Elegance in Paris
You've dreamed about Paris for more years than you care to remember and now you're finally here with 10 days to explore the City of Lights. Not only that, but you’ve decided to really go all out, splurge, blow the whole wad. Where do you start?
Just the Right Hotel:
Hotel Aviatic
105, Rue de Vaugirard
75006 PARIS
Tel : 33 01 53 63 25 50
A charming little hotel...not too expensive, but with just the right air. Strategically located in the exciting 6th arrondissement, this old-fashioned place has 43 pleasant rooms refurnished with wooden headboards and black-and-white striped Pierre Frey bed linens. The original wooden wardrobes have been refinished instead of being replaced and the housekeeping is impeccable. Yes, rooms are small, but this is Paris, and you want to spend your time out and about. And who says the French are snooty, the service at the Aviatic couldn't be friendlier.
The perfect little bistro:
a la Grange Bateliere
16, rue de Grange Bateliere
75009 PARIS
Tel: 33 01 47 70 85 15
And when you're telling friends back home about the perfect little hotel you found, you can also brag about a perfect little bistro, a la Grange Bateliere, with its cracked-tile floors, antique posters and light fixtures and napkin box where regulars once stashed their table linen. It's pure Balzac. The three-course menu, which changes regularly, is a great buy, typically including items like Jerusalem artichoke soup with sauteed duck foie gras, chicken terrine with foie gras, roasted sea bass with eggplant caviar or cod steak wrapped in bacon. The cheese plate is excellent, of course, and the chocolate tarte with orange butter is beyond words. Best of all, dinner for two, is only about $60, not including wine.
Oh, the wine:
Lavinia
3-5, boulevard de la Madeleine
Tel: 33 01 42 97 20 20
Did someone mention wine? Lavinia, the world's largest wine store carries more than 6,000 varieties, including curiosities from vineyards in such places as Egypt and Ukraine. The second-floor wine bar is a fine spot for a quick bite along with a sampling of an outstanding vintage or two by the glass. And for an unforgettable memento of Paris, or a knockout gift, you can't do better than Au Passe Partout, a tiny shop where you'll find such treasures as an old pair of double shears, one to cut the wire cages on champagne bottles, and the other to trim your cigar.
— Passport Newsletter
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