Monday, June 29, 2015

Glace, Ice Cream Lines, Carnaval Tropical, Jacques-Henri Lartigue

When it's hot you want ice cream
Especially on a Sunday. The pink one is peche lavande by the way
I'm back at Une Glace À Paris
Has every Parisian read my post? The line has grown out the door.
They put a flavors board up outside! Bigger type please + pictures?
The cones are lined up inside. They are 'fait maison' and 2€ extra FYI.
When I leave the line has grown exponentially.
There were ice cream lines all over Paris.
Berthillon owns Ile Saint Louis.
I make a nice Greek yogurt ice cream. Hmmm...
Pozzetto 2 Gelato opened a new shop on rue Vieille du Temple around the corner from rue du roi de Sicile Pozetta 1.
You can get lunch too.
Other lines were forming in the Marais.
It was le Carnval Tropical on Sunday
You could not cross the street. Fortunately there was ice cream available on both sides.
An orderly ice cream line showed up in Maison Europenne de la Photographie
The Jacques-Henri Lartigue exhibit is a Summer Don't-Miss
Romantic Summery photos transport you to another era...
5/7 rue de Fourcy - 75004 Metro:Pont Marie
I almost forgot to shoot my ice cream - melon, Matcha, Vanille du Mexique.
I was thinking I could be ice creamed out for a while, but tomorrow there's a tasting of crème Chantilly. What goes better than a dip or two?
And temperatures are rising exponentially.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Une Glace à Paris

June-July is prime ice cream time
Can one ever have too much ice cream?
I for one, believe in ice cream all-year round.
At last there's a fabulous new ice cream boutique that feels as I do.
They have been open just 1 week.
Une Glace à Paris
15, rue Sainte-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie 75004
Métro: Hôtel de Ville
Open Monday-Sunday 10 - 23h
In the Marais
RUN, do not walk to No# 15 rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie
Preferably in your Bensimons
Like my partner-in-crime, visiting New Yorkaise Stephanie R.
Chef Emmanuel Ryon, Meilleur Oivrier de France(MOF), formerly of Café Pouchkine is the magician-in-residence.
His boutique is 'sobre', a word meaning quiet elegance when the French use it.
Still we were all madly drunk with Chef Ryon's divine ice creams no matter the elegant decor.
A rapt, captive audience, we waited our turn, salivating. Miam miam
We plum forgot to study the menu, so caught up in the massive decision-making process.
And we totally missed the wonderful deal of a threesome of different Vanillas or chocolates going for a song. By the way, the shop is generous with tastes. I asked for a vanilla taste and was offered all 3! This is unheard of in Paris.
Later we dropped our spoons when we saw 5-flavors banquettes (boats) come sailing by.
Not that we didn't love our double dips of Griotte (cherry) + Matcha for Stephanie, and smoked pistachio with a touch of orange + Medovic (a Russian flavor with honey cake flakes) for me.
Granted we wished we'd gone all the way with the barquettes. A la prochaine!
Une Glace à Paris is a glorious experience you mustn't miss if you love ice cream. It's absolutely the BEST I've tasted here = Heavenly.
PS Please say Paris Breakfasts sent me!!
Chef Ryon introduced himself. He will soon have fabulous ice cream gateaux.
I've been painting ice cream non-stop since Thursday - a distraction to keep from running back for a glace for breakfast.
*If you'd like an ice cream watercolor + the shop's card, subscribe to the monthly PARIS SKETCH LETTERS.
It's the next best thing to being here.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Chateau Villandry

I did not paint any landscapes at CHATEAU VILLANDRY.
We went Saturday morning before going off to PICNIC IN THE VINES at Chateau du Petit Thouars.
A direct bus from Tours train station (1.50€) gets you there in 10-15 minutes.
Solli was dying to get lost in the famous Villandry Labyrinth garden known as the Maze
While I made plans to get lost in the local boulangerie comme d'habitude...
 We usually split up to pursue our different objectives.
Don't get me wrong. The gardens at Villandry are absolutely spectacular and enthralling.
I had high hopes of painting their topiary hedges. But after a few futile attempts I'll leave all hedge painting
To the Master of Hedges, IAN SIDAWAY. Do take a wander through his landscape watercolors. They're the top, no pun intended. This is of course, his watercolor.
Me, I'm sticking with desserts, even if there are deleterious consequences...ahem.
Serenity now...
Some of the best views of the gardens in my opinion
Are upstairs from the chateau balcony.
Lovely atmospheric rooms
You can wander and dream you're a princess or prince.
Fantastic bouquets inside the house too.
Lush
Springy
Terrific color combinations
I was reminded of them in the Villandry boulangerie. Though the proprietress was none too pleased with my picture taking of her tartes. Was she Parisian?
CHATEAU VILLANDRY is a dreamy definitely must-visit in the Loire Valley.
By the way, do you dream of receiving LETTERS FROM PARIS?