Welcome to the AT YOUR SERVICE Paris Newsletter What's new in Paris this March What's new? Well for one, spring has finally sprung! We didn't think it was ever coming. Last week we were all wearing wool coats and gloves. Ah but this week, the birds are heralding the arrival of spring wholeheartedly, along with the arrival of daylight savings time. Already the day seems longer. Time to start heading off to your favorite street side cafe after work or shopping or better yet, visiting the Chinese exhibit at the Grand Palais. As always we have given you a few ideas of what's going on in Paris this month. For even more information on what's coming up during your next visit to Paris, contact us. We're full of good ideas ! Guy Savoy's latest hit - L'Atelier Maître Albert Guy Savoy has done it again. After working his magic at Le Bistro de l’Etoile, La Butte Chaillot or Les Bookinistes, this time he pairs with architect-designer Jean-Michel Wilmotte to transform the good-but-not-great, somewhat outdated, L’Atelier Maître Albert into a culinary “must”. From the warm welcome you receive when you phone for a reservation to the warmer welcome when you arrive, the décor, the cuisine, and the service; it’s all done to perfection. First a mention about the decor. Everything was taken out of the old restaurant except the monumental original fireplace. What Wilmotte put in is discreet, elegant, soothing with an edge of trendy. The walls and ceiling are dark grey, the decorations are few, the tables are grey Tuscan stone, the chairs are wonderfully comfortable and the lighting is lusciously soft. It’s the kind of light that makes all the guests look good. And the key design feature is the open kitchen with a rotisserie for all to see. Open kitchens are very popular these days in new Paris restaurants. But this is just the beginning of the experience. Because as good as the décor is, the cuisine is better. One of the reasons I love the menu is that it is short. I don’t have to spend too much time hesitating between the choices. The other reason I love the menu is because I want to try everything. There was not one thing on the menu that didn’t tempt me. I tend to be a fan of the “plat du jour”. So it was not a surprise when we both opted for one of the “entrées du jour”. I had a hard time though deciding between the leek soup with shellfish or the mussel soup with saffron. The latter won out. I love sweet, tiny mussels and tasting this soup I knew I had made the right choice. It was light and delicate, a perfect marriage of flavors. It had me hoping there was no bottom to the bowl. The other entrée tried that evening is what I want the next time I go. Five perfect Brittany oysters had been taken out of their shells and laid back gently on a bed of oyster purée surrounded by their own iced sea water. The most minute bits of carrots decorated the top. It was as if Guy Savoy had taken the sea and tinkered with it, and put it on a plate and served it up; sheer heaven. Next up, our main courses. A slightly longer interval between the courses would not have been unwelcome according to me but my dinner companion does not agree. I suspect it is because I was savoring the evening, I wanted it to last as long as possible. After a bit of hesitation anyway, I chose the Jarret de veau braise or braised veal shank. I am convinced that more tender meat does not exist. While the dinner knife was lovely, Lagioule engraved with “L’Atelier Maître Albert” on the blade, it wasn’t even necessary for my veal. The meat just fell apart, landed on my fork and the rest is history, as they say. The veal was served with a Spinach and mushroom gratin that was unexpectedly fabulous. To me spinach is one of those things you had eat as a kid. I like it enough but… This dish was so good, such a tasty combination of flavors that I tried to re-create the dish at home last week. Mr. Savoy, you have nothing to worry about. Mine was ok, yours is great. And once again, my friend’s main course selection had me scheduling my next visit. The monkfish was roasted on the open spit at the other end of the dining room and served on a bed of fennel compote. The fish was tender and perfectly roasted; the fennel just enhanced the roasted flavors. This was served with an oven baked basmati rice pilaf. Original and wonderful with the monkfish. The wine we chose was another surprise; a good surprise. I was not expecting the 2002 St. Joseph (Côtes de Rhone) to be so good. The wine list is somewhat eclectic, not too imposing. More Côtes