Bihan Café : a genuine wine bar in New Eastern Paris

Feeling hungry or thirsty after visiting Méliès exhibition or watching a film at Paris Cinémathèque? Le Bihan Café is waiting for you. It’s also close to Bercy Palais Omnisport, and to Cour Saint-Emilion shopping area and garden, and if you come from National Great Library, just cross the Seine by passerelle Simone de Beauvoir.

This little wine bar is the last of all the colorful cafés and restaurants that disappeared when the ancient Paris wine market was closed. You can get an idea of its red brick architecture in the new Cour Saint-Emilion area, but nothing remains of its spirit.

Except Bihan Café. It is difficult to find a place on its tiny terrasse, but indoor is a bit wider and cheerful young waiters serve good food in generous portions, coming with a good selection of wines.

It used to be a working class joint, for it’s located close to Bercy freight railway station.

Here is Mr Mauras, a retired railroader, proudly sitting at his reserved seat near the bar.

The Bihan Café, 4 rue de Bercy 75012 Paris, metro Bercy tel 33(0)1 40 19 09 95. open everyday 11 to 15 and 17 to 23, up to 2 AM from Thursday to Saturday. It’s quite easy to find a table at lunch time, but better make a reservation for dinner, it’s usually crowded.

Paris Montagne Sainte-Geneviève 2 : on top, the Panthéon

Should you leave place de la Contrescarpe by rue Descartes and take a left on rue Clovis, or should you take a right place de l’Estrapade on rue Clotilde, you’d get to the same point. It’s only natural, since Clotilde was king Clovis wife. It’s on top of the hill, place du Panthéon. Here is a view from rue Clotilde :

The building of Panthéon was decided by king Louis XV to replace the ruined church of Sainte Geneviève and architect Jacques Germain Soufflot had its foundations laid in 1758. But it was completed only in 1789, after Soufflot’s death, and French Revolution had begun : this was no longer going to be a church, but a mausoleum for great Frenchmen.

Here is Voltaire’s grave and statue in the crypt.

The name “Pantheon” comes from Greek “all the gods”, and on the building’s pediment you can read : “Aux grands hommes la patrie reconnaissante”. It’s a major example of neo classical style.

The view from Pantheon’s steps on rue Soufflot going down to Luxembourg garden and Eiffel Tower in the distance:

Next to the Panthéon, on its right, a beautiful eighteen century house : l’hôtel des grands hommes.

It’s name refers of course to to great men buried opposite, but also to some of its customers. André Breton and Philippe Soupault stayed there testing “automatic writing” and “les Champs Magnétiques” were written here . Besides, its a still a nice place to stay.

Behind Pantheon, on the left, an actual church : l’église Saint-Etienne du Mont.

It’s a spectacular composite building, mixed of flamboyant gothic and early baroque style, and it’s really worth coming in.

It has a magnificent mid sixteen century jube:

and beautiful stained glass windows, as well as one of the most ancient organs.

And from Saint-Etienne du Mont, you can start coming down.

And going down Montagne Sainte-Geneviève why not stop for a glass of wine, and may be some oysters at “Les Pipos“.

It’s a sympathetic genuine place which interior setting hasn’t change for ages.

Les Pipos : 2 rue de l’école polytechnique 75005 Paris, tel 33(0) 1 43 54 11 40 , closed on Sunday. Virtual visit on http://www.les-pipos.com/

Hôtel des Grands Hommes : 17 place du Panthéon 75005 Paris, tel 33(0)1 46 34 19 60, for prices, reservation and more information : http://www.hoteldesgrandshommes.com/index-fr.html

Panthéon : open everyday 10 to 18 (last visit 17h15) price 7euros 50, tel 33(0)1 44 32 18 00 or 33(0)1 44 32 18 01. For a virtual visit, and more information : http://pantheon.monuments-nationaux.fr/

The nearest subway station to place du Panthéon : RER B Luxembourg

A good place to stop for a drink or a bite in Paris : La Tartine

You’ve been pacing up and down the Paris Marais streets, feeling hungry, or thirsty or both? Any day, at almost anytime, you can stop at La Tartine. ( “slice of bread” and butter or anything you want.)

I have always known this place as it is today, you go there to have good things served with good bread, with a nice glass of wine. It’s a good option when you feel for a quality snack, in a lively place, with a classical setting and a large selection of good wines.

La Tartine, 24 rue de Rivoli, 75004 Paris, Métro Saint-Paul, tel : 33(0)1 42 72 76 85, open everyday from 8 am to 2 am.

Paris Marais : “le coude fou” great food, great wines

Within less than a hundred meters, the small Paris street “du Bourg-Tibourg” offers two interesting places : gorgeous teas and refined dishes at Mariages (see previous post), and traditional French cooking with selected wines at the “Coude Fou” (”mad elbow” : repeated gesture of one who is swallowing one glass after another.)

An institution as a wine bar, Le Coude Fou also serves tasty meals at a very reasonable price: 16 euros for the day special, 16,50 euros for either starter and main course, or main course and desert, always including two glasses of wine.

Opened daily 12 pm to 2 am.

Le Coude Fou, 12 rue du Bourg-Tibourg, 75004 Paris Métro Hôtel de Ville, tel : 33(0)142 77 15 16.

