Josy à Paris IV: Les Champs-Elysées

Bon dimanche!

The idea of Sunday brunch has piqued my interest for the past several months, especially when Pleuve would recount her sumptuous visits to Ladurée. It was high on my list of culinary experiences and so today, being my only Sunday here, Pleuve made us reservations with one of her closest Parisian friends.

But first, a light breakfast made by Pleuve--her signature shrimp salad. If there's one thing you must need to know about Pleuve (other than her abundant creativity, model-looks, and teenage-boy-appetite), it's that this girl loves shrimp.

Our original plan was to visit the Marché de Bastille, a large outdoor market popular with the locals for fresh produce. Unfortunately, we witnessed one of the French phenomena I read about in A Year in the Merde--unannounced (transit) strikes or manifestations. The very important Concorde stop was closed, meaning our connection to Bastille would not happen. We even tried at Madeleine but Line 1 wasn't stopping there either, which meant no Marché de Bastille since we were in a time crunch.

Living in Italy has taught me the art of improvisation, and so I asked Pleuve if we could just walk to Ladurée. Luckily it wasn't too far and there were many things to see on the way, such as the church at Madeleine.

Église de Madeleine

The grands-boulevards intersecting the Champs-Elysées were very confusing. At Concorde we saw a fountain [pictured left] as well as an obelisk donated by Egypt. We were also flanked by Tuileries, Pleuve's favourite garden, and crossed tree-lined sidewalks to reach the shopping mecca of the avenue between Franklin Roosevelt and Étoile.

And there it was--Ladurée. You enter and you know you are in Paris. On the left is a pastry and dessert section for people would like to order things to go. In the middle is a staircase leading upstairs to a large dining area and very fancy bathrooms (complete with hexagonal toilet seats). To the right, where we were seated, were tables near large windows looking onto the Champs-Elysées. There was an air of haute-classe and the sparkle of silverware. It looked like the perfect place for high tea with gloves and hats.

Ladurée on the Champs-Elysées: famous for macarons and opulent brunches

The three of us shared two brunches (34€ each) which consisted of fruit salad, yogurt, macarons, mini sandwiches, croissants and viennoiseries, an omelette, coffee, and freshly squeezed orange juice. It was beautiful and filling but, if I had to choose, I would choose high tea at The Secret Garden or brunch at Market (served only on weekends--I learned that the hard way later!)

I was really glad to finally meet Pleuve's friend that I had heard so much about. She was very entertaining and I admired her self-confidence. Pleuve and I also got a lesson on etiquette since her friend had attended a school for girls in Switzerland. I don't know how people keep track of all those rules--the ones for eating alone are lengthy and complicated!

When we got the bill, I realized that the orange juice I ordered à la carte was 8€. We all breathed a collective WTML?! sigh. Or at least I did.

Then I got a "guided tour" of the Louis Vuitton store by the two fashion students and we did some window-shopping before Pleuve and I stopped for smoothies at Unisex, a semi-retro themed bar on the Champs-Elysées. From there we walked through Tuileries before heading to the Carrousel de Louvre.

Fountain in Tuileries

View of the Louvre from Tuileries

Pyramids in the Carrousel de Louvre

I did a tiny bit of shopping before it was time to grab dinner at Café Louis Philippe, a restaurant located near the Seine and Île Saint-Louis. We shared some rosé wine and I had the grilled duck with béarnaise sauce. It was delicious and so were the potatoes next to it--garlicky, buttery, and all. I followed it with a chocolate fondant that was a bit too heavy for my liking, but the duck was definitely my favourite meal in Paris so far.

Canard grillé au sauce béarnaise at Café Louis Philippe

After dinner, we strolled past Notre Dame and I realized that the wine had greatly improved my French. I guess what they say about speaking foreign languages after a few drinks is correct!

Night by the Seine