From thisjustin:

“This summer in Paris, the Art Home restaurant has been dropped by crane (video here) on top of the Palais du Tokyo. The ultra-edgy contemporary arts museum has a nice view of the Eiffel Tower from its plebian patio down below (price of admission: as low as a single cup of coffee). Beginning July 1, however, that view will be overshadowed by the possibility of lunch or dinner up on the roof. It’s close quarters inside that privileged perch, with room to welcome only a dozen diners for lunch (€60/$84) and dinner (€80/$111). Given so few seats, this is a tough reservation to score. Booking works like at Momofuku Ko in New York—reservations are taken online, beginning at 10 a.m., for a date exactly one month in the future. Be ready to with your finger on the mouse at 9:59!
An alternate strategy, up until bidding closed last night, was to enter the eBay battle for opening night seats. But after seeing the price for a single person rise above €1,400 ($1,950!), I decided to settle instead for a free visit.

That’s right—if you’re curious to see this Laurent Grasso installation for yourself, free tours are conducted daily between 3 and 5:30 p.m. (except for Mondays, when the museum, restaurant, and tours are closed), with online reservation required. If you’re lucky, there might be a few lunch crumbs left on the table!

Art Home at/on the Palais de Tokyo, 13 avenue du Président Wilson, 16th arrondissement, 011-33/1-47-23-54-01.”

If you happen to be wondering who are the famous French Twitterers or Tweeters or Twits…you get what I mean - just take a look at this subjective metro-ish map by Henri Michel. Click on the map to enlarge it.

In Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s most recent TED Talk, he discusses his three most recent projects on humanity and our habitat. You’ll be glued to the aerial photographs in his series “Earth from Above,” personal interviews from around the globe featured in his web project “6 billion Others,” and his soon-to-be-released free movie, “Home (produced by Luc Besson),” which documents human impact on the environment through breathtaking video. Home’s global premiere is tomorrow, June 5, which is World Environment Day.

From the latimes:

“If you are a friend or relative of a passenger aboard Air France Flight 447 that went missing over the Atlantic four hours after departing Rio de Janeiro  Sunday en route to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, you can call the following toll-free numbers that Air France has set up to obtain information and find out whether or not your friend or family member was on board. Air France has also set up on-site counseling with doctors and psychologists at the airports in Paris-Charles de Gaulle 2 and Rio de Janeiro.

Phone numbers reserved for relatives and friends.

In France: 0800 800 812

In Brazil: 0800 881 20 20

and + 33 1 57 02 10 55 for calls from all other countries.”

From viewonfashion:

“…Hermés is launching a graphic design competition in collaboration with Designboom. Famous all over the world for their exquisite luxury creations, they’ve always paid special attention to their silk tie collections. Now, they want to find new prints, so they’ve opened a competition to design students, amateurs and professionals. They want them to present their ideal print, whether it’s their own design or a reinterpretation of the French brand’s classic styles.

The options range from a remake of a classic print to your own unique print… The designer can take their inspiration from the following themes: horses, marine life, flowers, animals and geometric design… The only requirement is that it can be printed on a silk tie.

Entrants will be in the running for a first prize of €3000, a second prize of €2000, and a third of €1000.

The jury is made up of the following people:

Pierre-Alexis Dumas, General Artistic Director - Hermès International
Véronique Nichanian, Artistic Director Hermès Men - Hermès Sellier / Deputy Men’s Artistic Director - Hermès International
Bali Barret, Creative Director - Hermès Silk & Textiles / Deputy Women’s Artistic Director - Hermès International
Hélène Dubrule, Managing Director - Hermès Silk & Textiles
Christophe Goineau, Director of men’s silk collection - Hermès Silk & Textiles
Christine Duvigneau, Graphic Design Studio Director - Hermès International.
Corinne Poux-Bernard, Innovation Director - Hermès International
Gabriele Pezzini, Designer, Design Director - Hermès International
Birgit Lohmann, Editor-in-Chief - Designboom

You can register on Designboom by clicking here.”

