The other day I pretty much ate my way from one end of La Grande Epicerie to the other. I went there to buy a 5€ bottle of Wishbone Blue Cheese Dressing (yup, that’s $7.80 USD ) because I found a pack of dried Buffalo Wing spices in the back of my junk drawer left over from our American Booty from last summer, and hadn’t stopped thinking about wings in a week. I always get sidetracked in La Grande Epicerie and end up spending entirely too much money on a lot of stuff that I really don’t need (See? I admitted it!!), like chocolate covered spoons or hand-made, hand-painted sugar cubes shaped like flowers or hearts. So, I ran into the store with blinders on, planning to grab my shameful little sauce and go, when…Lo and Behold there was a huge chocolate fest going on, with tons of women giving out samples of VERY delicious chocolate treats. The women were so chic, and the chocolate was so haut gamme- it kind of made me think of what a Costco in Zurich or Abu Dhabi would look like. Anyway, I milled around for about 40 minutes, eating chocolate until my teeth hurt. After I rolled out of there, I swore off chocolate until Easter (only 3 days away, but who’s counting?). But then I passed Ladurée and look what they’ve got going on for Easter: These little figurines are made out of chocolate ganache and filled with either raspberry fruit, coconut créme, mint créme or mixed fruit, depending on the color you choose. How sweet are these?? Especially the little mice. I had to buy some “for the kids”. But then I ate them, so now I have to buy some more. Yurm.
Today I was in what must be the cutest hotel room in Paris. Truly. I have some clients who are staying at the Sofitel Dokhan’s Hotel near Trocadéro. They were married today and wanted a sweet, romantic hotel with a view of the Eiffel Tower for their honeymoon. I had visited the hotel for them a few months back, and had seen a standard deluxe room- VERY cute, with a “view” of the tower -if you stuck your head way out the window and sort of looked around the corner. The hotel itself is so charming, though- with a sort of understated luxuriousness that makes you feel like you really deserve the splurge (which you do!). So, the lack of view notwithstanding, I recommended the hotel to my clients. Well, when they checked in this morning, the hotel’s Salon Eiffel Suite was available as an upgrade, so they decided to go for it. Believe me, this is one weddingmoon that they won’t forget! The suite is located at the very top of the hotel, and is entered by climbing a small spiral staircase. The bedroom is at one end, with all of the creature comforts that you’d expect from this level of hotel, including a storybook view over the rooftops of Paris. The sitting room at the other end of the suite has a beautiful fireplace with period furniture- a desk, some chairs, and a sitting area with a big comfy couch. It’s once you settle down onto the couch do you see how the suite got it’s name- a perfectly centered, unobstructed view of La Tour Eiffel. Amazing…
Like I said, the Sofitel Trocadéro Dokhan may be considered a splurge to some- even without the Eiffel Tower view. But with its’ charming rooms, the friendly and accommodating staff, the Louis Vuitton elevator (I know!!) and sweet little champagne bar- it’s definitely worth it.
Sofitel Trocadéro Dokhan’s Hotel 117, rue Lauriston, 75016 Paris
weddings
Wedding Style
Paris, France
destination wedding
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My first apéritif took place about 3 weeks into my second trip to France. I had just met this cute French guy (who went on to become my husband) who had invited me out for lunch with some of his friends one Saturday. I had spent enough time in Paris (and had watched enough French films) to know to order a “kir” when the waiter first came to our table. When he arrived with a small bowl of olives and a hodge-podge of drinks, I was still in “America-mode” and slammed my dainty little kir back like a shot of Cuervo with one hand, while I flipped the menu back and forth with the other, trying to select an entrée and practice saying it to myself in French so that I’d be ready by the time he made it back to take my order. 5 minutes later I looked up to find the waiter gone, and the rest of the table settled back in their seats, chit-chatting and occasionally (v-e-r-y occasionally) taking tiny bird-like sips at their drinks. And so it remained for what seemed like 12 hours: talk. talk. talk. teeny-tiny sip. talk. talk. talk. teeny-tiny sip. Every once in a while someone would go all wild and help themselves to an olive, but then they’d come back to their senses and resume the talking and the sipping. And the talking. And the sipping. All the while I sat
there growing hungrier and thirstier, not understanding a word of what was being said, and desperately trying to catch the eye of the waiter so that I could order another kir. I never did. That was my introduction to the French apéro.
Wikipedia describes an apéritif (Fr.), or aperitivo (It.) as “an alcoholic drink usually enjoyed as an appetizer before a large meal. It is often served with something small to eat, like olives or crackers.” That doesn’t really explain the social aspect of the French apéro, but take it from me- it involves a lot of talking. If you’re planning a wedding or event in France, and you’re looking at catering menus, you’ll notice that there are several drink standards that are almost always on offer during an apéro- with some modifications being made depending on the region of France that you’re in. I’ve taken the liberty to sample quite a few of these over the years, and now give you my rather girlie definition of the following:
Kir: A sweet little cocktail of creme de cassis (blackcurrant) topped with white wine. Kir also can be made in peach, strawberry or blackberry. I think they’re delicious and very girlie (even though French men drink them all the time (but they also wear their sweaters tied around their shoulders even though it’s not 1986 nor are they on the tennis court. AND they proudly walk those itty-bitty Paris Hilton-type dogs in public, so…) A Kir Royale takes it up a notch by being made with champagne instead of wine. Continue reading ‘French Wedding Menus Demystified, Part Trois: The Apéritif’
