Today is my 45th birthday, and it recently dawned on me that I’m one of those people who still gets excited when it’s my birthday. In fact, I’m throwing a little party for myself and decided to leave off the “no gifts, please” line that I used to include with my invitations. Yes, this year, I want presents. Lots and lots of presents.

Still, despite my excitement and genuine glee at continuing the journey through my forties, I’ve found myself a bit shocked by this new number in my life. I’ve never been one to dwell in the past or look to the future. I’m quite Zen, actually, rooting myself pretty firmly in the here and now. And with no children to measure the passing of years against, time has been pretty irrelevant to me.

So when it was brought to my attention that my next milestone birthday is 50, it dawned on me that time—specifically my time—really does fly by all too quickly. How is it possible that while I’ve been paying so much attention to the details of my life, I haven’t given much thought to the progression of my life?

I’m not saying that any of this is a bad thing. It’s just surprising. The truth is that I feel happier, and more enthusiastic, energized and adventurous as a 45-year old woman than I ever did in my teens, 20s or 30s. I feel liberated; free from the illusions that previously kept me from becoming the me that I am today.

Of course, it helps that I’m hitting this milestone in 2010 and not, for instance, in 1990. That’s when there would be a significant difference between being a 45-year old woman in the U.S. and being a 45-year old woman in Paris. In 1990, I would become invisible—to American men and marketers.

Fortunately, we 40-something women are now seen as sexy on both sides of the Atlantic. The French no longer have the distinction of being the only ones to still objectify older women. Thanks to the likes of Michelle Pfeifer, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Demi Moore, Halle Berry, Salma Hayek, Monica Belluci, Juliet Binoche and Julia Roberts—all actresses over 40—we middle-aged gals are still seen as “do-able.”

Still, I’m far more likely to find a Frenchman flirting with me than an American fella. In fact, I’m not quite sure that American men still flirt. A few weeks ago, while at a bar on South Beach, I saw a very handsome man looking at me with a smile. After a few minutes of shared glances and more smiles, this man walked over to me, leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “Sweetie, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re wearing two different shoes.” He began to walk away, but before he got very far, he turned and added, “But they’re both fabulous.”

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The French capital offers lots of choices for treating yourself while respecting the environment. At La Maison Dr.Hauschka, for instance, which opened its first Paris salon a few months ago, you’ll find a complete selection of face and body treatments carried out by natural estheticians using treatments prepared from natural ingredients. Even the space is in harmony with nature as the architecture of the building and its interior decoration have been designed to respect the environment as much as possible.

For its part, the Spa L’Occitane on rue de Sèvres in the 6th also looks to limit its impact on the environment by using ecological materials and by working to economize energy consumption. All the treatments and massages are based around a natural element, like almond or shea butter, and are an extension of its skincare products.

Well-being also applies to hair care, and several hair salons in Paris specialize in gentle plant-based coloring, and natural and organic conditioners. At Graine de beauté (60 rue du Cherche-Midi in the 6th, +33 (0)1 45 44 25 13), all clients benefit from a series of essential oil- and plant-based conditioners, and all hair colors are exclusively plant-based, prepared with powdered cloves, nutmeg or saffron.

In the Bastille district, the place to go is Coiffure et Nature. Specialists in plant hair coloring for eight years, these hairdressers respect “the ecology of the hair” and treat it with the utmost care and attention. All the shampoos used are also organic.

And to be beautiful and organic right down to your fingertips, salons like Beauté Zen and La Forme d’Anvers offer treatments and make-up sessions using only natural and organic products. And between Bastille and Nation, the new space at Peauzdetente mixes natural treatments and workshops for learning the arts of massage and how to make your own perfume.

If you’ve spent even a small amount of time in Paris, you know that the macaron is ubiquitous. And in a city of fastidious eaters, it’s significant that a single dessert has managed to win the hearts and minds of so many. But the debate rages on: who produces the best macaron of all? While Dalloyau and Lenôtre both make a commendable run at it, everyone knows that there are only two real contenders.

In one corner, we have the elegant and established Ladurée, which has been turning out sweet confections since 1862. And in the other corner, we have upstart Pierre Hermé, the enfant terrible of the dessert world who worked at Ladurée before setting out on his own. (Word on the street is that the “oppressive” traditions at Ladurée were preventing him from exploring the crazy flavor combinations for which he is now world famous). Naturally, we wanted to get in on the debate, so Sarah (another Hip Paris blogger) and I gathered some friends last week for a comprehensive taste test. Two boxes of macarons later, we reached a nearly unanimous verdict!