We just returned from Spain and noticed this newsworthy item at the Orly Airport in Paris and thought it would be a sweet tidbit that might come in handy one day: There’s a La Duree Cart at the Paris Orly Airport, so macaron fanatics can grab their last minute fix on their way out of town - or grab some on their way to town, for that matter.

Air France now tweets.

From the smithsonian:

“I tip the torchlight and examine a wall in my hotel room. From a distance, the wall looks like vanilla frosting roughly applied. Up close, I see nuggets of caramel-colored stone, faint brown streaks…and an oyster shell. The wall before me is 100 million years old, the raw edge of a cave scraped into a cliff above the Loire River. The oyster was a much earlier guest here, a fossil left from the sea that once covered this part of France and left behind a thick bed of white stone called tuffeau.

Many buildings in the Loire Valley are constructed from this stone. On a trip to France four years ago, I stayed in an elegantly restored farmhouse near Tours, its walls made of tuffeau blocks, stacked like irregular sugar cubes. The farmers of long ago probably dug their own tuffeau. It’s just under the surface–unplanted fields gleam with tuffeau churned to pebbles by the plows. However, the serious quarrying was for the signature chateaus and other monumental architecture of the Loire Valley.

At the time, I was among friends who wanted to visit all the chateaus. The first few exhausted my taste for opulence. Then, near the chateau in Amboise, I noticed caves in the cliff, some with brightly painted front doors, windows, shutters and flower boxes. As we drove around the Loire Valley, I spied more of these domesticated caves, some with chimneys thrusting through scruffy vegetation at the tops of cliffs or new facades and courtyards. Oh yes, someone finally explained: after widespread quarrying of the tuffeau began in the 11th century and created cavities in the hills and plains, people moved in. Some to escape warfare, others because the caves made convenient, low-rent dwellings. Until the early 20th century, many people lived in these so-called troglodyte homes. Entire villages were underground. Some people still live in the caves, I was told, and others are …”

Read the full article

From synthtopia:

“A group of music blogs have created a remix album for Daft Punk’s third album Human After All. The album is an unofficial remix album, and will be available as a free download starting May 20th.

1. Human After All —> Chosen by Disco Demons 2. The Prime Time Of Your Life —> Chosen by Data Sapiens
3. Robot Rock —> Chosen by The Cold Cut 4. Steam Machine —> Chosen by Cream Team 5. Make Love —> Chosen by Sheena Beaston
6. The Brainwasher —> Chosen by Danger! Danger!
7. On/Off —> Chosen by The Lemur Blog
8. Television Rules The Nation —> Chosen by Noise Porn 9. Technologic —> Chosen by Pretty Much Amazing
10. Emotion —> Chosen by Binary“

From viewonfashion:

On the 20th of May Paris will host an auction that you should attend if you love vintage fashion, and particularly if you like the iconic pieces created by French brand Hermés. Over 700 of their creations will be auctioned at the Hotel Marcel Dassault.

Auction house Artcurial have managed to collect 700 iconic Hermés pieces. Many of them are from the 60s, 70s and 80s, with authentic jewellery in some cases starting at just €70.

From their legendary foulards to jodhpur boots and beautiful bags. As you can imagine, the 700 pieces feature many interesting and unique creations. Don’t forget, you need to book in advance…

Hôtel Marcel Dassault
7 rond-point des Champs-Élysées
75008 Paris

Sessions
20 May 10:30am: Lots 1-250
20 May 2:30pm: Lots 251-End
Auctioneer: François Tajan

Viewing Information
15-18 May, 11am-7pm
19 May, by appointment

Contact: Cyril Pigot
Phone: +33 1 42 99 16 56

Bid Department
Marianne Balse
Phone: +33 1 42 99 20 51

From googlenews:

Chinese tourists are avoiding France because of President Nicolas Sarkozy and his country’s attitude toward Tibet, a senior Chinese tourism official told AFP on the weekend.