de Provence and Languedoc Roussillon than usually seen. I would love to have a case of that St. Joseph however. As soon as I saw the dessert trolley pass at our neighbors table I knew what I wanted. I was fascinated by the listing “Two jars from our dessert trolley”. What could they be?? Since we were seated in a corner, the famous dessert trolley couldn’t reach us so I had to make my selection based merely on a description. There were four to choose from and even now for the life of me I cannot remember the fourth choice. One was a rice pudding, which no offense intended, I hated as a child and I continue to hate as an adult. That left me with a jar of chocolate mousse, and when I say jar, I mean a real jar with a lid, and a jar of prunes marinated in red wine. It was kind of like the spinach, surprisingly fabulous! I didn’t want my jar to end. The chocolate mousse was good; who can make a bad chocolate mousse? The desserts tend more towards the traditional than the rest of the menu. Each of us has a food test. When I traveled a lot for business I used to judge room service by the Caeser salad. My friend’s test is crème brulée. This evening’s crème brulée rated a 6 out of 10. From both of us. It was warm not hot and almost too creamy. It tasted wonderful but wasn’t quite as perfect as the rest of the meal. I guess it’s living in Paris all this time that makes me picky. The service was discreet and professional. Even the hostess who got us our coats was warm and friendly. All the elements to a wonderful evening were found that night at L’Atelier Maître Albert. Upon leaving, and while walking along the quai de Montebello, in front of an illuminating Nôtre Dame, I asked my friend what score he would give the restaurant. He gave it a 7.5 out of 10. When I explained why I gave it an 8.5 he thought about it and then changed his score; to an 8.5! Let us book you a table on your next trip to Paris. You’ll be glad you did. Especially when you realize that this meal was exceptionally well priced. Expect to pay 45-50 € per person without wine. Atelier Maître Albert 1, rue Maître Albert, Paris, 5th Tel : 01 56 81 30 01 Dinner only Every evening from 6:30 pm to 11:30 pm (perfect for after the theater)   Lafayette Maison opens on boulevard Haussmann Galeries Lafayette Maison recently opened it’s doors to a fanfare of press coverage and a riot of clamoring clients curious to see the first new Parisian department store in 30 years. Boulevard Haussmann remains even more firmly anchored than before in it’s position as the largest “shopping center” in Europe. The area behind l’Opéra represents 120 million visitors per year, 30 per cent of whom are tourists, 7,500 employees, 1.6 billion euros in annual sales and 138,000 m² of pure shopping bliss. So you can understand the stir created when the French retail giant decides to buck the retail trend of department store downsizing and consecrate 10,000m² of newly renovated prime real estate exclusively to home furnishings. The long-awaited, newest addition to the Galeries Lafayette empire, situated across the street from Galeries Lafayette Mode in the former Marks & Spencer building, is laid out around a central atrium from which 8 escalators disperse happy shoppers. Architecturally it is impressive. The store is laid out like a house; kitchenware and wine cellar are in the basement; on the ground floor are gifts, gadgets, and great prepared food; the 1st floor houses all that is tabletop; on the 2nd floor is the dining room; and finally on the third floor is bed and bath. Throughout the five floors you will find over 100 brands, many are new to Lafayette Maison, rather well displayed. While there doesn’t seem to be any more sales staff than before, they seem much happier to be in the new space. And for a good reason, the store is wonderfully lit. Not only do the 150 windows on the boulevard Haussmann side of the store allow you a fabulous view of Paris, they let in an abundance of natural light. But since the store is long and relatively narrow, somewhat like an ocean liner, it gets a bit tight in certain spots. Take my advice, when descending the escalator to the basement don’t attempt to go right when you arrive but immediately aim straight ahead. If not, you’ll run smack into someone who is looking at the display fixture right at the bottom of the escalator. There are a few kinks to be worked out !! A few additions that are nice; the cutlery department, which hopes to be become the premier destination for your knife needs. (According