(One of the) Best burger(s) in Paris? Floréal

Thanks to Phyllis (although rumours of this place having excellent burgers and cocktails have been infiltrating arcane web food sites for a few weeks now..), I checked out this backside Canal hipster hangout the other day. A former PMU, still hanging on to its funky deco (disco balls, truly funky and disgusting toilets, jukebox) , and a real magnet for local (would be? real?) rockstar types, the friendliness of the staff, excellent quality burgers , although too greasy fries, (an American style 30% mat. grasse instead of the very French 5% that makes all the difference..), cocktails by David who formerly worked at Hotel Particulier (and three absinthe cocktails made with Vieux Pontarlier ! ) , make this a future local for me. Wonder what the revamp (next month) will bring?

Guess this is what you would call really bad marketing...

Paris Coffee Zeitgeist / Black Book Magazine

Here's a link to my piece in today's Black Book with my "best of" list of coffeehouses in the City of Light:

Try these:

Alto Café

Le Bal Café  , 6 impasse de la Defense, 18th

Le Caféothèque, 52 rue de l’Hotel de Ville, 4th

Café Lomi, 9 rue de Saussure 17ème)

Kooka Burra, 53 avenue Trudaine, 9th

Coutume Café, 47 rue de Babylone, 7th

Dinner at Grand Venise

Thought I might ring in the New Year with a series of photos from what was undoubtedly one of the best meals I had in 2010 at Paris' best unknown Italian. Located at the far end of the residential quinzieme , this family run restaurant (for thirty years the ever present matron Anne Piprel has been keeping watch)  , patronized almost exclusively by well heeled locals , provides (for a price) a veritable deluge of exceptional home cooked fare that literally covers the entire table and for which you'd be hard pressed to find an equivalent in Italy. Although the dining room might be a bit kitchy, I challenge you to find better, warmer service, and more of a table show any where else in the city. Think: chilled champagne cocktails, crudités, hot toasted bread and Normany butter, the house olive oils, marscapone and gorgonzola, endless platters of salads: lentils, mushrooms, mussels in cream with lime, white beans, marinated peppers, mortadella, coppa, salami, Jambon de Parma,  deep fried langoustines, all manner of delicious and varied pastas, followed by a must try, gargantuan caramel ice cream. A warning to penny pinchers and last minute bookers: forget it.

Me in L'Express!

Thanks, Anne-Laure

 "I am a Nespresso fanatic. I love my machine the way some folks love their BlackBerries. I can scarcely imagine life without it. Does it make the best espresso I've ever had? Of course not. Does it make the best espresso I've ever had in my own kitchen at 6 a.m., in my underwear, with about two minutes' notice? Hell yes." -- Colman Andrews

Me and Jacky

Florida tarragon and mule mules at Px, organic Saint Joseph, burrata and lait de ribot ice cream at Le Dauphin, Inaki coming back and forth from the kitchen for another pression ,  playing loud music off of his iPhone, and lots and lots of white marble, fun. More soon (in real publications).