In the chocolate category, Pierre Hermé blew Ladurée out of the water. The flavor was far deeper, the texture smoother, the overall experience significantly more heavenly. Pistachio went pretty much the same way. But then we came to the most contentious category of all: caramel beurre salé(buttery salted caramel).

This flavor is no joke in France. You’ll see some variation of it on nearly every dessert menu in Paris. In other words, this category is make-or-break. Initially, Ladurée lured us, as the filling of their macaron has actual caramel in it. Nice touch, but we decided the overall effect was a bit too sugary.

In the end, Pierre Hermé pulled through yet again. His filling is more buttery than caramel-y, but the overall experience is balanced and, to my palate, quite other-worldly.

So there you have it! Pierre Hermé comes up big in every category. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not going to refuse a box of Ladurée macarons if one happens to show up on my doorstep. But in a macaron head-to-head, my money is on Hermé.

So readers, what do you think?

Pierre Hermé. 72 Rue Bonaparte, 6th arrondissement. Tel: 01 43 54 47 77. Metro: Sainte-Sulpice (Line 4) or Mabillon (Line 10).

Ladurée. 21 rue Bonaparte, 6th arrondissement. Tel: 01 44 07 64 87. Metro: Saint-Germain-des-Pres (Line 4). For Ladurée’s other Parisian addresses, click here.

Feeling ambitious? Try making your own macarons with David Lebovitz’s recipe.

Written by Tory Hoen for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris. Home page photo courtesy of du-sacre-au-sucre.blogspot.com.

Phone: 01.45.35.53.42

Metro Station: Glacière (Line 6) or Goblins (Line 7)

Type of cuisine: French

Days & hours of operation: Tues-Sat noon-2:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m.

Credit card: Visa, Amex

Having enjoyed dining at this restaurant several months ago, my partner and I returned on a recent Friday evening in anticipation of a great meal.

For the starter, I ordered the Petit marron, oeuf poché et magret fumé, which I imagined would be chestnut (marron) soup.  However, I was misled by the name, and I received, instead, cream of squash soup in which floated a large poached egg and thinly-sliced, smoked duck breast.  This was not a disappointment, as the dish was a delicious, piping-hot soup appropriate for a cold autumn day.  I later learned that “petit marron” means “potimarron,” a variety of orange squash, technically called Cucurbita maxima.  My partner ordered the Salade de foie gras aux pignons de pin.  There was no name confusion here!  She was served a salad of baby romaine lettuce and radicchio, with toasted pine nuts and shavings of carrot, topped by a generous portion of thinly-sliced foie gras dusted with paprika.

For the main course, my desire for seasonal dishes induced me to order the Civet de sanglier au pain d’épices.  A shallow dish containing broccoli, carrot, turnip, gratin potatoes, and a dollop of puréed potatoes was placed in front of me.  Next to the dish was placed a large iron casserole containing wild boar stew that had been prepared in a “spice bread” sauce.  I would never have imagined that the flavor of spice bread would go so well with game, but this surprising dish was hearty and satisfying.  My partner ordered the Filet mignon porc aux trompettes de la mort, three morsels of meaty pork blanketed with black chanterelle mushrooms.  The smallest portion of meat was slightly overcooked, but the other two were fine.  Her vegetable accompaniment was the same as mine, with the exception of a purée of beetroot and a baked clove of garlic replacing my broccoli and puréed potatoes.

For dessert, I selected Gratin de mandarine – mandarin orange slices soaked in Grand Marnier atop a thin slice of spice bread, covered with caramelized sabayon.  It was a fine, light finish to the hearty meal.  As my partner had ordered the Sable fin aux pommes et coing in advance, she was anticipating receiving something special.  What she got was a tart consisting of a thin shortbread crust, a layer of quince jelly, and finally, delicate slices of apple topped with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Served warm, it was sublime!

During the meal we enjoyed a half-bottle of 2001 Fiefs de Lagrange–Saint Julien from Bordeaux – a soft, medium-bodied complement to our meal.  As the name of the restaurant implies, the wine selection here is fairly extensive.

The after-dinner espresso was served with two small meringue puffs, lightly flavored with strawberry.

The bill for two, including two glasses of champagne, two starters, two main courses, two desserts, 1/2 bottle of wine, and one espresso, came to 103.50€.

