A Parisian escape: Napoleon’s hat, Marie Antoinette’s shoe, a chocolate mousse bar, and other snippets of this beautiful city
I had a week-long bonding trip with my sister in Paris.
Cindy, who lives in San Francisco, met me in the City of Light, where we made the most of our limited vacation time. We visited historic sites, got our art fix in museums, had great meals, delighted ourselves with decadent treats, and of course, shopped.
If you are in Paris for a quick trip, I share some snippets of what to do, what to buy, and where to go.
Bring home butter from La Grande Epicerie de Paris
There is a wall of butter in La Grande Epicerie de Paris, the foodie dream store. You can find Le Beurre Bordier (hailed as the best butter in the world), Beurre D’Isigny, Échire and many others. Each brand has a choice of demi sal (semi-salted) or doux (unsalted). There are flavors from Bordier butter as well, like sal fume (smoked salt), oignon de Roscoff (onion), huile olive citronee (olive lemon), vanilla de Madagascar, garlic and Kampot (garlic and pepper), and even chocolate butter. Here’s a tip: There is a counter beyond the cashier where you can vacuum-seal your purchases of butter. Just keep it in the fridge while in Paris, pack it, then take it home. Since then, I have had a surprising realization: that I can live on bread and French butter alone.
No Notre Dame, no problem
The Notre Dame Cathedral is under major renovation after that horrific fire that engulfed it in 2019. In December of this year, the church will reopen to the public in all its splendor. So before then, we decided to go to Sainte-Chapelle. Often overlooked because of the Notre Dame, this church is just as breathtaking. Located at the Ile de la Cité, this fantastic gothic-style structure is flooded by a mesmerizing 1,113 stained-glass windows, each depicting a biblical story. You are just surrounded by them, like you stepped into a wonderful world of colored light. Download their app on your phone, focus on the stained glass, and unlock its stories. Sainte-Chapelle was commissioned by King Louis IX, better known as the pious king, who eventually became a saint.
To go or not to go to Shakespeare and Company
We did go to this historical bookstore despite the crowds waiting outside. Shakespeare and Company limits its store capacity and I can see why. There are doorways to alcoves and small areas, and spiral staircases that lead to other small rooms. Walls are lined with books upon books—some classics, and some contemporary. There are different genres of books offered in English and French. The bookstore opened in 1951, serving as a hangout for “anglophone writers and readers.” It is said that Allen Ginsberg, Anäis Nin, Henry Miller, Hemingway, James Jones, among other writers, have visited the shop. Buy a book and have it stamped, and feel like you are part of its literary history.
Chapon’s Chocolate Mousse Bar
We searched for Chapon Chocolatier with the goal of trying their chocolate mousse, which went viral on social media. They have three shops in the city, and we went to the one in Rue Saint-Sulpice. The sweet shop had many chocolates on counters to choose from, where you customize your own box. Chapon also has these chocolate bars of different assortments packaged with eye-catching illustrations of animals in the wild. I got a few of these for pasalubong. The pièce de résistance, of course, was the chocolate mousse bar with flavors: 100% Venezuela, Venezuela Au Lait, Equateur, and Madagascar. I chose Madagascar, and it was lusciously and generously scooped up and placed in a paper cone. Walking around Paris while savoring chocolate mousse is bliss.
Napoleon’s hat at Le Procope
Le Procope claims to be the oldest cafe in Paris having opened in 1686. Named after its Sicillian chef, the café was the hub where great writers and intellectuals met. No less than Rousseau, Diderot, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson frequented the cafe. Voltaire’s table, Marat’s Bell (a symbol of the French Revolution), letters of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, among numerous documents during that age, adorn the restaurant. A struggling Napoleon (still a soldier, not yet an emperor) dined there and left his iconic hat as collateral as he couldn’t pay for the bill. He never got it back. This very hat is displayed for all to see in its awesomeness and grandeur at Le Procope. Of course, not to be overlooked in this café steeped in history is its traditional French fare. They even have historical dishes like “Calf’s Head Like in 1686.”
