The Great Parisian Plate Debate

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There really is something magical about the area around Napoleon’s canal Saint-Martin in the 10eme. Perhaps because it’s less trafficked than the banks of the Seine, or perhaps the lack of both tourists and iconic landmarks centered about Paris’ famous river create the aura of being in ‘true’ Paris vs. guidebook Paris. Two of my favorite bars of the Great Parisian Plate Debate are located in this arondisement: Le Verre Volé (The Stolen Glass) and the Hotel du Nord. But let’s talk about Le Verre Volé, shall we?

Le Verre Volé is a small little bar / restaurant just off Quai de Valmy, which is the major road travelling south along the canal. The sign standing on the sidewalk boasts “Wines!” and a quick glance at the windows proves it true – one can barely see inside the bar due to the bottles beckoning cheerfully to you through the panes. If windows full of wine don’t tempt the passerby, the purple façade of Le Verre Volé certainly grabs the attention. Upon passing through its doors, you must resist the urge to fall to your knees and thank the Gods of Wine for such a temple; Le Verre Volé’s walls are packed with wine resting there happily in a rainbow of green, burgundy, and rose colored bottles.

The interior is small (we’ll say cozy) I’m assuming because the proprietors chose to dedicate the majority of their space to wine. They wouldn’t be wrong. You should certainly make a reservation if you make the journey to Le Verre Vole, but Dan and I didn’t. That’s just the way we roll. Plus, we got there prior to the dinner-ing hour, so we were able to borrow a table which was reserved for later. In fact, we had enough time to order the typically epic French combination appetizer – cheese, meat, and some greens tossed on for good measure – in addition to our standard bottle of wine. I even found time to interrogate the waiter / owner about the music drifting about the wine bottles and the pleasant little tables adorning the café – it was quite stylish and hip, as all things Swedish are (see: IKEA). Yes, the album they were spinning was named “Yearbook 2,” performed by a group named Studio, which is comprised of two Swedish guys. I noted this on a scrap piece of paper and several weeks ago I was able to track down the song that had caught my ear: Brown Piano.

I liked Le Verre Vole. I like the owners, I liked the music, I liked that it was by the canal, I liked the food, the ambiance inside, the bottle of wine we chugged, the fact that they let us crash that reserved table for a while…in summary, a bang up little joint with some character that’s worth visiting.