http://www.theparisblog.com The Blog with Gaul! Group blog about expat life in Paris, France Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:39:54 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The concept of Les Cocottes de Christian Constant may be a bit of a gimmick, but the food is definitely not. Most everything on the menu is served in cast-iron cookware (“cocottes”) by Staub, which, along with wine glasses engraved with the restaurant’s logo and cookbooks by M. Constant, are ... http://www.theparisblog.com/cast-iron-dining/ Mon dieu. It is a masterpiece of an 18th Century interior. Plush red velvet banquets, gold gilt trim, full-wall mirrors, frescoes, silver vases of flowers, white linen tablecloths and napkins, skyrocketing fresh lilies. We were seated at a table that allowed us to peek at the decanting and the breathing ... http://www.theparisblog.com/lunch-at-le-grand-vefour/ Gui and I were recently invited to the top-secret, velvety-drape-lined K&K boudoir to be guests on the ever-popular podcast hosted by fellow Paris-based expats, Katia and Kyliemac. We’ve known these lovelies for some time now, having met them through the shrinking circle of expat friends that we’ve been lucky enough ... http://www.theparisblog.com/a-paris-expat-podcast/ Ikea has moved into four Parisian subway stations for two weeks. Cute idea, but will they have to burn the furniture later? Oh, maybe they’ll go in the “as is” sale section! [via] http://www.theparisblog.com/get-comfortable/ In the latest issue of the French Marie Claire Maison, I came across some really beautiful work by Les Filles de Factuer, hanging curtains and screens made up of twined, colorful plastic. I went to look at their website this morning and discovered that it is in fact a French organization whose ... http://www.theparisblog.com/glad-twinings/ “Hello,” I said with a bright smile. “I am M's mom. She is so thrilled your daughter invited her to the birthday party. She'll be very happy to join you. Oh, my name is Sylvia.” I rattled this off to the other mother in my nearly fluent French, my hand ... http://www.theparisblog.com/no-names-please-were-french/ Good news! The American Library in Paris, an expat membership  institution, has just launched Browser, a blog covering expat subjects and literary news and events (and not just ones at the Library itself). An inaugural post announces an event worth planning for: Since the mid-1990s the Library has been fortunate to ... http://www.theparisblog.com/american-library-starts-a-blog/ The other day, a busy and rainy Sunday afternoon, as Gui and I were leaving McDonald's to get on with the day, a young boy stopped me and asked me if I had a euro. We were still inside the McDonald's when the boy approached me, and I had to ... http://www.theparisblog.com/is-paris-hardening-my-heart/ Back in late 2009 my editors at Paris Magazine contacted me about writing an article on the Paris nightlife scene. My assignment? To write a sort of rebuttal to the flurry of articles that had recently appeared in the French and American press declaring that Paris was dead after dark. ... http://www.theparisblog.com/not-dead-yet-paris-nightlife/ Girl groups from the swinging 60's were a dime a dozen. Record labels paired songwriters with producers, handpicked the voices, and stylists went to work creating a palatable package ready for eager consumers. Parisian starlets The Plastiscines may not have been assembled by executives, but their rise in popularity comes from ... http://www.theparisblog.com/the-plastiscines-modern-girl-group/