The Great Parisian Plate Debate

31, Rue Vieille du Temple, 75004
Tel. 01.48.04.71.60

La Belle Hortense is probably one of the coolest bars I’ve been to in Paris. While I’ve never had aspirations to open a bar, this place makes me ponder the feasibility of opening a similar place in NY or DC. Part bookstore and part wine shop, I found this self-titled “literary bar” to be inexplicably charming.

Situated on Rue Vieille du temple, I’ve walked past it a hundred times and always wanted to go in, but never did until now. A terrible shame, as I could think of no better place to spend an afternoon sitting at a bar with a book and a bottle of wine.

Of course the concept itself isn’t new – you can find bookstores with coffee shops across America, but due to our national inability to see alcohol as anything more than a threat and a vice, few are able to acquire liquor licenses.

When I say tiny, there’s literally no more space than a half dozen or so seats at the bar and a few tables in the back room. People were just standing around chatting over a glass of wine. With our bottle of wine we also got a small plate of tapas, which was a nice touch. A wonderful experience.