If you go to Paris you must ....!!!!

If you go to Paris you must see if you can get as "fixer" Louisa Chu, - Chicagoan, LTH'er, Cordon Blue graduate, Paris chef, insider, TV personality, etc., etc. My wife and I spent the last two days with Louisa seeing places, eating food, and meeting people we would never have found in a million years. She even planned our meals for the rest of our visit, getting us tables at places we probably could not have gotten otherwise.

What makes Louisa so special? For an American, and especially an American woman, and especially an Asian-American woman to break into the world of French restaurants is a tribute to her awesome talent and drive which she brought to our foodie tour of Paris. It was not just the places she took us to, but the people she introduced us to that shared their vision of their career and plied us with samples of their craft. These people clearly hold Luisa in great esteem as do we after meeting her for just a few days. Funny, articulate, knowledgeable, enthusiastic - I'll stop gushing now - I can't say enough about her.

I'll try to post photos and descriptions when we return in a few weeks. We're off in a few days to a cooking school in the Perigord

Bill/SFNM

HI,

Whenever I do go to Paris, I do believe meeting up with Louisa CHu would be a great idea. Thanks for affirming the hunch I had!

Looking forward to your detailed trip report.

Regards,

Bill/SFNM wrote:My wife and I spent the last two days with Louisa seeing places, eating food, and meeting people we would never have found in a million years.

Bill,

I have been waiting and hoping, waiting and hoping, for a story or two, any story or two, of the Parisian meeting of two of the more interesting food people in one of the more interesting food cities.

Waiting and hoping.
Gary

G Wiv wrote:
I have been waiting and hoping, waiting and hoping, for a story or two, any story or two, of the Parisian meeting of two of the more interesting food people in one of the more interesting food cities.

Waiting and hoping.
Gary

Gary,

You may have to wait a little more. No sooner had I returned than my PC died violently, so I'm using a loaner until my new one arrives and I can spend a week reloading my apps .

I will share one experience that reminded me of your motto: "nothing says excess like excess". Louisa had taken us to a neghborhood market with stands selling all kinds of foodstuffs. In one display case I saw something wrapped in caul fat and Louisa asked the proprietor what was inside. What was inside was a boneless duck. One was stuffed with apricots, another with olives, and there was another stuffing - maybe Louisa remembers. A duck, that already has an excess of fat, being wrapped in caul fat? The French are accused of believing that they are superior to us, but any culture that wraps duck fat in pork fat gets beau coup style and technique bonus points from me. This is definitely something I plan to try.

Speaking of duck: we visited Mme. Bousquet's old farmhouse in the Perigord for a class in duck decoupage. A whole duck was cut up - all of its parts being used - on her kitchen table, the same one on which she was born and her mother and grandmother were born. The main goal of the exercise was to extract the f*** (the preceding word has been censored by the Chicago City Council) to be cooked up that night. The knife she used looked to be about 200 years old, but I'm hopeful that my Ken Onion knife and I can do the same thing without ending up with duckburger.

More later, including how I lost weight in Paris eating at some the best restaurants in the world.

Best,
Bill/SFNM

I don't know what will appeal to you, but for me, the three things I must do in Paris are have onion soup gratinée in some little bistroy, buy crepes on the street, and have at least one, if not several, completely over the top dinners at places in the Tables of the World guide. My favorite experience was at Les Ambassadeurs, which is in a converted palace on the Place de la Concorde (inside the hotel Crillion) -- it's just so spectacular that you almost don't need food. But the food is spectacular, too. No, it's not the best meal I've ever had, but it's in the top 30 or so, and the setting and flawless service put it over the top. You are greeted with a huge silver bowl filled with ice and bottles of champagne -- and anything that starts that way can't be a bad evening. And the herbal tea at meal's end is so fresh it's actually still alive -- they bring out a card of small, growing plants, and you decide which herbs you want, they pluck them and put them in the pot, and you can then select an organic honey to sweeten it. As with most high-end French restaurants, there are many courses that are just included -- amuse, cheese course, and a couple of sweets courses, other than the dessert you order. For me, the most impressive course was the foie gras appetiser, which turned out to be a degustation of foie gras, with foie gras prepared six ways. Incredible. But plan on spending $300 per person.

Other top drawer places can be made close to reasonable by going for lunch. Le Grand Vefour and Jules Verne both have fixed-price lunches that make them reasonable -- and since the Jules Verne is above the second viewing platform on the Eiffel Tower, it's not bad to be there in daylight. (And since you save the 12 euro fee for going up the tower, as JV has its own elevator, I figure you can deduct that from the 56 euro lunch price, and think of it is a relatively reasonable 44 euro lunch!)

