Blogs from France, Europe - page 1291

Benoit had asked his cousin, a teenager with long, frizzy hair and braces, was asked before our arrival to buy something for us all to eat, should we have chosen to eat at Benoit’s instead of going out to a restaurant. She bought frozen pizzas and Coke. She was funny, and a prime example of the popularity and dangers of the American media. She was full of questions. A hardcore fan of Law and Order and its various imitations, she wondered if he often saw FBI and CIA agents walking the streets with smart suits, sunglasses, and guns. She also confessed that when she was little, she wanted to be in the FBI or CIA, and was crushed when her mother curtly informed her that she could do no such thing since she was French. She ... read more

A short drive south and we ended up in a little country that produces more flavours of beer than any other. Our initial plan was for Brussels, but after a few recommendations to skip it and to go stay in Brugge, that is where we ended up after a short 2 hour stop in Antwerp. Brugge is a very nice little town, very european, with the style of the buildings dating back to the 15th century. The streets are all cobblestone, and lined with pubs promoting more than 300 flavours of beer and chocolate shops selling various flavours of rich Belgium home made sweets. Each brand of beer comes with its own branded glass, so the pubs are just packed with glasses hanging everywhere to accomodate all the various beers they sell. We spent the evening ... read more

geez.... the past two days have been shitty as all hell. Yesterday started at 4:45am when Alex and I embarked for the train station to leave Girona and head out of the French Rivieria. Apparently the 6am train we heard about did not exist. It was a sign for the day to come that we would spend half our day waiting in train stations. By 11am we had only made it to the french border but were on our way. We got screwed out of money and time as the day went on, but sure enough by 8pm we made it to Antibes, our final destination.... or so we thought. We were supposed to meet up with these people who have a house in the Cap d'Antibes, a ridiculously glamourous part of town home to walled ... read more

Le Sagittaire 77, rue Lamarck 75000 XVIIIème Paris 75018 Téléphone : 01 42 55 17 40 This is our restaurant find for this visit to Paris. I am almost reluctant to share it with you, in case you ruin it. This is a small restaurant; it was full on a Wednesday night so a reservation would be in order. Everyone spoke French and seemed to be regulars as they greeted each other. We passed by and it looked nice though you could easily miss it. The price is €30 per person. €30 is what you will pay. No more or no less. €30 is it. What do you get for that? Apperitif Entree Plat Salade et fromage Dessert ½ bottle of wine Coffee Now if you don’t want something on that list they will probably oblige. ... read more

A.Beauvilliers A.Beauvilliers and Cottage Marcadet were the two places that we had hoped to eat at. We had decided to choose other restaurants however the fancy struck us. Cottage Marcadet I discussed in the section of this blog about the Mini Paris GTG. A.Beauvilliers 52 rue Lamarck Paris 75018 Tel. 01 42 55 05 42 http://www.abeauvilliers.com A.Beauvilliers has been taken over by Yohan Perran, a very young chef. People say that is exactly what this stuffy place needed. It is now very bright, though still formal. The maitre d’ and his staff were far more relaxed and jovial than we have noticed in other such establishments. The inside is divided into several small rooms so you feel you are dining intimately with a few other patrons - like a small cafe. It works and we ... read more