Contrary to most news reports, Paris is not on lockdown. The city’s residents, and especially those of us who live, work and play on the city’s east side, are shaken up. But together we’re getting through it. Here is an incomplete attempt to show what that looked like during the week after the attacks on November 13th.
Saturday November 21st & Sunday the 22nd
- The Marché des Enfants Rouges, which had been closed the previous weekend due to the attacks, is in full swing again and nothing curbs the long lines for crêpes.
- Plenty of fun events for food, wine & beer lovers happening over the weekend. On Saturday, there’s a free tasting of natural Italian wines from Tenute Dettori from 3-7pm at RAP Épicerie. On Sunday, a gang of London chefs from Kitty Fisher’s and Som Saa will be Taking Over Martin for a Sunday luncheon [sold out]. Also on Sunday is the Get Radical! event at La Fine Mousse, tasting 4 beers from Brasserie de la Goutte d’Or along with pastries from Etienne Culot. Read more about all of these on our calendar of Paris Food & Wine Events.
Friday November 20th
- A group of Parisian restaurants have launched “L’opération Grandes Tablées” for the weekend, pushing smaller tables together to great large communal tables to promote tolerance, friendship and sharing. These include Office, 52 Rue du Faubourg St. Denis, Le Richer and Rosemary, among others [Libération]
Thursday November 19th
- Tonight’s celebration of Beaujolais Nouveau carries more meaning than in previous years. Check our guide and map to the evening’s festivities.
- One of our favorite sources for olive oil – Première Pression Provence – announces on Facebook that their entire staff have gone down to Provence to harvest at St Pierre en Haute Provence and that all proceeds from this harvest will go to the Association Française des victimes du terrorisme.
Wednesday November 18th
- Celebrations of Beaujolais Nouveau begin with La Robe et Le Palais‘ annual “night-before” party, coinciding with the restaurant’s 20th anniversary. The all-night party includes appearances by most of the winemakers whose bottles will be poured all over town tomorrow. Michaël Dandrieux says that one could “throw a stone and you’d hit one of the pirates of the wine community. I organized the impromtu group picture [above] because I thought it was important to have a sense of what was happening.”
- More than 40 London restaurant industry leaders including Fred Sireix of Galvin at Windows, Dan Doherty of Duck & Waffle, and Dave Strauss of Goodman Steakhouse, Zelman Meats, Burger & Lobster, Beast, and Rex & Mariano announce that they are putting their money where their mouth is and showing their solidarity with their French counterparts by heading to Paris for a day of eating on December 1. The goal is, as Strauss wrote on Twitter, to “show some support for our industry there…”
- Disneyland and the towers of Notre-Dame reopen to the public.
Tuesday November 17th
- Le Cambodge, sister restaurant to the Le Petit Cambodge where 11 people were killed during the attacks, thanks their supporters and reopens with Champagne and a party.
- The Tous au Bistrot! initiative promoted by Le Fooding is encouraging everyone to dine out this evening and to observe a moment of silence at 9pm “to commemorate the victims of the attacks, to support all those working in the restaurant and entertainment industry, targeted by these deadly attacks and in solidarity with Paris, France will not give into fear. Let’s sing, despite the tears.”
- We hear reports of food markets flouting the ban and opening today. The Marché d’Aligre is in full swing just across from our offices, while the Marché Ornano in the 18th is one among others doing business as usual.
Signs of life at Aligre on Tuesday morning - Most museums and tourist sites are open today, including the Eiffel Tower; the Louvre is closed as usual on Tuesdays but will be open tomorrow. Disneyland Paris, still exceptionally closed today, is also due to reopen on Wednesday.
Monday November 16th
- The twin hashtags #jesuisenterrasse (I am out on the terrasse) and #tousaubistrot (everybody to the bistro) are being used in the thousands to celebrate life and dispel fear of public gatherings.
- The city’s major department stores and shopping centers reopen for business.
Sunday November 15th
- In the 10th arrondissement, a few blocks from the attack sites Le Petit Cambodge and Le Carillon, the café Ten Belles and fish & chips joint The Sunken Chip open and donated donate half of the day’s proceeds to the Red Cross.
- Also in the 10th arrondissement, popular brunch spot Holybelly reopens with a post on Instagram saying “it is time for us to roll up that front door and let people in, welcome them with a big smile, as we do, put good food and good coffee on the table, as we do, and bring a bit of comfort in what are going to be sad and strange times for the foreseeable future. We all have to do our part to fight whatever it is that’s going on, and not just in Paris but in the world. A good feed might not seem like much but that’s what we do best and we believe it can make a real difference.”
- On the other hand, the Bastille market, normally thronged with thousands of shoppers, is eerily quiet on Sunday morning. This market, along with all the other outdoor and covered markets around the city, are prohibited by the city from opening until at least next Saturday.
Saturday November 14th
- Paris by Mouth cancels the day’s food tours with the erroneous assumption that the shops in the northern Marais – just a few blocks from the attack at Le Bataclan – will be closed. On the contrary, Benjamin Turquier is still selling his prize winning croissants at Tout Autour du Pain. The line is long for cheese Fromagerie Jouannualt. At Caractère de Cochon, the owner slices a hay-smoked terrine and tells his clients that nothing will make him change his opening hours.
Friday November 13th
- Le Mary Celeste, a popular small-plates-and-cocktails joint is transformed into a temporary trauma center for the Red Cross due to its location ±500 meters from Le Bataclan, where over 80 concert-goers were killed. Read more about the response of Paris restaurants and shops during the attacks on Friday night.
Rest in Peace
Among the many lives that were tragically lost, here are a few with links to the Paris restaurant community.
- Chloë Buissinot, who worked at Le Verre Volé L’épicerie, died from injuries sustained at Le Petit Cambodge [via Le JDD]
- Guillaume Le Dramp, a server at Chez Janou in the Marais, was killed at La Belle Équipe [via New York Times]
- Cousins Pierre Innocenti and Stéphane Albertini, respectively the co-owner and floor manager of Chez Livio in the suburb of Neuilly, were killed in the attack on the Bataclan [via Le Parisian]