“Chinese tourism to France has reduced a lot because they (Chinese tourists) don’t like what Sarkozy did before the Olympics and afterwards,” Ji Xiao Dong, the vice president of China’s Chamber of Tourism, said on the sidelines of a global tourism conference in Brazil.

Ji said he was referring to pro-Tibet protests in France in the lead-up to the Olympic Games held in China last year, and to talks last December in Poland between Sarkozy and Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
When asked to quantify the fall in Chinese visitors to France, the world’s number one tourist destination, Ji said “it’s not clear yet what the number is, but there are many fewer.”

He explained that France was still the preferred European destination for Chinese tourists, but said many were miffed by Paris’s approach to Tibet, which is under Chinese rule.

“Ordinary Chinese people don’t like politicians or politics,” Ji said, adding that “how the Chinese think about France” has changed in recent months.
France and China have ostensibly mended relations since Sarkozy’s meeting with the Dalai Lama.

But Beijing warned Paris early this month against more “errors” after a spokesman for the Dalai Lama said the Tibetan spiritual leader may be made an honorary citizen of French capital during a June 6-8 visit.

China opposes any government figure meeting the Dalai Lama, whom it accuses of being intent on achieving independence for Tibet after 58 years of Chinese rule.

The Dalai Lama however says he only wants autonomy for the Himalayan region.

Question: Do you believe there will be an eventual social revolt? Out of 11,928 participants, 29.5% say NO but…. 70.5% say YES!

[source: Zapping at Canal Plus]

From cheapflights:

“Air France has just slashed the price on their Paris Affair by $200. Now you can enjoy round-trip airfare and six nights in a hotel from $849.

This Paris vacation also includes a Bateaux Mouches river cruise on the Seine; a fashion show at luxury department store Galeries Lafayette, a wine and cheese tasting at Galeries Lafayette, a Paradis Latin show with complimentary champagne, and continental breakfast daily.

Though this package is available from now through late March of 2010, the lowest airfare prices are in the fall and winter.

Paris comes to life in the fall with fashionistas rocking the latest trends during fashion’s most exciting season. Winter is also a great time to visit Paris: tourists are few and far between, and the city looks gorgeous with a light dusting of snow.

Prices are based on double occupancy and a Saturday night stay is required.”

Paris Affair (Air France)

From variety:

The master of romanticism and rugged grandeur, Charles Aznavour has returned to the Gotham stage for an all-too-brief four-night stand with his unique catalog of French chanson. At the ripe age of 85, the singer-songwriter has lost none of his quicksilver energy, impish humor or trademark sense of musical storytelling. In a nearly two-hour show, he turned the pages of a familiar songbook that brought frequent cheers from a capacity audience clearly packed with adoring fans.

With the added glitter of a sparkling ballroom orb, Aznavour sang “The Old Fashioned Way (Les Plaisirs Demodes)” and danced across the stage with an imaginary woman in his arms. But perhaps the most tender memory was the plaintive scrapbook, “Yesterday When I Was Young.”

Aznavour is a master of gesture, nuance and timing. He accents his songs with a subtle reflection of young love and heartbreak. “La Boheme” is a bittersweet reflection of the passing of spring and lost life, while “It Will Be My Day” is a rhythmic celebration of showbiz savvy, youth and expectation. His performance of “Ave Maria” remains an intensely vivid hymn. “She,” the only song performed in English, is his biggest Stateside hit, featured here as an encore that allowed the singer to toast all women.

For the poignant duet “Je Voyage,” Aznavour was joined by his daughter, Katia; the narrative follows a young girl journeying into her future as her older companion travels through memories.

His daughter is one of two backup singers accompanying Aznavour, along with a nine-piece band with four violins and an accordion that projects a much bigger sound than one would expect. A smartly structured lighting design frames the crooner distinctively.

The New York leg is billed as an extension of Aznavour’s North American farewell tour that began in 2006. The performer is undoubtedly one of the last of a breed of living legends, a cunning crooner who has lost none of his seductive charm.

Charles Aznavour
City Center Main Stage
Apr 29 - May 3, 2009
Tickets: $55, $75, $95, $125, $150, $175, $190

Today is France’s Labor Day, a non-working day in France! Wait, I have to work.

