Two perfect beers for Halloween.
Merci Planète Bière 2020 Paris
Chef steps outside for a quick clope before the lunch service.
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Yes, the French still smoke. A lot. At least from an American point of view, but a lot less than before. Since 2007, smoking has been strictly prohibited inside restaurants, cafés and bars, any and all enclosed and covered public spaces such as supermarkets, boutiques, hospitals and clinics, schools, public transportation, airports and in work spaces and offices (sorry "Emily In Paris") unless a company sets aside an area exclusively for fumeurs.
I was about to say that the stereotype sultry Frenchman of films noirs seated alone on a café terrasse--where smoking is allowed--quietly observing as he takes a drag is long passé, but astute habitués of this blog have pointed out the gentleman in the background behind Clotilde in my recent posting, “Messy French buns" (bottom photo). - BPJ
Below: this morning's lemon zest merveilles (accompanied by butter, jams, honey, coffee, tea)
Emily Brontë
Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.
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Autumn in Montmartre
This weekend's posting is an ode to the messy French bun a.k.a. "messy French girl bun" or just "messy bun," an enigmatic hairstyle that's been taking over the internet. According to instagram feeds, everyone is gravitating towards “easy," but to be authentique the key word here is "messy" (see My French hair) - natural, uncontrived, slightly unruly - though it is not perceived as messy in France.
This carefree look can be seen in the character of Sylvie in Emily In Paris, the new Netflix series where Emily's French boss (played by Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu), despite pushing 60, steals the show from her over-dressed, over-excited, much younger (yet endearing) American nemesis. But the verdict is in, and it is Sylvie whose wayward wisps and ubiquitous half-sneer make her the most riveting in a series rife with wince-inducing clichés.
Along with a wardrobe of scarves, the messy bun can be found lurking somewhere inside almost every Parisienne's (designer) bag of tricks, ready to be pulled out at a moment's notice. But for it to be truly Frenchy, this bun - chignon in French - should appear to be an afterthought, swiftly secured with preferably no more than one pin, hair clip or hair tie. And that's it. Years ago I started to write a piece for a beauty magazine called, "The Bun Is Back" but then realized, that at least in France, it never went away.
For a wedding or special occasion most Paris coiffeurs and coiffeuses will expertly oblige with more sophisticated versions. There is a bar à chignons in the Latin Quarter that used to offer a bun+soin de visage (facial) package because zut, lovely skin and chignons go together, like café crèmes and pains au chocolat. - BPJ
Above: daughter Danielle's classic pileup is held in place w/one long hairpin; me w/my usual (messy) one-clip upsweep
Below: 3 messy French buns in a row; a 4-step beach bun (merci Clotilde* - click to enlarge) created in seconds using no pins or clips whatsoever
* Winner "messiest French girl bun": Clotilde
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Samuel Paty
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Yesterday France said goodbye at a ceremony held at L'Université Paris Sorbonne (Paris IV)
In France, flowers are an integral part of life and in Paris, florists are as numerous as boulangeries. They lift spirits, add color and cheer wherever they appear, and symbolize romance, nature, optimism and the persistence of beauty. - BPJ
With a couvre-feu (curfew) in place since Saturday, restaurants have had to close by 9
p.m. for the next weeks. But Paris has quickly adjusted with the return of the traditional three-course hot lunch formule, while apéro planches (above), small plates and lighter fare have become the new dinner, taken earlier than France's usual dinner time which typically is between 8 and 9 p.m. Bon appétit! - BPJ
This turquoise bicycle is parked in front of this shuttered window only on Thursdays.
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As we head into the weekend you might have noticed that I've tweaked up the blog, slightly, making some of the photos larger and changing / enlarging text for easier reading - a work in progress as there are almost 2000 posts. The "About" page has been edited, and I’ve stopped posting synopses of monthly newsletters in “Nouveautés” - now a space for selected announcements. While the original concept of a photo blog will remain intact (photos with brief captions), I hope to include more Paris-related commentary, perhaps book reviews, restaurant recommendations, interviews etc. - as I've done for magazines and newspapers.
Wishing all a splendid weekend as we prepare for a four-week (maybe longer, depending how it goes) couvre-feu that begins tonight in Paris, and other cities, between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. (specifics in French here), something that France has not seen since World War II, in an attempt to get this virus under control.
Stay well. Stay safe. Get a dog (dog walking allowed). - BPJ
As the number of coronavirus cases climbs ever-changing rules for cafés and restaurants are keeping wary habitués at a distance.
Paris' last surviving vineyard overlooks the city from its Montmartre perch.
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Merci à La Commanderie du Clos Montmartre
Above: the gratinéed foie gras-studded "mac cheese" fusion entrée that had everyone wishing they'd ordered the same
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This week: more Italian... "Monday night is Italian night!"... at home
Into the weekend with anachronistic sculptures by Catalan artist Gerard Mas.
Napoléon Bonaparte was shrewdly aware of the impact of images, and would commission paintings depicting him in scenes that never quite happened that way, for prosperity.
When I was writing for USA Today a tidbit of advice I passed on to readers was, "Try to avoid those cute Paris bistrots
with red and white checked tablecloths. As tempting as they are, they're usually tourist bait." But this Left Bank jewel that's been serving up French classics to a devoted clientèle since 1970 is an exception. - BPJ
Above: chef Rémi Lebron's "legendary" (quoting his menu) bœuf bourguignon w/grilled marrow bones warm up a chilly autumn evening
Paris woke up today wondering if a decision to close its restaurants and cafés yet again for a Phase II confinement had been made. And the virus continues....
In French, cuisine is a type of cooking, as in English, but it also translates literally to, "kitchen."
Above: cuisine de grandmère from a Paris cuisine
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Merci A&J for an unforgettable evening
