The dining room (photo by Angelina's)

In 2011 the famous Angelina Salon du Thé opened a new location at the Château de Versailles. Located in the Orleans Gallery at the end of the Grands Appartements (signs point the way), the entrance to the Angelina Versailles tearoom is a large boutique selling chocolate mix, candles and candies to go. To the right is a casual take-away style counter with sandwiches and salads and a few tall tables for standing while eating a quick bite.

The restaurant has several rooms, not fancy but elegant. The carpeting kept the noise down, and even though it was over 80°F outside, we were nice and cool (not sure if it was A/C or the fact that the sun was still on the other side of the courtyard). The menu for lunch includes croquet monsieur (€13) and club sandwiches (€14), as well as larger gourmet salads (€19) and heart dishes like rack of lamb (€24) or seared scallops (€28). The lamb smelled delicious, the club sandwiches are huge, and I liked my foie gras salad (with green beans and avocado, and a choice of dressings on the side), but I thought the croquet-monsieur looked pretty sad.

Of course, most people don’t go to Angelina’s for the food. They go for dessert. My client was more than happy with his pot of hot chocolate à l’Africain (€6.90) with its own little cup of whipped cream, and I enjoyed my Saori (a Japanese lime cheesecake with raspberry jelly and a white chocolate coating, €7.20). It wasn't full when I was there on a Thursday in September (but perhaps it would be packed on a weekend in July, so I highly recommend making reservations). It's the perfect place to have a quiet meal before visiting the gardens and Marie-Antoinette’s Domain.

A nice club sandwich and foie gras salad.


Totally unconvinced by this sloppy croque monsieur.


My Japanese cheesecake.

The official "chocolat chaud" (photo by Angelina's).



The Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels is a newly-opened wine bar by the same owners of the ever-popular trio of Paris cocktail clubs, Experimental Cocktail Club, Prescription Cocktail Club, and Curio Parlor. Located across the street from the Marché St-Germain, the bar has a low-lit, eclectic-yet-elegant décor with a piano in one corner and a semi-private nook in the back where you can gather with friends. The wines are from all over the world (but mostly French, of course), with the offerings by the glass spanning a large price range (€8 for a respectable Langedoc to €50 for the Château Yquem).

Bar munchies include bruschetta, cheeses, and possibly the most fragrant truffle-infused, thin-sliced ham I’ve ever tasted (all about €15). You can sit at the bar, which makes it easier to ask a lot of questions about the wines (and the staff, on my two visits, answered all of them without hesitation). The crowds are nothing compared to the cocktail bars, which means you may actually be able to get in here without personally knowing the owners, and the atmosphere is more calm and romantic. A voir…

Shang Palace is the third and final restaurant to open in the gorgeous new Shangri-La Paris Hotel overlooking the Eiffel Tower. Not that you’ll see the Eiffel Tower from this upscale Chinese restaurant, as it’s located below the ground floor with no windows. It’s spacious and well-decorated, and I probably wouldn’t have noticed the lack of windows except my dining companions (it was a press lunch, so we’re all journalists) pointed it out. All experts in Chinese cuisine (whereas I am not in the least), they also pointed out every little discrepancy between how they thought the food should taste or look with how it tasted and looked at Shang Palace (which is odd, as Chef Frank Xu apparently has the right pedigree for high-end Cantonese food). Personally I thought it was delicious (well, except for the “Buddha Jumping over the Wall", but that was because I didn’t like the flavor, not because it wasn’t made well).

Other dishes included a Dim Sum assortment, barbecued meats, sautéed turbot, something called Beggar’s Chicken and a lovely dessert of chilled mango cream with pomelo and sago. Each course was served with French wines (and tea), and you get the option of using the chop sticks or actual cutlery. The French at the table were shocked when the fortune cookies were presented at the end of the meal, but I always think they’re fun. There are private rooms for large groups. Despite the grumblings at my table (French food journalists are hard to please), I think this is the best place to come with your Chinese-food-snob friend, and it’s a lovely restaurant and a much-needed addition to the Asian food scene in Paris. Get a reservation before they get their star!

