Festive dining
by Julie Baker

Getting the best French holiday treats

End of the year celebrations are the occasion “par excellence “to indulge in festive treats. Below is a guide to where to enjoy traditional prestige ingredients in a memorable setting. Those wishing to share the Christmas spirit can make a donation to L’Association les Restaurants du cœur, 221 rue La Fayette, 10e or La Mie de Pain, 18 rue Charles Fournier, 13e


Champagne
Bubbles Bar Restaurant & Boutique 6 rue Edouard VII, 9e, M° Madeleine, tel: 01 47 42 77 95, open daily, closed at 5pm Mon. Situated in the recently-restored rue Edouard VII, a pedestrian street in between place de la Madeleine and the Opéra Garnier, Bubbles is a sophisticated showplace for France’s most famous product, combining boutique shop, bar, first-floor restaurant and ground-floor brasserie, all united around the theme of champagne. With its spacious, multilevel interior and streamlined decor with an eye on both innovation and irony, it is a perfect reflection of the contemporary shift in French restaurants from the fusty to the dynamic and hip. There is also a huge street side terrace, which is sheltered from the wind and, thanks to giant heaters, is warm enough to eat out on even in winter. As well as a selection of every type of champagne imaginable, and every possible cocktail and playful concoction, Bubbles also offers a wide variety of menus and formulas, including a highly popular Sunday brunch served from 11:30am to 4pm. Or why not try a glass of champagne accompanied by the famous pink Reims speciality, the gâteau rose, served every day except Mondays at 5pm.

Chocolate
Chocolats Debauve & Gallais 30 rue des Sts-Pères, 7e, M° St-Germain-des-Prés, tel: 01 45 48 54 67, closed Sun. Opened in 1800, the wood-paneled interior of this celebrated confectionary is designed in a semi-circle to recall a temple from antiquity. Customers are greeted by trays of chocolate fanning out in a display of temptation unseen since the days of Saint Anthony. However, the latest news is good: not only are this store’s prices extremely reasonable, but the European Society of Cardiology recently declared that foods rich in flavonoides, such as dark chocolate high in cacao and low in sugar, actually reduce the risk of heart disease. The notion that chocolate is good for you is not just a modern fancy: here one can buy chocolates made from 19th Century recipes, with particular flavors designed to cure particular ailments. Pistoles de chocolat au lait d’amandes were regarded as an excellent sedative; while those scented with vanilla were renowned as a remedy against stomach ache. One of the great enjoyments of shopping at Debauve & Gallais is sampling chocolates that were in vogue a century or more ago. From the restoration come les croquignoles du Roi aux deux vanilles or the chocolat des dames, flavored with orange blossom, which gave it stomach-calming properties. All of the recipes were originally devised by the establishment over its two centuries of existence. If you’re in the Palais-Royal district, drop into its jewel-box sister shop at 33 rue Vivienne, and there is another branch at 107 rue Jouffroy d’Abbans, in the 17th.

Red Wine
L’Ecluse Carnot 1 rue d’Armaillé, 17e M° Ternes, tel: 01 47 63 88 29, open daily. Chocolate is not the only extravagance that medicine has found is good for you: red wine too is now judged to reduce the incident of heart disease, and where better to begin than at L’Ecluse, one of Paris’ finest purveyors of Bordeaux. This attractive wine bar with an intimate, subtly lit interior with large corner windows looking out onto the bustling junction attracts a loyal clientele of businessmen and media folk for lunch, and locals in the evenings, matching its cellar with classic plats de terroirs that embody a given aspect or flavor of the region. Adjacent to the wine bar is Ma Boutique, which sells wines and œnological paraphernalia. Purchase and delivery can be made on their outstanding website (leclusebaravin.com), which also includes auctions and a wine-hunting service, just the thing to locate that long sought after vintage. There are other branches of L’Ecluse at 15 place de la Madeleine, at 64 rue François 1er, just off the Champs-Elysées and most famous of all, at 15 quai des Grands Augustins, where the tiny wine bar now occupies the site of one of Paris’ most famous cabarets.

Caviar
Restaurant Petrossian 18 bd de la Tour Maubourg, 7e, tel: 01 44 11 32 32, closed Sundays. For 80 years, the Petrossian boutique has been one of the most beautiful and prestigious in Paris. A perfectly-preserved icon from the 1920s, it helped make caviar the extravagance of choice for the rich and famous, and today also sells smoked salmon, select vodkas and other Russian delicacies. In conjunction with chef Philippe Conticini, the family last year opened a superb restaurant above their shop. The sleek, attractive interior with its warm beige and cream colors and superb service is an ideal setting for cuisine that combines the boutique’s various luxurious classics with contemporary innovation, making it a perfect location for a festive occasion. Start with a shot of vodka presented in gorgeous miniature flutes, followed by the assiette de tentations, six beautifully-presented assorted entrées comprising house specialties such as caviar and smoked white salmon. End the meal with the Blinchik Baïcale, a heavenly concoction of fresh figs and Armagnac sabayon, or the Teaser, which offers a generous selection of renowned Russian desserts.

Foie-gras
Pavillon Ledoyen carré des Champs-Elysées, 8e, M° Rond-Point des Champs-Elysées, tel: 01 53 05 10 01, closed weekends. Nestled among the chestnut trees between the Champs-Elysées and the Petit Palais, the Pavillon Ledoyen is one of the most sumptuous luxury restaurants in Paris. Established in 1792, the beautiful and spacious upstairs dining room evokes the sensation of living in another era, when space was not a premium, and a snowstorm the day we were there added to the illusion that we had left Paris far behind. Chef Christian Le Squer delivers an innovative seasonal menu, with pride of place going to the king of festive foodstuffs, foie gras. Try the unusual and exquisite millefeuille de foie gras — layers of pan-fried foie gras and apple — served with lamb’s lettuce and tossed in truffle oil, an exceptional dish. The selection of cheeses is monumental and is spread over two marble-topped trolleys. The chef is equally at home with his desserts whether it be the delicious warm chocolate tart accompanied by toasted coffee ice cream and delicately-flavored cherries or the very fine lemon cream layered with feather-light pastry. The sommelier, Alain Loiseau, has created a stunning selection of wines, going all the way back to 1926.