Boudin noir? Poulet rôti? Moules Frites? Un moelleux au chocolat? How ’bout some foie gras or a nice juicy côte de boeuf? I know you’ve been dying for a tête de veau, haven’t you? When you travel all the way to Paris, does it ever occur to you to hit the pavement in search of a croque monsieur? I mean, a really, really good croque monsieur? Well, the best one in Paris has truffles in it. I would travel all the way to Paris for that. If it was really exceptional, I wouldn’t even mind if it didn’t have any truffles. At the same time, I can’t imagine going to a fancy restaurant for a croque monsieur but hey, the best club sandwich in Paris is supposedly from Georges V, and I bet it is not a bon marché. I wouldn’t want to pay too much for a club sandwich, but my sweetie probably would. He LOVES club sammiches. Anyway, on to the book.

Je me ferais bien un… is a new Paris restaurant guide book in French written by Valérie Expert and Véronique André, and is a little different from most other Paris restaurant guides. The authors made it a mission to try a significant number of restaurants (they say they tried them all but c’mon) in Paris to find the best places for the French’s 52 most favorite foods and dishes suitable for all budgets. So in many cases you can choose a dish or dessert, for example, and find the best couscous from a fancy restaurant, a mid-range bistro or a budget restaurant.

The book is organized in alphabetical order. So during those times when you say to yourself, “Je me ferais bien un… / I feel like a…” just look for the dish in the book you feel like eating then go from there. We can’t wait to try out the recommendations! Will their listings for the best hamburger pass our test? We will see about that. Oui, by the way, the hamburger is apparently a favorite among the French.

Here’s the list of dishes included in the book, if you were wondering: andouillette, assiette de légumes, baba, bar, blanquette de veau, boudin noir, caesar salad, cassoulet, choucroute, club sandwich, côte de boeuf, couscous, crêpes, croque-monsieur, eclairs/religieuses, foie de veau, foie gras, gambas, gigot d’agneau, gibier, hachis parmentier, hamburger, île flottante, langoustines, magret de canard, mille-feuille, moelleux au chocolat, moules-frites, os à moelle, oeuf/omelette, paris-brest, pâtes, petit salé aux lentilles, pigeon, pieds de porc grillés, pizza, plateau de fruits de mer, poulet roti, pot-au-feu, raie, risotto, ris de veau, salade thaï, sole, soufflé, sushi/sashimi, souple chinoise, tapas, tartare, tarte au pommes, tête de veau, truffe.

Je me ferais bien un…

From obama foodorama:

“Chef Emile Jung of famed French restaurant Au Crocodile will be cooking lunch today and tomorrow for The Obamas at the NATO summit meetings in Strasbourg, France. The Chef is the proud recipient of two Michelin stars for his restaurant, and today he will be prepping a “working lunch” for Barack and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, which will be served in the Chateau des Rohan, an 18th century castle next to Strasbourg Cathedral. Tomorrow, Mr. Jung will prepare a buffet for all the NATO leaders during the summit meeting.

In an interview with the Telegraph, Mr. Jung said he was “pretty sure” that Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the first ladies, will be present at today’s lunch. He also said he was not “allowed” to reveal details of the full menu, but did say that it would be French with a touch of Alsatian cooking:

There will be Alsatian pinot Gris but no choucroute [sauerkraut]; we will use seasonal produce. Right now it’s the time for asparagus and gigot d’agnelet [baby milk-fed lamb]. I can say no more.

At Au Crocodile, Mr. Jung’s specialty is foie gras, which may present a touchy “ethical” problem for FLOTUS and POTUS. Their hometown, Chicago, is one of the few cities in America to actually ban the sale of foie gras, after a years-long war among city officials. Mr. Jung does three fab versions of the dish: “froid”, “croûte en sel” and “aux pommels.” Menu details to come….”

