Paris Long Weekends
Whenever I visited our European headquarters in Burgundy, I always added on a weekend in Paris to explore the city and to indulge my culinary appetites. On my most recent journey, my wife Emily left our three kids at home and came along for the ride. Surely this is one of the great joys in life, to work your way as a couple through the challenge of how to spend 48 hours in Paris.
Of course, before we could set out on the town, we had to parse through Paris’ myriad options for an appropriate place to rest our heads at the end of each exploratory day.
Where to Stay - Legendary or Luxe
The great palace hotels of Paris are legendary temples of style and indulgence, and each has its own distinctive character—the art lies in finding the one that matches yours. I prefer discrete side streets over grand avenues, I have a weakness for contemporary flair over period details, and I love whimsy and humour over formality and etiquette. I am almost religious in my avoidance of the chain hotels, no matter how high end, but I have to confess that the grand hotel that fits me like a glove in Paris is Le Royal Monceau. Yes, it is a Raffles property, but it is utterly original, from its gorgeous rooms that feel ready to be lived in to its airy and colourful public spaces, with the inimitable wit of designer Philippe Stark working its way into every thoughtful detail.
The search for the perfect small luxury hotel in Paris is a Sisyphean task, for as soon as one finds the answer, 10 more potential candidates have sprung from the ground. Still, one must try, and my current candidate is Le Pavillon de La Reine. It is a veritable oasis of calm amidst the bustle of Paris, a secret ivy-clad world hidden off a discrete passage in the perfectly proportioned Place des Vosge in the Marais. The magnificent 17th-century residence rises up over a manicured garden courtyard, while indoors the earthy palette and lush fabrics create an atmosphere of hushed elegance. The library bar is the perfect place to enjoy a drink at the end of the day, the newly launched spa offers every kind of pampering, and the contemporary rooms are a welcome refuge in the evening
Where to Walk (and Eat) - Neighbourhoods for Strolling
After my wife Emily and I chose our hotels, it was time to get down to the business of exploring Paris proper. Here’s how we spent our first day. Paris is a city built for walking, and the best place to indulge in the peripatetic pleasures is in the meandering streets of the Marias. I set off early to enjoy the morning light that bathes the narrow streets as the district comes to life, and after a pain au chocolate and a couple of café crèmes, Emily joined me for a couple of hours of casual browsing, popping in and out of shops, exploring hidden courtyards, and soaking up the local vibe
We had lunch at Le Dome du Marais, housed in a former pawn shop with a gorgeous glassed-in conservatory attached to a magnificent three-story rotunda with a circular glass skylight. The strong colour palette of black and white combines with the rich materials (wrought iron, mahogany, velvet) to create an elegant, sophisticated atmosphere. Enjoy heaping plates of smoked salmon and decadent combinations like homemade foie gras with white miso paste while drinking chilled Chablis.
Belleville is the Parisian equivalent of Brooklyn—still a bit rough around the edges, populated by artists and hipsters, side-by-side with immigrants and indigents, but rapidly gentrifying. The best way to explore it is by foot, and the best way to explore by foot is with a Soundwalk loaded into your phone or mp3 player. Soundwalks are hands-down the coolest audio-walking tour that I have every encountered. Narrated by local characters (some famous, some not), they take you on a richly experiential and deeply authentic tour of a neighbourhood, following the narrative arc of a storyline, and pulling you into the drama until the line between story and reality becomes hard to distinguish. The Belleville Soundwalk starts at the iconic Café Charbon on the bustling Rue Oberkampf and then meanders through the hidden alleyways of this eclectic neighbourhood for about 90 minutes.
I take my food very very seriously, so deciding where to spend a precious evening dining in Paris requires endless research and agonizing. I have a trusted circle of fellow gourmands who I have cultivated over the years, and one of them put me on to Le Sergent Recruteur, recently re-launched under the guidance of Michel Bras protégée Antonin Bonnet. I made a reservation online long in advance (how unFrench!), and when the time came, we took a beautiful evening stroll from the Place des Vosges across the bridge to the Ile Saint Louis. The main room, which was formerly a tavern for about 600 years, has been re-invented as a sleek and chic temple of modern gastronomy. There is no menu, and once the staff has ascertained if there is anything to be avoided, the procession of extraordinary dishes built around whatever is fresh that day in the local markets begins to unfold. Whether it is razor clams perched on white asparagus, seared scallops with carrot purée, sea urchin with butternut squash, or pithivier with black truffles, everything is beautifully balanced, highly inventive, and cooked to perfection. Currently a Michelin one-star, its brilliance would easily justify three.
