Today is Black Friday in the United States, and since Thanksgiving doesn’t exist in France, that means that technically Black Friday doesn’t exist in France either. That’s no reason not take part in the excitement, though. Here are a few ways to bring Black Friday into your life in Paris, without spending a lot of your hard-earned euros :
Start the evening by inviting your friends around to your place for an all black apéritif: Try your hand at home-made foie gras and truffle “lollipops”, served with a bottle of “Le Vin Noir”. Or maybe something sweeter like black licorice macarons from Ladurée with cold flutes of sparkling X Noir.




Slap on a fresh coat of YSL Pur Noir lipgloss and head on over to Dans Le Noir? for dinner. Dans Le Noir? is the immensely popular restaurant in the 4th arrondissement where diners are served by blind waiters in a pitch-black room. Don’t forget to check your cellphones at the door -the lights and sounds are disruptive to the dining experience.

Top the night off with a Black Shadow cocktail at BC Black Calvados, the hip-n-trendy black and chrome nightclub that’s been a Paris standard since the 1950’s. Not exactly a Paris bargain, but I bet you’ll spend less there than you would’ve at Macy’s Black Friday Sale!

Dans le Noir? 51, rue de Quicampoix 75004
BC Black Calvados 40, rue Pierre 1er de Serbie 75008

Paris has been cold, gray and down-right gloomy for the past week, and to make matters worse, I’ve been sick with a killer cold that I just can’t seem to shake. I’ve been so schlumpy and out of it that I didn’t even realize that Thanksgiving is in 2 days! A big merci to
This Thursday, November 20th, in tiny villages and big cities across France- as well as in many countries around the world- people will be celebrating the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau 2008. Beaujolais Nouveau is a very young wine made from Gamay grapes in the Beaujolais region of France. The grapes are picked earlier in the fall, fermented for just a few weeks, and then go on sale at the stroke of midnight on the third Thursday of each November, amid much hoopla and fanfare. Pick any neighborhood in Paris this Thursday, and you’re sure to find a celebration of some sort. Many cafe’s, brasseries and restaurants are offering special “Beaujolais Nouveau” menus- just look for the purple balloons, or follow the “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé” signs- there’s sure to be revelry at the end.




















































































