Barbra Austin

I don’t know about you, but I find it reassuring that a place like Le Rubis still exists in Paris, particularly in a high-rent part of town, where one of the hottest places to “eat” is something called a “water bar”.

Le Rubis is a 1930s-era bar à vin that seems to have changed little since then. From the zinc bar to the barrels on the sidewalk out front, it’s a kind of time capsule that would almost feel fake if it weren’t so utterly authentic.

Continue reading at Girls’ Guide to Paris…

The team from Racines has moved on to sleek new digs.

I feel like I’m at risk for becoming one of those people who never leaves her neighborhood; who, to the great annoyance of friends, only agrees to do things within walking distance.

This is very exciting.

Homemade salsa, freshly mashed guacamole, agua fresca, handmade tortillas… It almost brings a tear to my eye, and not because the salsa is honestly hot.

I’ve been to and enjoyed Bread & Roses several times over the past few years.
The breads are all organic. The pastries are natural beauties. The quiches are deep and the savory tarts are filled with bright vegetables and herbs. Golden raisins peak out from a rock pile of scones…

It isn’t you, it’s me.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand why many people love Le Chateaubriand, and there are many things that I like about it myself.

“This is the best food for you. The walls at Lascaux are not covered with pictures of broccoli, after all,” said the guy sitting next to us at l’Ami Jean.

Maybe, but I doubt that our paleolithic ancestors had someone like Stephane Jego around to do the cooking.

The words “cuisine factory” are written on the façade of Café Tolo, which seems odd considering that it is a small place doing something close to home cooking.

Two good meals, two wildly different price points.

Where do you have dinner with an American living in Paris who is facing a two week visit to the States? “Something good and French,” were the requirements.

So helpful!