Day by Day

I may be the only one blogging from Paris who hasn't mentioned last Saturday's Nuit Blanche, the annual  open-all-night art spectacle begun by mayor Delanoë in 2002.  That's because we only participated peripherally, passing some installations in the Marais on our way home from dinner at Frenchie, a great new restaurant in the Sentier district, near rue Montorgueil, our old stamping grounds.  There were lots of people on the streets, wandering from one installation to another.  I read later that one and a half million people had taken part this year.

We saw only a couple of pieces we thought interesting, including this video and light piece called Electra in the garden of the Bibliothèque Historique.

There were things I would have liked to have seen, like the world's largest disco ball hanging over the bassin at the Jardin du Luxembourg, but they were all at some distance from our itinerary that night and we just didn't feel like braving the crowds for the most obviously popular ones.  So if you want to know more about this year's Nuit Blanche (which means sleepless night, by the way), you'll have to use my old friend Google.

What I can tell you about is the great meal we had at Frenchie.  A tiny place, it holds only about 8 tables and offers a prix fixe menu of 26 euros for two courses and 31 euros for three.  There are only two choices each for the entrée and plat and three for the dessert, but they were all delicious.  We had very lightly smoked trout with an onion confit on puréed something (I've forgotten, not having made any notes.  Bad blogger!), followed by a roast pintade (guinea fowl) which may have been the best poultry I've ever had.  Others in the group had Nile perche with dill, also perfect.  I had made reservations several weeks in advance and people were turned away at the door if they didn't have them, so if you're tempted, do call ahead.

On Sunday evening we went over to the Pont des Arts, the pedestrian bridge over the Seine which connects the Louvre with the wonderful domed Institut de France on the left Bank.

Sitting on one of the benches watching people walking by was a particularly pleasant way to wait for the sun to set.

The young man above made a discreet fashion statement  in the sea of muted colors, most of which matched perfectly the skies and water.