A great play and a new restaurant

On wednesday, I went to a new Italian restaurant "Porsena" (21 East 7th street between 3rd and 2nd avenue, telephone : 212-228 4923)where I had a very good & classical plate of Pasta al Pomodoro and my friends tried the delicious Pasta with spicy veal ragu. Unfortunately, we had  no time to try appetizers nor desserts as we were heading a couple of blocks away to the Classical Company Stage theater for the production of "The School For Lies" from Moliere's The Misanthrope. Written by David Ives and directed by Walter Bobbie, the extra talented duo from last season's Venus in Fur, its was a pure moment of joy and laughter. Mamie Gummer, daughter of Meryl Streep, gives a magical performance as Celimene, the female lead, a witty widow surrounded by several male who are courting her.. The costume are from Moliere's time (Seventeenth century) but the dialogs are contemporary. It works wonderfully. The show ends on May 21th. Tickets are available on www.classicalstage.org

When it was raining last week, I saw : 


-2 plays 


"The house of blue leaves", a play by John Guare, with Ben Stiller, Edie Falco and Jason Jason Leigh. Overall, it's not good except for Edie Falco who is absolutely amazing in her portrayal of a mad woman married to a zookeeper (Ben Stiller) who dreams to be a Hollywood song-writer pushed by his mistress (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Ben Bratley poorly reviewed the play in this morning NY times and I agree with him.. But fortunately, two days later I went to see "Good people" by David Lindsay-Abaire (who wrote "Rabbit Hole") and that's a excellent play  with a great cast led by Frances McDormand. The dialogues, the actors are brilliant ! The clash of two worlds when two high-school friends reunited after  twenty years and very different lives..


-2 movies


"Meek's Cutoff"by Kelly Reichardt takes place in 1845 and it's the story of three families getting lost while crossing Oregon. The cinematography is beautiful, the cast is good but there is no much action so I wouldn't recommend it !
"The Double Hour" by Giuseppe Capodonti is a first feature that won best Italian movie and Best actress and actor at the Venice film festival in september. It's a really good thriller that starts off as a love story. I really enjoyed it !


-2 shows twice !


David Altmedj, a young Canadian sculptor based in New York, had a powerful  show at the Andrea Rosen gallery (it closed sadly on april 23rd). "The Vessel" is a giant-plexiglas box filled with swans and jelly-fish made of plexiglas and colored strings, tiny  bees wrapped in gold chains and much more... It's so creative and beautiful, a real treat for the eyes and the imagination!


"L'amour fou : Picasso and Marie-Thérèse" at the Gagosian Gallery (522 west 21st street between 10th & 11th avenue) fortunately runs until June 25th. It's worth of a museum exhibition with many paintings from private collections that have never been show before. 


... I checked and liked 


-My jewelry designer friend  Tam Tran's blog : freestyleobsberveandshare.blogspot.com. 




-a new restaurant Upper East Side : 
Jones Wood foundry (401 East 76th street between 1st and York avenue, 212-249-2700, www.joneswoodfoundry.com) with a young  talented English chef, Jason Hicks, nice settings (pub in front, restaurant in the back and a tiny garden)and good menu. He offers a $60 royal weeding breakfast from 5:30 to 8:30 am  on friday ! 
I tried the tomata-egglpant soup with basil croutons and a smoked mackerel salad with shaved fennel, arugula and horseradish and it was delicious !

A spring address book : Morroco and paris

 Le MAROC

For a friend's 40th birthday, I went to Morocco for 4 days with a group of nearly 30 friends !

We spent our  first night in Marrakech in one of the oldest riads called Riad Madani (www.riad-madani.com). Each room has a different vibe (mine was African), and some of the rooms open onto a beautiful and lush garden. It's a truly authentic, magical place and it's right in the medina, a couple of minutes away from  Jemaa El Fna, the most famous square in the city.

We had a great lunch in "La Terrasse Des Epices" (www.terrassedesépices.com) located on the top floor of souk Cherifia where you can find cute little stores.

The must-see store for furniture and interior design is Mustafa Glaoui (142-144 Bab Doukkala), it looks like a mini department store with several floors and everything there is very tasteful.

Our next two days were spent chilling at la Pause (www.lapause-marrakech.com), a very special place 45 minutes outside of the city in the middle of the desert. No electricity, beautiful and simple rooms, our meals were taken under a huge tent, the food was delicious, the staff was friendly and working around the clock to accommodate our needs.

PARIS

The city I left 14 years ago always bring me happiness. I tend to go to the same places but love to try new ones so here's my list!

My Restaurants :

New Favorites :

Rose Bakery (30 rue Debelleyme, 75003, 01 49 96 54 01), definitely the hottest spot for lunch in Le Marais. You have to fight to get a table and it's worth it. It's organic and vegetarian: great salads, vegetable tarts and apparently the best carrot cake in Paris! I will definitely try their brunch next time!

Cafe Coutume ( 47 rue de Babylone, 75007) has been opened for a month. It's located a block away from Le Bon Marché (www.lebonmarche.com, my favorite department store). It's a coffee brewery which also serves excellent food in a very unusual decor for Paris. It  has the feel of a Soho loft. 

