Last night we had no dinner reservation so we took a chance and went to Les Bouquinistes Avec Guy Savoy. We were happily surprised on a busy Saturday night to get a table for 4 within 15 minutes. We were seated by the kitchen initially and although fine with us, the head waiter (full of apologies) moved us to a table facing Notre Dame. The food was amazing and the whole staff was great, providing excellent service but also chatting and joking with us, sending us off with hugs & kisses and making us promise to come back - if only our budget would allow that! Anyone who says the French aren't friendly & accommodating to Americans is just plain wrong in our book.
Our 1st great find of day 2 at the show are these beautiful canvas carts. We saw them used around the pool for towels at J.K. Place hotel almost 2 years ago and have been searching for them ever since. The canvas can be printed so we ordered ours with 'POOL' printed on the side.
Next we discovered The Laundress. We've seen the products before and love the black & white packaging but we didn't know much about the brand until one of the founders, Lindsey, educated us on the line. Made with renewable resources: biodegradable, non-toxic, plant-based ingredients, all the products are allergen, dye, phthalate, phosphate & paraben free and can be used for hand washing or in washing machines. As soon as Lindsey (in the kindest, sweetest way) explained that grocery store brand fabric softeners use things like beef fat to soften your clothes, we were hooked on carrying this eco-chic line!
In the fabrics pavilion, we found Jim Thompson has introduced The Tony Duquette Collection of woven and printed fabrics. The patterns are stunning (malachite, ermine tails, and coral branches) and are in beautiful saturated tones of green, orange, & gold.
Another item we found are adorable multi-wick candles that spell 'LOVE'. In hot pink, white, or red/orange we think they'll make great birthday & hostess gifts (sorry no pic).
Even though our order was relatively small, all the salespeople were so kind in offering us a seat, some water, wine or champagne and they gave each of us a small gift before we left their booth. It's so nice to feel your business is really appreciated and most exhibitors here really go to great lengths to make you feel that it is.
Eating while at the show is almost as fun as discovering new trends & products! Although there are several dozen places to grab a great sandwich on crusty french bread, there are fantastic restaurants & tea salons built within the show place just for Maison et Objet. Cafe Elle Decor, Blue Elephant for Thai, Fish for Asian influenced food, and Mariage Freres tea salon are only a few of the great (and very civilized) dining options.
And for an afternoon snack, we'll take one of the delicious french macaroons from the Laduree cart any day over the hot dogs, stale NY pretzels, packaged chips, or frozen lemonades we find at the other trade shows we attend!
1 comment:
I just moved to LA from Paris and I have to say one of the things I miss is a macaron from Laudrée... YUM!
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