien favorite. There are more ice cream shops in Paris than in New York! Why ever?
A giant blue lapin just sitting out in the street? Arresting non...
High or low, Parisiens do not put away childish things, like this window at Pierre Herme focused on an enfants dreams (that refers to all of us when we enter his patisserie...) Who is not reduced to a needy, hungry 5-year old, please raise your hand.

Here Renault takes a favorite penny candy - the fraise tagada and covers a car with it! Penny candy is serious business in France :)

Another very high-end creator, Paris chocolatier Jean-Charles Rochoux, has these cuddling chocolate bears in the vitrine...

A toy doggie purse. Eeek 165 euros...hesitation sets in.

At the cafe Loup in the Musee Arts Decorativ they serve fraise tagada as an afternoon snack with your tea (on the near right). Note the guimauve/marshmallows on the far left.

And this is a museum!!!

The museum bookstore had this book solely on French penny candy and I should have bought it. I just did on Amazon.fr Yay

A boutique in the Marais specializes in old school paraphrenalia and toys - Au Petit Bonheur La Chance 13 rue Saint-Paul 75004

Painting by an unknown artist in the 9th

Play and playfulness - there is not enough of it.

The French have figured that out certainment.

~

BON WEEK-END PBers!!!

Nicolas

Nicolas, original art, 9" x 12"

Have you noticed how almost every corner in Paris has a Nicolas wine shop?
Of course every single Paris coin also has a boulangerie, café and patisserie too...
And shoes shops - that's why Paris has so many corners.
If you love wine you've come to the right place!

Here's a wine shop in the 6th arrondissement that was formerly a...cremerie. What does that mean? A butter shop? Did they just sell creme before the discovery of cholesterol? Tant pis as they say...

Peter's Paris took me to this very old wine shop on his Montmartre tour...

I love the old facade and awning...

By the way, did you know when you're eating your petit dejeuner at your hotel in the celler and wondering why, that you are actually sitting in the building's old wine celler or cave? Yep, it's true!

Look! This very old wine shop has some new tricks up it's sleeve. Anything you see labeled "Bio" is another word for organic and rather chic these days in Paris. Correct me if I'm wrong on this...

Here's another oldish wine shop in the Passage Panorama in the 9th...

Do tell what this wine poster is about. Owls and wine? I need help here.

In the same window an adorable owl. W'as up???

A keyboard paired with Bordeaux. Who knew?

More of the same... Everyone goes to great fuss and bother with their windows in Paris. I just wish there were subtitles.

A nice end to a busy day is a stop in a wine bistro, usually identifyable by wine casks outside and red checkered cloth. You don't necessarily need a reservation either. You just waltz in.

Do come in!

Moi...I'm in the backyard munching on worms for my disasterous foray into the blog bcontest arena this week. But I may pop in for un verre de Brouilly quand meme...

BONJOUR PARIS VINS!!!

THE ANSWERS!

"Dear" PB readers...Hmmm

What can I say after a night spent tossing and turning with intermittent beatings with a frozen macaron over the head...

You have not been taking notes or studying up on Paris trivia.

All of you recognized Laduree in this mini contest.

It's true I have not done a post exclusively on Madame Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. I've been remiss in this area I admit it :( This guy was easy to Google. Even I don't know much about him. This was a reserche question. You did do fine here.
BRAVO!
The clue to this question lay within...a simple click would have taken you to a color theory lecon on green and red... A few of you got this one...
This hound prancing through the Metro was a give-away question.
Reader Susan went so far as to identify the Metro station as St. Paul.. Who knew?
Another give-away question..a pullover or cardigan as belt.
Some of you got this - YAY
Many missed this tricky one. Learn your French fashion brands s.v.p.
A black leather jacket, rather mannish in style
Neutral colors
Classic tailoring
All give-away clues to this distinctive French brand...
Agnes B.! The label told the story too.

