18 5 / 2012
In another rare turn of events: the usually busy rue de Rivoli in the heart of Paris was closed to traffic due to the 600th birthday of Joan of Arc (there is a gilded statue of her at the nearby Place des Pyramides) and DD and I wandered out into the middle of the street to snap a farewell picture of us in front of the gates to the Tuileries Garden. Merci mille fois to my loving parents who gave us the gift of this magical and unforgettable experience!
(Source: uneamericaine)
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18 5 / 2012
We were very lucky that it was such a beautiful day on Sunday. The weather in Paris has not been the best recently and this was a rare sunny day. The Place Vendôme still looked chic despite all of the renovations going on and will always be one of my favorite spots in the city.
(Source: uneamericaine)
18 5 / 2012
The front entrance of the Ritz. DD and I had to check out of the hotel at noon last Sunday, but we gave our bag to the concierge and took a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood before heading back home.
(Source: uneamericaine)
17 5 / 2012
Say hello to my new Spring/Summer slippers (only DD is allowed to see my oh-so-embarrassing Fall/Winter ones).
PS: I need a pedicure.
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17 5 / 2012
Room service at the Ritz: the American breakfast for two from L’Espadon, which required two servers (not pictured) and two tables. The eggs were delicious, but the best part was definitely the croissants/pastries that are made in house. Of course I had to bring a couple of the little pots of confiture home with me but I left behind the ketchup and teeny tiny bottle of Tabasco although I couldn’t resist photographing them.
(Source: uneamericaine)
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16 5 / 2012
DD ordered a double expresso after dessert (I don’t drink coffee and yes I’m aware that’s another sacrilege), which was served with our second surprise of the night: les mignardises ! The raspberry one was to. die. for.
All in all DD and I spent four hours in our spacious booth at the Bar Vendôme and enjoyed one of the best meals we’ve ever had to together. Since it was a once in a lifetime experience, we ordered one more round of champagne to cap off the evening and were presented with a plate of lemon and rose flavored macarons. C’était magnifique !
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16 5 / 2012
Fourth course: le plateau de fromages sélectionées par notre maîtres fromagers (cheese platter selected by our cheese master and NOT PICTURED).
Ok, I know this is sacrilegious, but I’m not really partial to the cheese course in classic French dining. For one thing, I’m just not a huge fan of cheese to begin with. I don’t like blue cheese or stinky cheese or runny, soft cheese (or anything that tastes like I imagine feet would taste). I do like most hard cheeses (I’ve become a major fan of comté since moving to France) and I do like all varieties of goat cheese, which is perhaps strange since a lot of people I know (including DD who loves all forms of runny, stinky cheese) don’t like it at all. Secondly, after 3 or 4 courses, the last thing I want to eat is cheese. I simply don’t have the room. I know I know, the cheese is served after the main part of the meal because it has such a strong flavor that deserves to be savored on its own, but I just don’t enjoy it then. However, out of politeness, I did manage to eat the small round of goat cheese that appeared on my plate in this instance.
Désolé and moving on to the dessert course: millefeuille en tradition Ritz, caramel au beurre demi sel (Ritzy Napoleon (their description, not mine) with lightly salted caramel).
