Queenie's Treasury

Happy long weekend, folks! (Well, American folks. Happy regular weekend, rest of the world!) It's a sunny, hot day here in New York, and I'll be heading back out into is just as soon as I refuel with my iced coffee. In the meantime, here are a few tidbits to keep you entertained while you prepare for your Labor Day festivities. (Mine include shopping; your mileage may vary, of course.)

First up (and I realize I'm late to the party on this one), the incredible work of designer Olympia Le-Tan, who creates embroidered clutches and handbags based on classic book covers. I want them all, of course, but since they cost about $2,000 apiece, I'll have to settle with admiring them from afar for now.

I first spotted Christine Lindstrom's work in West Elm (I love the way they're showcasing independent artists in each collection these days), and I love her richly hued watercolors. Her Etsy shop is full of wonderful prints, stationery, and original works. If I had to choose just one, it would probably be this watercolor, entitled Grove, which puts me in mind of a fairy tale forest.

On this Labor Day weekend, I'll leave you with a little bit of Paris. Freunde von Freunden's interview with textile designer Céline Saby is great, and I absolutely love the photos of her salon and apartment. The latter has a sort of Parisian surfer chic vibe to it, and I can't get enough of it, or this little reading nook in the windows. 

Queenie's Treasury

Happy weekend, readers! Today was an absolutely stunning day here in the city; I spent it hanging out with my mom. We walked the High Line, visited Mary's Fish Camp, strolled through the West Village and wound up at the Van Cleef & Arpels exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt. And, you know what? I feel a little less guilty for being wiped out after reading all of that. Thank goodness this week's Treasury kicks off with some serious coffee.

Coffee in Paris is a lot like coffee in New York: it is often good, sometimes very good, but rarely amazing. It seems, however, that Paris is following in New York's footsteps: a haute coffee scene is burgeoning there, and that sounds pretty exciting. HiP Paris has a story about the latest barista competition held in the City of Light, featuring enough caffeine to power those lights from here through Bastille Day.

Next up, I'm a little obsessed with this Dutch farmhouse renovation from The Style Files. While I'd likely add a bit more color with art and such, I absolutely love the grey and white palette and the natural finishes. And that slinky white pendant light is to die for.

I'm a bit of a magpie these days, what with summer on the way and loads of adorable clothes on offer. This sea green necklace from Oliphant would go smashingly with the white t-shirts I bought by the armful last week, don't you think?

Queenie's Treasury

Happy Saturday, kiddos! It's the last weekend before Christmas, so I'm betting quite a few of you are out and about and busy as heck. I'm about to join you, but, before I do, I thought I'd give you a few Treasury bits and bobs to enjoy in your downtime.

I don't know about you, but I'm fascinated by anything created on a miniature scale. From dollhouses to tilt-and-shift photography, I love it all. So I was bound to be fascinated by these snowglobes, created by artists Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz. At first glance, they seem sweet, but a longer look shows some distinctly Grimm-like (I'm also seriously into fairy tales.) happenings captured in the tiny, snowy landscapes. I could pore over these for ages. (Discovered via Design Shimmer.)

David Lebovitz lives a pretty awesome life. An American ex-pat in Paris, he writes cookbooks and blogs about all of the fabulous food-related things he encounters. A few weeks ago, he posted a drool-worthy tour of one of Paris' marchés des producteurs, where shoppers can buy directly from the artisans who product their enviable food. I mean, look at that butter. Just look. Wowza.

For a long time, The Great Gatsby was my absolute favorite book. It's still up near the top of the list. And so, I found this poster - which imagines the business cards of Gatsby's guests from the summer of 1922 - to be pretty freaking cool. It's also really pretty. Well done, The Heads of State!

Solid freaking gold. Plus potatoes. And garlic.

Alongside a multitude of pages devoted to the wonders of Thanksgiving, Saveur's November issue included a guide and tribute to the traditional Parisian bistro. It was, in a word, amazeballs. It made me want to book a trip to Paris immédiament. It made me want to cook some seriously delicious potatoes.

Anyone who's eaten in a bistro knows that they elevate the cooking of potatoes to an art form. Be they puréed, sautéed, roasted, smashed, gratinéed, fried...you name it, the bistro kicks ass at it. And so when I read about L'Ami Louis' recipe for a potato galette topped with fresh parsley and chopped garlic, I knew I had to have it.

