Sitting pretty

Posh leather high chairs await les petits at a Left Bank tea room.

Among les vignes

Rare view from inside Montmartre's gated vineyard after its grape harvest with former artists' cabaret the Lapin Agile in background.

Below: soaring views from among the vines; leafy maintenance hut used for wine tastings

 

***

 

 Merci à La Commanderie du Clos Montmartre

Rainy morning

 

Finishing up a café crème at the Café Cassette.

 

Love in the afternoon

What was meant to be a simple late afternoon apéro turned into a meal.

Above: jambon persillé de bourgogne with crusty corn pain maison

Below: the création of the day was impossible to pass up - extra thin slices of ventrèche concealing cèpes and seared foie gras; our pistachio-coated fromage de chèvre paired with an excellent wine

- Chef de cuisine Yves Camdeborde -

[cheese: Laurent Dubois]

L'Avant Comptoir du Marché

14 rue Lobineau 75006

Pistachios please

Pistachio-heavy vanilla cream tartes.

Autumn red

A lamp post stands out against bright leaves on a Montmartre side street.

In a fog

 

Sweeping breakfast views high from a friend's glorious apartment.

A nook in time

French singer Jacques Brel loved this intimate crêperie atop the butte Montmartre where today the walls and ceiling are plastered with notes, well wishes, and business cards.

Above: Brel's portrait hangs near the piano

More mushrooms

Mushrooms rule market stalls right now, even at grandes surfaces such as Monoprix.

Below: home-made velouté de cèpes topped with loads of crispy lardons

Mushroom season

Though they don't look it these unusual varieties of mushrooms that resemble flowers are perfectly edible.

Cartesian

The tomb of revered French philosopher, scientist and mathematician René Descartes (1596-1650) in l'Église Saint Germain des Prés, once part of an abbey and Paris' oldest church.

Coffee as art

A café crème on a table at Halle Saint-Pierre.

View from inside

At Café La Palette, my daily meeting spot when I lived nearby.

Chocoween

Halloween-themed chocolate sculptures in a Saint Germain shop window.

Patrick Roger
108 Boulevard Saint-Germain 75006

Fête accompli

Scenes from last weekend's annual wine harvest parade celebrating the wine-producing regions of France.

Let them eat cheese

A neighborhood cheese shop runneth over.

High on a kiss

Newlyweds take in the views from the top of Montmartre.

 ***

- Mix and mingle at this year's Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre festivities -

All weekend

Program in English

Graffiti café

A wall of graffiti accompanies coffee on a terrace.

Waffles and chai

A small coffeehouse on the edge of the Marais district serves up wonderful things.

Le Peloton Café

17 rue du Pont Louis-Philippe 75004

October newsletter
Nouveautés 

Love in the air

A sign hanging from the side of a Left Bank café reads, "The barman loves you."

Hidden lane

A woman walks her dog past a lane of loft apartments.

Passage of time

Under renovation for what seemed like ages, historic Passage Vivienne is back in form.

Below: wine shop with its bar à vin and elevated tables; our simple planche of exquisite cured ham

Caves Legrand Filles et Fils

Galerie Vivienne

  4 rue des Petits-Champs 75002

In from the cold

Romance and retro at a favorite Montmartre fixture.

Below: house standard apéro plate with kir cocktail; cheese and beef fondues with accompanying sauces; wine served in baby bottles
 

(click to enlarge)

Le Refuge des Fondus

17 rue des Trois Frères 75018

Technicolor teatime

Sidewalk seating in living color.

Fashionable

Above: a happy shopper exits Louis Vuitton

Below: her outfit matches her pet

Ergo sum

A sign in a wine shop says, "I drink therefore I am."

- Montmartre 2019 Fête des Vendanges grape harvest festival -

October 9 - 13

Tastings - dancing - parade - ateliers - performances - exhibits...

A city garden

Off-the-tourist-radar, beautiful Parc Monceau is a perfect place to find a picnic spot.