Where to Soak up the Culture (and Eat...).
After a first day spent meandering through the streets of Paris on foot and sampling some of the city’s finest culinary offerings, for Day Two Emily and I decided to get in deep in one of our favourite neighbourhoods and delve into the city’s surging bistronomy.
Paris is a city that constantly evolves, and I’m always looking for new ways to experience it. City Art Insider is the brainchild of two extraordinary “Carols”—French native Caroline Etter and Toronto transplant Carolyn Smith—and together they fashion deeply personal and highly curated art (and artist) experiences. Whether it’s helping you to plan a significant acquisition for your collection or simply immersing you in the vibrant behind-the-scenes life in the city’s coolest contemporary galleries and artist studios, the dynamic duo seem to know everyone and have access everywhere. We spent the morning in the Marais dropping in for coffee with gallery owners, viewing private exhibitions, learning about the newest up-and-coming artists, and poking around in the storage rooms to view recent works.
Sticking with the Marais (Paris is so protean that I often think it’s better to focus and go deep in one arrondissement), we headed to Claude Colliot for lunch. Though it was awarded Le Prix Staub-Lebey in 2010 as “Best Paris Bistro,” it feels like the kind of neighbourhood gem kept secret by locals who are in the know but fearful of seeing it destroyed. We scored a table by the window and settled in for a leisurely meal of creative contemporary bistro cuisine, with a focus on market-fresh ingredients and delicate flavours—think grilled octopus with cauliflower florets, grouper with a citrus-mango mustard, and playful desserts like fresh strawberry ice-cream over julienned apple “fries.”
In order to truly enjoy all of the culinary indulgences that Paris has to offer, I think it’s critical to balance the hours around the table with some hours of physical activity, and with the Vélib bike share system continuing to expand its reach across Paris, it’s never been easier. Once you figure out the mechanics of how to unlock the bike (the self-service navigation is surprisingly straightforward), the best thing to do is to jump on and start riding. Paris is a city that lends itself to spontaneous exploration, and the locks make it easy to hop on and off the bike. If you prefer to do some walking, you can do as we did and combine both with a bike ride to the start of the Coulée verte, an elevated tree-lined park built along the top of an obsolete railway/viaduct (and the original inspiration for the celebrated Highline in New York) just east of the Opera Bastille. The elevated green belt runs for five kilometres, providing a wonderfully secluded and lush garden in the sky for a leisurely postprandial stroll.
I like to bookend a fancy Michelin-starred meal with something much simpler for my second and final night in Paris, and my quest for the perfect Parisian bistro currently has three finalists on the short list. Josephine “Chez Dumonet” is a beautiful art nouveau bistro in Saint Germain that serves old fashioned, slow-cooked classics (boeuf bourgignon, morels stuffed with foie gras, etc.) better than just about anyone else.
For something a little more bohemian (but equally old fashioned), Le Baratin in Belleville is helmed by Argentinain-born Raquel Carena, who produces heartfelt comfort dishes like ox cheeks braised in red wine and soup de poisson, and is known as the haunt of great chefs like Joel Robuchon on their nights off. Finally, for a more contemporary experience, Le Comptoir du Relais near Odéon is where former Michelin three-star chef Yves Camdeborde pioneered the bistronomy movement (serving high-calibre food in bistro settings) with dishes like braised lamb shank and steak tartare. Reservations require months of advanced planning, but if you don’t secure a coveted dinner spot, drop by for lunch, when reservations are not accepted.
This time around, Emily and I chose Le Baratin for our final meal, where we immediately felt like we were dining en famille as fellow guests passed around the chalk board menu and Raquel’s somewhat gruff husband dispensed advice on wine. The perfect finish to a whirlwind weekend in Paris.
