Saint Valentine's Day

[John Talbott]

Figaroscope’s “Dossier” last year before St. Valentine’s Day concerned itself with places to celebrate:

For up to 60 Euros:

Thoumieux

Indira

Le Petrelle

Le Banyan

Aux Saveurs de Claude

Ze Kitchen Galerie

Cafe Moderne

Le Jardin d’Ampere

Café du Commerce

Bistrot Romain {my goodness}

From 60-100 Euros:

Tante Jeanne

Ginger

La Place

Bon

Au Gourmand

Maceo

Hotel de Vigny

Aero-Club de France

From 100-200 Euros:

Les Ormes

Les Muses

Les Trois Marches in Versailles

Les Bateaux Parisiens you can guess where

Park Hyatt Paris – Vendome

Over 200 Euros:

Cafe Faubourg

Michel Rostang

Hotel Ritz

Hotel Crillon

A more downscale list was published in ParuVendu that included:

Le Café de l”homme

Au Ciel de Paris

Le Gailion

Le Pavillion Montsouris

Le Chene Vert au Lafayette Gourmet

Cristal Room Baccarat

Le Banyan

Park Hyatt Paris – Venome

Le Traversiere

Au Gourmand

[John Talbott]

Figaroscope’s “Dossier” this year for Valentine’s Day dinner places included:

Less than 100 E

Le Pavillion

Hotel de Sers

Restaurant W

Le Pluvinel

La Chinoiserie

From 100-140 E

Le Jardin d’Hiver

Les Muses

L’Orenoc

La Table du Lancaster

Senso

From 150-200 E

Le Celedon

Le Jardin

More than 200 E

l’Espadon

Le Bristol

Les Ambassadeurs

Others at various prices

Cuba Compagnie Café

Le Galvacher

Sens

L’Espadon Bleu

Le Mandala Ray

Le Maceo

La Mezzanine de l’Alcazar

Le Chene Vert

Le 144 Petrossion

Le Copenhague

This year ParuVendu added:

Chai 33

Le Royal Monceau

Restaurant Les Arts

Petrossian

Le Crillon

Vin Chai Moi

Thoumieux

Il Cortile

le Ritz

le Bristol

[John Talbott]

And yet one more set of suggestions from JDD;

For an aperitif – Hotel Costes

For a cosy time – Flora Danica

For chic design – Caffé Minotti

For Italian love - Lei

For the view of the Eiffel Tower – R

For an exceptional dinner – la Maison Blanche

[John Talbott]

Well, this year's suggestions have begun; these from Margaret Kemp at Bonjour Paris:

Villa Corse - Valentine Dinner: 40-50€ + wine

Petrossian - Valentine Dinner 160€ including champagne

Beauvilliers - Valentine dinner 85€ per person

Le Saut du Loup -Valentine dinner 100€ + wine includes mineral water

Restaurant Le Club – Maison des Polytechnicians - Valentine Dinner 85€ with champagne + mineral water

[John Talbott]

Because not everyone reads the Digest, I’ll put up this Valentines Day stuff from this weeks’ publications:

February 1st, but just posted recently is an article by Véronique André and Marie-Christine Delacroix in Figaro Madame that is part of the run up for Valentine’s Day. They suggest:

A deluxe cruise up the Seine on the “Don Juan II,” leaving from the Port Henri-IV in the 4th, 01.44.54.14.70, costing various amounts from 349-1499 € a couple, depending on the date, serving food (lobster, veal confit with cepes, chocolate) by yet another MOF – Guy Krenzer.

Et dans mon coeur

Le Partage

Petrossian with champagne

Astier for rabbit

Un jour a Peyrassol for truffles.

Monday, l’Express did its now traditional three reviews all tilted towards Valentines Day; 1st François-Régis Gaudry reviewed Flora Mikula’s place in the 8th, now called the Saveurs de Flora apparently; Pierrick Jégu doing the Chateau de Maulmont in Saint-Priest-Bramefant (Puy-de-Dôme) and Anne-Laure Quilleriet sampling the food at the Hotel Amour in the 9th, where she terms the menu nostalgic bobo in old Paris.

