Paris is a city to be eaten, millions of tourists visit the French capital each year and taste its fantastic cuisine. The pastries, desserts and cakes are definitely the strengths of this well-deserved reputation. French food has been exported all over the world making their sweets their best ambassadors. Among them definitely, pancakes are the stars. A simple dessert that thanks to its hundreds of varieties is liked by everybody.

You can eat these treats anywhere in the world, but they will never be as rich as they are in Paris. If you are traveling to the city of love you can not miss the opportunity to visit some of the most famous and popular creperies of the city. We will propose a few places where you can sample this typical French dessert.

Breizh Café

We start our tour at the Breizh Café, a local landmark of the city located in the Rue Vieille du Temple 109. A quiet place with elegant décor in which to sample oysters or smoked herring. But the best is left for the the end, crepes drenched with 70% Valrhona chocolate. Simply delicious.

Josselin

 A place that is definitely a “must” in the world of crepes. Josselin is world famous for its three specialties. Classic pancakes with lemon or “beurre” Flambé and the house specialty. Crepes overflowing with chocolate, banana ice cream and whipped cream, all accompanied by a glass of cider. An unforgettable experience. Josselin is located at 67 Rue du Montparnasse, Paris.
 

Creperie de Pont-Aven

We walk a few meters to get to number 54 of this road and reach one of the most traditional creperies in Paris. Since 1920 the Pont-Aven Creperie delights its guests with all the richest savory crepes. The Gwazenn crepe ingredients are scallops, mushrooms and cream. The Port-Aven crepe is stuffed with salmon, leeks and cream. For the more adventurous there is also available a specialty with eels.

Mamie Tavennec

We then reach the Rue Faidherbe and into the cozy Mamie Tavennec. This place is known for its rustic and welcoming atmosphere in addition to being specialized in Breton cuisine. It could pass for a bistro if it wasn´t for their sweet crepes. We recommend you ask the house special made with salted butter, lemon and brown sugar.

Des Crêpes et des Cailles

Finally we will go to Des Crêpes et des Cailles (The Crepes of quail). Set as a fishing boat it is one of the most peculiar ones in Paris. They have a wide variety of savory crepes, also called “galletes”. Do not miss the sausage and curry one, simply delicious. For dessert, of course, a great sweet crepes at a great price. This creperie is located on the rue Butte aux Cailles 13.

Now you can not say you do not know where to eat crepes when you´re in Paris. Save this link into your laptop or Smartphone to remember the direction. If you find any interesting pancake make a comment.

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France is an unquestionable world’s culinary reference and Paris is the main protagonist of it. But when we think of French cuisine, we normally have in mind the “international cuisine”. Well here I present the most traditional Parisian dishes for you to have a better idea of what I am talking about.

Keep in mind that just as the aesthetics of the city, Parisian food is full of soft textures and bright colors, as well as meat and herbs as main ingredients.

Entries or “entree”, as they say in French. It is common to find very fresh salads with fine vegetables, as well as pates (specially the foie gras), herbs and in some cases some vegetable soup.

Main dish or ” plat de résistanse”. Usually consist of meat or fish, potatoes, rice, pasta and vegetables perfectly cooked as an accompaniment.

Duck à l´Orange is one of the most famous Parisian specialties. The ideal place to test both, the foi gras and the duck à l´Orange is Au Petit Sud Ouest, located at number 46 Avenue de la Bourdonnais or at la Cordonnerie, rue Saint-Roche 20.

Omelettes stuffed with mushrooms, ham or cheese, are also very traditional in Paris.

When it comes to seafood, and although Paris is not located on a coast, the capital of France is the right place to give yourself a treat. Fish, shellfish and crustaceans are a delight to our palates. One of the best places to ear seafood is L’Ecailler du Bistrot, located at number 22 rue Paul Bert.

Another traditional dish is called Quenelle, which is made of flour, egg and milk and served with béchamel and accompanied by beef or some kind of bird.