Link

Not that you need another reason to love Paris, but I thought this would be an important addition to the list. Track athlete, Romain Mesnil, for some reason, decided to run naked in the streets of Paris with his … pole. Honestly, we don’t mind. If he needs some publicity, he should have it. Watch the video.

From the telegraph:

“The holding centre planned for the port of Calais has been the subject of frenzied claim and counter claim in recent days with the French government publicly denying that it has been given the go-ahead.

Phil Woolas, the immigration minister, was left out on a limb by his French counterpart Eric Besson when Mr Woolas revealed details of the project last week, with the French minister claiming that he had no knowledge of it.

But a letter from the UK Border Agency to the Director of Migration in Paris seen by this newspaper reveals that British and French officials discussed the centre in detail a few weeks ago and agreed “joint action”. It has been costed, given planning permission and a building contract awarded for its construction, according to the letter.

The 500,000 euro (£470,000) detention suite will be similar to the one at Heathrow Airport and contain a number of police cells designed to hold immigrants until they can be deported. It replaces a temporary structure now in place at the port which is barely more than a temporary building.

It will be half-funded by the British with the Calais Chamber of Commerce among those having offered to put up the rest of the money.

The plans are revealed in a letter from Brodie Clark, head of Border Force at the Home Office to Francis Etienne, Director of Migration at the Migration Ministry in France.

The letter says: “I am very pleased to be able to confirm, on behalf of the UK Border Agency our contribution to fund 50% of the 500,000 euros cost estimated by the Calais Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) which will enable work to start.

“I believe that planning permission has been granted and that a building contractor has been chosen through a tendering process run by the CCCI, whom we believe had previously made an offer for funding this facility.

“We look forward to having a purpose built facility that provides a safe, secure and appropriate method of holding clandestines for short periods.”

The plans are an attempt by ministers to stop migrants and the gangs who smuggle them into northern France from continuing their journey to Britain and instead returning them swiftly to their own country. At present, immigrants from Afghanistan, Kurdistan and Africa exploit European law to evade expulsion by trying repeatedly to enter Britain, being arrested and released several times, until they get through.

A senior Labour insider said: “We have to have a process to return these people to their own country rather than just releasing them into the French countryside and this building is the first part of that process.”

It is thought the French initially denied the plans because of fears it could be compared to the notorious Sangatte camp. British officials were baffled by their reaction because it would have been easy to explain that the new centre will be a small detention suite rather than a large residential camp.”

Related: Sangatte, France

From the telegraph:

Mr Sarkozy, a man often ridiculed in France for preferring fitness to literature, has frequently expressed his disdain for “La Princesse de Cleves” (The Princess of Cleves), a novel by Madame de La Fayette which was published in 1678 and is taught in most French classrooms.

Now, French readers have adopted the book as a symbol of dissent: as Mr Sarkozy’s popularity falls, sales of the book are rising. At the Paris book fair this week, publishers reported selling all available copies of the novel, while badges emblazoned with the slogan “I am reading La Princesse de Cleves” were a must-have item that sold out within hours.

Mr Sarkozy’s views on the novel are hardly new. As far back as 2006, before he became president, he made a comment that left no doubt that his school memories of it were not happy ones.

“A sadist or an idiot, up to you, included questions about ‘La Princesse de Cleves’ in an exam for people applying for public sector jobs,” he said, adding that it would be “a spectacle” to see low-level staff speak on the challenging work.

Since then, Mr Sarkozy has repeatedly criticised the tale of duty versus love at the 16th century court of Henri II, suggesting that knowledge of it was not useful.

Over time, his attacks have bolstered the book’s popularity, and even given it a new role as a symbol of dissent at a time when public anger over Sarkozy’s economic policies is high.

Public readings of the work have proliferated at universities like the Sorbonne in Paris, hit by protests over government reform plans, and at theatres.

The cultural weekly Telerama this week published results of a survey asking 100 French writers to list their 10 favourite books. “La Princesse de Cleves” came third in the overall rankings, after masterpieces by Marcel Proust and James Joyce.

Telerama commented that it was unlikely Madame de La Fayette would have done so well before Sarkozy’s jibes.