Private rooms are in the back, separated by wooden screens.

The Dim Sum Assortment.

The Barbecued Meat Assortment.

The Buddha Jumping Over the Wall

I think this was the Beggar's Chicken.

Chef Frank Xu (on the right) and his four sous-chefs.

Endless opportunities for funny translation errors: the French just don't get it yet.

Grazie was recently opened by (and down the street from) the trendy home décor shop Merci. It has a similar neo-industrial style with brick walls and large glass windows, no sign above the door, and a clientele of (seemingly) casually-dressed bobo hipsters. The staff are actually Italian, which is always comforting, as is the glow of the wood-fired pizza oven in the open kitchen. You can hang out at the small bar and test out the cocktails (I loved my little, yet potent, gin Bloody Mary), but you’re going to get the munchies, so be sure to reserve a table to try out their excellent pizzas and other Italian dishes.

I split an artichoke and arugula starter (mostly arugula, aka rocket in French), and then had a pizza with cherry tomatoes and arugula again. And it’s good that I like arugula, because my pizza looked like someone dumped an arugula salad on it. The music is a bit loud, but the low-lit atmosphere is perfect for a romantic evening (or if you’re trying to hide the bags under your eyes after Nuit Blanche).

yes, it's rather dark in here.

My Bloody Mary in a jar.

The warm artichoke starter with arugula (or the other way around).

My pizza was very good...once I found it under the arugula.

A lemon and white chocolate cake.

The tiramisu (it's Italian, after all).

You can also read reviews of Grazie on Paris By Mouth.

Yet another Mexican eaterie has opened in Paris in the past year, this one on the Left Bank market street, Rue Mouffetard. Considering how much I miss Mexican food (having grown up in Arizona), and that I live right up the street from here, I can't believe I hadn't visited before last week!

Boca Mexa is a spacious and bright Mexican fast food cantine for eating in or take-away. You order your burritos, tacos or quesadillas at the counter, indicating which ingredients you want added. I passed on the cactus and went for the bean and cheese burrito with hot sauce. I wouldn't call it "gourmet", but it was certainly fresh and tasty, the perfect place to feed a craving without fuss. From €5, menus for €8.50.

Bonus points for the tables outside and the small selection of Mexcian food products for sale by the register, including hot sauces, chipotle chilis, masa hot sauces and Cholula.

Open daily throughout the year, 10am-10pm (until 11pm Friday and Saturday).

Also read Croque Camille's review here.

Taco Testers: (bottom) Forest, David & Lisa; (top) Phyllis & Meg, Barbra & Zeva.

Last week, after a long day of showing clients around a few typically Parisian neighborhoods, I joined some fellow expat writers for a very un-Parisian dinner at Candelaria. I grew up in Arizona, so when I heard there was a new taco joint in town (and that it was actually Mexican and not “Tex-Mex”), it wasn’t hard to gather a small group together to check it out. Our posse of eight managed to secure the only table available, between the open kitchen and the glass door, and as I arrived they were already being served a tray of tall margaritas (snuck in from the bar…normally only Mexican beers are usually served in the restaurant). Everyone else has to squeeze in along the wall, where a small shelf gives you a place to rest your tapas-sized tacos and tostadas.

It’s nice to have some decent guacamole and tortilla chips in Paris without having to make it myself, and the food is as tasty as it looks. If you like hot food (as in spicy), order the Pollo Pibil. Usually four or five of the menu items are enough to fill you up (depending on how much beer and guacamole you filled up on). I finished with the spicy black bean and chocolate cake. The waitress does a fabulous job of getting food to the table, but I don’t know how anyone can eat (or eat without wearing their food) in the chaos that is the standing-room only section. I would personally prefer to stop back in when it’s not so crowded.

I don’t think that will be anytime soon. By 9pm on a Wednesday night there were small groups pushing through to get into the “hidden” bar in the back. If you’ve been to La Esquida in NYC, it’s the same…only Paris-sized (ie smaller). I think the bar is actually twice the size of the restaurant, but it was hard to tell in the dark. Like many of the speakeasy bars with “mood lighting” it’s also hard to tell what is actually on the cocktail menu, but as they are created by the same mixologist from the Experimental Cocktail Club, you can be sure they’re all more interesting than the average Parisian cocktail bar fare (from €11-€13, or €48 for the pitcher of cachaça punch).