Le Procope is fun, if you're into history. It's across the street from the old Comedie Francaise and just a few feet from the former offices of Dr. Guillotine. Ben Franklin talked over items of the Constituion with other thinkers of the day, and a young Lieutenant Bonaparte left his hat her once as a pledge. It has been the meeting place for intellectuals, diplomates, and history-makers for more than 200 years. It also has pretty good food.

I know people who could add dozens of other items, but those are the things that I felt were "musts" on my last trip.

More later, including how I lost weight in Paris eating at some the best restaurants in the world.

That always used to happen to me too on vacation, and I thought it wasn't hard to figure out why-- I was (quite literally) walking my ass off, no matter how I gorged myself along the way, toting up 5-10 miles a day over the course of usually semi-exhausting days (in which, sooner or later, I usually exasperated my traveling companions with my desire to squeeze in the Museum of Maritime Signaling between 5 and 6 pm). (This is all less the case now, alas, since my waking pace on vacation is being set by the youngest child.)

But I have to say that I wonder, too, if it wasn't a matter of eating more natural, realer food on vacation in such places. I've been reading this book, with the intention of posting about it one of these days, and one of the things she talks about is evidence that suggests that traditional things that logically should fatten you up-- lard, whole milk, etc.-- don't nearly as much as today's less natural fatty foods, because of still poorly understood natural triggers and feedback systems and so on. It certainly makes sense in terms of the often observed disparity between Americans and skinny, butter-swilling Frenchies.

Mike G wrote:

More later, including how I lost weight in Paris eating at some the best restaurants in the world.

That always used to happen to me too on vacation, and I thought it wasn't hard to figure out why-- I was (quite literally) walking my ass off, no matter how I gorged myself along the way...

Mike,

For me it wasn't the walking since I do plenty of that at home (thanks to the dog). Very simply, it is the approach of slowly eating relatively small portions of delicious, deeply satisfying food. One of the best meals I had ( lunch at Comptoir) was a small lamb shank on a small bed of couscous. But at the end of the meal, I felt so completely satisfied, that I ended up eating very little for the rest of the day. I didn't even feel bloated after the hundred course tasting menu at Ducasse but that was spread over 3-4 hours and the portions were very small, but exquisite.

Bill/SFNM

And out of curiosity, what is a "fixer" and how does one get one?

If I get to return to France any time soon, I'd be traveling alone, and having someone make some recommendations would be lovely, if that's what a fixer does. And while we're on the subject, does anyone have any great hotel recommendations -- places that are fairly well located but reasonably priced?

Cynthia wrote:And out of curiosity, what is a "fixer" and how does one get one?

If I get to return to France any time soon, I'd be traveling alone, and having someone make some recommendations would be lovely, if that's what a fixer does. And while we're on the subject, does anyone have any great hotel recommendations -- places that are fairly well located but reasonably priced?

I really can't recommend renting an apartment enough. Having a fridge, stove, washer and dryer, and enough room to stretch out in is unbelievably nice there.

And the cost is pretty darned reasonable.

Cynthia wrote:And out of curiosity, what is a "fixer" and how does one get one?

If I get to return to France any time soon, I'd be traveling alone, and having someone make some recommendations would be lovely, if that's what a fixer does. And while we're on the subject, does anyone have any great hotel recommendations -- places that are fairly well located but reasonably priced?

Cynthia,

Not sure if there is a formal definition. Maybe Louisa can chime in here. In my case, I really enjoyed the "Without Reservations" episode from Paris. Bourdain used Louisa as his "fixer" (his word) to find interesting, off-the-beaten-path shooting locations. So I contacted Louisa who frequents this forum to plan and accompany us on a Bourdainesque foodie tour. We had such a blast thanks to her although my memories after the visit the absinthe shop are still a little fuzzy

Bill/SFNM

gleam wrote:
I really can't recommend renting an apartment enough. Having a fridge, stove, washer and dryer, and enough room to stretch out in is unbelievably nice there.

And the cost is pretty darned reasonable.

Well, since one of my goals is to improve my language skills, this would probably be just the ticket. Any specific recommendations? Or does one just do a search on Google?

I've rented through vrbo.com -- very cheap place I found last minute in the heart of Saint Germain Des Pres but the studio was too dark for me to return. www.Parisbestlodge.com has some really nice places and the owner -- Thierry -- has an excellent reputation on multiple travel sites. His places tend to rent quickly, reservations 6-8 months is not unusual.