Too many guessed Sonia Rykiel. Sonia is stripe happy, but in a more whimsical, inventive way than Agnes. There will be more lecons a la mode bien sure! By the way 3 got it. BRAVO!!!

MANY of you got this!!! YAY

Du 6 mars au 7 mai 2009
À l’occasion du 50e anniversaire de la création du Petit Nicolas, la Mairie de Paris lui rend hommage à travers la première exposition jamais consacrée à ce personnage créé en mars 1959 par l’écrivain René Goscinny et le dessinateur Jean-Jacques Sempé.
Petit Nicolas with art by Sempé and writing by René Goscinny.

Here class only one, Parisienne Anne, who got this right. More Paris department store education... PLEASE visit Peter's Paris post on Le Bon Marché!!!

Le Bon Marché has a decidedly Art Deco look to it, unlike it's Paris sisters, Galerie Lafayette and Printemps which are very much in the Belle Epoche style.

Another give-away question - these are cafe coffee cups.

Another easy-as-pie picture- framboise macarons.

You got it!!! YAY

A classique tabac sign...most of you got this one.

NONE of you got this one and I blame myself. I should have been spent more time on your LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT education :(

Class, we will be staying after school studying up on eclairs
I am fairly certain that before the macaron was king of Paris, the eclair held that title.

Here is a list, thanks again to Le Figaro, of the top eclairs of Paris. La Maison du Chocolat is neck and neck at #6 with Lenotre near the top. Please learn this list and eat as many of these as you can. This is a class assignment.

For Your Information, Pierre Herme can be depended upon placing a mini billboard on his desserts announcing his creations. Learn this symbol but watch the calories...
BONJOUR and better luck next time Class.

Do you want to do this again?

Should it be way easier?

Do tell PB readers.

Feu Rouge

Can you name where these people are?
And whose feet are these?
Do you know who this is and why we should care? I don't...ahem
Any idea what is special about this Paris garbage truck? There is a clue in the link-if you click on it that is...
Where is this hound walking?
Is this a belt or a...?

Can you name this designer? She does a lot of red stripes...

Can you name this artist?

Hint: he just has a big show at the Hotel de Ville but I didn't get to see it. Did you?

Can you name this Paris department store?

What were they drinking?

What does this red sign mean?

Name this red macaron flavor...

Do you know where I saw these eclairs?

~

The answers to be revealed in tomorrow's PB post.

And the prize will be...

A macaron painting because I am not going to raid the freezer yet!

BONJOUR CONCOURS/CONTEST!!!!

STEVEN BROADWAY

Doodles by PB

Since last April when I showed you a wonderful show of fashion illustrations at the Society of Illustrators I've felt the urge to get back in the studio and make "quickies"...
illustration by Richard Rosenfeld
I particularly fell in love with this loose drawing of fashion illustrator Richard Rosenfeld who teaches at Parsons School of Design...
illustration by Steven Broadway
And this witty Chanel concept by Steven Broadway...
When I discovered Steven was teaching at F.I.T. I made a dash for his class...
illustration by Steven Broadway
And what a ball it's been! Here Steven demos drawing sheer fabrics

Not just one model but TWO models constantly moving, constantly changing outfits....

Doodles by PB

Ya gotta be fast for this class.

Doodles by PB

But I love working "fast" and hate long poses...
Here Steven forces me to use all my materials, pencil, pen, watercolor, brush all mixed up together...

Steven demos drawing legs...

illustration by Steven Broadway

And Pucci-style prints...

illustration by Steven Broadway

A drawing from Steven's website...

Steven brings in a bunch of fashion drawing books to show us...

Look! Models are doing The Paris Walk!!!

And Dolce and Gabbana stalk the Trench coat too...

A little something for the patient guys out there...

Macarons by Jean-Paul Hevin

And a gouter/macaron snack for all of you.

BONJOUR ET MERCI STEVEN!!!

