Montalembert in VS .NET

Draw Code 128 in VS .NET Montalembert

St-Germain-des-Pr s (7e) Montalembert is one of Paris s top hotels, with a unique meld of contemporary design, Art Deco fashion, and French tradition (and amenities such as in-room VCRs, fax machines, and modem lines) Traditionelle bedrooms are Louis-Phillipe style with heavily lacquered chestnut and gold Art Deco furnishings; moderne rooms incorporate dark sycamore and hand-crafted leather molded along clean,

simple, elegant lines See map p 230 3 rue de Montelembert (off rue de Bac, behind the church of St Thomas d Aquin) % 800-447-7462 in the United States or 01-45-49-6868 in Paris Fax: 01-45-49-69-49 wwwmontalembertcom

a dreamy Parisian view that overlooks the Seine to the Louvre across the way That view comes with a price, though: traffic noise from the quai that even the double-glazed windows don t quite drown out See map p 230 19 quai Voltaire % 01-42-61-50-91 Fax: 01-42-61-62-26 wwwquaivoltairefr

$$ Louvre (1er) Two blocks from the Louvre, Timh tel Louvre was once a writers and artists crash pad, but has been relentlessly renovated into cookie-cutter blandness by a chain selling itself to the business set Good value, though See map p 230 4 rue Croix-des-Petits-Champs (off rue St-Honor , 2 blocks east of the Palais Royal) % 01-42-60-34-86 Fax: 01-42-60-10-39 www timhotelfr

For the French, food is close to a religion, and they gladly worship at the altars of their award-winning celebrity chefs Traditional haute cuisine a delicate balance of flavors, sauces, and ingredients blended with a studied technique includes such classics as blanquette de veau (veal in an eggy cream sauce), pot-au-feu (an excellent stew of fatty beef and vegetables), coq au vin (chicken braised in red wine with onions and mushrooms), bouillabaisse (seafood soup), and that hearty staple boeuf bourguignon (beef stew with red wine) But when people started thinking healthy a few decades back, buttery, creamy, saucy French cuisine quickly found itself on the outs So the French invented nouvelle cuisine, which gave chefs an excuse to concoct new dishes still French, mind you, but less fattening because they use fewer heavy creams and less butter and serve smaller portions When the nouvelle trend lost steam, people began spinning off morehealthful and/or more-creative cooking styles Add to these styles the mix of French regional restaurants and the many ethnic dining rooms, and you ll never want for variety Eating dinner in Paris is cheaper these days A French economic crisis in the 1990s forced many restaurants to lower their prices, and some top chefs found opportunity in the downturn by opening up baby bistros, small, relaxed eateries whose menus are designed by the biggest names in the business but the prices are up to 75 percent below what you d pay in these chefs flagship restaurants

French cheese is justifiably famous, with softies brie and Camembert and blue-veined Roquefort topping the list There s no way I can fully cover French wines here, but your waiter or the restaurant s wine steward should be able to pair your meal with an appropriate vintage Better yet, check out Wine For Dummies, 3rd Edition, by Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan (Wiley Publishing) Ordering wine by the bottle can jack up the cost of your meal in no time, so be careful Table wine by the liter carafe or demi (half a liter) is always cheaper The top reds are produced in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Beaujolais, and the Loire and Rhone valleys (Red Wine For Dummies [Wiley] is a great reference) Great whites hail from Alsace, the Loire, Burgundy, and Bordeaux (consult White Wine For Dummies [Wiley] for more information) And don t forget that sparkling white wine from the vineyards east of Paris called Champagne; for more, check out Champagne For Dummies by Ed McCarthy (Wiley) Some people may be intimidated by the idea of sitting down to what many consider the most refined food on the planet Don t sweat it The only people with a need to impress anyone are the chef and kitchen staff Have your waiter suggest some dishes, and then just sit back and enjoy the flavors If you re looking for a meal in a hurry, try Paris s greatest street food, cr pes, sold at sidewalk stands and from store windows They re best when cooked fresh on the spot for you, but in touristy areas, cr pe stands often make up stacks in advance and merely reheat them on the griddle when you approach The cheapest, and in my opinion best, is au beurre et sucre (with butter and sugar), although you may prefer Nutella (a hazelnut-chocolate spread) and banana, or ham and cheese You can visit a supermarket or gourmet store for your picnic supplies, but shopping at the little local food stores and street markets is more fun Pick up a baguette at the boulangerie (bakery), cured meats and the like at a charcuterie, and other groceries at an picerie Top it all off with some fruit, pastries from a p tisserie, a bottle of wine, and you re set