SFO777 The First Class Travel Blog

Follow our Instagram Travel Videos @sfo777dotcom

The First Class Travel Blog

Paris

Night 1

After a short afternoon nap, we headed out for the evening.

First for drinks at a neighborhood bar and then another block from the hotel to one of old haunts from when we lived in Paris for a month, a couple of years ago. Relais de l'Entrecote serves steak and frites, all you can eat in precision assembly line fashion. Turnover is the key here. The doors open at 7P, with a line outside the door, and by 7:30P the place is packed, and like many Paris restaurants, with little room between tables.

Waitresses ask two basic questions, "how do like your steak?" and "what do you want to drink?" They write your meat preference (3 options only: rare, medium or well done) on the table cloth, so the refills are easy to track.

Round 1...

Round 2...

Dinner. OMG delicious and done in 45 minutes! Now we're off down the street to The Crazy Horse for some T&A. Swear to god, it was Mrs. SFO's idea. Although the girls were all beautiful, young and pretty much undressed, the best part of the show was the two male jugglers. That alone was worth the price of admission. Am I getting old?? Sorry, no show pics as I was too chicken to go against the bouncers.

Someone has a sense of humor...

Couple of pics from our short walk back to the hotel.

After breakfast and a lazy morning, we bundled up and headed out into chilly +2C temps to see Christmas in Paris...

The Plaza-Athenée.

And the rest of Avenue Montagne.

Up to the Champ-Elysées

And over to the Petit Palais.

And it's wonderful architecture.

Across the street, the Grand Palais is now the Grand Palais de Glace with indoor Patinoire or skating rink just opened for the holidays.

Back up to the Champs-Elysées where security was pretty evident.

Interesting Christmas market stands, shops and activities line both side of the Champs-Elysées.

On the Tuileries side of Place de la Concorde is the Roue de Paris, a 200' high portable ferris wheel. It first appeared here in 2000 then moved around and recently returned. Not anywhere near as high or as luxurious as the Singapore Flyer, but it gets you above the city for some great views. Three spins for 10 euros.

For lunch, we stopped at another old hang-out, classic Mini Maxim's on rue de la Paix and then headed up to rue du Faubourg St-Honoré.

...and the gorgeous Christmas lights at Place Vendome, where The Ritz appears closed and undergoing a major and much needed renovation.

We're off for our first visit to L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, tonight at the Saint-Germain location. On the way, lights along the Champs-Elysées

Gorgeous restaurant with counter only seating around the kitchen. No, Joel was not in the house tonight, but from the website.

I like the clientele better in my pic... 

Every dish tonight was a taste sensation. We both started with langoustines. Mrs. SFO, the ravioli...

En papillote pour moi.

Next was the most incredible pasta carbonara I have ever tasted. OMG.

Coquille St-Jacques with truffles.

L'agneau pour madame.

Our culinary orgy finished with an incredible Le Chocolat Tendance.

An amazing meal and reasonably price I thought. Including a 90 euro bottle of 1er cru Dauvisset Chablis, our tab was only 282 euros, less than we'd spend in San Francisco at Quince or Gary Danko.

More sights on the way back "home"...

And we decided to walk up to L'avenue Georges V and the Champs-Elysées to walk off dinner and take in more lights.

More window shopping along the way. Mrs. SFO liked this one...

Although I was more interested in buying something for her in this store...

After she laughed, gave me the roll eyes and told me that outfit wasn't going to happen, we continued on up to Fouquet's and the Champs-Elysées.

And back to the hotel.

Day 3
Paris

What a butt ugly Friday this is looking like. +4C, cold, windy and rainy. Lovely.
We're off to La Musée de L'Orangerie to revisit the wonderful Monet water lillies mural.

And an interactive panaroma
http://www.musee-orangerie.fr/homes/...24799_u1l2.htm

Just outside L'Orangerie at Place de la Concorde.

And the lovely walk thru the Tuileries. 

To lunch at one of the oldest restaurants in Paris, La Cordonnerie. Two years ago it was rated the #1 of 8,500+ restaurants in Paris by Tripadvisor. It is currently #48. OK, I always take tripadvisor with a grain of salt, but I love this place. Mrs. SFO hates it. But in a moment of weakness, agreed to go here for lunch. It is a wonderful traditional French cuisine family restaurant. Papa Claude is the talented chef and his nephew was the server today.

This place isn't old, it's ancient. Probably so old that its code violations are grandfathered. Why else would exposed wire be tolerated?

I blocked the unhappy face.

Starters were charcuturie and delicious duck paté.

Our mains, poulet for madam while I had the incredible escalope be veau Normande.

My sauce Normande was artery clogging "to die for".

From La Cordonnerie, we walked up towards Boul Haussmann.

By the Palais Garnier, home to the Opera Garnier.

From a previous visit including the incredible Chagall ceiling.

One of the classiest Apple stores you'll see.

Up to Les Galleries Lafayette on Haussmann.

And the wonderful Christmas displays.

And the most spectacular shopping atrium and tree I've ever seen.

And nearby Printemps.

Night 3

Call us crazy but one of our favorite Paris restaurants is a Mexican restaurant.
Anahuacalli (in the 5th) serves the best (and most potent) margaritas and best chili rellenos I have ever tasted.

For our starter, we shared the delicious Tacitos Dorados.

And another margarita, prompting our waitress to warn "oui, c'est bon mais aussi dangereux monsieur".

The most amazing beef and cheese chili relleno...

And another "dangereux" margarita pour madame.

As if we haven't had enough alcohol, we decided to have nightcap at the Georges V...

... where our two martinis cost nearly as must as our entire dinner at Anahuacalli.

As with most Four Seasons, the Christmas lights and decorations are wonderful.

Last Day

With a short day and a 2PM checkout, we decided to head to the Marais for a few hours. While waiting for Mrs. SFO to get ready, I headed down the street for some Eiffel Tower pics as the temps warmed and the sun tries to make a comeback.

On my way back to the hotel, classic Paris...

Our hotel, finally back in the sun.

Off to the Marais, starting with beautiful Place des Vosges...

... where the sun brings out Parisian families.

More fun at the Bastille than the original residents...

We were both disappointed with our lunch at Bofinger, although the historic decor was very nice.

Up next: Frankfurt, quite possibly the most boring city since Helsinki.