Learning to Fly - Part deux

Song - Leaving on a Jet Plane by John Denver

Since some friends and I will be heading to Paris in a few weeks, I have been getting my Paris binder organized.  In it are places to shop, parks & museums to see, places to eat, etc.  May I take you to some of my favorite dining places in Paris?  Most are casual as Mr. B and I have done the expensive stuffy ones and we prefer a more relaxed atmosphere.  Some of these restaurants were recommended by a friends daughter who lived in Paris for several years while attending cooking school at Le Cordon Bleu.  Many are bistro's that my girlfriends and I just happened upon or discovered by word of mouth.

NIBBLES

**Usually the hotel desk will make reservations for you

L’Epigramme –6th ARR. a small family run restaurant, very small, very good.

9 Rue de l'Éperon

 

Poilane – buy bread, a bread knife and then have lunch next door with open sandwiches at Cusine de Bar - 8 Rue Cherche Midi 75006 Paris, France

Cuisine de Bar – Comptoir Poilane – serves tartains (small open face sandwiches)

8 rue du Cherche Midi

Cinq-Mars – near the Musee d’Orsay – great for lunch & near Musee d’Orsay

cinq-mars-restaurant.com   

51 Rue de Verneuil

+33 1 45 44 69 13

Restaurant Joséphine Chez Dumonet - 6th ARR. - (David Lebovitz recommended)

117 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006 Paris, France

+33 1 45 48 52 40

  

Les avant-comptoirs  - 6th ARR. - Two restaurants next to each other. -  Every day from 12 pm to 23 pm

3 carrefour de l'Odéon - 75006 Paris.  Reservationless

  

Pierre Herme – 6th ARR. - one word…
Croissant (Kwa-san)….yum. !!  Go early because they sell out soon.  It is near Saint-Sulpice

72 Rue Bonaparte

Le Récamier – 7th ARR. - Souffles for every course and other French food – Presidents and famous people eat here. Cosy, casual & late night dining. Watch the waiter to see where the wine cellar is located! And if you order the Grand Marnier Souffle for dessert they leave the whole bottle on your table to pour til you heart is content.....

4 Rue Récamier, 75007 Paris, France

Hours: Closes: 11PM ⋅ Opens 12PM Mon          

Phone: +33 1 45 48 86 58

They must hire small waiters to fit into that wine cellar!

Pizza Chic – 6th ARR. -  if you want a break from French food, this is the place to enjoy a delicious authentic pizza. Reservations needed. Right next door to Hotel de l’Abbaye. But keep your eyes on your husband!!!

13 Rue de Mézières

Café de la Paix – 9th ARR. The Cafe de la Paix is located just across from the Opera Garnier in a very impressive old building which is beautifully decorated in the classic French style. Fun to sit outside & order a more casual meal like French Onion soup.  5 Place de l'Opera, 75009

Fauchon – 8th ARR. -  High end food shop near the Madeline – Just to wander around and observe…..maybe buy an Elephant Ear cookie

Les Papilles - 5th ARR.

30 rue Gay Lussac, 75005
Hours: Closed Sunday & Monday; Open Tuesday-Saturday 9.30am-midnight
Reservations: Book a week or two in advance
Telephone: 01 43 25 20 79
Average price for lunch: 20-39€
Average price for dinner: 20–39€
Style of cuisine: Classic French

Café Varenne - 7th ARR

36, rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris, France

Reservations: +33 1 45 48 62 72

At the heart of the 7th Cafe Varenne, lively and very cozy brasserie offers traditional cuisine prepared with taste and refinement.(Ina Garten loves their country omelette)

Le Bistrot de Paris - 6th ARR.- along the Seine - Traditional. Great veal chops.(Also recommended by Ina Garten)  33 rue de Lille, 75007

Boulangerie OdÉon - Eric Kayser - 6th ARR.

10 rue de l'ancienne comédie
Paris, 75006    Tél 01 43 25 71 60

Ouvert de 7h à 20h, fermé le dimanche

Le Procope –  6th ARR. - Old World French Restaurant - This is the place that Napoleon left his hat as security while he went out in search of money to pay his bill. It’s a legendary restaurant in the 6th ARR. of Paris since 1686. Procope offers traditional cuisine through different specialties such as Coq au vin and the calf's head. 13 Rue de l'Ancienne Comédie, 75006 Paris, France

procope.com  +33 1 40 46 79 00

The next two are great bistro's to relax and people watch -

Café de Flore - 6th ARR.

