Halloween Treats

Germans keep Halloween decorations simple; the holiday has only recently grown in popularity here. Local farmers display pumpkins and gourds on wagons and hay bales. Some grocery stores have a small section of American Halloween candy. Similar to the Germans, I like to keep Halloween decorations sleek. This year, I made these lace-patterned pumpkins from Martha Stewart.

I used foam pumpkins since this project took a bit of time, and I want to display them year after year. I bought a wood carving set from a craft store, and I carved the patterns freehand.

La Fête

Le Loir dans la Théière, 3 rue de Rosiers

Paris is a feast for the senses. While there are a myriad of artful foods in Paris, sometimes I prefer comfort desserts. Le Loir dans la Théière means the mouse in the teapot, and this light-hearted café doesn’t disappoint. It reminds me of a cozy cupboard, complete with Alice in Wonderland murals.

Along with mismatched chairs, they serve pies and cakes from a wood hutch in the dining room. The tarte au citron meringuée {lemon meringue pie} is the highlight of my visits. Fluffy meringue is piled about 5 inches high. Le Loir dans la Théière is also great for a laid-back weekend brunch.

Shades of Pink

Sandro is my go-to brand for chic, French clothes. There are multiple shops throughout Paris {and Europe}. Styles are classic but always have updated details. A black and white striped shirt has a shoulder bow or this zipper dress has puffed sleeves and interesting pleats. Sandro is available in the US at net-a-porter. I paired the dress with an H&M jacket in a lighter shade of pink and maroon YSL heels that I found on eBay.

Dress: Sandro

Jacket: H&M

Heels: Yves Saint Laurent

Other Paris shops:

~20 Sur 20 for vintage costume jewelry, 3 Rue des Lavandières Sainte-Opportune

~Alaia Outlet for discounted clothes, shoes, and accessories, 18 rue de la Verrerie

~Cire Trudon for cameo-adorned candles, 78 rue de Seine

~Claudie Pierlot for French casual clothes, multiple locations

~Eres for delicate lingerie, multiple locations

~Isabel Marant for hard-to-find pieces, 1 rue Jacob

~K. Jacques for leather sandals, 16 rue Pavée

~Maje for feminine clothes, multiple locations

~Printemps, the best department store in Paris, 63 boulevard Haussmann

~Repetto for ballet flats, 22 rue de la Paix

~Yukiko for vintage Chanel and Hermes handbags and accessories, 97 rue Vieille du Temple

To Market, To Market

Saint-Ouen may be the largest flea market in Paris, but I prefer the intimate atmosphere of the Porte de Vanves flea market. The two streets that make up this market are lined with vendors selling mainly small wares, from ink pen etchings to porcelain and linens. My favorite was a stall selling beautiful vintage containers and ephemera. Pharmacy boxes, candy tins, bakery glassine bags, sewing notions, and bottle labels were teetering on tables. I told the shop girl I could stay there all day.

Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves, avenue Marc Sangnier and avenue Georges Lafenestre

Paris Sweets

I love French patisseries, from intricate millefeuille with layers of custard and puff pastry, rustic caramelized apple tarte tatin, macarons filled with caramel au beurre salé, coffee-soaked opera cake, and dense almond financiers. Here are a few places from my trip to Paris last week.

Ladurée

Airy meringue complements the vibrant fillings in Ladurée macarons. I can’t leave without taking home a box. Sitting in the gilded salon de thé on rue Royale, I also had a raspberry and rose petal Saint Honoré cake.

Ladurée, 16 rue Royale

Jadeite Cake Stand: Mosser Glass

Stohrer

Opened in 1730, Stohrer made pastries for King Louis XV, so you know they’re good. The baba au rhum is a small rum-soaked cake. Rum is the key word; the flavor is intense. The chocolate éclairs are also delicious, and during Christmastime, they make individual bûche de Noël cakes.

Stohrer, 51 rue Montorgueil

Coat: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Blouse: Alice Ritter

Other Paris sweets:

~Berthillon for ice cream, 31 rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île

~Dalloyau for pain au chocolat and opera cake, 2 place Edmond-Rostand

~Debauve & Gallais for chocolates and truffles, 33 rue Vivienne

~Denise Acabo for Henri le Roux caramels and Bernachon chocolate, 30 rue Fontaine

~Gerard Mulot for millefeuille and paris-brest {praline cream puff}, 76 rue de Seine

~Jean-Paul Hévin for Longchamp chocolate praline cakes, 231 rue Saint-Honoré

~Kayser for financiers, croissants aux amandes {almond croissants}, and pain aux céréales {multigrain bread}, 8 rue Monge

~La Pâtisserie des Rêves for kouign-amann {buttery sweet bread}, 93 rue du Bac

~Pierre Hermé for 2000 feuilles and macarons, 72 rue Bonaparte

~Poilâne for sourdough bread and sables {butter cookies}, 8 rue du Cherche-Midi

Paris

Paris is my favorite city. Now that I live in Germany, I can take the train and be in Paris in five hours. I’m a California girl, and it would take me five hours to drive to Los Angeles. I was in Paris last week to finalize details for my wedding next Spring. I love wandering the streets with my list of things to see and eat. Here are a few spots. Next week, I’ll show more.

Sights
Along with The Thinker, The Musée Rodin showcases many other works by French sculptor Auguste Rodin in perfectly manicured gardens.

Musée Rodin, 79 rue de Varenne

Coat: Milly

Shops
Galerie Vivienne is a neo-classical shopping gallery with beautiful mosaic tile floors. It is packed with great shops and cafés, including A Priori Thé {almond tart}, La Marelle {designer consignment}, and Wolff et Descourtis {silk and wool scarves}.

Galerie Vivienne, rue Vivienne and rue des Petits Champs

Sweets
Mont blancs at Café Angelina. The light meringue and whipped cream base mix with an intensely sweet and dense chestnut cream topping. I was on a lovely sugar high after eating one accompanied by their rich hot chocolate.

Café Angelina, 226 rue de Rivoli

Eats
For a late afternoon lunch at 3pm, there was still a wait at Le Comptoir. With good reason, the foie gras with caramelized onions was delicious. I also had an enormous cheeseboard with rustic bread for 9€ and a glass of house white wine for 3€.

Le Comptoir, 9 carrefour de l’Odéon