That venerable institution at 3, rue Royale

A new McDonald’s will open soon at the Louvre.

Of course the great food writer A.J. Liebling thought Parisian restaurants were past their prime before 1948, the year Julia arrived.

Les “Mac Doe’s” do serve an important purpose though (a free alternative to the usual admission price of public WCs). The one at the corner of the Boulevard Hausmann and rue Drouot is especially convenient.

I don’t hold with Liebling’s assessment, but it’s true that the kind of restaurant he appreciated is in very short supply now. La Cuisine Bourgeoise, abundant and hearty, is no longer a la mode.

I’m often asked where to go for a traditional meal in Paris and, given the sad state of the dollar-euro exchange, a traditional price to go with it.

Luckily, a friend of mine serves on a volunteer committee to find precisely these kinds of places for foreign diplomats serving in Paris. She and her compatriots also teach traditional French cooking in their homes for the spouses of these displaced diplomats.

I can reliably recommend two of her finds, both in working neighborhoods near La Bastille:

Au P’tit Panisse at 35 rue de Montreuil.

L’Ebauchoir at 45 rue de Citeaux.

The food is excellent and the price is “correct.”

However, if you prefer upscale, I suggest taking a look at my collection of menus from Maxim’s, ca. 1950.

Even Liebling would approve.

Liberty Leading the People (Delacroix, 1830)

Harvest time in France. Wine presses squeezing. Antiques fairs humming. Flakier bread at my favorite cafe near the Opera Bastille (less humidity)… and yes, I can smell the burning barricades from the Sorbonne again.

This public venting of feeling is visceral, primal…positive, I think, even if it’s just a revolt over a government effort to add more taxi cabs. There’s a fierce pride in being French and all that stands for, and the feeling of joining in defense of ”la patrimoine” even at some physical risk is exciting.

I’m not stirred so much by thoughts of revolution, as the prospect of little discoveries, a surprising piece of French heritage to bring home. Each trip reveals something new: Beautiful ceramic molds called “faiselles” for making Roquefort (discontinued by 1920) or “coupelles,” the little porcelain money plates used in bistros during the Belle Epoque.

While I haven’t found any bottles of Chateau Lafitte from 1787 engraved with the initials “Th. J”, I did acquire a collection of early solid silver wine tasters and a copper turbot poacher worthy of mounting on a wall.

By the way, Jefferson was a strong advocate of “permanent revolution” right here in the USA; ”every generation needs one,” he advised. He also brought home his share of “patrimoine” too.

A bientôt.