If you want to have vegetables for the main course, Ratatouille is your dish. This is a good mix of all kinds of vegetables fried in olive oil and seasoned with Provencal herbs or with some rosemary or thyme. Le Terroir Parisien at number 20 rue Saint-Victor or Le Deux Magosts at number 6 place Saint-Germain-des-Prés, are some of the best places where you can enjoy the best Parisians dishes of this kind.

If you love cheeses, you are in the right city. The famous Camembert, Brie de Meaux, Coulommiers  and Crottin de Pontoiseare are the ones you want to try.

As for desserts, chocolate is an important part of the French diet, especially, so you have to try the chocolate mousse, or the profiteroles topped with chocolate sauce. The best place to start this chocolate journey is at Cafe Constant at number 139 rue Saint-Dominique. Another very famous Parisian dessert is pain perdu, which went from being a very homemade preparation and, which was usually eaten for breakfast, to a very rich dessert served in many restaurants in the city like at Les Enfants Perdus, located at number 9 rue des Récollets. And for those who prefer citrus flavors, a delicious lemon cake is something worth trying.

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So you know, if you are having a good time staying in apartments in Paris , make sure to try all the culinary delights that only the capital of France can offer.

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The R & B singer, songwriter, dancer, actor and music producer, Usher Terrence, is bringing his tour to Paris to promote his latest album, Looking 4 Myself. The concert takes place at the Le Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy on March 16, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. Ticket sales for this concert are currently sold out.

On his latest and seventh album, Looking 4 Myself, the artist combines different styles with the objective of creating a new sound. Usher has admitted he has experimented to evolve his music to a higher level, with the collaboration of several producers such as Rico Love, Danja, Swedish House Mafia and Salaam Remi, among others.

Recently, on February 10, he won the Grammy for Best R & B Interpretation for his single “Climax” from his latest album. He is a top-selling artist, with over 65 million albums worldwide, and received a total of eight Grammys and seven American Music Awards.

The multilingual singer is also one of the owners of the NBA basketball team the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he has his own record label called U.S. Records.

Usher has recorded eight albums since 1994. At the age of 13, he signed his first recording contract for the album “Usher”, which was produced by Puff Daddy and went Platinum. His biggest success came with his second album, “My Way” (1997), which was produced by Babyface and sold 7 million copies worldwide.

In 2001, he released his third album, “8701″, which was also a platinum album. To creat it, he spent seven months recording with the best producers (Mike City, Edmund Clement and Jermaine Dupri among others). It won three Grammys, three Billboard Awards, three Soul Train awards and was number 1 on the charts.

Usher is also known for his work as a dancer. He had worked with Michael Jackson in a special concert for his thirtieth birthday and has worked on choreography with Janet Jackson. One can also say that Usher has held live concerts on five continents. And he’s appeared as an actor in movies like “The Faculty” or “Light It Up”, as well as in American television series such as “The American Dream”.

His fourth album, “Confessions”, catapulted him to fame in 2004, with sales of more than a million copies in a week. He then became the first artist to have three singles from the same album in the number one spot. Over all, it sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. and nearly 20 million worldwide and received three Grammys, two MTV Video Music Awards, four World Music Awards and American Music Awards, and 11 Billboard Music Awards. This album was also certified Diamond. Contributors to this album include Beyonce and Alicia Keys.

In 2008, “Here I Stand” sold over 400,000 copies in its first week. In 2009, he rose to fame with Justin Bieber, with whom he sang a song in 2010, the same year in which he released “Raymond v Raymond”, which was also certified platinum by the RIAA. He then created a complement to this album, “Versus”, with nine unreleased tracks.

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Sure you all remember the song that Pep Guardiola (former Barça coach) used to motivate his players during the champions league 2009 -2010: Human, by The Killers.

The American band from Las Vegas – Nevada, released a new album on the 18^th of September 2012 called Battle Born. This album announced the comeback of the band with a world tour, which began on the 26^th of October in Glasgow (UK). Their next concert will take place in Paris on the 12^th of March 2013, at Le Zenith (211 Avenue Jean Jaures).

But, let’s speak a little bit more of the origins of the band:

The members of the band are Brandon Flowers (vocals and keyboards), Mark Stoermer (bass and vocals), Dave Keuning (guitar, vocals) and Ronnie Vannuci Jr. (drums).

