Da Rosa, Paris

Post Barcelona tapas withdrawal can be a subtle, compelling and painfully motivating force. Complicated even more so if you live in the Sahara of good tapas joints that is the city of Paris. Luckily Da Rosa, everyone's favorite left bank epicerie cum tapas bar, has a new shop.

Tucked away in a corner of the sedate rue du Mont Thabor, Da Rosa is located in the former cutting edge fashion boutique Maria Luisa. The chic new Jacques Garcia designed space, all red velvet and exposed brick, has tables and a counter top serving the same top quality Spanish, Italian and Portuguese specialties that put them on the Parisian map (think Iberico ham and Italian and Spanish cheeses, Mediterran wines, reinvented clubs). As they're open from 11am-11pm, 7/7 non stop, this is good news for people who want a real option for quality eats in an area where apart from the traditional French opening hours of lunch and dinner, there is very little choice.

Da Rosa
7 rue Rouget de l'Isle (rue du Mont Thabor) , 75001 Paris

Guy Savoy moving to Hotel de la Monnaie

Guy Savoy is to take over part of the Left Bank's Hotel de la Monnaie one of Paris' most beautiful neoclassic buildings and install both a gastronomic restaurant (first floor)  as well as a more casual café style eatery (called Metal Café)  on the ground floor of the complex. His legendary establishment on the rue Troyon will close doors, and the restaurant is slated for a 2011 opening. Jean-Michel Wilmotte, his faithful architect friend will be handling the transformation.

Tour d'Argent changes chef (my yawn just yawned..)

Stephane Riss just published this news  on one of Paris' oldest and well known restaurants changing chefs. They need a lot more than a young chef change to turn this place around, and exchange the wave of American, Russian and Japanese tourists for serious gastronomes.

They're probably still worth a visit for their superb cellar though.

Piege's Secret Thoumieux Tasting Labo!

Can't wait for Piege to open his new gastro/tasting/laboratory upstairs from Thoumieux. Should be soon. A Robuchon-y open kitchen and democratization of high gastronomy for a select few communal diners (20 covers). Opens in March 2010.

You heard it here first.