Seafood dishes at Monsieur Bleu include this gorgeous turbot. (Adrien Dirand)
Ah, Paree — your verve always keeps us coming back.
If you follow the Paris scene, you’ve likely spotted a trend: Restaurants, bars and even dessert spots have gone decidedly American — New York is très à la mode.
But once you start sniffing out all the hotness like truffle dogs on the hunt, you’ll find something for every rarefied palate and every level of ADHD. Ooh la la!
YAWN VOYAGE
Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel: The five-star hotel located on Avenue George V reopened in June after shuttering for two years. Prince de Galles’ latest facelift – part of a series of updates at Starwood’s most celebrated Luxury Collection hotels – brings back Art Deco design reminiscent of its opening in 1928. The new 115 guest rooms and 44 suites are adorned with black marble and macassar ebony, thanks to designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. The hotel’s extravagant, two-story suite, L’Appartement Parisien, spans more than 2,600 square feet inside and features a 1,000-square-feet terrace offering panoramic city views. Restaurant La Scène completes the picture with executive chef Stéphanie Le Quellec offering indelible seasonal dishes, like line-caught sea bass in vanilla butter, beautifully executed in an open kitchen (rooms from $800, princedegallesparis.com).
Hotel Montalembert: Location, location, location. In trendy Saint-Germain-des-Pres lies the quaint Hotel Montalembert, a Preferred Boutique property. Open since 1926, the five-star hotel now offers a contemporary design and attentive service with 54 employees for its 54 rooms. The accommodations include eight suites, with one beauty designed by Christian Liaigre. While the hotel lacks a gym and spa, its restaurant provides nonstop service from noon until 10:30 p.m. — a Paris rarity. In addition, the ideal location on the Left Bank places guests within walking distance of the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre, as well as some of the city’s best shopping and restaurants (rooms from $400, preferredboutique.com/ montalembert).
CHOMPS-ÉLYSÉES
Monsieur Bleu — One of the city’s toughest reservations and most fashionable eateries, this Palais de Tokyo brasserie features Joseph Dirand-designed Art Deco and black marble interiors. Chef Benjamin Masson serves up classic raw-bar specialties, a full caviar presentation and the requisite steak frites. Enjoy the Eiffel Tower backdrop and the lavish terrace while gawking at the staff outfitted in Alexis Mabille garb (monsieurbleu.com).
The Fish Club — Housed in a former rundown butcher shop, this Peruvian-inspired tapas bar from Romée de Goriainoff, Olivier Bon and Pierre-Charles Cros launched in May. The Fish Club — bathed in natural light, unlike its dimly lit sibling Beef Club — features bright retro décor from Dorothée Meilichzon and is atop every Paris power player’s hot list. You’ll have to order a lot of small plates to leave satisfied, so get mussels, octopus kebabs and a lobster sandwich with guacamole. Burn off the calories on the dance floor of Ballroom, located just under the restaurant (eccfishclub.com).
Le Dépanneur — Le Dépanneur, which opened in July, is Paris’ answer to the retro-American diner. Situated on the edge of Pigalle, the two-floor restaurant is purposefully California-beach-inspired, with natural wood and restored timber interiors designed by OC expats David Rager and Cheri Messerli. Owners Olivier and Julie Demarle’s menu boasts organic burgers, tacos and desserts created by Paris’ Cantine California food-truck crew. Open from 10 a.m. till 2 a.m, the restaurant features DJs on Thursday-Saturday nights (ledepanneurpigalle.com).
Manger — A new and crave-worthy Asian fusion restaurant, Manger has been designed with three major focal points — the dessert station, open kitchen and sun roof. Chef William Pradeleix offers a different lunch theme every day. Specialties include beef tataki with coriander pesto and an appetizing octopus ceviche. Impressively, the restaurant is also doing its part for society by working with Toques et Partage to train unemployed Parisians with no prior culinary experience (manger-leresto.com).
Café Francais — The latest addition to the Gilbert and Thierry Costes family empire, Café Francais — across from the Bastille Opera — takes over nearly an entire block. The spot screams “French” with plush leather swivel chairs in royal blue and scarlet, plus black and white Art Deco marble floors. Chef Jean François Piege delights with lobster ravioli, steak tartare and burrata over a bed of fresh tomatoes (beaumarly.com/cafe-francais/accueil).
TOOT SWEET!
Pierre Hermé — At 1.50€ a pop, Pierre Hermé’s macarons might be the most delicious use of pocket change ever. With just two immaculately designed macaron collections a year, Pierre Hermé also offers an array of treats ranging from chocolate bonbons to galet infiniment citron (fine-lemon-and-chocolate-shell with ganache filling). What’s more, Barbara Rihl has designed a handbag collection for the stores that’s just as colorful as the sweet treats. Expect a long queue, but it’s worth the wait when there’s a white truffle hazelnut macaron with your name on it (pierreherme.com).
L’Éclair de Génie —If L’Éclair de Genie has its way, macaron madness will soon give way to éclair ectasy. This artisan éclair shop is the brainchild of former Pauchon pastry chef Christophe Adam, who’s created a spin on the traditional elongated pastry by using a palette of colors and different flavors. Prepare to be won over by the mascarpone, caramel, raspberry and pecan éclairs. Indulge in the additional chocolate cream filling if you’re feeling frisky (leclairdegenie.com).
WikiBar — Harvard professor David Edwards, biologist Don Ingber and designer François Azambourg started the WikiFoods company after being inspired by nature’s design of the grape and the idea that food comes with an edible packaging. Try WikiBar’s ice cream that doesn’t melt in your hands, with flavors like mango inside coconut skin. This is one science experiment you want to partake in (wikipearl.com).
POUR REVOIR!
Le Perchoir — With a sexy rooftop and a haute couture crowd, Adrien Boissaye, Christophe Talon and Emmanuel Collignon’s drinks destination is in a former industrial space that overlooks the pretty Parisian streets seven floors below. Benches, chairs and sofas are scattered around the Philippe Xerri-designed space. And while the view is gorgeous, the wine also deserves attention. Try the Plageoles’ Mauzac Nature 2012 (leperchoir.fr).
Mama Shelter Island Bar — Get a reservation because this spot is so popular it tends to get a bit overcrowded. This bar at the fabulously designed Mama Shelter luxury hotel, owned by Serge Trigano, defies Parisian clichés with its warm Philippe Starck design. Expect a diverse crowd and good music (mamashelter.com).
SPA LA MODE
Six Senses — Located between Place Vendôme and the Jardin des Tuileries, Six Senses will revitalize your mind, body and spirit. French interior designer Pierre David used wood, stone and light to create a peaceful atmosphere that alleviates stress even before you use any of the facilities. Real-time projections of the Eiffel Tower are placed on screens outside the pod windows, and there’s a vertical garden created by Patrick Blanc. While the Oriental and Energizer Massages are some of the most popular treatments, your masseuse can also create a personalized experience (sixsenses.com/spas/rue-de-castiglione).
COOL COUTURE
The Broken Arm — Anaïs Lafarge, Guillaume Steinmetz and Romain Joste are behind this new uber-trendy café and concept store in Le Marais. The Broken Arm has been open since February and is already popular amongst the fashionable, cool kids of Paris. The founding trio are also the creators of hip fashion and lifestyle website De Jeunes Gens Modernes (dejeunesgensmodernes.com), and Broken Arm vends clothing lines like Raf Simons, Carven and Kenzo. The café is just as charming, offering a chance to sip on some excellent, creamy coffees coupled with delightful pastries, the perfect formula after a hard day of shopping (the-broken-arm.com).