Grazie: Pizza & Cocktails

Grazie
91 boulevard Beaumarchais, 3rd.
Open daily, lunch and dinner
Tel 01 42 78 11 96

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.

Candelaria

Candelaria
52 rue de Saintonge, 3rd
Tel 01 42 74 41 28.
M° Temple or Filles du Calvaire.

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).