Don't Eat the Marshmallow

If you haven't tasted French marshmallow/guimauve in Paris...
You have a big treat in store like these chocolate-covered marshmallows at Pain De Sucre...
These are called Nounours after the kid's treats that are shaped like bears - and they're made into a lollypop for adults!

I am ever fascinated by the French attachment to the penny candy of their childhood - they refuse to give it up! And it's transformed into the most sophisticated of treats like this pricy pack at Laduree. I was tempted but it's not easy to shell out $12 bucks for a stack of pink marshmallows is it?
This Gerard Mulot stack of mallows is only 6 euros...still I didn't budge...

You will find marshmallows high and low-end in Paris everywhere....

Stacks and stacks of them at the Salon du Chocolat!

These packs at La Mere du Famille get me every time (4.50 euros and worth every penny/centime! The deal is you taste the delicate flavors and the sugar is an undertone - hard to believe I know...

Pain De Sucre creates very exotic flavors-cassis, safron, etc. a little too exotique for moi...

High piles of chocolate covered marshmallows againat the choco Salon...

Those chocolate bears/oursons I was telling you about but these are high-end...

Back to French kid stuff...

Even Hello Kitty pops...
As a kid I used to toast marshmallows over the stove on a fork until they were blackened on the outside and deliciously gooey inside (always when my parents were out of the house :)

Do you have an attachment to marshmallows too?

And have you tried them in Paris?

It will be a whole new experience I promise.

Meanwhile watch this little movie. Food for thought.

BONJOUR GUIMAUVES!!!

"Eiffel's Tower"

Diego, Dante, and Little Dulce at the Tour Eiffel, original art, 9" x 11"

It's not just the First Lady, Malia and Sasha who want to visit the Eiffel Tower...

Piggy at the Tour Eiffel, original art, 9" x 11"

There seems to be a deep universal need to visit this monument...

Sophie and Buster at the Eiffel Tower, original art Please contact me if you are interested in a portrait at the Tour Eiffel.
By just about everyone...
Buffalo Bill photo from Eiffel’s Tower By Jill Jonnes

Even Buffalo Bill and his Wild West revue featuring Annie Oakley showed up for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, and perhaps inspired the “French love affair” with the Wild West."

My copy of Jill Jonnes' Eiffel’s Tower only arrived yesterday so I've just dipped into it, but it's a fascinating account of the "the hoopla surrounding its design and erection" and the surrounding grand Paris Worlds fair. Thomas Edison, the Van Gogh brothers, Gauguin, Whistler, the list goes on and on as do the amusing stories.
"Above it all, literally, was Gustave Eiffel, who entertained a cast of royals and business celebrities in his apartment at the top of the tower."!!!
My obsession continues and this poster is the first thing to greet me as I come in the doorway...
Photo by PB reader
A PB reader sent me this shot to let me know that BHV had a giant tower available to bring home to my ongoing decorating efforts...
Photo by PB reader SYBIL G. LEE
And another PB reader, Sybil G. Lee, sent me this photo homage of towering macarons.
This Tour Eiffel silhouette postcard is from papeterie L'Ecritoire...
They had this charming cahier/notebook too...

Photo by Canon S3 in Paris France
I love this photo of Canon S3 on Flickr - the perfect homage to Eiffel's Tower non?
BONJOUR EIFFEL TOWER!!!

The Writing on the Wall...

"The writing on the wall" in Paris is endlessly varied and engaging...
It can come in a variety of languages too, not just French...
Though the reflections will always be French...
A logo instantly recognizable...
The writing can be on a tablecloth and still memorable...

Or wrapped round a glass...

This Parisien writing can be a chore to wade through for some of us who didn't learn to write on a mini-blackboard...

These kids are having no problem reading these multiply ardoise...

Now this ardoise is universal!

If you go to this bistro, you won't have to worry. All the Relais de L'Entrecôte have exactly the same menu. But don't go if you're vegetarian...

Writing in a Metro vending machine that beckons in a moment of weakness...