Also, there's paris hideaways -- here's an inexpensive studio in the Latin Quarter I've considered, but beware of the 4-5 flights of stairs. Go to their homepage for many more apts. This agency also has a good reputation but their prices are a bit higher than vrbo due to the agency fee you're paying. Their Rendezvous studio in the Marais is also really cute, less stairs than the esmerelda and only 400 Euro/week. Good luck!

http://studio.provaction.com/paris/esmeraldauk.html

also -- www.rentparis.com

I agree that renting an apt is the best way to fully experience the city, the markets, and food. You need to do a bit more research beforehand since you won't have an English speaking staff at your disposal, like at a hotel. If you have decent highschool level French and do lots of research prior to leaving, (try searching the Europe talk board at Fodors.com) this is a really great way to go.

When you want to soak up some culture between dining adventures ...

Letter From France | How to Visit Some of Paris’s Finest Museums but Skip the Crowds

...
there are about 175 museums in Paris, and most offer a stress-free visit. They can be modest, like the two rooms devoted to Edith Piaf in an apartment on the eastern edge of town; they can be grand, like the Musée d’Archéologie Nationale, just outside town, which displays 30,000 Gallo-Roman objects in a chateau rebuilt in the 16th century.

A cluster of must-see museums in the boring, bourgeois 16th Arrondissement easily fits into a day-long outing on a Saturday or Sunday.
...

Part of the contest I was fortunate enough to win, is dining at two Paris restaurants:

Pascade http://pascade-alexandre-bourdas.com/pa ... ml?lang=en
and
Jules Verne http://www.lejulesverne-paris.com/en

Anyone been to either?

I must admit, Jules Verne, located on the Eiffel Tower, makes me a bit skeptical as I picture a Chicago like Signature Room meal, beautiful views but food meh.

Jules Verne is a Michelin 2-star restaurant (or at least was when we were last there a couple of years ago). It's an excellent spot, in spite of the touristy venue. Oh, and it also happens an Alain Ducasse restaurant. You could do far worse.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Jules Verne is a Michelin 2-star restaurant (or at least was when we were last there a couple of years ago). It's an excellent spot, in spite of the touristy venue. Oh, and it also happens an Alain Ducasse restaurant. You could do far worse.

=R=

Ha! I hadn't even read about it yet, just noticed it's location. Yes I'm guessing we could do far worse. Thanks for the feedback, will of course report back to the board. Too bad I don't have the $ required to hire you as our trip photographer.

Sweet Willie wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Jules Verne is a Michelin 2-star restaurant (or at least was when we were last there a couple of years ago). It's an excellent spot, in spite of the touristy venue. Oh, and it also happens an Alain Ducasse restaurant. You could do far worse.

=R=

Ha! I hadn't even read about it yet, just noticed it's location. Yes I'm guessing we could do far worse. Thanks for the feedback, will of course report back to the board. Too bad I don't have the $ required to hire you as our trip photographer.

I work cheap, trust me!

=R=

Random thoughts from our February '15 trip to the City of Lights. Four nights there, before venturing on to Lucerne, Florence & Salerno...

Uh, maybe I'm crazy but at 35-50 degrees it felt colder than the glacial temps here in Chicago at that time. Crossing the Seine on a foot bridge was an adventure. On the rare times when the wind died down and it warmed a little, it was absolute magic. But even with the chill, off-season travel is where it's at--we could get in anywhere, no queues at the Louvre, just great.

Tasted foie gras for the first time at tiny Philou in the 10th. Three courses for 38 Euro, a smashing bottle of Cotes du Rhone for another 38. Wonderful pairing. Unfortunately it was mere doors from the attack on the Cambodian restaurant a few months later.

Highly publicized, but Bistrot Paul Bert in the 11th is the real deal. I had seen mouth-watering videos of their steak au poivre & frites on Zimmern's show, and up close and personal it was even better. Gorged ourselves, finishing off with a wonderful Paris Brest dessert, had to take a long walk...

...to Pere Lachaise cemetery in the 20th. Graves of Frederic Chopin, Edith Piaf and the Lizard King, Jim Morrison of the Doors. Wandered for a couple hours in the solitude.

Finally--even if you're not Catholic, check out Sunday Mass at ancient St. Sulpice in the 6th. This timeless, drafty church was the setting for the Tom Hanks movie The Da Vinci Code, and has possibly the most famous pipe organ in Europe, which sounds quite like the voice of heaven. Heard a mini-concert after Mass by their organist since 1984, Daniel Roth, who is only the 16th organist at St. Sulpice since 1601.

Just writing this makes me want to return, hopefully soon!

jnm123 wrote: But even with the chill, off-season travel is where it's at...

Could not agree more, prices are low, availability is high, & no crowds.