The Great Parisian Plate Debate

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.

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My attention was first drawn to the black and white tiled floor, which looked so perfect that I cannot understand why every bar isn’t doing it. After an appreciative nod I took in the rest of the bar; it looks like a bar should. The interior of the Hotel du Nord could give lessons to other bars who need help sprucing up their interior.

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Café Panique is a restaurant that someone opens when he or she is tired of cooking food that potentially scares his or her friends and family. I cannot think of any other explanation for making a soup entirely out of beets, or cooking an eggplant dessert. The oddly delicious thing, which destroyed any hopes I may have of becoming a chef by proving I likely lack sufficient food flair, is that it all tastes pretty good.

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The first time I noticed Le Cambodge, I was meeting friends for pre-dinner drinks near Canal Saint Martin. Off on a side street, I wouldn’t have even noticed it, had there not been a long line winding out the door. Knowing nothing else about the place, I made a mental note to come back to check it out. Amusingly enough, that was where my friends were already planning to take me.

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