Spring (6  rue Bailleul, 75001, 01 45 96 05 72) is where I had my last meal of this Paris trip. My friend A (who lives a couple doors down) was lucky to get a table in the basement where no reservations are required (upstairs there's a very very long waiting list). The American chef from Chicago , Daniel Rose, is 33. It has a gastronomical, very original menu (64 euros) which changes weekly. 

My Old Standbys

La Laiterie (64 rue de Bellechasse, 75007, 01 45 51 74 61), a little bistro with a creative chef, it's cheap (16 euro menu) and good. 

Sous Les Cerisiers (12 rue Stanislas, 75006, 01 42 77 46 24), you don't choose this place for its decor or atmosphere but Sakura Franck offers a 48 euros menu for dinner with two appetizers, an entree and dessert that will make you want to come back as soon as possible. There was a sake soaked foie gras that will stay in my food memory for a long time and the green tea tiramisu is too die for.

A Ma Bourgogne (19 place des Vosges, 75004, 01 42 78 44 64),  that's the place where once a year I eat a steak tartare (reputed to be the best in the city) with salad though no fries, overlooking the place des Vosges under magnificent  arches.

Le salon (13 rue Victor Cousin, 75005, 01 56 24 88 80), only open for lunch and located above the Cinéma du Panthéon near La Sorbonne, this restaurant offers healthy food (smoked salmon, salads and a daily hot dish). The owner is Pascal Caucheteux, whose production company WhyNot has produced amazing independent movies such as Of Gods and Men, The Beat That My Heart Skipped..

Chez Ferdi (32 rue du Mont Thabor, 75001, 01 42 60 82 52), a tiny bistro (reservation mandatory especially at night) with an eclectic menu (best cheese burger, smoked heart of salmon with steamed potatoes, ceviche), the waiter Olivier is warm and funny. 

Amorino (6 rue Guisarde, 75006), a chain of fantastic and organic homemade ice-creams with 19 locations in Paris and this summer one in New York @ 60 University place and 10th street. 

Fashion, beauty and flowers

Vanessa Bruno (vanessabruno.com) is a must-go-and-buy a top (chic and sexy) or  very well-cut pants.. I like the stores at 25 rue Saint-Sulpice in the 6th or 12 rue Castiglione in the 1st. 

Sabbia Rosa (71 rue des Saints-Pères, 75006)  the best lingerie store in the world. I wear the silk and lace short night-gown as summer dresses. Plain or with prints, they last forever !

Dries Van Noten (7 quai Malaquais, 75006), the store is one of the most beautiful ones in the city and you always find something original there. 

Atelier Donato (207 rue St-Honoré, 01 40 20 45 18) is where my friend Donato cuts my hair, his salon is cozy, you feel like you are in his living room. 

Au Nom de la Rose ( www.aunomdelarose.com, 46 rue du Bac), it's a chain of "roses-only" stores that I would love to see in New York. There I found for my friend D the Yves Piaget rose, a fuchia peony-shaped rose  with a delicious perfume. I took a picture of the bouquet and once I figure out how to post it on my blog I will !

Art

"God Machines" by Robert Longo at Thaddeus Ropac (www.ropac.net, 7 rue Debelleyme, 75003) is the most amazing show I've seen in a gallery: 3 gigantic pieces: View of the Mecca in Saudi Arabia, St Peter's Basilica in Rome and the Wailing Wall  in Jerusalem.  Unfortunately the show closes  on April 23rd. 

"Miro as a Sculptor" at the Musée Maillol (museemaillol.com, 61 rue de grenelle, 75007) is up until July 31st.

Francois Morellet (until July 4th) and Jean-Michel Othoniel (until May 23rd), both shows at Centre George Pompidou (www.centregeorgepompidou.fr). 

"Dogon" at Musee Branly (www.quaibranly.com, 37 quai Branly, 75007), probably one of the best primitive art museum in the world 

My NEW favorites Spots

Batobus (www.batobus.com) is a fun way to visit Paris ! A boat taxi with 8 stops at touristic places, the pass costs 14 euros for a adult and 7 for a child and is valid until 10pm so you can start at St Germain des Près go to the Jardin des Plantes (and its wonderful natural history museum), Notre Dame, Louvre, Eiffel Tower.

Le Petit Atelier de Paris (www.lepetitatelierdeparis.com, 31 rue de Montmorency, 75003) is only open from Thursday to Saturday from 1pm to 8pm as the couple-owners use the rest of the time in their basement to make the delicate and funky ceramic they sell in their very chic store. I bought star-shaped ashtrays, a pitcher and tumbles with golden tiny stars.

Don Cross (207 rue St- Honoré, 75001, 09 53 15 97 79)  is a new beauty place above Atelier de Donato. It's set in the old offices of famous embroiderer Jean-François Lesage. I was lucky to have a massage by Alison Cross, co-owner of the space with Donato. It costs 110 euros and took place in a tiny-cozy grey room and was fabulous !

Ps : I met the funny journalist and illustrator  Domino Lattès  for lunch at Rose Bakery and I love her blog : whatdominowants.blogspot.com.