172 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris, France

cafedeflore.fr

+33 1 45 48 55 26

Les deux Magot - 6th ARR.

6 Place Saint-Germain des Prés, 75006 Paris, France

lesdeuxmagots.fr

+33 1 45 48 55 25

Best sandwich I have ever eaten....looks kinda plain huh?  Well the butter comes from Normandy, the jambon (ham) comes from Italy and the bread is from around the corner - Poilane! Not plain at all. Yummmm....

And sometimes it's very nice to have a simple picnic in the park.....

"The only time to eat diet food 

is while you're waiting for the steak to cook."

 - Julia Child

Learning To Fly

Song - Come Away With Me by Norah Jones

So I have these two friends who happen to be sisters and I have known them for 40 plus years.

And we have a little problem.....we like to go to Paris together.

Jackie & Sydney came over to my house last weekend and we were supposed to plan a long weekend away this Spring.  We talked about many places to visit but then Jackie said "Oh heck, let's just check out airfare to Paris" and we all got to giggling hysterically and oops.....

we are heading to Paris in just a few weeks!

We have reserved our favorite room at the cozy little hotel we like in the 6th Arr.

There is a little balcony off of the bedroom that we have breakfast on while planning our day while looking out over the various rooftops in the neighborhood.

   

Then off we go to the various places that speak to our hearts. 

Some times we all go together and other times each one of us is off on her own journey.

In the next few weeks I hope to share these special spots with you!

"Paris est toujours une bonne idée"

--Audrey Hepburn

"Paris is always a good idea" - from the movie Sabrina

Wandering

Song - Fallen Through Time by Bear McCreary

Today I was playing music from our Scotland-England trip while painting these darling kids running home from school in Bath, England.  The playlist was for a CD that I made of our trip and included the above song.

Can you imagine the joy?

And that's exactly how I looked today when I got a new Mother Board put into my dead computer. 

 Yes.  I know.  

Right after my last blog post about the lovely rain, we had several power outages and my computer would not restart.  

After finding out that my brilliant computer guy was sick with the flu and that he wasn't even joking when he texted me "Oh Jeanette....I am so sorry but your computer really is dead"!  

 So I put on my big girl boots and called Dell.

Two hours later after a very patient man walked me though opening up the side of my computer and unplugging stuff and plugging in other stuff and turning it on and off and beeps and timing flashing lights and there may have been a few tears.....

...it was determined that I needed a new Mother Board.

Huh?

I texted my sick computer guy and he said that he was VERY proud of me!

I'll have you know that I went through withdrawals being without my computer.

Photos

Resources

Recipes

Blogging

Genealogy

Finances

Music

Information 

Art

well, you know....

So I now can take a deep breath and appreciate all that my trusty little computer gives me.

While painting, I looked out of our back door to the little bird house that Mr. B bought for our yard and I saw some activity in there. (You can read about Mr. B's purchase HERE)

An Oak Titmouse was checking it out for a nest.  Later in the day she brought her hubby along to show him the real estate she had found.  He must of given her the green light because the two of them were busy building that nest all day long. 

Mama bird would fly in and out with soft bits of fuzz in her beak while the proud dad would sing from the Maple tree above with joy.

And off she goes to find more nesting stuff.

I can't tell you how much joy this brings to my heart.

“If you will stay close to nature, 

to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, 

those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable.”

 --Rainer Maria Rilke

Pitter Patter

Song- Relaxing Forest Rain Sounds

During the night and early Thursday morning a storm blew in.  The clouds were flying across the sky.

And YES California finally has some rain.....

...and more importantly we are getting some snow as well!

Woke up on Thursday morning to eight little California Goldfinch birds on one feeder.

They were singing so beautifully from the trees.

I'm thinking that they are happy with the rain too!

This sweet Dark-eyed Junco feeds on the ground like the Mourning Doves.  They pick up the seed that other birds (or squirrels) have dropped.

And the rain just keeps up it's delightful pitter-patter all around me....loving the sound.

Rain is grace; 

rain is the sky condescending to the earth; 

without rain,

 there would be no life.

--John Updike