It’s fashion week in Paris. That means the city is being overrun by skinny models, preening celebrities and anxiety-ridden fashion designers. Actually, that sounds like any other day in Paris. Except now there are tents up in the Tuleries, the Hôtel de Ville is crawling with fashionistas, and, well, you try getting a reservation at Kong this week or next.

But I’ll be honest with you. As much as I love fashion, I really hate fashion shows. In my mind, both the models and the clothing they wear bear little resemblance to the real world. (Although, this particular Fashion Week showcases the prêt-a-porter lines, so the fashions that make it down the catwalk are pretty close to what will make it to the rack at Bon Marché.)

The big news at this particular Paris Fashion Week (other than Alexander McQueen’s collection being shown following his suicide last month) is that designer Giles Deacon has booted the “skinny models” and replaced them with the more ample Victoria’s Secret models. While these women are certainly bustier and curvier than the average 83 lb. model, they still don’t resemble the real world woman. And Deacon is showing his fall ready-to-wear line, which means the women will be dressed in layers of heavier fabrics. Not quite the revolution it was proclaimed to be.

Still, I get it. Clothes are easier to sell when they’re being modeled on six-foot models with legs up to there and a BMI of less than zero. But it’s a little frustrating for the 5’2” gal who has hips and boobs and legs that barely make it to her kneecaps. The frocks I see strutted down the runway will never drape as exquisitely on my body as they do on an Amazon who probably hasn’t eaten more than half an apple and a package of tissues in a week.

Then again, the Fashion Week shows aren’t for us “normal” women. They’re for the buyers at Bon Marché and Galeries Lafayette. They’re for Anna Wintour and fashion stylists and the celebrity paparazzi. And, thankfully, they’re for the discounters like H&M (and its slightly more upscale brand COS), who will immediately begin producing affordable versions of this season’s must-have finds so that those of us without bottomless budgets can still be en vogue.

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Edited by Linda Donahue

Philadelphia native Lindsey Tramuta came to Paris to go to school and stayed on because she fell in love with her now-husband Cédric. This marketing and communications professional also loves food, music and reading. And she willingly shares her often-amusing views on life as an expat in Paris in her blog, Lost In Cheeseland. Now that she’s lived in Paris for a while, Lindsey has definite opinions on what constitutes her favorite places.

Paris Neighborhood

I’m not going to lie, I’m partial to the 11^th where I live. There’s so much activity and life here, endless shops, independent booksellers, open-air markets, restaurants and bars. A little city of its own!

Restaurant (French)

L’Accolade on rue Guillaume Tell in the 17^th. I’ve often talked about how rare it’s becoming to have a REALLY good meal in Paris having been disappointed by mediocre restaurants that had so much potential. This little, cozy restaurant wins on service and on quality/price.

Restaurant (Ethnic)

L’Osteria dell’ Anima, on 37 rue Oberkampf. Literally, a hole in the wall, this traditional unpretentious Italian restaurant is all about quality and presentation. Pasta is made fresh in front of you, severs are Italian (and adorable) and the food is outstanding. Their 10 tables fill up very quickly, reservations a must. Prepare to unbutton the pants.

Cheap Eats

One word: FALAFEL. Whereas most people go crazy for L’as du Falafel, I’m more of a fan of Chez H’anna at 54 rue des rosiers. It’s cheap and delicious with a friendly owner (once he warms up to you!).

Food/Gourmet Shop

Tie between my local Italian traiteur on rue Oberkampf and Galeries Lafayette Gourmet. The owner of the Italian traiteur knows me as the sun-dried tomato girl, a much more personal relationship that GLGourmet offers me!

Department Store

Printemps or Galeries Lafayette. Le Bon Marché is nice, especially La Grande Epicerie but I enjoy the environment of the other two more. The window displays, the lights during the holidays and the interior décor always make me smile.

Chocolat de Neuville

Chocolate Shop

Chocolat de Neuville. It’s actually a chocolate shop based in Melun, which is about 50km from Paris but we receive a box of their chocolate’s every year from my husband’s company and they are outstanding. (Editor’s Note: There are several boutiques throughout Paris. Check the website for locations.)

Speciality Boutique

Not one in particular but any shop that sells ingredients and tools for baking! There’s Mora, G. Detou (rue Tiquetonne in the 2nd arrondissement) and E. Dehillerin.

