Where to Stay
The hotel getting all the press is the provocatively named Hotel Amour, 8 rue de Navarin (tel. 01-48-78-31-80; www.hotelamour.com), where doubles begin at $155. It is centrally located just off the rue des Martyrs, currently the hippest street in Paris, or so the press claims. Join the starlets and bright young things checking in here. Walk up the steps to the bedrooms (there's no elevator) to find the incredibly comfortable beds. We had to ask about them, and learned they come from the same company that supplies The Ritz.
The film Amélie first made the Goutte d'Or neighborhood of Montmartre world famous. Thousands continue to flock to this up-and-coming sector, so it was inevitable that some entrepreneur would open a hotel here. But what a hotel! Kube Rooms & Bars, 1-5 Passage Ruelle (tel. 01-42-05-20-00), is unique in Paris. Design savvy clients check into the cube, "the most modern of shapes," according to the owners. Their reception area was inspired by the architecturally controversial glass box in front of the Louvre. Rectangular beds are lit from below and appear to levitate. Expect shag-covered sofas and faux fur throws. The Ice Kube Bar is made with -- you guessed it, ice. Guests stay in here for half an hour before deep freeze sets in. Instead of room keys, guests are electronically fingerprinted. Doubles go from $380-$500 a night.
Where to Dine
On rue des Rosiers, Chez Jo Goldenberg, well known for its delicious Jewish and central European food, has closed.
The most famous restaurateur in Paris, Claude Terrail, owner of La Tour d'Argent, 15-17 quai de la Tournelle (tel. 01-43-54-23-31; www.tourdargent.com), died in the summer of 2006, at the age of 88. His restaurant, once hailed as the best in Europe, is still known for its duck specialties, its vast wine cellar, and spectacular views of the River Seine (as well as Notre-Dame). Over the years he hosted such notables as Queen Elizabeth II, President John F. Kennedy, and Marilyn Monroe. His death is not expected to have a lasting effect on the restaurant. In 2003, he handed over management to his son, Andre, though Terrail came in every day for lunch and dinner until he died.
At the government-rated four-star hotel, Edouard VII, 39 avenue de l'Opera (www.edouard7hotel.com), the on-site restaurant, Angl'Opera (tel. 01-42-61-86-25) is fast becoming one of the most sought-after tables on the Paris scene and on the see-and-be-seen circuit. Resident chef, Gilles Choukroun, is the head of a new culinary movement in France -- called la jeune Cuisine Française -- a sort of "nouvel" Nouvelle Cuisine. Gilles' culinary skill is one of blending, "marrying," and uniting flavors in ways quite unlike anywhere else found in Paris. Expect a taste explosion, beginning with carpaccio (celeric, balsamic vinegar, and black currants), followed by foie gras and duck, and finished off with a mouthwatering "bazaar" or minestrone (macaroon, sorbet, and Asian pepper).
Acclaimed as the two greatest chefs in the world, Joel Robuchon and Alain Ducasse created the dishes served at the newly reopened Le Relais du Parc, at Sofitel Le Parc, 55-59 ave. Raymond-Poincaré in the 16th arrondissement (tel. 01-44-05-66-10). You can dine alfresco among white magnolia trees in the inner courtyard of this classic Norman manor, or else in the intimate and elegant dining room in neutral hues. Each dish is a delight, including seared scallops served Tatin-like with roasted broccoli florets. And, oh, those memorable desserts -- for example, guava sorbet topping a Technicolor roasted fresh mango crumble.
Since it is Paris, expect new and trendy restaurants opening virtually every month, each exciting Paris foodies and peripathetic gourmets. Sometimes they are away from the tourist-trodden districts, lying in -- say, the 9th arrondissement where you'll find Casa Olympe, 48 rue St-Georges (tel. 01-42-85-26-01). Olympe Versini earned a Michelin star at the age of 29, but now she's opened this unassuming 32-seat dining room. Critics cite the earthiness of her cooking, as evoked by her duck ravioli bathed in a jus reduction and her heavenly foie gras terrine brazenly studded with split vanilla beans.
The ambience is like New York's East Village at La Famille, 41 rue des Trois Frères (tel. 01-42-52-11-12), attracting fashionistas and photographers, who climb the hill to Montmartre to sample the viands. As the bartender makes mojitos like Hemingway used to drink, Edith Piaf records spin in the background. Each complex dish arrives like a taste sensation -- try the oyster terrine in seawater with nori, cappuccino, and cilantro mousse.
Many Parisians are abandoning their once-beloved bistros and eating in wine bars. Surrounded by oenophiles and art types, you can enjoy some of the city's finest wines and inventive menus du jour at La Muse Vin, 101 rue de Charonne (tel. 01-40-09-93-05). Before a show at the nearby Opéra Bastille, you can sample what the owner calls "emerging wines" at Le Cercle Rouge, 7 rue Sabin (tel. 01-40-21-02-51). Have your fill of sublime wine selections and such hearty dishes as stuffed sardines at Chapeau Melon, 92 rue Rébeval (tel. 01-42-02-68-60).
What to See & Do
After a $46 million renovation, the Decorative Arts Museum has reopened in a wing of the Louvre, 34-36 quai du Louvre (tel. 01-40-20-53-17). The new museum is a dollhouse on a grand scale, where each room offers up different treasures -- Napoléon's golden throne, fashion designer Jeanne Lanvin's purple boudoir, and the velvet-draped bed of a 19th-century courtesan. "The Splendor of the Courtesan's Room" was the former abode of Valtesse de La Bigne, an inspiration for Emile Zola's Nana about a prostitute who captivated Parisian high society.
In the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, the museum getting all the press is Jean Nouvel's sweeping Musée du Quai Branly, 222 rue de l'Université (tel. 01-56-61-70-00; www.quaibranly.fr). With an exterior wall planted with 150 exotic plant species, it is devoted to the art of Africa, the Americas, the South Pacific, and Asia. In all, nearly 300,000 tribal artifacts are on parade, in this $265 million project. Galleries stand on sculpted pillars that evoke totems. Nouvel said he wanted to "create something unique, poetic, and disturbing."
Another major opening was the long-closed Musée de l'Orangerie, Jardin des Tuileries (tel. 01-44-77-80-07; www.musee-orangerie.fr). The museum's 19th and 20th century works are relocated underground. Claude Monet's celebrated Nymphéas are displayed as the artist intended them to be -- that is, lit by sunlight. The spacious oval-shaped galleries evoke the shape of the garden ponds at the artist's Giverny estate. Over the years we've come here many times just to gaze upon Marie Laurencin's Portrait of Mademoiselle Chanel in 1923.
Paris After Dark
If you can get by the "guardians" at the door, Le Paris Paris, 5 avenue de l'Opéra (tel. 01-42-60-64-45; French-only website: www.leparisparis.com), has become the new, hot night stop of the city. This subterranean club, operated by the owners of the famous Le Baron, is installed in a former Chinese restaurant. The press calls the patrons of Le Paris Paris Parisiens aristo-branchés which, roughly translated, means plugged in jet-setters. Inside you'll find an intimate dance space with both live bands and DJs.
Established in 1782 by Marie Antoinette, the venerable Odéon Théâter de Europe, Place de l'Odéon (tel. 1-44-85-40-40; www.theatre-odeon.fr) has reopened after extensive renovations. The new director, Georges Lavaudant, opened the season with Shakespeare.