From slashphone:

“Following a six-month test on the Paris-Amsterdam-Paris route and after a first launch on some French destinations last month (‘La Navette’ flights), AIR FRANCE and KLM have now introduced the service on most of the European and French domestic destinations. The electronic boarding pass can be retrieved on a PDA or mobile phone.

Customers can check in using their PDA or smartphone —and receive their boarding pass by e mail or as an MMS or SMS on their mobile device. It is no longer necessary to print the boarding pass. The only paper document customers still need in order to travel is their personal ID.

The electronic (mobile) boarding pass contains all the information displayed on a conventional boarding pass including a unique bar code. The bar code will be scanned at the gate and can be shown at the baggage drop off points, security, lounges and at the tax free shops at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

“This new service perfectly meets the needs of our customers for speed and autonomy, and demonstrates Air France and KLM’s determination to offer innovative new services” says Patrick Roux, Senior Vice President Marketing Air France KLM.
“It is our aim to offer as many passengers as possible a comfortable and hassle free travel experience without any unnecessary ‘paperwork’ says Martijn van der Zee, Vice President E commerce Air France KLM.”

There’s a crisis and all but do we have to resort to eating crickets, worms and cicadas? I’d like my pizza with mushrooms and pepperoni, please. 86 those grasshoppers and creepy crawlies!

After restaurateur Alexis Chambon met Michel Collin, a bugologist (ok, an entomologist), he thought it would be a wonderful idea to launch a restaurant that serves all kinds of insects. So he did and now you can find bug cuisine at his restaurant in Guidel, a small town in Brittany.

You can order pizza with insects or go for the fried crickets, that supposedly taste like….peanuts. (not chicken)

(link and photo from lepost)

From newsweek:

“This week brought the release of the new Michelin Red Guide, prompting foodies to run and see which chefs had been awarded stars—the top honor in restaurant criticism.

The guide, whose English edition arrives mid-May, sells 1.3 million copies a year in its various editions.

Its star system rewards expensive restaurants, of course. But the guide also has a lesser-known rating for affordable restaurants. Toward the back of the guide, there’s the “Bib Gourmand” section in which Michelin recognizes places that offer excellent three-course meals for less than €35 ($44) each.

This year, 47 Paris restos are on the Bib Gourmand list—a record. Many of these spots are new additions to the list. My favorites include:

• Le Baratin,, 3 rue Jouye Rouve, 20th arrondissement, 011-33/1-43-49-39-70

• Le Bistrot Paul Bert, 18 rue Paul Bert, 11th arrondissement, 011-33/1-43-72-24-01

• La Cantine du Troquet, 101 rue de l’Ouest, 14th arrondissement, 011-33/1-45-40-04-98.

• L’Entêtée, 4 rue Danville, 14th arrondissement, 011-33/1-40-47-56-81

The above restaurants are not open every day of the week, so call ahead to confirm and to see if reservations are needed.”

More about The Michelin Red Guide France 2009

From newser:

” Seven French politicians, including President Nicolas Sarkozy, have received death threats accompanied by live ammunition, the Independent reports. The letters, which included 9mm rounds, were signed by an unknown group called Solidarity Earth. Though the name perhaps suggests an environmental group, and anti-terrorism officials are investigating, those in the know attribute the act to a “disturbed individual.”

The letter specifically threatens Sarkozy, Justice Minister Rachida Dati, and Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie. “You think that you own our lives,” the threat reads. “No. We own your lives and those of your friends and family.” Alliot-Marie, a conservative, has warned of a surge in “ultra-leftist” violence.”

From viewonfashion:

“The Louis Vuitton ad campaign for the Stephen Sprouse collection is really amazing, and it´s a great branding tool too. All around the world, LV shops are using graffiti to promote this long-awaited collection which is already a big sales hit.

To promote the launch of the Louis Vuitton book that pays tribute to Stephen Sprouse, they´ve got legendary graffiti artist Skam to paint an LV mural in Toronto.” [via] (photo courtesy of inqmnd)