The Killers’ sound is influenced by the post-punk revival movement, which has its origins with alternative rock and garage rock of the late 70s and early 80s, as a vindication of the music and aesthetics of this era. In their songs we can actually find echoes of New Order, The Cure, U2 and Joy Division.

In 2004 they released their first album called Hot Fuss, which was a great success in cities like London and New York, birthplaces of indie rock and the new wave during the 2000s. Some of the hits from this album are Mr. Brightside, All These Things That I´ve done and Somebody Told Me.

In 2006 and as a tribute to their American roots, they released their second album called Sam´s Town, which contains the big hit When You Were Young.

Their third album, Day and Age was released in 2008, which actually moved them closer to the commercial pop success with its single: Human.

Battle Born, the latest album by The Killers was announced through social networks on the 7^th of July 2012. On the 10^th of July, the first single of this album Runaways was presented and on the 18^th of September the album was released and the band announced and world tour. The Killers have been accused of being too commercial, while trying to find easy success with this album. However the band defend their music with great guitar sounds. Influenced by Las Vegas (since Battle Born is the emblem of the flag of the state of Nevada) and its main neon avenue (the Strip), according to the lead singer, Brandon Flowers, this album is <>. Without leaving apart synthesizers and the rest of the 80’s influences that have characterized the band, The Killers return to the stages to offer more rock than ever, with a record that spread hope messages, love and the inevitable passage of time…

If you like The Killers you’ll have the chance to enjoy their new concert in Paris on the 12^th of March 2013 at 19:30. Tickets are on sale.

Enjoy The Killers at Le Zenith in Paris!

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Book apartments in Paris city and enjoy one of the best concerts of the season: The Killers. Remember, the concert will take place at Le Zenith on the 12th of March 2013.

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There are two main reasons that considerably complicate the choice of exhibitions worth seeing in a city. One is the lack of relevant artistic offers, in which case we better enjoy the art of living outside a museum. The other, typical of Paris, is the overwhelming abundance of it, which is why we take the liberty to give a series of recommendations for the current year to the restless traveler.

Chagall between war and peace

This exhibition at the Musée National du Luxembourg (19 rue de Vaugirard,), which can be seen until July, represents a wonderful opportunity to explore from a historical point of view the special places that Marc Chagall visited on his trips to Russia, United States and France in the first half of the twentieth century, the great imaginative power of captivating dream resonances and aromas present in the work of one of the most fascinating , evocative and seductive painters of his time.

Under the influences

Often the volatile ethereal images of Chagall could give the impression of having been originated in a trance like stated identified with the altering consciousness caused by the intake of certain psychotropic substances. It does not seem to have been the case, but those wishing to explore the relationship between this kind of hallucinations and visual arts can do in La Maison Rouge-Antoine de Galbert Foundation (10 boulevard de la Bastille), visiting the exhibition Sous Influences, showing the work of, among others, artists such as Jean Cocteau, Antonin Artaud and Nan Goldin.

 
The return of the underground

The intake of psychedelics as a means of direct contact with the divine allow access to another worldview and relationship with the world that has often characterized the culture of the underground , the return of which the exhibition Hey! Modern Art and Pop Culture celebrates and, which will be open until August at the Halle Saint-Pierre (2 rue Ronsard, 18e). It is mainly to question the boundaries of contemporary art through the work of a number of marginal artists creators of modes of expression that are difficult to classify that go from Joel-Peter Witkin to the Bazooka collective toWindor Mc Cay, the creator of the cult comic Little Nemo, among others.

 
The angel of bizarre

Underground “avant la lettre” in its time, Romanticism, a movement than perhaps all subsequent vanguards are in one way or another heiress, has long ranked among the classic moves. from Goya to Friedrich to German film expressionism, nightmares at its most diabolical does the Orsay Museum (62 rue de Lille) dedicate this exhibit to, an excellent and ambitious exhibition that will run until June

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The city of Paris and cuisine are closely linked. You eat well and convincingly. The French love pastries of all kinds, scones and quiches, which for those who are celiac could be a problem. The truth is that in Paris there are plenty of restaurants offering gluten-free menus. In fact the issue has become so widespread that there is a special certificate indicating that the food served is safe for celiacs.

