Day 12: Paris

Day 12: May 21, Paris

Weather: Glorious, cool to moderate (low 60s), clear, a day for walking (and walking, and more walking, even to and from dinner)

THB’s phone started beeping in the middle of the night and DB spent a lot of time trying to figure out what was beeping and where it was. THB slept on. THB had forgot to turn the phone off; it beeps when the charge is running down. Since the phone is so rarely on or charged, this doesn’t happen often, just when it is most inconvenient. This was very inconvenient, especially to DB…THB was a bad boy! Oh, and phone was buried in a suitcase somewhere.

 

Necklace #2 on THB's #1

Necklaces are from the Iki Galerie

Breakfast of toast (two-day old Poilane bread), jam, strawberries (holding up remarkably well) and coffee.

After breakfast we wonder over to the Place de Bastille and pick up stuff for a salad for lunch and then wander back to 134 for a baguette and croissant, roam around near the Picasso Musee and back to the apartment for second breakfast of melon (not quite ripe enough to THB, DB liked it) and the traditional (non-crescent) croissant.

Huge salad for lunch: rocket, marinated artichoke hearts, tomato; with cheese, cipolin onions, pear and baguette.

 

THB did not buy this loaf, he just admired it for quite a while

The baguette traditional that THB did buy and ate

Walk to the Pompidou: the modern art floor is closed! Since it is stuff we are familiar with, it is not that big a deal. We spend a lot of time on the contemporary art floor, the theme is struggling with war, which means there wasn’t a lot of whimsy. We also marvel from the top of the outdoor escalator how accessible Paris is because of the height limit throughout the many inner neighborhoods. There have to be less cranes per square kilometer than any other major city in the world.

The shot taken just before being fired upon

Actually, there were a few whimsical pictures

How THB's NYT service level looks artistically

That's funny, THB and DB fly home on Sunday May, 24

Back to gallery visits, and several work out well because the shows are in transition and the artists are there helping get the new shows ready for an opening. One is a photographer with shots taken over a very wide space of time, 15-20 years so this is more a retrospective (he seems about 40-45), blurry and yet you know what the picture is, just not sure what it is about. The second artist is a ceramicist, almost 40 (she whispers to us this b’day milestone is fast approaching) who has done a residency at Archie Bray and a summer program at Alfred, both places we’ve been. She might be at the big US-based show, NCECA, next year in Kansas City and we can meet up again.

We also learn that there is some form of collective gallery action next weekend, called Choices Paris Collectors Weekend, the second annual. Many of the galleries we have visited (or planned to visit) are participating. We’re not quite sure how this would differ from a normal weekend other than these galleries will all have a show up and collaborating somehow. Maybe next year another visit to Paris….?

We see other work we like, including a litho artist now doing ceramics; nothing purchased as of yet. Also revisit a number of the food tour stops from yesterday to bring back gifts and eat chocolate chip cookies from #1, 134 rdt. The cookies are not as doughy as you get in US, more crumbly (like made with corn meal), 6E for two cookies and the baguette.

We take “showers” when we get back: both stiff from more walking, walking and more walking this afternoon.  Shower is in quotes because while we use the shower hose, you take your shower sitting down in the bath because there isn’t a shower curtain. We saw and almost bought today one of those small Japanese shower stools in a design shop: if we had been closer to home, it was an easy decision (53E).

An easy stroll to dinner, Bones is about a mile away with very few course changes (i.e., pretty much a straight shot going west). A small restaurant, seats maybe 20-25 with room for another 15 or so in the bar area (it’s one big room, only a step up separates the two areas).

Fixed price, 4 or 5 courses depending on if you opt for the cheese supplement, which we don’t.

The first course: four small plates, and comes with house-made bread (a tremendous whole wheat with strong crust and chewy insides, served warm):

Terrine Maison

Radis et beurre d’ ortie (fresh radishes with nettles butter!)

Bonite et concombre (small sashimi slice of bonito in mild sauce with cucumbers)

Tourteau sur toast et liveche (small taste of crab on toast with bottom half of toast sitting in a lovage “green” soup)

Second course

Legumes de printemps et palourdes: a few clams in broth with white asparagus, peas and fava beans

Third course

DB has Caille, brocolis, artchauts et yaourt: quail with broccolini, artchoke hearts and yogurt

THB has Ris d’ agneau, courgette, et sauce verte: lamb sweetbreads with zucchini (THB gives much to DB) and green sauce with mini-chard like leaves on top; this is only overlap with Spring, and Spring’s version is better (because it is the best THB has ever had)

THB and DB share a small green salad, the lettuce tastes like it was picked 90 seconds ago

Fourth course

Mousse au yaourt on top of rhubarb et biscuit a l orge: yogurt flavored mousse on top of rhubarb and a biscuit

THB has an espresso and we each get a lump of chocolate with lovage on top

Two cocktails, two glasses of wine (DB sends back her first one, it sure tasted like cider, including the bubbles), and tip: 190E

This meal was tremendous, especially as rated as “California” cuisine rather than “classic” French. Everything tasted fresh, right from the garden, not overly sauced, the meal was well paced, and seasoned with herbs rather than salt.

The cocktails were good, the wine not so much, which may be because we left the choice of wine to the wait staff and they selected two inexpensive glasses. Overall, a terrific meal.

Footnote: Neither Spring nor Bones took Amex, VISA no problem. Bones was the first meal we had where service was not included.

A short stroll back, far less stuffed (or drunk!) than last night.

Same building as below: school for young men and pregnant girls!