I met a man on the elevator to Gigi, on the 6 th floor of Théâtre des Champs Elysées, who had been there before and he said that on a day like this the place would be spectacular but is a little noisy. He was right all the way and my excitement to discover the new Laurent Gourcuff Paris Society … Read More
Tree houses for rent what fun!
I had wanted to go for many years to Raray, the spectacular property owned by the La Bédoyère family near Senlis and stay in one of their tree huts. But I only went last week, and have to admit I did not spend the night because it was fully booked. Emmanuel de La Bédoyère, who started this adventure six years … Read More
Cèna is my new canteen
In Italian and in Spanish, cena means dinner but don’t be misled, this new restaurant “Cèna” in the 8 th arrondissement has nothing Italian or Spanish about it. It is the pure produce of French cuisine with Pascal Barbot, the 49 year old chef of l’Astrance (closed for a few months), as head chef. An unpretentious bistrot for approximately 40 … Read More
At la Halle aux Grains, the decor tops the food
An American friend told he’d had a great lunch at La Halle aux Grains, Michel and Sébastien Bras’s new restaurant at la Bourse du Commerce. I had heard it took months to get a table, but I tried anyway, one morning last week, and got a reservation for 12.15 pm. A good surprise. When you enter the third floor of … Read More
At Château de Chantilly and at Abbaye de Chaalis, Primatice reigns
It has become a huge effort to visit Château de Chantilly and its wonderful collections. This Saturday, the electric gates to enter the parking lot were not working properly and everyone was enraged. I could not find anyone to help my friend Garance, who walks poorly, and reaching the drawing galleries through the main court is an ordeal. The usual … Read More
Ile de Ré is in top cultural form
The magical Ile de Ré acquired a bridge in 1988 and since then, it is easily linked to La Rochelle and even more popular than before. There is great social rivalry between Les Portes, at the extreme end of the island, and Ars five miles away, a bit like East Hampton and Southampton in the summer. But in the end, lunch … Read More
How charming can a bed and breakfast get near Dijon?
I rarely stay in beds and breakfast because I always try to invade my friends’ houses… but last time I was in Burgundy for a theater festival I found the most delightful hostess in a dream garden full of roses, with good beds and excellent linen, ten miles from Dijon. So if you need to stay anywhere in the area, … Read More
Lunch is the new dinner and take out is around the corner
Since curfew at 6 pm has been installed in the whole of France, panic strikes everyone at 5.30 pm. How can we be back by 6 pm when we have so many things to do, buy dinner, pick up the children from school, go swimming, etc… Well everyone seems to react accordingly and lunch is the new dinner and usually … Read More