Paris update: New Paris gastro-tapas and new boutique hotel, Le Dauphin (restaurant) and Hotel Amour
Feb 7, 2011
GDBK is supposed to be like "your in-the-know friend who just got back from... " and, in fact, this week a discerning friend of ours—from hiptopia Portland, Oregan, no less—crashed with us in New York on his way back from Paris. He highly recommended a cheap, hideaway new hotel in the 11th Arrondissement, and a white-hot new restaurant that's the casual, tapas branch of an all-star Paris eatery called Chateaubriand. (Photo above is of the ground-floor restaurant at the hotel, also worthy of mention.)
The hotel, Hotel Amour, is owned by the same people behind Le Baron nightclub and was described as having great style and hot, "so French" girls in their 20s working the desk, though they were friendly and not annoying despite their good looks. Our friend's room had a bold, car-paint-glossy green wall hung with vintage-style porn of naked girls (love this trend). Other rooms reportedly also work the "love hotel" theme with risque art. Our friend and his girlfriend loved it. We love the website. And the ground floor is a happening, casual restaurant with chill-looking outdoor seating.
The restaurant, Le Dauphin was described as a tapas place next door to Le Chateaubriand that's supposed to be a casual, drop-in spot whose food standards live up to the famously high ones of the restaurant next door. Not too casual, though, since the design was done by Rem Koolhaus and involves quite a bit of white marble. Again, a cool scene and a big hit.