Women’s Boutique

Nina Kendosa on rue de Turenne, a few steps from La Place des Vosges. It’s a multi-brand boutique with brands I’ve never heard of but it’s a cute store with very reasonably priced fashions. I’ve found mon bonheur more than a few times!

Place for Cocktails

Delaville Café on les Grands Boulevards. Good food, better cocktails! My husband and I get a good laugh that the drink I loved was called Screaming Orgasm.

Music Spot

L’Etage on rue du Faubourg du Temple. Sultry lounge with concerts almost every day of the week from R&B to soul and jazz.

Patisserie /Boulangerie

The celebrity of the 7^th arrondissement, Secco. A bakery split into two, one side sells desserts, salads, veggies and hot dishes and the other sells freshly baked breads and pastries. Though there are frequently lines out the door, Secco is worth the wait. The coconut balls are my favorite.

Breakfast Spot

Rose Bakery, hands down. Always good, always fresh. I’ve never left unhappy.

Quiet Spot

Place des Vosges. Even in the summer when everyone is out sun bathing and picnicking, it manages to stay zen.

Paris Indulgence

Spending hours at a café talking with a friend while nursing a soothing cup of tea and cake.

Day Trip from Paris

Chantilly. Only 25 minutes from Gare du Nord, it’s a beautiful town with an absolutely magnificent Chateau. Their whipped cream is pretty sensational too (it was accidentally developed there!)

Parisien Salon readers are already familiar with Nichole Robertson and her stunning Paris photographs. And the blogosphere has had its compass pointed to her blog, Little Brown Pen, for quite some time. The self-described “girl of many words and few exclamation points” is also a writer, married to Evan and currently dwells with him and their two sons in a charming New Jersey hamlet–when they’re not spending a few months a year in Paris.

I recently had a chance to chat with Nichole about her relationship to Paris, her inspiration and the success of her Etsy shop.

When was your first visit to Paris?

My husband Evan and I went to Paris on our honeymoon in March 2003. He had been many times, but it was my first. I had always wanted to go to Paris, but things like college tuition and rent always got in the way.

I am happy to have experienced Paris for the first time with my husband. He carefully planned visits to the places he knew I’d love, and they didn’t include the Eiffel Tower and Champs-Élysées My most memorable first was the first time I stepped inside Notre Dame. I’ll never forget the fragrant incense, dizzying heights or the weight of the collective human will to achieve something so grand. I’ve never been to Paris and not visited Notre Dame multiple times.

You moved to Paris (briefly) last year. What led to that move?

Temporary insanity? Reckless abandon? Butter?

If I’m being honest, it was likely a marriage of all three coupled with the realization that it was now or never because we had children who were not yet in school. Evan and I made the decision over a glass of wine, and never looked back. We had refrained from buying a home during the housing bubble, so the move wasn’t stymied by selling a house. We notified our landlord, downsized, sold or gave away most of our belongings and left. At the time, we honestly didn’t know when we’d be returning. It was incredibly exhilarating, and a bit terrifying, but it was a shake up in retrospect I know we both needed.

You and your family spend three months a year in Paris? Is there a favorite neighborhood you stay in?

We’ve always stayed in either the Marais or Montmartre. I love them both, but I am partial to the Marais, because of its proximity to Notre Dame, the Falafel shops on Rue de Rosiers and the carousel in front of the Hotel de Ville. I have many fond memories both as a recently married young woman and a mom.

What do your children think about Paris?

My children have distilled Paris into the three Cs: carousels, chocolate croissants and crepes. They are 5 and 2, so I won’t hold their narrow views against them yet.

Do they speak any French yet?

They know some basics like bonjour, au revoir, the numbers 1 through 10, but I don’t expect that they’ll be chatting up the toddlers at the park any time soon. It’s sad to see them attempt to engage with French children who return their English greetings and pleadings for swings with blank stares. Our oldest is starting to work on it at home, and we plan to enroll them both in French classes very soon.

You have several themes that run through your photography—color, shapes, etc. Does your eye pick up on the themes while you’re out with your camera, or do you see the themes emerge later after the photos are processed?

I’m usually on the lookout for a specific color or two. I’ve discovered that it’s a wonderful way to explore Paris. I’ve taken photos of vents, grates, letters on the street, etc., that I would absolutely overlook had they not been the color I was searching for. It’s become such a habit for me now, that I have to remind myself to shoot other things.

