On our last day in Paris, we got up a bit early, and had breakfast at the hotel.
What we had would be enough to hold us until dinner.
For our last full day; we decided to do what brings us such pleasure in the city; something I mentioned before, you know, the Flâneur thing…."to wander with no purpose".
Our hotel, the very pleasant Hotel Malte was located on Rue de Richelieu and just one block away was the Palais-Royal and the interesting courtyard with some "interesting" art installations; like the Colonnes de Buren, basically black striped columns of various height, which as many of what folks call "modern art", is somewhat controversial due partly to the historic location it was installed on in 1986.
Same with the, ahem, "balls of steel"….the La Fontaine des Spheres.
I guess folks were looking for something a bit more grand and traditional….perhaps like this Statue of Joan of Arc on Place des Pyramides?
We crossed over to the Left Bank on Pont Neuf and onward to the 6th Arrondissment.
And eventually found ourselves at the University of Medicine, where we noticed some interesting stone reliefs…….you know medical things like reducing a fracture.
Or exorcism???? You know, standard medical stuffs…..
From here we walked over to Hermes, where the Missus did a bit of shopping. And in case Hermes didn't suck your wallet clean and you have an extra grand (or two); the historic Hotel Lutetia is ready for you….
We weren't ready for a break just yet, so we sauntered over to Le Bon Marché, where it was Black Friday.
It was interesting to see what folks were purchasing.
From here we headed back and crossed on Pont Neuf yet again.
That the Equestrian Statue of Henry IV on Pont Neuf.
We walked up Quai du Marché Neuf to take a peek at one of the symbols of Paris…..as this was November of 2018, this was Notre Dame pre-fire.
It's a reminder of how lively and lovely the Cathedral was.
We decided to wander some of the side streets around the Cathedral, which seemed to be rather peaceful and quiet compared to Rue de la Cité and other surrounding busy streets.
In Paris, you may notice iron structures like this…..
These are called "Empeche-pipi"…aka "pee preventer". The metal pieces would make urine splash back onto the offender…….
There's quite a bit of history packed into this small area. During one of our visits to Pere Lachaise we came upon the tomb of Héloïse and Abelard; it's quite love story – tragedy. Well, even though the house where they resided is gone; the structure built on the site in 1844 is highly decorated and has carved heads representing the couple at 9 Quai aux Fleurs.
From here we walked to the Marais and the Missus found a cute bracelet. We then took a short break at Place des Vosges; which looks wonderful, even in winter.
Before heading back to the hotel for a break before dinner.
As this was our last night in Paris, I wanted to have dinner and made reservations for a place that was quite popular. But first we decided to get an aperitif. Right down the street was the well regarded Wine Bar and Bistro, Juveniles. The food is well regarded, but we just decided to drop by for a glass of wine before dinner.
We enjoyed both the atmosphere; friendly and unfussy, and our wine.
I think we'll return for a meal on one of our trips.
Juveniles
47 Rue de Richelieu
75001 Paris, France
As for dinner; I had made reservations at another place right down the street. This one was what I'd call a medium priced, modern French, manned by yet another Japanese Chef – Takashi Aoki, named Zebulon.
**** Zebulon has closed
The interior of the restaurant is simple, but comfortable, and stylish. Both the Missus and I went with the "Menu Zebulon", three courses.
The Amuse Bouche was a simple gravlax with quinoa, nice, clean flavors.
The Sea Bream Tartare was fresh….fairly tangy from the calamansi used in the vinaigrette.
The watercress leaves really helped to cut all the sour tones and add a nice pepperiness to things. The fish was toothsome but not tough, though there was perhaps a bit too much ginger used for the fish.
The Butternut Veloute was smooth and comforting.
Creamy but not overly sweet……the coffee added on the side was kind of a strange addition.
The Cod was perfectly cooked and seasoned; so moist and tender.
The spinach added a nice mildly bitter-chlorophyllic note to the dish; but we both thought the coconut-lemongrass foam kind of took the dish is a totally different direction….almost Thai…but not quite.
The Lamb Two Ways was a mixed bag.
The confit lamb was so silken, rich, gamey, just plain delici-yoso. The roast was a bit too chewy, tough, and salty. Loved the slices of beets which added a nice mild sweetness, which the roasted lamb needed.
I got the Cheese course….which was served at a perfect temperature.
And the Missus enjoyed Her dessert; telling me it wasn't overly sweet…..
Overall, we enjoyed the meal, and while it wasn't earth-shattering, it was priced right at around 120 Euroes for two including wine.
Service was excellent and we enjoyed the atmosphere. As of this writing Chef Aoki has moved on and Benjamin Andreux is the new chef de cuisine at Zebulon.
Zebulon
10 Rue de Richelieu
75001 Paris, France
As is one of my rituals, I ended the night with a beer back at the room.
I did feel like I earned it….don't you think?
And the next morning after a quick breakfast we were headed home. Another trip to Paris in the books.
Thanks for stopping by!
There is seating out front as well as indoors. When you order and pay, the table where you will be seated is noted and food will be brought to you.
The strawberry cream cheese stuffed French Toast (a white board special, $8.95) is wonderful. The cream cheese melted inside the middle of the thick sliced egg and cinnamon battered bread; the fresh strawberries on top added enough sweetness (it did not need the accompanying 'breakfast syrup').
The Arely Scramble ($12.95) is served on top of a toasted English muffin. The eggs are scrambled with a lot of bacon. There is sliced avocado and the freshly made hollandaise, which was almost-but not quite- breaking (either the egg yolks were too hot or there was too much butter, darn it!). The bites of this were kind of perfect.
We usually always order the French onion soup when here for lunch. It is flavorful and the broth is not salty. The melted cheese and crunch of French bread/'crouton' make it perfect, even though eating out of a reusable bowl is different. 
A slice of quiche is accompanied by a small salad and some slices of baguette. This is ham and cheese and there are many chunks of ham, a great custard (with a slight nutmeg flavor) and plenty of cheese. 
The chicken Florentine (mushroom-spinach) crepe ($10.25) was covered in a delightful cream sauce which went well with the 
accompanying side of home potatoes. Bell pepper and onion and crispy browned potato chunks made for a good leftover portion.
We can't resist ordering some sort of sweet from the bakery counter. The fresh made (still warm) almond croissant is always a good choice. 
