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Paris Cafe Review: Cafe Charbon (11th Arrond.)

// August 24th, 2009 // Comments // Cafes

Cafe Charbon is known to be in one of the hipper areas of town, the 11th Arrondissement (on Rue Oberkampf), so I was expecting to see more action/activity than I did. From what I hear, the area is pretty laid-back and calm during the day and turns into a happening place at night. Chances are that visiting during a Monday afternoon, as I did, is probably not the best time to get a real “feel” for this area or the cafe.

Cafe Charbon, 11th Arrond., Paris, France

That being said, I still enjoyed my experience. The interior of the cafe is decorated nicely and I have no doubt that this would be a great place to grab a happy hour drink or spend an entire night here (according to iGuide, Cafe Charbon stays “rocking until dawn both in the bar downstairs and the medium-size dance hall upstairs, making it a favorite among young Parisians, especially after the other places in the neighborhood have closed”) . As for the people watching, it was sub-par during this particular Monday afternoon. I did get to witness the shooting of some kind of TV program at the cafe, during my stay, however. As for the coffee itself, my cafe creme was the best I’ve had in Paris, thus far, and came at a pretty standard price from what I’ve seen: 3.00 €.

While I wouldn’t put Cafe Charbon at the top of my list of regular cafes to visit any day of the week, I think this place would definitely be worth visiting during an evening or any time during the weekend when people are out and about.

Day & Time of Visit: Monday @ 3:00PM

Want to see photos from my visit?: Cafe Review Photos

Want to see this location on a map? Map of My Visits

Paris Cafe Review: Cafe Beaubourg (4th Arrond.)

// August 23rd, 2009 // Comments // Cafes

For those of you who don’t me, a couple of years ago I learned about a previously undiscovered passion of mine: reading at cafes. Upon moving to Paris and starting this blog, I knew that I would spend a lot of time visiting cafes around the city and, of course, sharing my reviews with all of you. Today I visited Cafe Beaubourg in the 4th Arrondissement.

Cafe Beaubourg, 4th Arrond., Paris, France

Located at 43 rue Saint-Merri (careful, there’s a identically named cafe a couple blocks away on St. Martin), Cafe Beaugourg looks onto a square right off of the Pompidou Centre. I had previously seen reviews talking about the performers in the square, so I was hoping to get a show while I read my most recent book, Is Paris Burning? by  Larry Collins. I was in luck. Today, a group of four dancers spent the afternoon performing a dance routine consisting of Conga, breakdancing, hip-hop, and more. I shot a video of them in action which you can view here.

First impression: Great location. As I mentioned, this cafe sits on a nice open courtyard and chairs are set up so you can easily drink your coffee and watch the people and entertainment at the same time. There’s no question, a cup of coffee is not cheap here (5.00 € for a Cafe Creme ), so if you’re looking for a great deal, look elsewhere. But the setting makes it worth grabbing a drink here at least once, though you wouldn’t want it to make it your regular cafe.

The coffee was tasty, so no complaints there. The service was pretty standard, but I certainly liked the fact that I spent a couple of hours here and didn’t once get the impression that I was being rushed to leave. To sum it up, Cafe Beaubourg is a great place to people watch, catch some cool street artists in action and spend a leisurely hour or two reading your book, undisturbed.

Day & Time of Visit: Sunday @ 2:00PM

Want to see photos from my visit?: Cafe Review Photos

Want to see a video of the performers near the cafe?:  Street Performers at Cafe Beaubourg

Want to see this location on a map? Map of My Visits

Paris Restaurant Review: Domaine de Lintillac (2nd Arrond., Paris, France)

// August 22nd, 2009 // Comments // Restaurants

This was the second time I’ve eaten at Domaine de Lintillac, but the first time since I started AmericInParis.com, so I had to take the time to briefly review it. Domaine de Lintillac was recommended to me by a former coworker and as soon as she described her experience, I had to give it a try.