By the way, you’d be surprised by the number of beautiful air vents there are in Paris. They look like flowers.

What kind of camera equipment do you use?

I have a Nikon D5000 and nine times out of ten I shoot with a Nikon 200mm zoom lens. Parisians aren’t too fond of people getting up close and personal with their bread, their flowers, their shops, etc., and I find it’s a whole lot easier to stand back and snap away unnoticed. I’ve endured my share of “pas des photos!”

How did the idea of taking your photography and turning them into calendars come about?

I had been collecting photos in colors and planned to parlay them into art for our home once we returned to the states. One night I was surfing around on Flickr, and I came across a college student who had made a perpetual calendar out of Polaroids and Post-It notes. I showed Evan and we both agreed that we had to make a perpetual calendar of Paris. We assessed the photos we already had and collected more numbers on subsequent trips.

The actual printing of the calendar was kind of a risk for us. We had to invest quite a bit of money to have them offset printed because we needed to print on very heavy cardstock. It was a financial plunge that was terrifying at the time, but it all worked out.

Talk about the different calendars  (and other products) you’ve created and sell?

In addition to the perpetual calendar, we have a 2010 calendar that features some of our favorite photos, and a few color series in sets of nine that we love. The idea for the color series prints came from my blog readers who emailed me asking if I planned to sell them.

My favorite part about the color series is the paper they are printed on. It’s a heavy, matte, fine art cotton-rag paper, and the texture is just gorgeous.

How is your writing influenced by Paris? Do you feel more creative when you’re in Paris?

Gosh, this seems like such a cliché, but yes, I certainly do. I have no idea why, but when I am in Paris, I am doubly creative and half as lazy. It’s a good combination.

During your next stay in Paris, is there anything in particular you’re looking forward to seeing or doing?

I am really looking forward to our next trip. My parents, both of whom have never been to Paris, are going with us, and I’m giddy. I’ve been begging them (really, really begging them) for years to go to Paris, but they’ve always replied with “next year” or “when we retire.” Well, I don’t know what changed, but this time when I asked they said yes.

I can’t wait to take them to our favorite places, and for them to finally get to see the place that makes me sublimely happy.

Any words of advice for a first-time visitor to Paris?

Allow yourself a few days to see the popular spots, but give yourself at least three days to follow your bliss and traipse about with no itinerary. Just walk, and walk, and walk, breathing in the fragrant food, basking in the abundant lights, eyeing the colors, taking in the street sounds, all of it. Let your senses lead the way.

I used to think I was pretty good at French… until the day I actually moved here and realized just how nuanced the language is when it’s coming at you from all angles. Old people, young people, drunk people, foreign people—they all have their own distinct accents, cadences, and vocabularies. I quickly learned that my “A” in high school French Literature meant very little in the real world, and that making sense of real French would be a lifelong challenge. So far, it has been endlessly amusing.

While I like to think I’ve come a long way, even the most basic phrases were slightly confounding at first. I can understand how new visitors to Paris might feel a little shell-shocked, especially when they’re being barked at by a burly vendor at the Belleville market who is insisting that they “MANGEZ!” the tangerine slice he is brandishing (a regular occurrence in my life).

“Mangez” is pretty clear-cut (”Eat!”), but here are some other less obvious French-isms that you are likely to come up against in stores or at markets:

“Et avec ceci?”— It’s pretty basic. All it means is “And with this?”, as in, “Would you like anything else with this?” But it’s often asked of you in a sort of slurred, rushed manner over a counter as you’re struggling to sift through the pounds of centimes that have accumulated in your wallet. I had a friend who thought for many months that she was being asked “Et avec saucisse?” (“And with sausage?”) This sort of made sense in certain contexts, but when you’re at the pharmacy buying cold medicine and are (seemingly) asked if you want some sausage with it, you might be slightly confused. The French health system is certainly different, but not that different.

“C’est moi!”— You’ll get this one when you thank someone after you buy something. It literally means “It’s me,” and is usually chirped in a sing-songy kind of way. Initially, I wasn’t totally sure how to react to this one. I later figured out it’s short for “C’est moi qui vous remercie” which means “Oh no, no, it’s me that thanks you” (for having bought something). French people are rarely this over-emphatic… enjoy it while it lasts!

And a few at restaurants:

“Je vous écoute”— Your waiter will likely come up and make this statement after you’ve looked at the menu for a moment. Literally, “I’m listening to you.” Don’t be fooled; your waiter is not inviting you to have a heart-to-heart. He simply wants to take your order.

