France’s Notre Dame Cathedral is expected to reopen for visitors and Catholic masses at the end of 2024.
19.11.2023 - 17:35 / forbes.com
Paris, the epicenter of culinary innovation, is abuzz with new dining destinations that are redefining the city's gastronomic landscape. From the opulent revival of iconic Art Nouveau bastions like Maxim's to the daring and adventurous flavors found at spots like Boubalé, showcasing the richness of Eastern European cuisine, the dining scene in the French capital has reached a fever pitch of excitement. This curated list unveils the top 10 hottest restaurants, each offering a unique blend of tradition, innovation, and a tantalizing journey through diverse culinary narratives, promising a feast for the senses and an exploration of Parisian dining at its most avant-garde.
More than a mere renovation, the Tour d'Argent's revival represents a genuine reinvention, a seamless transformation as it reopens after more than a year of being closed. Said to have been founded in 1582, this iconic Parisian restaurant is poised to script a fresh chapter in its storied history, led by owner André Terrail, whose family's stewardship spans back to 1911. Renowned for the iconic canard au sang (pressed duck) introduced by Frédéric Delair in 1890, the dish remains the Tour d'Argent's signature among other specialities by chef Yanick Franques who's been heading things up since 2019.
Inside La Tour (literally a tower that takes up most of the building), André Terrail has transformed the ground floor — previously a lobby and before that it was where the actual restaurant was located — into the chic Bar des Maillets d'Argent where you can sit on a high stool at the bar for a glass of champagne or cocktail while you wait for your table upstairs or settle at one of the tables for breakfast, lunch, goûter or dinner of classic French staples.
Make time to zip up to the new roof top bar too, where you can take in the spectacular 360° views of Paris. The dining room is located just below, and while keeps the same layout as before, Mr Terrail has added a light-reflecting silver ceiling and replaced the floral carpet with a powder blue one. If you want longer than the duration of a meal to admire the surrounds, then book a night at L'Appartement, an exclusive suite on the 5th floor of the building with wraparound views of Paris you won't have to share with anyone else if you don't want to.
The Ritz Paris unveiled L'Espadon, the storied hotel's new fine-dining restaurant with the trailblazing Chef Eugénie Béziat at the helm. Breaking tradition as the first female chef of 11 so far at the Ritz, Béziat, born in Gabon to Southern French parents, is a rare Michelin-starred talent in Paris. Her cuisine transcends borders, meshing mastery of French gastronomic techniques and produce with influences from her childhood between the African
France’s Notre Dame Cathedral is expected to reopen for visitors and Catholic masses at the end of 2024.
Europe’s airports are regularly ranked from best to worst to help travellers make informed choices.
Skipping the buzz—and the calories – has gotten much more enjoyable. Even in the past six months, the non-alcoholic wine space has improved dramatically, with new offerings showing surprising complexity. My list this year includes a couple of debuts and some old favorites. I’ve noted how these beverages were made – some start with fermented grapes – actual wine—then use complex chemistry to remove the alcohol. These might hew closer to a traditional wine to many palates. Then there are beverages that use a mixture of teas, juices, spices or other elements to give the experience of wine – mouthfeel, complex nose and palate. These alternatives are generally not meant to emulate a particular varietal, but rather give the drinker a pleasing adult beverage to enjoy in situations where you’d normally drink wine. Here are this year’s top picks.
No country has it all, but the Swiss are justified in feeling pretty smug about their lot.
Travelers often overlook Belgium in favor of neighbors like France and the Netherlands, but it’s one of Europe’s best kept secrets. Because of its history, Belgium is linguistically and culturally diverse; it’s also small and compact, so visitors can travel to multiple destinations with ease.
As options for the traditional chalet ski break have dwindled and prices risen, venturing to Europe’s far corners and beyond for a ski break can reap rewards. Costs are often lower, while luxury accommodation can be similarly priced to budget options in mainstream European ski resorts. As well as being potentially cheaper, skiing in territory off the beaten track can offer a rich cultural experience, plus better flight routes, less crowded slopes, sunnier days and a friendlier welcome.
Siem Reap’s hotel scene has moved on from the backpacker hostels of decades past, with plenty of oasis-like options to retreat to after a day’s exploring in the Cambodian heat.
Moving to a new country can be daunting, especially if you don’t speak the language.
Long before she entered the tent as the elegantly erudite judge of The Great British Bake Off, Prue Leith was already enjoying a fascinating career: Born in Cape Town, South Africa, she studied at the Sorbonne in Paris before opening a Michelin-starred restaurant in London. Among her many, many roles in the decades since, she has written a dozen cookbooks and nearly as many novels, opened several culinary schools, and sat on the board of British Railways and Orient Express.
In Britain, the Sunday roast is sacrosanct. Gathering together around a beautifully cooked joint of meat, with lashings of gravy, vegetables and billowing Yorkshire puddings, is, for many, the weekend’s social highlight. And where better to do to this than the pub? Not only do you avoid the washing-up but, centuries after the French dubbed Brits les rosbifs, you get to enjoy the roast at its most modern. In recent decades, Britain’s best pub chefs have, by focusing on seasonal ingredients, rare-breed meats and painstaking preparations of roast potatoes or root vegetables, brought a fresh glamour to this Sunday afternoon ritual.
Of the key Alpine ski destinations, Italy offers the best value for money. Here, an espresso can cost €1.50 (£1.30) a shot, and a piste-side plate of pasta €10-15 (£9-13), items that are often 70-100% dearer in the A-list ski areas of France. And a peak-week, February half-term holiday in a three-star hotel can come in less than €1,745 (£1,500) per person half board, including flights and transfers. And that’s not taking some back-of-beyond resort as a point of comparison, either: all these prices are available in or around Canazei in Val di Fassa, part of the vast Dolomiti Superski area. On its doorstep, more than 300 miles of perfectly groomed pistes spin off the central Sella Ronda circuit; explore the area’s outer limits and that total hits 745 miles.
Whether you’re a dedicated bargain hunter, passionate about interiors, a spa-o-holic, an obsessive foodie, love exploring places brimming with history and atmosphere, or adore contemporary art, then you’ve come to the right place. Few places on Earth do any of these things quite like Marrakesh.