to the French press, it also keeps male shoppers busy while Madame shops.) The pictograms on the main pillars help you easily find your way around. The number of new designers on display is encouraging. There is something for everyone here, which is of course, the point of a department store. You’re certainly not going to find the entire line of Roche Bobois sofas or Guy Degrenne dishware for example. But you will get a good idea of what’s new in home décor and then you can find the specialty store for the rest. My advice is to come and see for yourself. And be sure to head to the back of the ground floor for some of the best take out food I’ve seen in a while. Choose from Swedish sandwiches and kettle fried chips, sushi platters, delicate cookies from England, a real salad bar (oh how I miss that) and an ice cream bar. My favorite is the Noodle Bar. Galeries Lafaeytte Maison 35, boulevard Haussmann Paris, 9th Métro : Chaussée d’Antin Recommended parking : C&A (just past Lafayette Maison on the left)   Yves Saint Laurent's Dialogue with Art Ironically, the foundation created by Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent opened its doors to the public the same day Tom Ford was saying goodbye to Groupe Pinault-Printemps-Redoute and consequently Yves Saint Laurent. And while a page has been turned, the next chapter in the history of the House of Yves Saint Laurent is sure to be just as rich. The Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation is the culmination of forty years of creation. In 1962 Yves Saint Laurent opened his design house on rue Spontini in the 16th arrondissement and spent twelve years there finding his style, developing it, and then imposing it. In 1974 he moved his burgeoning empire to 5 avenue Marceau, the site of the recently opened foundation. From day one Saint Laurent and Bergé took extreme care in conserving the most important models as well as all of the drawings and sketches from each season. Today the foundation boasts a collection of 5,000 pieces of style-defining clothing and over 15,000 accessories, sketches, and patterns. Each piece, wrapped in acid-free paper, is preserved in exacting climate and humidity controlled conditions. Press reviews, advertising campaigns, videos of runway shows have all been archived and are available to consult by appointment. A 200m² museum quality exhibit space has been set up initially to display 42 pieces which depict the dialogue Yves Saint Laurent has maintained with the art world throughout his life. Who will forget the Mondrian dress or the hand sequined Van Gogh jacket. Masterpieces of haute couture ! My Dialogue with Art Exhibit From March 10 – July 28, 2004 Wednesday – Sunday (except public holidays), from 11 am – 6 pm Entrance : 3, rue Léonce Reynaud, Paris 75116, Métro : Alma-Marceau Entrance Fee :5 €, students and under 25 2.50€ Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent 1, rue Léonce Reynaud, Paris 75116 Telephone : 01 44 31 64 00 Monday – Friday (except public holidays), from 9:30 – 1 pm, 2:30 – 6 pm Archives consultation by appointment only   Chinese Treasures come to Paris It’s as if France loaned out the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, a few Cézanne’s from the Musée d’Orsay and a few pieces of furniture from Versailles. Only in this case it is China who has loaned some of it’s most famous masterpieces to France for three months. Beginning Thursday April 1st, you will be able to marvel before about a hundred paintings from the XIIth to the XIXth centuries and over fifty archaeological pieces from China’s most renowned museums, (Beijing, Shanghai, Nankin, Tianjin) many of which have never left China. For amateurs of Chinese art, the exhibit, entitled “Montagnes Célestes” is truly exceptional. The landscapes, mountains and rivers, dominant themes Chinese art, show us a path towards the communion of man and the universe around him. Man himself appears humbly amidst the vast panoramas. The paradox is that the serene, tranquility depicted in these works is bound to attract masses of less than zen visitors. So be sure to reserve your tickets in advance. Montagnes Célestes - Grand Palais Entrance : Square Jean Perrin, Paris 8th (Métro : Clémenceau) From April 1st until June 28th Every day except Tuesday, 10 am - 8 pm, Wednesday 10 am - 10 pm Reserved tickets for the morning : 10.10 € Without reservation, after 1 pm only : 9.00 €   At Your Service Paris Tel +33 1 47 95 12 90 41, avenue Le Nôtre 92420 Vaucresson, France  At Your Service Paris