“Ça y est? / Ça a été?”— Finished? How was it? You will most definitely be finished because French waiters are not the type to swoop in and prematurely clear your plate. At this point, you will likely be having a post-meal bliss moment, so just say “Oui, c‘était trés bon,” and you’ll be all set.

Written by Tory Hoen for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

Phone: 01.48.87.15.40

Metro Station: Saint-Paul (Line 1)

Type of cuisine: French

Days & hours of operation: Tues-Sat from noon to 11:00 p.m.

Credit card: Visa, Amex

This handsome restaurant, decorated in contemporary style, serves up a wide range of French dishes (ten starters, twelve main courses, two cheese plates, eight desserts, plus suggestions of the day, as well as a good selection of wines) that should satisfy most diners’ preferences.

My partner and I ordered a starter called Croustillant de chèvre frais aux figues, a serving of two triangular-shaped brik pastry shells filled with goat cheese, figs, and walnuts that had been deep-fried and placed atop a copious, mixed-green salad.  The crunch of the pastry shell provided a pleasing textural contrast to the warm goat-cheese filling.

For the plat principal, I ordered the Thon rouge poêlé, vinegrette d’herbes fraîches et purée maison.  I requested that the tuna fish steak be cooked medium-rare and that mixed vegetables be served in place of the puréed potatoes.  I received a generous portion of pan-fried tuna fish steak, covered with an herb paste and a side dish of sautéed carrots, string beans, zucchini, and fennel.  The tuna fish was moist and tender.  My partner ordered a second starter, the Salade de legumes grillées, jambon San Daniele et Parmesan.  She received a copious portion of grilled eggplant and artichoke hearts, topped by rocket salad, three thin slices of San Daniele ham, and large shavings of Parmesan.

For dessert, I ordered Oeuf à la neige, a mound of dense meringue floating on a pond of crème anglaise.  The meringue had been drizzled with caramelized sugar and sprinkled with sliced almonds.  Sweet and delicious!  My partner ordered the Tarte Tatin maison, a homemade tart consisting of an entire cored apple baked atop a round pastry crust and served with a goblet of crème Chantilly.

The service was friendly and efficient.

The bill for two, including three starters, one main course, two desserts, one bottle of mineral water, a half-bottle of Chablis Domaine Daniel Dampt et Fils 2008, and a glass of Domain Esmonin white Burgundy came to 109€.

This is an ideal restaurant for Americans who wish to dine early, as it has continuous service throughout the day.  The wait staff speaks English.

Tom Reeves has been a confirmed Francophile since he first traveled to France in 1975.  A native of northern California, he moved to France permanently in 1992.  Reeves’ love of French language and culture inspired him to create Discover Paris!, a travel planning service that caters to Americans interested in cultural travel to Paris.  His book, Paris Insights – An Anthology, has been called “the kind of insider’s view of the French capital…that first or even second time visitors pine for.”  He publishes a monthly newsletter entitled Paris Insights about history, culture, and contemporary life in the City of Light, and posts daily information about the French capital on Facebook.

I have never been what one would typically consider a foodie. My palate is far too finicky for this, geared more toward the enjoyment of simple food rather than complicated cuisine. And while I’ll admit to picking up the occasional issue of Gourmet or Bon Appetite in the past, it was only to salivate over the photographs that, despite my selective tastebuds, always looked so darned delicious to me.

It took David Lebovitz to change all of this. After being introduced to his blog a while back, I found myself enticed by the foods he was talking about. I couldn’t wait to read about his adventures hunting down seemingly obscure ingredients in Paris, replacing a part on his oven, making ice ceam with <gasp> saffron, tasting Cognac or trying out new appliances (like the new ActiFry). Each story brought tears of laughter to my eyes. The Washington Post stated that he has the “wry wit evocative of David Sedaris” – which may be why David is the most-read food blogger on the Web.

His food-based memoir The Sweet Life in Paris has the same witty tone, with David sharing stories about the challenges he encountered as he attempted to assimilate into Paris life after moving there in 2002. There are recipes, too. For that matter, this former San Francisco-based pastry chef is the author of several cookbooks – Room for Dessert, Ripe for Dessert, Ready for Dessert, The Great Book of Chocolate and The Perfect Scoop.