I advise several places, besides gluten free meals , offer quality service and luxury:

Sunday Brunch

At number 63, Rue Lepic you will enjoy a good brunch suitable for celiacs. Crepes, sandwiches, salads and quiches have nothing to envy those who do have gluten. It is usually quite crowded because it is very well price for expensive Paris.

Helmund Newcake

More than a restaurant this is a bakery, but I assure you you will leave this spot full and really satisfied. You can find it in the Canal St. Martin, in the 10th district. Its specialty: quiches, French pastries and cakes meringue. All without gluten. You can also take home these treats because right there they sell bread, chocolate and gluten free buns.

Noglu

The menus are varied in this charming restaurant in the Passage des Panoramas of Paris. There you can eat a really delicious dish such as roast cod with carrots or vegetable lasagna, yes, lactose free lasagna, usually a crowded spot so we recommend booking in advance. Its elegance and quality have made Noglu fashionable.

 
Ladurée

It is a very elegant confectionery. There the “macarons” (which are sweets) are  particularly rich and, of course, without gluten. They are very popular but also very expensive. It is a small luxury you´ll quickly become addicted to.

 
Naturalia

In the supermarket aisles is not easy to find specific products without gluten and it certainly takes a while to find them. But with Naturalia shops, with several ones in Paris all the products sold are free of gluten. They are not particularly expensive and everything is very good.

 
The Boussole

At number 12 Rue Guisarde, The Boussole is one of the restaurants that carries  the banner of “gluten-free”. It is very cozy and serve, among other things, ravioli with curry and white chocolate panacotta. Some dishes are very much in demand.

 
Le Vin Qui Danse

It is a cozy and chic restaurant you will find at No. 4 Rue des Fosses Sain-Jacques and where being celiac almost almost a philosophy of life.  The most requested dishes have salmon. They also cook very rich creams. Here gluten is banned.

Vegan Café

In Paris there is a gap not only for celiacs, but also for vegans or those who are strict vegetarians. Their kitchen is so elaborate that Vegan Café also attracts carnivors. They produce a vegan cheese, with mushrooms, onions and artichokes that could reanimate the dead.

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Victor Hugo (1802-1885) is one of the most important French romantic writers (novelist and poet) of the 19th century, as well as being a politician and an intellectual that was highly committed with the social events of his country, which led him to be a highly respected figure in French society.

This commitment towards the people of Paris drove him to exile during the 20 years of the Second French Empire (1852-1870). First he went to Brussels, then Jersey and lastly Guernsey, where he wrote one of his most important works, Les Misérables (1862). This novel, which mostly takes place in Paris during the rebellion of June, 1830, shows a realistic and didactic approach to politics, religion, law and justice in its historical context. It´s a spectacular analysis of the society of the time that strongly defends those who were most oppressed through the portrayal of stereotypical characters that evoke great values and feelings that each of them experiments according to their past and present.

This work has been represented on many occasions in different artistic genres. Today, it has been brought to the big screen as an adaptation of the successful musical which has been performing around the world for 27 years. Now it´s reborn as a film that evokes the love story between Paris and Victor Hugo in each of its scenes.

One of the most emblematic locations in the book is Saint-Michel, where all the students always gathered and where the first insurrections of the Paris Commune began. The facade of the building of Boulevard Saint-Michel was built in 1860 and the magnificent fountain of lions is decorated with a monumental sculpture of archangel Saint-Michel, victorious against the dragon. West of Place Saint-Michel is the Saint-Severin district. It still preserves all the charm and appearance of medieval Paris: the pedestrian streets are narrow and they show the architecture and the structure of medieval Paris.

Just as you can see in the film, Saint-Michel offers a spectacular view of Notre Dame, which is in the frame of the Île de la Cité in the middle of the river Seine, protagonist of the other famous novel by Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris (1831).

