Paris Journal 2014 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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The past two nights we’ve dined simply at the neighborhood pubs, A La Tour Eiffel, and the Commerce Café (not the Café du Commerce resto). Besides the fact that I have bronchitis/laryngitis, we were distracted by other things like work and family matters. The neighborhood pubs are fun, and picturesque. Recently, I was incensed by an unfair and inaccurate review I saw on TripAdvisor for A La Tour Eiffel. It was written by a British man, so I didn’t have to feel embarrassed because it was from an American. But I still felt the need to set the record straight. So I wrote the following TripAdvisor review. Since I’m a “senior contributor” at TripAdvisor with 45 “helpful” votes, I outrank that Brit who has only written this one Tripadvisor review. So there! Part of this you’ll recognize from my August 10 entry in this journal; but there’s more, on the background of this brasserie. So read on: This was the first place where my husband
and I ate dinner together in Paris, in 1998. That was the beginning of our 17
summers in Paris, during which we dine out at restaurants nearly every night.
We had not dined at La Tour Eiffel brasserie in a long time. Recently,
however, the restaurant and the entire building it is in have been renovated
so we had to give it a try once again. I remembered the food as being just good
brasserie fare, so I was not prepared at all for the high quality vittles we
were served on August 9! Filets de
dorade royale was the daily special. This fine fish (golden bream) came
with very thin slices of vegetables on top. The fish and veggies were roasted
in butter, and done to perfection. Each bite melted in my mouth with an explosion
of flavor. Oh la la! Such dorade! My husband had an exceptionally good beef
Carpaccio, with a generous amount of Parmesan shavings and a good salad on
top. We shared a gorgeous slice of blueberry tart (dessert of the day) that
could not have been better. This brasserie has been in the Lac family
for two or three generations. The current proprietor, Alain Lac, is a young
man who studied restaurant management at the prestigious Ferrandi school of
French cuisine. He worked for a while for the Bofinger brasserie chain before
returning to the family business, La Tour Eiffel. This brasserie gets its
name not from proximity to the Eiffel Tower, but because reportedly Gustave
Eiffel and his team dined here regularly during the construction of the
tower. The brasserie is appropriately decorated with photographs of the tower
under construction. We highly recommend this
brasserie/restaurant, not just because the food is far better than ordinary
brasserie fare, but also because the service was professional, friendly
enough, and prompt. The setting, across from the neighborhood church (Saint
John the Baptist of Grenelle), at the foot of the shopping street named la
rue du Commerce, is utterly charming, as is the decor of the renovated
restaurant. So we went back there last night, and the dinner was very good, even though my appetite just wasn’t what it normally would be. Another interesting historical tidbit I read about this brasserie is that it used to be a part of a farm – its building is actually older than the church (which is only 19th Century). When working on the building, someone found a big old milk jug in the cellar, as well as other items. The night before last, we really rebelled: Tom had a hamburger, and I had pizza at the Commerce Café. I was able to watch the pizza man tossing and spinning the dough before my eyes, and I saw him slide the pizza out of the oven with the long-handled wood spatula. He always says hello to Tom and me when he sees us come into the pub. Seemingly, there is never any background music played at the Commerce Café. The constant hum and buzz of numerous conversations is quite enough. Such is not the case at A la Tour Eiffel. Both times that we’ve been there lately, loud American rock music was playing – mostly Motown and Motown revival or whatever you call the newer stuff. A few minutes after diners begin to populate the dining room, the staff lowers the volume of the music. It must be cranked up before dinner so it will reach the ears of drinkers on the terrasse. We dig that music, so it hasn’t bothered us – other than the fact that once again, we’re hearing American music in a French establishment. At home in the evenings, we still listen to jazz – Latin jazz lately. And I respond to email. Yesterday, my friend Judy B. asked me, via email: I received your input for August as the
suggested time in Paris. I am curious
what your reason was for this being the better time for first time visit to
Paris. Is it weather? or less
crowds? With so many Parisians on
holiday in Europe all of August I was concerned that the flavor of Paris
might change. I've read it is a bit
quieter on the streets with traffic, but that's about it. My concern is local restaurants and shops,
don't many close? And since they have
never been before I thought the full impact of Paris ....whatever that
is....vs. maybe more international visitors?? or Americans? I would appreciate a few more of your
insights. My step-son is looking to do a first time
trip and he has to make a decision on his vacation time for next year so we
were trying to research what month. Any other suggestions you would have would
be welcome, including quaint little boutique hotels not off the charts
expensive. He will be traveling with
his wife and two teenagers so they will do the usual first time visits to
museums, Palace of Versaille etc. and will be on a budget. Okay, so here’s the first part of my response to Judy B., addressing the question of “why August?”: We’ve been coming to Paris for 17
years. In the early years, it was true
that so many things shut down for the month that daily life was a bit
inconvenient. That is no longer true. The French still take a lot of vacations
and some restaurants close for a week or two, but shops and restaurants are
much more available in August than they used to be. The best part of August is that the
Parisians are, many of them, gone on vacation. Parisians, like New Yorkers or other big
city people, are always in a rush and hurry about everywhere they go. With many of them gone in August, the city
takes on a more laid back, relaxed air, which is perfect for tourists. By the way, many of the tourists are French
people from the provinces, who come to Paris for their vacation. The things tourists want to do – the
museums, the churches like Notre Dame, boat tours of the Seine, walking
tours, many shops and restaurants – are all available in August. City street traffic is much calmer in
August, and that’s good for pedestrians.
Also, the metro (subway) isn’t quite as crowded at rush hour in
August. And here’s what I told her about hotels and Versailles: Here are my hotel
recommendations: We’ve never stayed in them,
mind you, because we stay in apartments. But friends have stayed at
these places, and found them to be charming, affordable, and
convenient. Also, we do not recommend
spending time going to Versailles for those visiting for less than two weeks’
time. The park at Versailles is interesting, but the chateau isn’t the
best. While we aren’t experts in tourism in France, because we tend to live here, not be tourists, I think I can offer those ideas and thoughts, anyway. Maybe if you’re planning a trip to Paris, these recommendations will be helpful.
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Thursday, August 14, 2014
The dining room at A La Tour Eiffel.
Old coffee grinder (I think) and other items on display at
A La Tour Eiffel.
The blackboard on wheels at the Commerce Café. There is also a printed menu, and a pizza menu,
but we usually order off the blackboard.
This requires a knowledge of French as well as the style of French
handwriting, which is different from ours.
Old photographs of the neighborhood are on display in glass
cases along the wall of part of the dining room at the Commerce Café.
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