Figaroscope’s “Dossier” covered Valentine’s Day places :

Big time gambler

La Table de Lancaster 140 € (all without drinks unless otherwise noted)

Les Elysees du Vernet 160 €

Broke

Au Pied de Fouet VIe 20-25 €

Chartier 30€

Improvised

Nemo by Bert’s Delivery service 01.47.23.43.37

Premiere etoile Ditto but by Gilles Choukroun + Raphael Berland 01.42.71.67.78

Gourbi Palace 30 €

Andy Warloo

A wink of the eye

Astier 39.50 €

Chai 33 39 €

Frozen

Hotel Kube 200 € for two

In vino

Les Craneuses 20 € plus

Oh! Bigre

Women’s Special

Drole d’endroit pour une rencontre (Depur) beginning at 20 €

Bollywood Soft

Ratn 70 €

Indira 50-60 €

Venitian

Mori Venice Bar 70 €

Madrilinian

Almodobar 25-30 €

15 Cent 15 15-20 €

Take Out

Bread & Roses

Da Rosa

Granterroirs

Francois Simon’s idea of the theme is the Hotel Amour, see above, where his bill was 218 € for a room, two dinners and two mojitos. Should one go? To the hotel yes but on the patio side, otherwise it’s noisy; for the food, if you like brouha ha.

[John Talbott]

For St Valentine’s Day, Philippe Couderc of NouvelObs suggests going to a chateau and recommends the Domaine de Saint-Clair in Etretat or the Chateau Colbert in Maulevrier.

[John Talbott]

The week’s Figaroscope's Dossier concerned itself with St Valentine’s day places:

From 100 €:

La Marlotte, Bistrot de la Muette, Chez Karl & Erick, Le Maxan, Bayan, Black Calvados + Au Gourmand

Under 150 €:

l’Arome, Bon, Café Faubourg, Les Saveurs de Flora, Le Murano Urban Resort + Les Ombres

150 €+:

Mori Venice Bar. La Table Lancaster, le Dali, l’Hotel, Le Celadon, La Maison Blanche + Laurent

And Francois Simon went to La Table de Fabrice for 149 € for two.

[Abra]

What I want to know is: is it all an import of American hype, or is there an actual French Valentine's tradition?

[Ptipois]

Saint-Valentin has been known for a fairly long time as the lovers' day, but has only been seriously celebrated for about ten years in France. Definitely an American import meant to promote commerce, just like Halloween.

Interestingly enough, there used to be a lovers's day in France, which ceased to be celebrated in this manner sometime by the mid-20th Century: April 1st. To some extent, Easter had pretty much the same meaning.

[John Talbott]

Saint-Valentin has been known for a fairly long time as the lovers' day, but has only been seriously celebrated for about ten years in France. Definitely an American import meant to promote commerce, just like Halloween.

Interestingly enough, there used to be a lovers's day in France, which ceased to be celebrated in this manner sometime by the mid-20th Century: April 1st. To some extent, Easter had pretty much the same meaning.

←

Ohhhh, Pti, more. What are the connections between lovers, pinning poissons and the resurrection or is it all about the vernal equinox as Channukah/Christmas is all about the winter soltice?

I was thinking why this topic was food oriented (or as our cousins would say orientated) and it occurred to me that we/us/civilization/whatever have made eating central to every fete. Except for Ramadan, Lent and colonoscopies.

[John Talbott]

The NYT Q&A by David Allan suggested the Jules Verne + Laperouse, the latter offering a 190 euro special menu sans wine.

For next year, there were five places mentioned for St Valentines in l’Express – Mauboussin, l’Atelier des chefs, Bar Hemingway, Le Meurice + 144 Petrossian, costing 20, 18-30, 28, 295 + 150 € respectively.

Jean-Claude Ribault, in last Friday’s Le Monde wrote about where to go for St Valentine’s Day, suggesting that rather than spending 350 € at the Bristol one try the 70 and 49 € menus (at the first two) and undisclosed sums at the latter two:

Relais d'Auteuil, La Tempête, 6 New York, + Le Thoumieux.