Perhaps if you’re just visiting Paris from anywhere in North America, you don’t need to contribute to the body count in this fine taco haven, but for expats missing a piece of home, it’s worth making a detour.

Calendaria is located in the too-cool-for-you North Marais district.
Open Tues-Sunday, noon-11pm (bar from 6pm-2am). 

http://www.shangri-la.com

The main restaurant of the newly opened Shangri-La hotel is named for the flower found on the Hong Kong national flag. The setting, at the far end of the vast lobby, beneath an immense skylight and custom-made chandelier, makes quite a first impression. Mezzanine seating allows for some great people-watching over the wrought iron balcony.

My Yam Som O starter.

My friend and I were among the first to arrive in an almost empty restaurant at 8pm. By 9pm it was almost full. Start off with a glass of pink Bollinger bubbly. The menu is small but full of enticing dishes. There are no set menus, all is à la carte. The cuisine is a fusion of French and Asian, with specialties from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand next to traditional French dishes like Terrine de Canard au Foie Gras and Noix de St Jacques (scallops).

My Curry Laksa main dish (I poured more sauce on it after I took the photo).

There were little chili peppers designating hot dishes, and since I know even the hottest dishes in France can’t put a dent in the hot sauces I grew up with in Arizona, I boldly ordered the Yam Som O, a Thai grapefruit salad shrimp and spicy peanut sauce for a starter, and the Curry Laksa with chicken, shrimp and tofu in a lemongrass and curry sauce as my main dish. They started out mild enough, but the cumulative effect was indeed quite hot, perfect for a chilly February in Paris. Both were superb, and my friend (from the Midwest) coveted my choice. Although her foie gras with a layer of green apple chutney was divine (I ended up eating half of it) and her Otak Otak dish of cod in papillote with a coconut, lime and basil sauce was also perfectly cooked.

These profiteroles were so good they get two photos: an action shot and a close up.


I had a glass of tangy white Riesling, which went perfectly with the spicy food. And I was smart enough to save room for the dessert. This time my friend and I got the same thing (probably because she was aware of my “no dessert sharing” policy): the mango sorbet profiteroles with chocolate sauce…next time I’m starting the meal with this! They were kind enough to leave the pot of melted chocolate so we could pour it directly onto our spoons to finish it off. We finished the evening with herbal tea and little chocolates, while discreetly checking out the crowd from our seats.

Finishing my wine while the tea steeps and another waiter zips past.

The wait staff seems to be everywhere at La Bauhinia, quick to remove an empty dish, refill a water glass, and refresh the flatware or lacquered chopsticks. They were never intrusive or overbearing, and made excellent suggestions for the wine.

My friend doing the same, while admiring the immense chandelier.

La Bauhinia is open daily:
Breakfast 6:30am –11am
Lunch noon-3pm 
Afternoon Tea 3pm-5:30pm
Dinner 6:30pm –11pm

http://www.artcurial.com

I’ve always liked the little café hidden inside the Artcurial auction house on the Rond Point des Champs Elysées. Most tourists never step inside the gates of the Hôtel Dassault, one of the few preserved historic mansions left on the Champs Elysées, but it’s not just an auction house. It also houses a bookstore specializing in contemporary design, art, photography, fashion and architecture. A few months ago the café was given a facelift by the Gilles et Bossier design team, and now it’s quite the chic little place to eat or have tea.

The first room is small, with emerald velour curtains and banquettes and walls decorated in an almost Tim Burton-esque whimsical black and white design. Inside is a larger room like a greenhouse, bright and surrounded with greenery. We arrived at about 12.40pm on a Wednesday with no reservations, and didn’t have a problem getting a seat (it did fill up later).

We both ordered the Caesar salad (€16), which seemed like a lot of roquette, but it was filling and not drowning in sauce, so I was happy. There are also €20 burgers, pasta dishes, and club sandwiches, and a few hot dishes I can't recall. Almost every dish is €15-30. We didn’t have time for dessert or even coffee, because it took so long for the waiter to ever come back that we had to go.

