Fauchon Paris

 

 

Bon jour! After four hours on the runway at JFK and a smooth six hour flight I have arrived in the City of Lights.

Paris J’taime! With a quick flick of my passport and a sweet English-speaking taxi driver I am off to begin my culinary odyssey. My cab driver is a pro! He drives the ”back way” into Paris so we avoid the Monday morning traffic. So far so good..I arrive at my hotel to find that my room is not ready …so I head off to explore Paris. What should I do with my one day and one night in Paris? Ah! Lunch at Fauchon sounds perfect! I head up the Rue de Rivioli past the Place de Madeleine by the Paris Ritz (which kind of reminds me of the Mansion). I continue along the Rue Furbourg St. Honre past the beautiful shops and voila! Fauchon …pastries, tarts, cake, gourmet specialities out of your wildest dreams…

As I wander around this gourmet Fantasy Island, I fix my eyes on a beautiful vegetable club sandwich and decide, in the spirit of the Olympics, to “let the games begin” with this sandwich. As I sit to eat this delight, I notice the caviar menu. Can’t pass this up so here I go with some beluga, blinis and rose champagne to wash down this incredible first meal in Paris. I ask myself, “Who is luckier than me?” I get chills.

As I gaze on to the Parisan street I can only think back to my first time in this magical city when I was a young American cook and how that experience changed my life forever. It’s a blessing when life just takes you to the place that will mold and shape your future, ignite your passion and unveil your path however uncertain it might be. Paris is that special place for me and I am grateful to be here again. I finish my meal and get my mind and emotions composed and stroll back down the boulevard. I walk past that once-legendary French restaurant Maxims, which is the very restaurant where our beloved Duncan Graham, the Mansion’s Managing Director, once worked as a professional dish washer. Talk about a career move! 

I enter Le Garden de Tuillers and head back toward the Louvre, I eventually arrive in my hotel to shake off the jet lag with a nap. As I lay down to sleep, I once again marvel at the beauty and history of this city.