Another of the locations in the film is a special and atypical museum, the Musée des Égouts, the Sewer Museum. These corridors under the streets of Paris date from medieval times and Napoleon I was the one who implemented covered sewers, which occupy a total extension of almost 20 miles.

But there´s still more. Since Victor Hugo is such a big name, you can visit his house in Paris, the Maison de Victor Hugo, which has now been turned into a museum, on the second floor of the Hotel de Rohan-Guéménée. Divided in three sections revolving around his exile (before, during and after), this is the place where he solidified his career as a romantic writer and where you can discover his work and his life through objects, travels, drawings, furniture and much more.

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If you rent apartments in Paris you can discover the places that Victor Hugo lived in and wrote about in his novels.

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Whether you’re an oyster aficionado or you’re just a culinary adventurer in search of new flavors, Paris is one of the best spots for fresh oysters on the half-shell. After all, Parisians have been enjoying these succulent bivalves since the days of the Roman Empire, when the fresh seafood was exported to wealthy Roman cities throughout Italy.

Today you can find oysters in Paris all throughout the year; however, mid-winter is prime oyster season. Stop in at most any poissonerie throughout the city, and you’ll find the day’s catch piled high, ready to be shucked by a skillful shopkeeper.

Of course, if you’re going for the oyster experience, you’re going to want to try the best of the best. There are numerous restaurants and bistros throughout the city that serve oysters, but according to Paris by Mouth, there are five restaurants that stand out head and shoulders above the crowd. We offer their suggestions here, starting with the overwhelming favorite:

1. Huîtrerie Régis Régis

If you’re going for a real oyster experience, this is the spot for it. Huîtrerie Régis is all about the oyster. The only other offerings on the menu are boiled shrimp, fresh clams and fresh sea urchins, so you’re guaranteed a stellar oyster experience.

This popular elbow-to-elbow eatery sources its oysters from the claires of the Marenne-Oléron. The restaurant also offers a brilliant selection of Loire Valley white wines that pair beautifully with the succulent, briny bivalves.

2. L’Ecailler du Bistrot

The “Bistro” referred to here is Le Paul Bert Bistro next door. The sibling restaurants may sit side by side; however, where Paul Bert is carnivore utopia, L’Ecailler is all about seafood. The oysters here are absolutely sublime, no small thanks to proprietor Gwenaëlle Cadoret, daughter of a well-known Riec-sur-Belon oyster grower.

The seafood menu here is outstanding, with a fantastic selection of Speciales, Utah Beach and Belon. We also highly recommend the sole meunière.

3. Garnier

If you’re looking for upscale, elegant dining, Garnier is one of your best bets. This classic, handsome restaurant is a top spot for oyster lovers worldwide. Of course, dining at this popular seafood brasserie doesn’t have to be anything too fancy. Stop in for an elegant dinner on linen and china, or make a quick pit stop at the oyster bar just inside the front door.

Either way, you’re in for a delicious, briny treat. Suck down some fabulous Guillardeaux along with a tipple from the excellent wine list.

4. Ecume Saint-Honoré

This is a lovely, classic poissonerie that offers a few tables for a lunchtime oyster tasting. Enjoy the well-earned expertise of the shopkeepers while you sample the array of fresh produce. Just don’t forget to take a few home for a treat later on.

5. L’Huîtrier

Half the fun of eating oysters is watching the ecailleur (oyster shucker) at work. Stop in for a lunch here and you’ll get to watch Francisco Pires, France’s best oyster shucker, at work. Enjoy his handiwork as you settle in for an oyster feast. Just make sure to leave enough space to sample L’Huîtrier’s excellent stuffed clams as well.

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What to see in Paris… the sewers

So, today we bring you a peculiar place from the City of Light, although to be honest there isn´t too much light here and you will need a flashlight to see properly. If what was on the surface of Paris wasn´t enough, the City Council has started an initiative that will delight those who are in search of strange and unusual things, even gory things: a tour around the sewers.

And it´s not just a tour, since this route dates back to the Middle Ages and it´s worthy of a true museum: the Musée des Égouts de Paris. However, let´s start at the beginning.

