Uncategorized Archives - Reflections of Place

On A Spring Walk…

“When you go for a walk, take seeds with you, poppies, rainbow chard, rocket. Plant them among the weeds in patches of wasteland. See what happens.” – Tom Hodgkinson

Be Well. Stay Safe. Much Love.

Le Roussillon Cafe

7th Arrondisement- Paris 75507

“Breathe Paris in. It nourishes the soul.” — Victor Hugo

Le Roussillon – 186 Rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris, France

In the Rue Cler Neighborhood among the specialty food markets sits one of my favorite restaurants in this area. Le Roussillon Cafe, on the corner of Rue Cler and Rue de Grenelle.

It’s April in Paris and the weather is gorgeous. Le Roussillon Cafe is an open air restaurant, cooking in house with the freshest ingredients. The expansive windows when opened are like removing the exterior walls. My favorite tables line the open wall facing Rue Cler. You can people watch for a moment. People shopping in the street’s food markets, heading out, and some heading home. Sitting here you feel all of Paris. You feel the air of Paris on your face and you breathe Paris in. It nourishes the soul.

We ate here on several occasions on our visit to Paris. It was near our hotel so we’d stop here for beers during happy hour or a late lunch. This was the place we returned to for our last dinner in Paris. The Le Roussillon team welcomes you and they are friendly and helpful when choosing menu items. The food, house-made, is always fresh and delicious.

That last night I decided on Boeuf Bourguignon comme chez mamie / Beef Burgundy Stew – Like Grandma’s. Chunks of tender beef, carrots and celery in a rich beef burgundy broth.

Dished up in a bowl along side a serving of creamy mashed potatoes and topped with parsley and thin slices of red pepper for presentation. Served with crusty French bread.

You taste Paris. Belly Warming. It nourishes the body.

Oui, Bienvenue au Roussillon Cafe! & We will return for your speciality cocktails and desserts!

Please tell the chef ‘my compliments to sa mamie!’

à bientôt, j’espère!

“Paris is not a city; it’s a world.” — King Francis I

Be Well. Stay Safe. Much Love.

Celebrate This Day, Today!

“We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.”
Stacia Tauscher

Be Well. Stay Safe. Much Love.

Punting the River Cam Cambridge & Clematis

**“Rivers are roads that move & carry us whither we wish to go.” Blaise Pascal**

It was Weisspargel season in Deutschland, when we left Cologne yesterday. Arriving in Cambridge it is merely early spring. My friend and I seize the opportunity for a glide on the River Cam. We are here on business but this is pure pleasure. Our punter, a student at Cambridge brings us rolling past The Backs. He follows the path of the gravel ridge for a smooth ride. The flat bottomed boat glides over the river. The swans on the river are majestic, the English Gardens are filled with color and King’s College Chapel is immediately recognizable.

The banks are lush with gorgeous blooms. My friend asks me “what are those flowers?” I tell her “Clematis; I’m not sure how to pronounce it, my mother always said ‘kle-mat-is’ but recently she said she’d heard ‘kle-mAy-tus’.” Here our punter offers, “ahhh, the actual pronunciation is Klem-a-tus.” So, as we pass under the Bridge of Sighs, I agree with the dashing punter of Cambridge. ‘Klem-a-tus’.