A provincial brand of traditional almond sweets is almost one hundred years old as of 2017! Born in 1920, the confiserie Roy René comes straight out of the heart of Aix-en-Provence. One of the most charming regions of France, I have been lucky to have visited it several times. Along with olive oil, artists and lavender, this region is also known for… Read more →
Charm
Paris and Spring and Pretty Things
Spring is always a beautiful season in Paris. The blossoms, that last just for a couple weeks, turn this city into a fairytale. Lucky for me I got a couple weeks of vacation and a visit from my mama chérie to enjoy April in Paris. Read more →
French Breakfast
The best kind of breakfast out in Paris, according to me anyway, is not the overpriced, complicated, you-need-to-reserve-a-table brunch kind. Non, it’s the roll-out-of-bed and head to your favorite café kind where you can have a café crème, à fresh croissant and a « tartine » (baguette with butter and jam). Simple. Delicious. What more do you need in the morning (in… Read more →
A Parisian Ski Lodge with a View
Article by Frank Cierpial Café de L’Homme is one of those cafes in Paris that you cannot miss. I have a rubric on which I rate establishments for dining out. I call it the “Dining Out Trinity” and it is based on a line from my idol: The great Carrie Bradshaw. She said that in New York, you either looking for… Read more →
Historic and Modern, Hôtel Bel Ami, Paris
Bel Ami, a novel written by renowned French author from the 19th century, Guy de Maupassant, this Hotel which has taken on the name of that title used to house a printing press, where the famous novel was first published. Just steps away from the famous literary cafés, Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots, the Hotel Bel Ami has… Read more →
Luxury Ice Cream Dream in Paris
There is a luxury version of almost everything. You have your typical boulangerie pastries sold for a euro or two and handed to you in a paper bag, and then you have star chef’s incredible creations served in fancy dining rooms on china. You have a box of eclairs sold in the frozen section of the grocery store, and then… Read more →
Breakfast at Ladurée
Forget Breakfast at Tiffanys.. We do Breakfast at Ladurée! (And it’s not just devouring a croissant while we gaze in the window). Oh no, we go in, take a seat and order! One of my favorite places to go for a sweet treat is of course the one and only French macaron mecca : Ladurée. My gal pal Paula and… Read more →