Stripes Basque Style at Bon Marché

 

Yesterday I was wandering a bit 

And stepped into a grand promotion 

Yesterday in Paris

 

Yesterday, with the best of intentions (ha ha) I headed to the pool 🏊 and got there too late for the morning session (7 - 12:30)

Instead I went and got a much-needed haircut. Damien cuts it in 11 minutes (not kidding). Telling myself I’d hit the pool later for the afternoon session (13:30 - 18:00). 

Ah the little lies we tell ourselves…

Bleu Blanc Rouge

I’m so happy M. Macron is continuing as president of France 🇫🇷 🍾🤸‍♂️

I went off on a Vichy  red check painting tangent today

Especially since Sabra check spoons 🥄  came into my life.

It doesn’t take much for me to become red-checked obsessed.

These are actually Real shoes from MuiMui! I’m always looking at feet. Maybe because I used to design shoes. 

I saw these the other day on the Metro. Someone can’t wait for Summer. 

Speaking of Summer, Maison d’Isabelle can’t wait to show off their Summer fruit Tartes. Perfect way to celebrate the election outcome🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷 

A HQ for Vichy check candy boxes, the very Frenchy shop for checkered accessories, H.Moinet.

Is confisierie Maison Moinet of Vichy. 

Their tins and boxes are irresistible. The town of Vichy has been making checked cloth since the 17th and 18th century. 

George Washington requested of his nephew living in Paris to send him Vichy check seat covers for Mount Vernon. 

The Vichy check is a common, everyday fabric, yet its an instant reminder of classic French bistros. 

La Fontaine de Mars Watercolor

And you can’t get more classic bistro than Le Fontaine de Mars. Have you been? Really fun. Well s’il vous plait raise a glass 🍾to Emanuel et Brigitte👏👏👏 Some  checkered watercolors are waiting on Etsy. Bonne Monday PBers❤️💋🇫🇷

La Fontaine de Mars, 75007

 

For years I’ve wanted to eat lunch at La Fontaine de Mars on rue Saint Dominique in the 7th.

Its a terrific example of your classic red checked tablecloth Paris bistro and the ‘Top’ to boot quality-wise. A president had a date night there… I stayed in an apartment around the corner, passed it often and dreamed a little… But going on your own sometimes is daunting. 

I looked over the menu online. Always a good idea. They have a reasonable daily plat du jour/daily special(23€). Bonnie said, when they stayed in the 7th, they would go at noon Sundays and get the chicken. 

Visiter Ann was staying in the 7th.  It didn’t take much arm-twisting to convince Anne we should go for Sunday lunch. La la la la la 🤸‍♂️

I made the reservation. So easy. They were so nice. They asked did we want to sit upstairs or downstairs. Downstairs (street level) I said. They really do prefer you make reservations ahead. Its not a museum. They need to know how many baguettes 🥖  to buy. 

French restaurants open for lunch at noon and close at 3pm. They will not let you in, even 1 minute before.  Its so much better to cooperate and play by their rules. Once you cross the threshold, you are in their domaine. 

Being there early means you have the place to yourself and can take a good look around. Take pictures. Nice old-fashioned soap 🧼 dispensers. 

When I do go into places alone, usually I know exactly what I want to eat and tell the waiter before they even bring the menu. I want them to know I won’t be causing problems or taking up too much time. Ann noticed the couple (spoke English too) next to us made a bit of a fuss ordering. In the end, they got exactly what they saw we were eating - the plat de jour 😊 

On Sundays, Parisians usually arrive for lunch around one o’clock 🕐 They like to sleep in on the weekends.

There is a very pleasant convivial feeling to Fontaine de Mars. How was the chicken you ask? We both thought it was the best chicken 🍗  we’d ever eaten.

Thank you for all your wonderful Duvet advice. My iPad (so helpful aren’t they) popped up an ad and I bought it. Yay Hooray 🍾 If you like this post please support it by buying my Paris letters and watercolors. And do pass on to someone who might enjoy it. Happy Mardi/Tuesday dear PBers! 🍷 🍷🍷🍷🐻

❤️

La Fontaine de Mars Watercolor

La Tete dans les Olives, Paris pique-nique letter, M. P. Samie

When I asked DAVID LEBOVITZ where he got the anchovies for his fabulous Pasta Puttanesca recipe. He said go to LA TETE DANS LES OLIVES, 2 rue du Coedic, 14e.Mission accomplished last Saturday. What a delightful epicerie! Pick out your Sicilian olive oil.

Taste everything in the shop. There's an open jar of whatever you like. Definitely try the crema de pistachio.

Every Monday the famous Sicilian lemons and other fresh vegetables are delivered. I figured while there why not get a bite?

The blackboard offered 5-6 different antipasti (7,50€). Idiot moi, I said, "I'll have the antipasti" forgetting to choose. I was thinking the lentil salad with tuna and pecorino sounded nice.

Instead I got capers, 2-3 kinds of eggplant and some other mysterious condiment, all tasting wonderful. Bread is home made on the premises. Its probably best to leave it up to the chef anyway.

I left La Tete dans les Olives with a 350 gram jar of anchovies that should make lots of David's pasta puttanescas. You don't have to refrigerate it - they're preserved in salt. Its too big for my tiny Frigo.

On the corner of rue du Couedic & Avenue du General Leclerc I had spotted a huge china shop.

Irresistible. 3 floors of goodies.

Et pas cher!

Naturally you think at these prices everything must be made in China. Not at all. M.P.Samie china is all made in Limoges. The red coffee cup said take me home. I did (2,50€).

A good way to get through chilly Paris winters is with a red-checked table cloth. The new red cup will help.

I was going to do Paris cheese shops for the June map

But on second thought that seemed silly.

Parisians love nothing better than to picnic by the Seine at the earliest opportunity. I see them out there daily.

First the thumbnail doodle. Second what do they eat?

By the way, if you're around, you can attend a grand pique-nique at Domaine Chantilly, June 23rd.

Voila! The June fruits of my labors. I recommend for your picnic the Brie de Melun from MOF fromager, Laurent Dubois. I'm off today to pique-nique in Aix-en-Provence at COTE SUD SALON VIVRE.

I’m Carol Gillott, an artist living in Paris. Every month I send out beautifully illustrated letters that capture the true Parisian experience. 

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☕️ If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a KO-FI here  ☕️  ❤️ Thank you so much! 

Vichy Checks

Is a French girl wearing nothing but her glasses and a scrap of pink checked fabric sexy?

Bien sur. She's taking a page out of BB's book (Bridget Bardot) who put Vichy check fabric on the map.

Certainly every French bebe has worn scraps of red checked cloth to the beach or wherever.

A red checked card with a wine bottle opener attached seen on the streets of Paris.

Checkered fabric comes out in Paris along with the Spring blossoms.

Checkered Spring scarves at Galeries Lafayette.

Confiture Bonne Maman knows a good, homey thing when it sees it and has always had checked 'hats' on it's jam.

A blue check shirt sitting in a red checked chair. Checks come out for Spring.

Checks have always been at home in the cuisine/kitchen.

Table clothes, dish towels everything you could dream of looks perfect in the kitchen.

Especially eating your petit dejeuner off a red checked breakfast tray.

This petit Parisien is still wearing his leopard collared coat!? Get out the red checks doggie!

BONJOUR VICHY CHECKS!