Another universal sign...

No sign required.

I learned last night from Dimitri, a visiting Dane, how to put writing on my photos...

Ahem, I got a little carried away with my new writing powers...
Please excuse :)

~
BONJOUR MERCREDI!!!

Paris Silhouettes

Something I noticed where ever I looked was silhouettes in many, many vitrines like these in Laduree...
Some are just flat cutouts like this swan...

Or multi-colored as in this bike shop...

Posters too have caught the silhouette tendance...

And Paris graffiti is everywhere in black silhouettes...

These highly animated silhouettes in Camper's windows...

Bird silhouettes at Annik Goutal...

Not exactly a pure silhouette but still a giant iconic cutout in the boulangerie window....

Parisien doggy silhouettes cast on a bright sunny day on Ile St-Louis...

Again the silhouettist at Notre Dame-it's a contagion, this silhouette thing!

Here a very contemporary photographer uses an old concept for his carte de visite...

Paris' best loved silhouette...
Paris at dusk is full of silhouettes no sissors ever got close to...

BONJOUR MARDI!!!

La Fontaine de Mars Paris

I dreamed my dog ate at La Fontaine de Mars, original art, 9" x 12"

I dreamed my dog ate at La Fontaine de Mars 75007 with President Obama and First Lady Michelle on Saturday night...

Yes it's true. The President and his wife had a date nite at a bistro just around the corner from me on 129, Rue Saint-Dominique.
I used to pass it at least once a day but I was saving my centimes for macarons so I never entered - dommage.

etting ready here for the President's visit?
The nappery is distinctly checkered as it should be in any good Parisien bistro...

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza (c)

And it seems the President only eats where red checks are present, like here at 5 Guys hamburger joint in Washington DC!

Yahoo.fr reports the Obamas ate classic bistro fare:
Au menu : foie gras, gigôt d'agneau et ile flottante

You can choose something else if you prefer.... This handy little guide book suggests there are few vrais bistros left. I picked it up first in Paris and then found the English version here..
The 51 true bistros inside have the obligatory zinc or wood bar, daily specials on the chalkboard, small dining rooms, husband in the kitchen, wife up front. Usually the dishes on offer are regional, native to the owner's home and wines are from small vineyards preferably nearby. This whole series of small Paris guides is worth collecting.
I grabbed a shot of the La Fontaine's red checked nappery while passing by. Who knew it would become world famous?
Should you or Michelle decide you want to do up your dining room Bistro style, Boutique Sabre will have all the appropriate gear.

They have a number of shops in Paris...

And should you decide you want to cook like a Normandie grandmere, look on Amazon.fr for this facsimile cookbook

BONJOUR LUNDI!!!

Les Patterns Répéter

I had planned to post on something else altogether. But as I was searching for pictures these motifs répètés kept popping up. Have you ever walked past a Parisien patisserie where the window was not full of delicious repeated pastry patterns?
French marché are full of the most innovative repeated arrangements of vegetables and fruits and whatever...
The Velib lined up on many streets one after the other. Is the origin of all this patterns répéter Baron Haussmann's buildings?
Every Parisien café will supply you with plenty of visual patterns - the rattan chairs for example...
The ardoise listing the day's specials...
Your petit dejeuner OJ...
Ice cream cups, cones and flavors = patterns of Paris...

Ladurée is the master of the visual motifs répètés...
Nobody does it better.

Knowing you can look up at any street corner and see a street sign that tells you what arrondissement you're in is a repeated pattern...

Margaux Motin has drawn over and over the iconic French girl wearing her iconic scarf - this can only be a French girl (or a wannabe) = instantly recognizable.

Repeating a brand over and over again in every form imaginable - nobody does this better than the French. Think Vuitton, Dior, YSL etc.

This Parisien artist outside Notre Dame is busy creating sillouette patterns from black paper, his sissors are ready to do your portrait.

