Harboring more Michelin-starred restaurants within its borders than many other countries combined, France is widely associated with “la haute gastronomie“: high-end cuisine that remains frustratingly […]
Good Spots For Working, Thinking & World-Gazing Generations of writers have elected Parisian cafés as ersatz offices, even second homes. How many novels, short stories […]
There’s something mysterious– even alchemical— about the qualities that have to come together to yield the ideal croissant. It needs to be buttery and tender, […]
As this goes to press, December has snuck up on us– and I find myself craving a few classic French desserts and sweet nibbles typically […]
It would take a 21st-century team of curators and wine experts for Bordeaux to get its Cité du Vin, a massive complex dedicated to wine […]
The history of French pastry-making is, like almost everything else in the Gallic world, passionately disputed. Some claim it starts with the 13th-century baker Régnaut-Barbon, […]
The outdoor café is part of what gives Paris its charm and energy. Whether it’s occupied for breakfast and morning coffee, pre-dinner apéritifs with friends, […]
Recent trends in food have tended to de-emphasize the importance of the dining room from an aesthetic point of view– or at least pretend to. […]
The area around the Quai St-Bernard at the edge of Paris’ Latin Quarter is strikingly contemporary– in contrast to most of the 5th arrondissement, where […]
During the heyday of train travel in the late nineteenth to early-twentieth centuries, rail stations in major cities were places where wealthy travelers showed off […]
There’s something deceptively timeless about raising a toast over a glass of champagne (or some other form of sparkling white wine). It’s easy to imagine […]
It’s an annual tradition that’s certainly not taken lightly. Every year since 1994, a panel of judges gathers in the French capital to select the […]
My partner and I almost always have a block of salted Brittany butter in the fridge, and usually there’s a “backup” somewhere in the freezer, […]
It’s starting to feel like a routine to note that Paris has been getting significantly better at producing things it was once mediocre at. Craft […]
It can be surprisingly difficult to find a “traditional” French restaurant in the capital that offer reasonable fixed-priced menus and thoughtfully presented, delicious dishes. But this […]
Cocktails haven’t always been a strong suit in the French capital. Just a few years ago, procuring a decent mixed drink– much less a thoughtfully […]
Aside from the humble baguette, there is perhaps no other staple more common in French homes than the bottle of wine. Parisians have the luxury […]
It’s not always easy to find a decent brunch in Paris– or anywhere, for that matter. These days, brunch seems to be a bit hit-or-miss […]
While most tourists with a taste for gourmet experiences come to Paris to try French food, a few know that the city harbors its fair […]
The French may not celebrate Thanksgiving, but on the third Thursday of November they find something of their own to be thankful for: wine. To be […]