The search for the Best Boeuf Bourguignon
If we had more time, we would have gone to many bistros and ate Beef Bourguignon every day to find the best one. Since this was not possible, we did the next best thing and scoured food publications, YouTube videos, and reviews, which led us to Chez Fernand. Its Beef Bourguignon is usually voted as the top three best in Paris. Luckily, the restaurant was a block away from our hotel, and the concierge made reservations for us. The place gets pretty full. We started with escargots and baked Camembert cheese, which got our appetites going. Then came the Boeuf Bourguignon steaming in a pot and served with bread on the side. It had big chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots, and the evident taste of red wine and Cognac. The verdict? Comforting and spectacular at the same time; the best we’ve tasted so far.
Marie Antoinette’s shoe and her last prison
Since reading Antonia Fraser’s biography on Marie Antoinette, I got to view the queen who famously said, “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche (Let them eat cake!)” with more sympathy. The Conciergerie, a former residence for the kings of France, was transformed into a prison where many were placed under detention during the French Revolution. It is located below the Palais de Justice. Its most famous prisoner was Marie Antoinette. They erected a chapel on the dungeon she lived in, so you can’t really see the conditions she endured during her last 76 days. An exhibit of a few of her personal belongings included a water jug, toiletries, a kerchief, camisole, a chatelaine reliquary containing hair from the royal family. What most interested me was a fashionable shoe, which the queen lost when she was taken to the scaffold.
The Underground Cellars of Taittinger Champagne
We ventured 18 meters underground to see the cellars of the Taittinger Champagne House in Reims. The Champagne House was constructed over a 13th century abbey church built by Benedictine monks. The tour started with a private lecture and video showing of the history of Taittinger. Then we descended deeper and deeper into its cellars were the processes were explained. There were hundreds of thousands of bottles there, which was no surprise as Taittinger produces seven million bottles of Champagne annually. I could just imagine the monks at work in these underground caves centuries ago. As we went further down, the cellars got more damp and cold. Hello, claustrophobia! We ended the tour with a tasting of Champagne paired with food, which was refreshing—and aboveground.
Champagne Brunch at Perrier Jouët
Since we were in a Champagne state of mind, we proceeded to Epernay for a brunch at the Cellier Belle Epoque, the Champagne Bar and Restaurant, of Perrier Jouët. The place is so pretty with art installations and creative displays of its lovely bottles. There is a tasting menu as well as à la carte choices. The dishes were beautifully presented too, and the Champagnes were delightful. At their gift shop, they sell limited-edition Champagne glasses with charming designs. It is worth the effort to hand-carry those glasses (as well as a couple of bottles) on the plane going home.
Your neighborhood bread and pastry shop
At the corner of the street where we stayed at the Saint Germain de Pres area is a lovely boulangerie and pastry shop called Aux Merveilleux de Fred. You can watch its expert staff bake its goodies through the shop windows. What attracted us were the cramiques, a brioche bread with raisins and sugar. Loaves of cramiques were displayed and wasps would hover about the bread. We bought this bread every day. A specialty of theirs is their version of the Merveilleux, a mouth-watering meringue pastry originating from the north of France.
The scent of Grasse and Fragonard
A good stop to shop is Boutique Fragonard, a parfumeur and more. Founded in 1926 in Grasse, they have a few boutiques across France. I went to the shop in Boulevard Saint-Germain. Fragrances are available for men and women, as well as for the home. The many fragrance choices have corresponding soaps, shower gels, body lotions. My favorites are the Verveine (Verbena) and Fleur d”Oranger scents. I have to mention their packaging, which is just beyond pretty. They have some gorgeous items, too, like placemats and table napkins, fabric bags, robes and dresses—all having that Fragonard stamp of French style.
Filipino food is Reyna at the 11th Arrondissement
This Filipino restaurant is quite popular and was full when we dined. It is best to make a reservation. There is communal-style dining where some guests share tables with others. We shared a table with some New Yorkers. There was an international crowd and a sprinkling of Pinoy diners in the resto. Unfortunately, chef Erica Paredes was in Manila so I couldn’t meet her. Fortunately, we met Reyna’s super friendly and efficient manager Edgar Andales who hails from Siargao. Reyna’s food is Filipino cuisine with a twist. Our starters were oysters with calamansi-katsuboshi pinakurat mignonette. It was chef’s kiss! Their version of munggo with miso coconut milk, vegan XO, roasted tomatoes and lechon belly with Bicol Express sauce, were good, too. A best-seller is their fried chicken with different sauces: adobo, patis or Pinatubo (super hot!). This dish was cited by the New York Times Style magazine as one of “The 25 Essential Dishes to Eat in Paris.”