Here's a repeated pattern the Parisiens can't get enough of - they will gladly shred their fromage on this Pylones Tour Eiffel. All of these pictures were taken on just one day -3.21.09 It can't be just me that sees all these motifs répètés in Paris.

Do you have favorite repeated Parisien patterns?

BONJOUR WEEK-END!!!

Un Petit Announce

At PB I like to show you all kinds of expositions...
And museum exhibits I've visited...

So I'm very pleased...

To announce I've beeninvited...

By the French Library & Cultural Center L'Alliance Francaise De Boston

To have an exhibit of my facade watercolors...

This coming November.

I hope you'll understand if I take a few days off posting now and then, while getting ready for the exhibit...

And please come visit the L'Alliance Francaise De Boston if you're in the area in November.

A BIG BONJOUR!!!

Presse Kiosk

So typically Parisien yet dwindling by the day...

Are Paris' presse kiosks.
I'm fascinated by their forrest green castle-like turrets...

And I'm enjoying paintings them...

But I can count on one hand the times I've bought something..

They seem like a private club to me...

And I'm not a member...

So much to choose from - like a mini super market in these small enclosures. Certainly plenty of souvenirs...

Postcards and maps besides all the journals...

They are usually placed right by the Metro station or bus stop so you can grab something to read while riding, like this Presse kiosk at Place Saint Sulpice...

This kiosk is on an island in the middle of rue Vavin surrounded by cafes...

The same rue Vavin kiosk but with a different seller. The Parisien "kiosquiers" are stationed there for up to 15 hours in what is know as a "standing coffin"!

At night they seem like beacons of light on the darkened streets.

And finally shut up tight until next morning news arrives.

I will in future buy, buy, buy at the Presse Kiosks.

I wouldn't like them to go away. Would you?

BONJOUR KIOSKS!

Dog Stalker

My name is Marlowe...
Paris Dog Walker, original art, 9" x 12"
That's right.
Phillipa Marlowe.
I stalk dogs...
Paris dogs...

Yeah only Paris dogs.

I look for em everywhere...in vitrines

At the Tour Eiffel...

at the musee...

Rain..?

Or shine? You pay me. I look for em.
I got an assignment...

Look for a black dog. A black dog at a cafe...

A black dog on rue Augereau. Yeah I found it.
I always find my Paris dogs...

I just put out my shingle...

That's right. Paris Breakfast Dog Detective.

You looking for a dog lady?

You came to the right place.

If you wanna hear The Adventures Of Philip Marlowe "The Orange Dog"
Just give a lick...I mean a click.

BONJOUR PARIS!

Martine Lambert

The first of June and it's time for ice cream/glace is it not?
Paris Dogs eat ice cream too, original artwork, 9" x 12"

No need to rush off to the l'Isle St Louis searching for a cone either...
Head instead to Martine Lambert Glaces!
Deauville's ice cream queen has a branch on 194 rue de Grenelle 75007.

And though many will tell you Berthillon can not be topped, I am here to tell you otherwise.

There is no flavor signboard at Martine's because fresh flavors are created daily at the will of the chef and very exotique they are too...

I had the mangue/mango...

But I was tempted by so many others, sorbet pêche de vigne, pamplemousse et gingembre confit to name several, though I can not remember what this mystery sorbet was...reglisse/licorice or figue?

Martine's prix is a tad less than famed Berthillon but that in no way effects quality - no additives or colorants are used and the milk comes from very contented Normandie cows who've played a bit of roulette at Deauville and won.

By the way if you're near a branch of La Maison du Chocolat, I recommend their glace too, especially caramel au beurre de sel.

Martine Lambert is easy to find. I would be happy to show the way.
Horaires ::

mardi au vendredi de 10H à 13H et de 15H à 20H

samedi et dimanche de 10H à 20

The sign tells all...

But how could I have missed this?

Macarons with ice cream!!!
I have lost my crown as queen of macaronerie!

BONJOUR SUMMER!