In the nearly eight years since moving to Paris, David has gotten to know his adopted hometown inside and out, so he has definite opinions on the places he considers his favorites.

G. Detou

Paris Neighborhood

I tend to gravitate northward, to the 10th, since it straddles both the trendy, almost too-’bobo’ area around the Canal St. Martin, but mixed with the somewhat funkiness of the area surrounding the two gares; the Gare du Nord and the Gare de l’Est, it’s a good balance of hip and funky sides of Paris. After having a glass of wine at Chez Prune, I like to explore with all the ethnic food shops north, following the canal. I also like Belleville quite a bit, and get a good workout walking up the hill and poking into the Asian shops around there, too.

Restaurant (French)

Chez Dumonet is pretty much the classic Parisian bistro; the food is textbook perfect, and the service is professional, yet friendly. Portions are truly huge, but they let you order half-portions. That’s much-appreciated because I always want to save room for the lofty Grand Marnier Soufflé, which needs to be ordered at the start of the meal. (117 rue Cherche-Midi, 6th arr.)

Restaurant (Ethnic)

Most tourists coming to Paris aren’t all that interested in ethnic eats, since depending on where you live, most of that food has been globalized and you can find it elsewhere. In spite of all the less-than-authentic Chinese and Japanese take-outs in Paris (and silly fusion dishes, which are happily disappearing from menus…and good riddance), Asian foods are being taken more seriously and you can find quite good Japanese fare if you know where to go. However I’m a big fan of Korean cuisine, which is just taking hold in Paris, and the new K-Mart grocery store on the rue St. Anne is not just an épicerie (food store), but has a cafeteria with kimbap (Korean sushi rolls) and bibimbap, a large rice bowl with meat, vegetables, and lots of spicy kimchi. I don’t know how Parisians are taking to the odiferous kimchi since I haven’t seen many in there, but I love sitting in the window, hunched over a big steaming bowl of the stuff…and don’t care how I smell afterward. (Although I do walk home, rather than take the métro, as a courtesy to others.) (6-8 rue St Anne, 1st arr.)

Cheap Eats

I’d have to say Chartier. Yes, it’s true– “You get what you pay for.” But I can’t think of anywhere else you can get a square meal and a truly authentic slice of life in old Paris than Chartier. Stick with the classics and the house wine and you’ll be fine, but be sure to order the frisée salad with hot bacon, which costs less than a café crème on the St. Germain de Pres, and is one of the best in town. Service is predictably gruff, and if you’re looking for “Hi, my name is Jean-Pierre, and I’ll be your waiter tonight!” you’re not going to get that here. I did see a roach come out of our breadbasket once and I was with some out-of-towners who said that I should alert the waiter. Obviously it was their first time at Chartier. In spite of it all, I keep going back. But am not sure they would. (7 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, 9th arr.)

Breakfast Spot

My own dining table. I don’t go out for breakfast in Paris since it takes a hydraulic crane to get me out of my apartment before 10 am. Breakfast is always toasted grainy bread, Bordier salted butter, Tropicana “Ruby Breakfast” juice (a mix of orange, pink grapefruit, and blood orange juice)…with an ice cube in it (which is very un-Parisian, but is a trick I picked up in Portugal), and a big bowl of steaming-hot café au lait.

Food/Gourmet Shop

If G. Detou ever closed in Paris, I would be hopelessly lost and probably have to move. It has everything I need, from French chocolate in bulk, to horseradish, Fallot mustard, cocoa powder, candied sour cherries, and oddities like glucose, hazelnut paste, and Sicilian pistachios that are the most amazing brilliant-green. And cost plenty of green as well. Avoid going in December, when everyone is scrambling to do their holiday baking; the place is a madhouse. (58 rue Tinquetonne, 2nd arr.)

Madeleines from Blé Sucré

Boulangerie/Patisserie

Because I’m a Right Bank-boy, we don’t have many fancy bakeries on this side of the Seine. Which is a good thing, since I tend to like simpler desserts anyways. Blé Sucré is terrific and manages to make slightly swanky sweets, but without them being fussy or expensive. They make a few different kinds of breads and their Kouign Amann is terrific, as are their lemon-glazed Madeleines, which I reproduced in my book, The Sweet Life in Paris. I also like the fact that you can take your desserts and sit at one of their outdoor tables, overlooking the Square Trousseau, and sip a well-made Illy café express along with your treats. Ice cream in the summer give the place year ’round appeal. (7 rue Antoine Vollon, 12th arr.)

