François Ozon’s already prolific output of films is evidence of one of two things. Take your pick: 1. He is an outrageously talented director who revels in the variety of themes and styles that filmmaking affords him. 2. He is … Read More
Like all tragic figures, Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) fell from on high. He had it all, except perhaps beauty, but he made up for that with his brilliance, charm and wit, which were rewarded with fame and fortune. It all came … Read More
I’ve been waiting a long time for Sicilian chef Fabrizio Ferrara, who made his name in Paris with the minuscule Caffè dei Cioppi, to open the new restaurant he promised when he launched the deli and lunch spot La Dispensa in the 10th arrondissement last year. Ça y est. I ate at the new Osteria Ferrara the other night and was overjoyed on all counts.
The plot of Juste la Fin du Monde (It’s Only the End of the World), the latest film by French-Canadian director Xavier Dolan, feels more appropriate to the last two decades of the 20th century than to 2016. Not surprising, … Read More
Director Justine Triet admits that for her third film, Victoria, she set out to make an American-style comedy. Being French, however, she chose as her chuckle-generator the subject of depression, not everyone’s idea of a barrel of laughs. But what … Read More
At first glance, the newly rebranded Loiseau Rive Gauche (formerly Tante Marguerite) seems irredeemably stodgy and old-fashioned, decorated with orange-accented gray banquettes and colonial-style wood paneling, with insipid, unnecessary music playing at low volume in the background.
There is something especially moving about seeing clothing once worn by an admired historical figure that goes beyond the impression given by a visit to the person’s former home or grave, I suppose because clothing is so personal and often bears … Read More
After the heroics of tiny Iceland in the Euro soccer tournament held in France (they managed unceremoniously to boot England out of the Euros, which seemed like poetic justice after Britain voted to boot themselves out of Europe), it felt … Read More
Normally I would avoid a restaurant with a name like Canard & Champagne, but a recent review in a French magazine convinced me that in spite of its gimmicky (and misguided – what do duck and champagne have to do with each other, aside from both being delicious?) concept, it was well worth a visit. Another attraction was its location in the lively and lovely Passage des Panoramas, Paris’s oldest covered passage, dating from 1800, which is gradually filling up with restaurants of varying quality (one excellent choice: Noglu) without giving up its traditional philately shops.
When we arrived at Mensae last week, we were greeted by the welcoming smell of garlic cooking (okay, if it had been fish I would have found it less welcoming) and huge smiles from the staff.
