Nous, Princesses de Clèves
The other day I walked into one of the many chic gift shops in the Marais district of Paris and found myself drawn to a pack of old books, only to discover that they had been tied together so tightly … Read More
Edited
Paris à la Carte
PARIS A LA CARTE
Spring wine: One of our favorite Paris restaurants, Spring, now offers one-and-a-half-hour wine-tasting classes in English, complete with gourmet snack, on Thursday afternoons. Click here to reserve. La Cuillère d’Or: Lucie Joudiou, an apprentice chef at gourmet restaurant Laurent in … Read More
Avant l’Aube
When I saw that Raphaël Jacoulot’s Avant l’aube (Before Dawn) stars three of the finest actors of their respective generations, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Sylvie Testud and Vincent Rottiers, it felt like an opportunity not to be missed. Clearly inspired by the … Read More
Au Revoir, Richard Hesse
Au Revoir, Richard and Bertie the Gastrohound
Richard Hesse, Paris Update’s regular restaurant reviewer since 2006, is leaving France this month. When we asked our readers to say au revoir to him, the response was overwhelming. You’ll find their comments below. Richard will be greatly missed by … Read More
Des Hommes et des Dieux
Inspired by real events that occurred in 1996, when a group of French Cistercian monks was abducted from their monastery in the Atlas Mountains in northern Algeria and held hostage by Islamic militants, Des Hommes et des Dieux (Of Gods … Read More
Le Nom des Gens
Le Nom des Gens has so much going for it: witty dialogue, imaginative touches, engagement with some interesting political issues, a strong lead performance from Jacques Gamblin and even a brief appearance by former French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. So … Read More
Brasserie du Louvre & Zerda Café
Aspirational Brasserie, Crowned Couscous
I have two typically French restaurants for you this week: a fine-dining restaurant that calls itself a brasserie and a couscous restaurant anointed Best in Paris by Le Figaro’s crack team of inspectors. The Brasserie du Louvre sits right on … Read More
L’Atelier du France & Au Dernier Métro
Excess Taken to two Extremes
One of the perks of being a reviewer is that I occasionally get invited to openings and, also occasionally, I am so charmed by the place and the people that I want to write about them despite … One of … Read More
La Princesse de Montpensier
Marie-Madeleine de Lafayette’s La Princesse de Clèves (1678), considered by many to be the first modern novel – and denigrated a few years ago by that authority on high culture, Nicolas Sarkozy – has tempted many a movie director, usually … Read More
Mini Palais
Don't Judge a Menu at the En-Cas
Pros: Wonderful food, service, location. Low noise levels. Big outdoor terrace. Cons: Can’t think of any I was disappointed by my first glance at the menu at the Mini Palais, whose “consulting chef” is Eric Frechon, one of the first … Read More