History of the Paris sewers

Paris didn´t have a sewer network until the late 14th century, when small tunnels were made under Montmartre with masonry bricks. With all of its deficiencies, it was expanded in a rustic way until the 19th century.

Then, with the same engineering that made the Eiffel Tower possible, a modern sewer network was designed under the tutelage of Belgrand. And, since all work needs its artistic referent, the great Victor Hugo placed the protagonist of Les Misérables, Jean Valjean, escaping through the labyrinths of these sewers.

Today, those in charge are adamant to make a fully ecological system that eliminates and manages all the city´s residues, as well as this strange museum that will delight quite a few people, since you don´t go down to the sewers every day.

Sewer Museum in Paris

The visit is moderately clean and 100% safe. You have to pay an entry free and you just have to take a few precautions. It´s not claustrophobic despite being underground, since the corridors are wide and the whole route is perfectly signposted. You can also go on a guided tour.

Of course, you´re not going to go down to the sewers in heels so go there with comfortable shoes that won´t allow you to slip as well as casual clothes (jeans, raincoat, t-shirts…). It´s advisable not to touch anything and wash your hands properly when you finish. It´s a tour that´s suitable for families with children due to its educational nature, since all the engineering and mechanical advances regarding this place are explained.

The tour lasts approximately one hour and you can take photos and make videos. Don´t forget the one that I´ve added here. The rest of the practical information, is as follows:

Access to the Sewer Museum in Paris: in front of the Quai d´Orsay. Metro Line 9. Get off at Pont de l´Alma, next to the Seine, and cross the road. You enter through a small kiosk with amazing views of the Eiffel Tower.

Opening days: Wednesdays and Saturdays. If those days are holidays, it is closed.

Opening hours: 11am-5pm in summer and closing at 4pm in winter.

Price: 4.30€ for adults and a concession price of 3.50€ for children, soldiers, OAPs and large families. School groups (with over 10 students) pay 2.30€ per person.

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Due to their cultural and political significance and with the invaluable help of the movies, which have created them an image as protagonists of dreams and myths, the historical Parisian cafes have somehow being able to become a true legend.

Café Procope

The first of all of them, chronologically, is the very distinguished Café Procope, which is located on the number 13 of Ancienne Comédie’s street. Its close link with the world of theater started back in 1689, three years after its opening, when the Comédie-Française’s headquarters were established right across the street. Molière, Rousseau Voltaire, Thomas Jefferson, Robespierre and Marat are just some of the clients that used to frequent this historical café.

Café de la Paix

We can however identify the beginning of the real golden age of Parisian cafés during the second half of the nineteenth century with a new city full of wide boulevards designed by Baron Haussmann. This is the time of great cafes and among them, few as elegant as the Café de la Paix, which is located at the intersection of the Boulevard des Capucines and Opera Square. There it is still possible to feel the spectral presence of Diaghilev and Nijinsky among its tables, who were actually regulars during the time when their Russian Ballets decisively transformed arts, theater and music in the early decades of the twentieth century.

The Coupoule

By then, the ideological, literature and artistic vanguards begun to find cafes in other areas, mostly in Montparnasse and Saint Germain des Prés districts. Opened in 1927, the giant La Coupoule became very famous, not only for its distinguished clientele recruited from the ranks of surrealism and existentialism, but also because of the unconventional columns decorated with murals. Its strong influence between the worlds of the “counterculture” of the time competed in the interwar period with its neighboring Le Select that even today serves as a magnet to a select group of new artists, filmmakers and writers.

Les Deux Magots and Le Café de Flore

However, among the world of the arts, probably there is no other café exceeding milestones as the legendary Les Deux Magots (at number six of Saint Germain des Prés square) and Le Café de Flore (corner of Boulevard Saint Germain and Saint Benoit Street), this last one offers a remarkable example of Art Deco with its memorable classic interior decor. There is literally no major cultural movement in the last hundred years that didn’t have one of the two cafés as a leading epicenter.

Paul Oilzum

If you rent apartments in Paris , you’ll be able to discover worlds of rich textures and aromas that unfold to infinity. In these fascinating places is possible to measure, perhaps like no other place in the city, the real pulse of Paris.

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