The wait staff, as in any “trendy” restaurant, is more beautiful than adept, but I’ll take slow over rude, so just don’t be in a hurry if you’re going to eat here. Afternoon tea with Mariage Frères brand teas starts at about 3pm-7pm.

Open Monday-Saturday 9:30am-7pm.

There are enough Atelier de Joël Robuchon restaurants in the world (several locations in ten cities) that I think we can safely call it a « chain ». I recently tested the second Parisian location in the basement of the Drugstore Publicis (or “Etoile” as they call it, after the intersection surrounding the Arc de Triomphe nearby). Personally, if you’re going to put a restaurant in a windowless basement, why not just have it in an ugly location instead of right outside one of France’s most iconic monuments? Well, for many people the Champs Elysées is still a prestigious place to be, so why not?

The décor is actually pretty cool in an 80s flashback fashion (it had to come to interior design sooner or later), all shiny black and red, with cooking ingredients artfully suspended in jars of liquid on the glass shelves. There are a few lounge-style chairs and low tables, but most people sit around the vast bar overlooking the chefs in the kitchen.

The food is wonderful, as it should be. At first, I kept telling myself “Wow, these are tiny” (we were ordering from the "Carte des Plats en Petits Portions Dégustation"), but the cuisine is very filling as the procession of dishes arrive. I had an excellent "Chicon" salad with Granny Smith apple and stilton blue cheese (€14), accompanied by a Riesling white wine with very strong apple taste to it (my favorite of all the wines we tried, wish I had written down the domain).

I also had a small fish dish, Le Black Cod (€27), in an unidentified sauce.

My favorite dish was Le Burger (€32 for two minis) with a little slice of sautéed fois gras on top of each one and little slivers of bell pepper. The people sitting next to us saw these (and probably heard me moaning, they were so good) that they ordered the same thing. (Yes, I shared one of mine with my friend, I'm nice sometimes...)

The only dish I really didn’t like was the caviar (€45), because there was some sort of cauliflower cream on top of it, very pretty, but not when I tasted it (“Fishy cream” are the first words out of my mouth). I didn’t want to finish it, but I also hate leaving food on my plate, so I did it as quickly as possible. Then I had no room for dessert, but like in all great restaurants, the little mignardises that came with our coffees were more than enough ("Just one theen leetle wayfair, sir?")

My friend ordered Crevettes à la Mangue et Jasmin (€24).

It’s quite fun eating with the chefs right in front of you. It’s also a lot easier to get their attention when you need a top up of your water or want to know the name of the superb-looking pastry creation on its way to someone else’s mouth. It also makes for a very relaxed, informal feeling despite the décor and haut cuisine. Highly recommended for dreary winter days when you don’t want to see the gray skies.

Open daily for lunch and dinner, reservations only taken for lunch seating at 11:30am and 2pm, and dinner reservations taken only for 6:30pm.

I ate here with friends the day after a serious Beaujolais Nouveau party. And it was exactly what the doctor ordered. The official address is on the Avenue George V, but it's actually behind the Sony Store, the first doorway on the Rue Quentin Bauchart. The doors on the left as you enter the passage won't open until you stand close. then you'll be inside the contemporary lobby. The hostess will take your coat and accompany you up to your table.

It's bright, with windows overlooking a central rooftop "garden" (I think everything is in pots, but it's still nice to see greenery in Paris, right?) The dining room is contemporary, minimalist, dark wood floors and furnishings, white walls, huge windows.

I got the 39V Caesar Salad. It was delicious, and I don't normally like the true dressing with anchovies, but I liked this. My friends got the Langoustines with citrus sauce, and the Agneau de Lozère. We all crumbled for the Soufflé au Chocolat with sauce pimentée.

My only complaint...well, besides the fact that they dared offer Beaujolais Nouveau...was the miniature Perrier bottle. You can bet the price isn't any smaller. Could they tell from my eyes that I was hunger and dehydrated?