For more information : http://www.pariszoomtv.com/place.asp?P=Le+Coude+Fou

Paris rue Saint-Honoré : fashion, food and drink too

Paris rue Saint-Honoré is all fashion stores and its climax is definitely Colette, the still in style concept-store. But sometimes, having been up and down its three floors, you might feel for something else than nice people pictures, water and wi fi in the basement water bar.

Then you go up rue du Marché Saint-Honoré. The market itself has kept the shape of Paris covert food markets, but it’s all glass and metal, it looks like a ghost market.

Don’t fear, you’re not going to starve nor thirst for a tasteful drink.

Feeling for oysters or great sea-food? Stop at the Ecume Saint-Honoré, which offers a great selection of all this. You can choose what you want, and have a sea lunch on the spot, in the middle of the shop.

If you prefer a more intimate and exotic setting, just pass a veil curtain and sit in the tiny back dining room.

Yearning for a genuine old Paris place, le Rubis is the utmost typical wine bar.

Here you can taste good wines, have some traditional french snack, and meet cheerful neighborhood people, who remind you that place du Marché Saint-Honoré once there was a real market, and a real social life.

Colette, 213 rue Saint-Honoré 75001 Paris, Métro Tuileries.

For all information, go to : http://www.colette.fr/

L’Ecume Saint-Honoré, 6 rue du Marché Saint-Honoré, Métro Tuileries, Tel : 33 (0) 1 42 61 93 87. Closed on Mondays and Sundays. shop opened 9.30 to 20, tasting 11 to 19, Fridays and Saturdays up to 22.

Le Rubis, 10 rue du Marché Saint-Honoré, métro Tuileries, tel :33(0)1 42 61 03 34. Saturday afternoon and Sunday closed.

La Belle Hortense : good books and good wines

You’ve been wandering in the Marais old streets, visiting Picasso’s or Carnavalet Museum, shopping in the Francs-Bourgeois street, or in Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville huge tool’s department?

Stop at “La Belle Hortense”, a very special place : A literary bar named after a delicious novel by Jacques Roubaud, where you can find a quite large selection of books and paperbacks : modern and classic literature, poetry, psychoanalysis, society, culture, some of them in english.

You can sit on a high stool by the zinc-covered bar and have a glass of wine, or make yourself more comfortable in the back room and look at some modern artist work. If you drop in in the evening, you may find the place crowded for a book signature, a lecture or some lively discussion.

It is quiet and cozy in the afternoon, with not too loud good music, and you can just glance through books, or just have a drink. You can also buy books, cards and wine bottles to take away. The place usually opens at 5 pm, but sometimes a little later.

If you find the door closed, or if you care to see a typical ancient parisian bar, ask for information at the “Petit Fer à Cheval ” ( “the little horseshoe”, that is the bar’s shape) the café just across the street - reflected in the Belle Hortense mirror on the picture above.

La Belle Hortense, 31 rue Vieille du Temple , 75003 Métro : Hôtel de Ville ou Saint-Paul. Tel : 01 48 04 71 60 . Open daily 5 pm to 2 am.

Sunday Morning : Aligre Market

Food markets are part of Parisian way of life, there are at least 69 outdoor and 13 indoor markets, and they’re all very popular. Sunday morning’s market is a social institution, and one the most famous is” le marché d’Aligre“, located in east center (between Bastille and Gare de Lyon). It happens to be my market.

The outdoor market opens every morning except on Mondays, but there are only a few stalls in the beginning of the week, so it’s better to visit it on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays, and it gets crowded around 11 am up till closing time (13.30).

Customers lining up around the best fruits and vegetable stalls meet friends, also talk to people they don’t know (and not only to their cell phone), and joke with the stall holders.

On the Aligre square stands a covered market, le marché Beauvau-Saint Antoine, a bit more expensive, but opening in the afternoon also, and offering many other products, like cheese, fish, meat, poultry, delicatessen, Italian food, selected olive oils and Caribbean dishes.

A lot of film and television people live nearby and make the place a bit trendy, but Aligre used to be a working class district, and the market still has an informal and independent spirit. There is an associative FM radio channel, Radio Aligre (93.1 on FM band) and an active district association, “la commune libre d’Aligre” (Aligre free community).

At the end of Sunday morning Market, it’s too late to cook lunch, and there are plenty tempting cafés around to sit and rest.

Another Aligre Sunday morning institution is to sip a glass of wine and taste oysters at the Baron Rouge. If you don’t go for oysters you can feed on a plate of “charcuterie” or cheese. The place is always crowded, and people drink and eat on the sidewalk.

On the opposite corner, you will find the Penty, where you can sit and taste a delicious and burning oriental mint tea, unless you rather go for the traditional “pastis”.

Marché d’Aligre : Place et rue d’Aligre 75012 Paris (Métro Ledru-Rollin) everyday except monday : 9 am to 13, 13.30 on week-ends. Beauvau- Saint Antoine covered market : place d’Aligre, same hours plus afternoon 16.30 to 19.30.

Le Baron Rouge: 1 rue Théophile Roussel (almost at place d’Aligre corner )

Le Penty : rue Emilio Castelar / place d’Aligre

For more informations : http://marchedaligre.free.fr

Radio Aligre schedule and programs : http://aligrefm.free.fr

district association activities : http://www.cl-aligre.org