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Le DaliIt's only natural that any project signed by Philippe Starck guarantees attention to an establishment, whether it be a hotel, restaurant or a high-rise apartment tower. But now the maestro seems to be making space for another family member - his daughter Ara.

In the latest example, she was charged with the only truly "artistic" part of a restaurant renovation project for the Meurice hotel, while her famous father was busy desgnining the 600+ pieces of furniture that went into the restaurant...

Read the rest of: "The Starck Surreality: Le Dali at Le Meurice


Le Rouquet TeaserWhen you feel like having a coffee in a classic Left Bank café setting but shudder at the thought of neighboring a group of starry-eyed tourists (which is almost inevitable if you go to either the Café de Flore or Les Deux Magots), I have an alternative suggestion.

A few blocks away from the two oh-so-atmospheric stalwarts of Parisian café life sits a slightly less frequented etablishment: Le Rouquet...

Read the rest of: "Le Rouquet: The Lesser Evil of St-Germain


Profile: Kubic Volumes
Posted by Slavito in Paris » Hotels on 01/Mar/2008
Kube Hotel BarWhether we like it or not, we live in an age of product placement. Anyone doubting that can ask the judges of "American Idol" how they're liking their Coke.

Kube Hotel in Paris is an appropriately modish collaboration between Grey Goose Vodka and Murano Resort centering on the concept of cubicity (cubicality?).

Its 41 high-tech rooms are cube-shaped, as is the foyer, the elevators and the exterior spaces...

Read the rest of: "Kubic Volumes


Tío Pepe sign at nightOne of the most frequently photographed sights in Madrid that's nevertheless completely ignored in the city guidebooks is the Tío Pepe sign in Puerta del Sol. Given the number of tourists taking pictures in front of the sign (with many opting for a silly trick where they pretend to be "holding" the giant bottle behind them... very creative, guys, but it's been done before) and consequently, given the sign's status as the city's de facto second emblem (at least in tourists' minds... the first still being the bear, of course), it seems almost unbelievable that no guidebook provides at least a cursory look at the sign's story. Allow me to take the onerous task upon myself..

Read the rest of: "Glowing Above the Sun: The Tío Pepe Sign


L'Express Way
Posted by Slavito in Montreal » Restaurants on 09/Feb/2008
L'Express CustomerThere are many restaurants in this town proving their worth by hiring the right chef, PR agency or interior designer, attracting the "in" crowd or serving the most "creative" (sometimes absurdly creative) nouvelle cuisine dishes.

And then there are restaurants that don't need to prove anything: as long as they stay true to their mission and character, they will be deservedly popular.

L'Express at 3927 rue St-Denis belongs to the second category. In the 20-odd years that the place existed, it slowly transformed its status from that of a "cool new thing" to that of a Montreal institution...

Read the rest of: "L'Express Way


Sabatini GardensIf there's one place that symbolizes the quirkiness of Madrid's history for me, it is the Sabatini Gardens next to the Palacio Real.

Of course, it's not the quirkiness that draws hundreds of people here every day - the gardens are beautiful and for anybody who's tired of the city's heat (in summer), or crowds (all year round) it's a perfect place to chill, relax a little bit, read or just people-watch. And did I mention the location? Quite literally in the shadow of the Palacio Real, perhaps Madrid's most famous landmark: it just doesn't get more central than that.

But still, that's not the whole story. The whole story would need to mention a few quirky facts. Here's one, for example: the Sabatini Gardens are named after Italian architect Francesco Sabatini who... had nothing to do with them...

Read the rest of: "Sabatini Gardens: Chilling With the Kings


Stranded on Broadway
Posted by Slavito in New York » Stores on 23/Jan/2008
Strand
photo by newyork8080

I have a love and hate relationship with Strand. The "hate" part, for those interested, will be explained at the end of this posting, but let me start with the "love" one. For a hardcover-loving bibliophile rat I am, Strand is simply a great place - one of the best in the world. It's big, cavernous (they claim to offer "18 miles of books") and full of surprises...

Read the rest of: "Stranded on Broadway


Tea at NocochiI am not exactly a frequent visitor at tea salons - a fact pretty much ensured by the very presence of the Y chromosome in my DNA.

Yet, since about a year ago, I regularly find myself at a place that ranks suspiciously well on the tea connoisseurs' list of Montreal cafés and restaurants. And what do I order there? Tea. And cookies...

Read the rest of: "Tea and Cookies at Nocochi


Profile: Spring in Paris
Posted by Slavito in Paris » Restaurants on 06/Jan/2008
SpringFor all of us who like to go to restaurants and imagine we've been invited to somebody's dinner party, there's now a perfect place to do just that.

Chicago native Daniel Rose (who originally came to France intending to study philosophy... more on that later) runs his 16-seat restaurant called "Spring" almost as some sort of a one-man show...

Read the rest of: "Spring in Paris


Review: L'Absinthe Café: First Impressions
Posted by Slavito in Paris » Restaurants on 02/Dec/2007
Café Absinthe: TeaserThere are many methods of discovering good restaurants and avoiding bad ones in an unfamiliar city.

The simplest one I know of involves walking secondary streets of the target neighborhood in the evening, taking note of restaurants that quickly fill up with locals. Avoid the empty ones, avoid the ones with people who look like tourists. Above all, avoid the ones with menus in English. Obviously, read the menus. That's pretty much it.

As simple as the method may be, most of the time it just works. Et voici my latest Parisian discovery: L'Absinthe Café in the 3rd arrondissement (not to be confused with the restaurant L'Absinthe in the 1st)...

Read the rest of: "L'Absinthe Café: First Impressions



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Meet The Author:

Slavito
Slavito

A self-confessed armchair traveler and guidebook reader, Slavito does actually get on the plane every once in a while and whenever he does, his digital camera goes with him.

Browse Photos:

The Thinker
The Thinker

McGill Ghetto: Fall
McGill Ghetto: Fall

Square Victoria: Snow
Square Victoria: Snow

Cines Avenida (now closed)
Cines Avenida (now closed)

Notre Dame Seen from The Seine
Notre Dame Seen from The Seine

Marché Bonsecours in Winter
Marché Bonsecours in Winter

Calle de Bailén from Jardines de Sabatini
Calle de Bailén from Jardines de Sabatini

Jardines de Sabatini: Alban & Ree on the Staircase
Jardines de Sabatini: Alban & Ree on the Staircase

Jardines de Sabatini: Statue of Carlos III
Jardines de Sabatini: Statue of Carlos III

Jardines de Sabatini: View of Palacio Real
Jardines de Sabatini: View of Palacio Real

See all Photos by Slavito

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