Chocolate Shop

I could never say one shop is my favorite, because they’re all different and each offers a certain specialty that I can’t imagine living without. The Chartreuse-filled ovals at Jean-Charles Rochoux, the feuilleutine at Patrick Roger (which they hand me right away when I walk in the shop), Kalouga chocolate bars filled with salted butter caramel at A l’Etoile d’Or, and the mango-passion fruit caramels at Jacques Genin. They don’t have any chocolate in them, but it’s a chocolate shop, so I hope that counts because they’re pretty stellar. (Jean-Charles Rochoux, 16 rue d’Assas in the 6th; Patrick Roger, 108 boulevard St. Germain in the 6th;  A l’Etoile d’Or, 30 rue Fontaine in the 9th; and Jacques Genin, 133 rue de Turenne in the 3rd.)

Men’s Boutique

I’m fond of COS, on the rue de Rosiers. Paris has great clothing shops, but they’re frightfully expensive. And because I’m constantly baking or cooking, I tend not to want to wear a Hermes €250 t-shirt when I’m dipping chocolates. COS is a concept store, created by H+M. But the clothes are much better-made and fit nicely. They’re basic, and cut well. If you go during the sales, the 50% off tickets make everything extra attractive. (4 rue de Rosiers, 4th arr.)

Specialty Boutique

Well, I don’t shop for fancy duds, but one of the coolest places in Paris is the Marché Saint Pierre, the giant fabric market right under Sacre Coeur. It’s six stories of fabric, and even though I can’t sew a stitch, I love riding in the elevator, which actually still has an honest-to-goodness elevator operator sitting in there. It’s an amazing place for people watching as it’s filled with homemakers, seamstresses, students, theatre designers, and couturiers looking for inspiration amongst the reams of fabrics. I buy étamine, though, which is lovely French cotton gauze and is wonderful to use like cheesecloth. The Marché St. Pierre also has a special place in my heart because my first visit there marks the place that I truly became Parisian: I had exchanged ‘words’ with one of the disinterested salespeople, who came around when I told him that if he ever came to my country, I hoped people were nicer to him than he was being to me. It worked, and I now have beautiful curtains in my bedroom that block out all the light. (Which is another Parisian touch.) (2 rue Charles Nodier, 18th arr.)

Place for Cocktails

Williams, over near the Champs-Elysées does rather good cocktails. I don’t go out for cocktails much in Paris, because except for Mojitos, it’s not really a ‘cocktail’ culture. Although that’s changing and I clearly need to do more research. (26 avenue Friedland, 8th arr.)

Quiet Spot

The Châtelet métro station. Ok, just kidding. If I’m looking for peace and quiet, I’ll take a walk along the quai of the Seine, east of the Hôtel de Ville, which is a lot more peaceful than the other end.

Mode of Transportation

Vélib’ is pretty great. The system does have a few problems, noticebly that quite a few of the bikes are broken and it’s often hard to find a place to park them in popular neighborhoods, or when it’s raining hard and it’s 3 in the morning. But it’s pretty neat that you can simply grab a bike, ride it somewhere, and drop it off without worrying about maintenance or it getting stolen. I just wish they’d make the baskets bigger: there’s not nearly enough room in them to fit a whole cake. What were they thinking?

Paris Indulgence

I know it’s terribly cliché, but I still think the height of elegance is a big box of macarons from Ladurée. There’s been so much hubbub surrounding macarons, with folks replicating them around the world. But Ladurée is the birthplace of the Parisian macaron and a box of them, neatly packed in colorful rows, is always a thrill to rifle through. I avoid the newer flavors, which are hit or miss, and stick with the classics: chocolate amer (dark chocolate), coffee, pistachio, and caramel beurre salé; macarons filled with salted butter caramel. (16, rue Royale, 9th arr.)

Day Trip from Paris

I like hitting the road and heading to Coulommiers, where there’s a sprawling brie market that takes place in the center of town every Sunday. If you want to surround yourself with giant rounds of brie de Meaux, stacked up and sold in runny, oozing wedges, this is where you want to be. There’s also regional oddities, like brie draped with fern leaves and something called ‘brie noir’, a dark, crumbly brie that’s been aged for around eight months. It’s basically inedible, and needs to be dunked in coffee to temper the flavor. Yes, really.

All photographs from DavidLebovitz.com.