To begin, I like the fact that the restaurant is located on Rue Saint Augustin, a relatively quiet street in the 2nd Arrondissement. There are only a couple of shops on the street and the restaurant’s bright red exterior makes it stand out nicely. We made a reservation ahead of time online, as this place can get pretty busy at night and you can’t be guaranteed a spot without a reservation.

Domaine de Lintillac, 2nd Arrond., Paris, France

If you don’t have your own booth (there are several around the restaurant), then the seating can be a bit tight at times–you might find yourself seated directly next to another party. But if you have a larger group or don’t mind cozier seating, then you shouldn’t have any issue. The interior is nicely decorated and this place would certainly make for a good dinner party spot or even a date, though again, you might not have much privacy if you’re doing the latter.

Each table comes with it’s very own toaster, something you don’t see every day, but it’s definitely an interesting touch. The wine selection is pretty good, with about 20 different wines to choose from. I’m not a connoisseur (yet), so I’ll spare you any attempt at a wine review. For an appetizer Duck a L’orange Pate (3.65 €) which was delicious. The portion was plenty for our party of 3 to have a nice pre-dinner taste of what was to come. For my main course, I chose to go with the Duck Carpaccio (they don’t have this listed on their website, so I can’t give the full description w/ price).  I was happy that I went with this, as opposed to one of the larger cuts of duck. It had a delicious flavor and came with a side of salad and potatoes. However, one of my fellow dinners got the “Breast of fattened Mulard duck with Sarladaise potatoes” (9.70 €) which was quite good as well, though I would still go with the carpaccio if you’re having trouble deciding. Both of these meals are certainly enough to fill up any one person, as they don’t skimp on the serving. For dessert we split the “Brive la Gaillarde nut cake with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream” (3.05 €) and the “Praline ice cream sundae with chestnut cream, nut liqueur, whipped cream and nuts” (4.70 €) The Brive la Gaillarde dessert was very good. Deliciously warm cake and the vanilla ice cream adds a nice touch. The Praline Sundae, on the other hand, while decent, had much too strong a liqueur taste to it which ended up overpowering (and ruining) the flavor.

While the service was a bit slow at times, the overall experience was a very positive one (as it was the first time I went). I would definitely recommend Domaine de Lintillac to anyone visiting Paris and especially to those of you who are duck (eating) lovers.

Want to see this location on a map? Map of My Visits

Eiffel Tower: My First Trip To The Top

// August 20th, 2009 // Comments // General

While I have visited Paris many times before, I just made my first trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower. After an hour or more wait in line, I finally got into the base of the Eiffel Tower. Another hour or more later, I finally got to the top. Needless to say, the wait was quite ridiculous and I certainly would not have done it had I not been with two other people who were so intent on making the climb.

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

While it was a magnificent view and something I recommend that everyone do at one point in their life, I would certainly have chosen the off-season (winter) to make this trek, had I been smarter about it.

Like I said, while getting to the top involved waiting in 3 ridiculously long lines, the climb to the top and the view from all sides was wonderful. I always enjoy getting a city-wide view from the highest point in any given city. For example, one of the all around best views in Prague comes from the Petrin Tower (basically a mini Eiffel Tower). And I recently enjoyed the view from the top of the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, Ireland.

So, my advice for future Paris travelers and potential Eiffel Tower climbers…make the climb, but do it in the off-season if at all possible. If not, get there early, before most tourists want to wake up or do it late, when most of the families have gone to bed. Bonne chance!

Paris, France: My Arrival

// August 11th, 2009 // Comments // General

Arrived from Dublin this afternoon and in the course of my travels had one of the worst airport experiences of my life. Because of a bit of misinformation on the part of Aer Lingus, I had to unload a quarter of my and still pay an absurd amount of money for my bags being over the weight-limit.

Regardless, I have arrived in Paris safely and am officially ready to begin my journey, adventure, experience or whatever you choose to call it. i have no doubt that the coming weeks and months will hold lots of interesting, intimidating and, in the end, insightful experiences, and I look forward to make the most of all of them.