Paris Places: Coffee, Desserts, and Dinner
A a real, honest-to-God coffee roaster, a rarity in Paris. Great selection of beans, knowledgeable staff, good people-watching. 10 rue Poncelet, 17th.
A good spot for a special meal, tucked away on Rue de Monceau. Romantic, casual, with a nice cocktail list and hearty, well-seasoned food. A lot of French restaurants seem to eschew salt, to the detriment of their dishes, but this place doesn’t skimp on flavor. 61 Rue de Monceau, 8th.
This is where we go when we want to pick up a beautiful, light, seasonal dessert to bring to a friend’s house or serve to guests. Gorgeous meringues topped with season fruit. 21 Rue de Levis, 17th.
A great spot for a crepe, with more than 30 ciders. This place takes cadre so seriously, it bills itself as a cidrologue. (Cidre is what you drink with your crepe in France. It comes in a bowl and is a delicious accompaniment and hardly even seems like alcohol.) 99 rue des Dames, 17th.
How to Cook Like the French: Le Creuset
No Parisian kitchen is complete without a Le Creuset Dutch Oven. These are amazing for stews, soups, and pretty much anything you want to simmer. They can go from stovetop to oven so are great for braising chicken or steak before putting it in the oven. I have the nine-quart Dutch oven in the beautiful blue color, Marseille, but it is available in multiple sizes and colors with lovely names, like Flame, Nectar, Sea Salt, and Meringue.
In addition to the iconic Dutch oven, we have the Le Creuset Signature Skillet, also in Marseille. This is a very heavy, durable cast iron pan that you’ll keep forever. We use it several times a week. It works with the lid from our Dutch oven. Thanks to these three pieces, we need very little else for our stovetop. Oh, and we also have the Le Creuset grill pan in Flame (pictured above covered in oranges and limes).
We actually took both the Dutch oven and the cast iron skillet with us when we moved from California to Paris. There, I discovered the small, exquisite Le Creuset store in the Marais, where I bought the London mug in several different colors over several different trips. (The shopkeeper kept getting me to try to match my mugs, but I love seeing the deep glaze in different colors). You can get a set of LeCreuset mugs, in one color or many, here.
Right after lockdown ended, I made another trip to the Marais and bought the Utensil Crock, which is sturdy and subtle and big enough to hold my husband’s bizarrely large collection of spatulas. After the dreary days of lockdown, I chose Provence, a gorgeous shade of lavender, because it made me happy. (I think a colorful kitchen is a happy kitchen!)
Things to Know When living in Paris
Where to get the best coffee in Paris
8 Coping Tips for Living in Paris, via David Levovitz
Bread for breakfast in France, via Lost in Cheeseland
Paris Costco – How to get there and why you’ll want to, via DC Rainmaker in Paris
How to Order Like a Local at a French Boulangerie, via Paris Perfect
How to Order a Baguette in French, via Everyday Parisian
Where to shop in Paris, via Design Sponge (from Anne Ditmeyer of Pret-a-Voyager)
Walking tours in Paris – Dr. Kelly Spearman, an art historian with decades of experience showing folks around Paris, does amazing walking tours full of stories and art.
My favorite blogs about expat life in France
Parisian on Purpose
Former Wall Street Journal reporter Bob Hughes shares his everyday experiences living in Paris, from cooking for French friends to struggling to relax the French way, in this erudite, honest, personal blog.
Even though I’m always an outsider in France, I don’t feel an outsider in Paris. I felt at home in Paris even before I could speak French.
Oui in France
Diane has lived in France with her husband for six years. In this informative, wide-ranging blog, she shares advice, observations, and practical tips on living in France–from how to get a haircut in France. to how to watch American TV shows in France. I love Diane’s honesty and the eclectic mix of subjects, from the highly practical to the deeply personal–such as the hardest parts of living in France.
The little things aren’t a major concern after you’ve lived somewhere for several years and have adapted, but now and then you just yearn for that comfortable feeling of home.
Prêt-a-Voyager
A blog by American designer and expat-in-Paris Anne Ditmeyer on travel and design, decidedly Paris-centric. Follow her Bloggers Guide to Paris link for lots of great resources on visiting and living in Paris.
Paris Perfect
With articles on how to beat the heat, where to find discount beauty products, and how to pair wine with food, this blog run by an apartment rental agency is packed with practical information for anyone visiting Paris.
DavidLebovitz.com
A macaron for the soul, this blog by pastry chef and memoirist David Lebovitz serves up delicious recipes along with recommendations for restaurants and pastry shops in Paris. His memoir about moving from San Francisco and making Paris his home, L’appart, was the first book I read about Paris when we decided to move here. Warning: Lebovitz’s mouthwatering posts will make you hungry.
My default dressing is a French vinaigrette, which is sometimes slightly creamy, courtesy of a large dollop of Dijon mustard…
Everyday Parisian – After commuting between Chicago and Paris for three years, Rebecca Plotnick returned stateside and now shares her favorite Paris addresses, along with thoughts on Parisian style.
My favorite Parisian instagram accounts
Jeanne Damas – Damas, founder of the mid-priced French brand Rouje, features art, apartments in an undone state, and the kinds of high-waisted jeans, plain white T-shirts, and subtle floral dresses you see all over the streets of Paris.
Leai Sfez – Parisian basics like cropped jeans, neutral coats, and bright blazers fill the feed of this Paris-born brunette. (FYI, almost everyone in Paris has brown hair.)
Clothing & Accessory Brands with a Parisian Vibe
Everlane: I’ve been shopping online at Everlane forever, but moving to Paris I realized just how Parisian Everyone’s simple, streamlined, high-quality aesthetic really is. Everlane’s iconic cashmere sweaters, slim fit jeans, sleek loafers, chunky knit scarves, and basic tees have transitioned well from San Francisco to Paris. Even now that I live in France, I regularly shop online at Everlane.