Responsible woman that I am, I decided it was probably best to forgo dropping all obligations to fly off to Paris. Lucky for me, the potato galette with which I'd become enamored was one of the bistro-style recipes Saveur included in the issue. Score!

Now, one of the reasons that bistros ace Potato 101 is that they follow a couple of basic, core rules: first, cook the potatoes in more than one stage. Fry them twice, simmer them before roasting, whatever. But cook them in stages. Second, cook them in animal fat. Butter is fine; duck fat is best. Bacon fat or schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) are pretty damn good, too.

Which brings us to my big bowl of golden deliciousness. This, my friends, is my bowl of schmaltz. Each time I roast a chicken, I carefully pour off the fat from the pan juices and store it, tightly covered, in the fridge. After a few chickens, I have a good 1/2 cup of rendered chicken fat, and I start using it all over the place. It goes into the oil I use to fry my latkes. It goes into soups, where I use it to brown the vegetables. It goes into vegetable sides, where I use it to saute the sprouts or cauliflower. Hell, in Europe, they spread it on bread, so who am I to skimp?

So, while you can certainly go out and buy a big old tub of duck fat to have on hand, I highly recommend being patient and frugal with your chicken. It'll be more rewarding than the skip-to-the-end solution, and you'll always have a supply on hand, assuming you roast a chicken once or twice a month. Boom.

Oh, and the galette? So ridiculously delicious that I ate the whole thing (well, a half-recipe version) for lunch, garlic and all.

Potato Galette
Adapted from Saveur

2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1⁄2" x 1⁄4" pieces
Kosher salt, to taste
2 tbsp. rendered chicken fat
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. minced garlic

Place potatoes into a 4-qt. pot and cover by 1" with well-salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low,and simmer until potatoes are tender, 20–30 minutes. Drain potatoes and spread on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill for at least 20 miunutes. (If you're roasting a chicken to eat with the galette, let the potatoes chill until the bird is almost ready to come out of the oven.)

When you're ready to make the galette, heat oven to 400°. Melt fat and butter in a 6" skillet over medium heat.

Put chilled potatoes into a bowl. Pour fat and butter over potatoes (reserving skillet) and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Tranfser potatoes to reserved skillet and cover with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside rim of skillet.

Cook, smashing potatoes into skillet with a metal spatula, until edges begin to crisp and brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until potato cake is golden brown, 10–15 minutes (to check, use a fork to lift up one edge of the potato cake).

Invert a small serving plate over skillet. Using 2 tea towels, hold plate and skillet together firmly and invert skillet. Remove skillet and garnish potato cake with parsley and garlic. Serve hot.

Serves 3-4.

Queenie's Treasury

Happy weekend, my lovelies! Many of you are, no doubt, otherwise occupied in Washington, D.C. right now (Rally To Restore Sanity FTW!). For the rest of you poor schlubs who, like me, are stuck at home this weekend, here are some Treasury delights for you!

First up, an incredible house tour from Design*Sponge. Kate Schintzius' house is, to put it mildly, haunting my dreams. I love pretty much everything about it, from the teardrop chandelier to the needlepoint pillows to the dreamily colored rug. I'll take it. It's for sale for a really reasonable amount, furnishings included, right?
Next up, some amazing vintage and estate jewelry. I have a yen for old-fashioned pieces, especially cocktail rings and brooches, so I was delighted when Oh Joy! mentioned Claude Morady's site. It's a veritable treasure trove of perfect specimens. I have my eye on the aquamarine ring. By "have my eye on" I of course mean "dream hopelessly of." Sigh.

Finally, a different kind of treasure trove - slightly less literal, but, perhaps, even more valuable. Saveur's picks for the top 18 bistros in Paris are up on their website (the full list of 23 is available in the November issue, which also has recipes for things like steak with mustard cream sauce, oh yes), and it's making me ache to hop across the pond. Like, right now. Now, now, now.

Queenie's Treasury

Good morning, all! It's on its way to being another steamy day here in New York. I made my weekly pilgrimage to the Greenmarket this morning (Snap peas and cucumbers and beets - oh, my!), and am meeting up with my brother and our friend Ken for a lobster roll run this afternoon. In the meantime, though, it's time for some Treasury action!

First up this week, a quick trip to Paris for some serious cookware shopping. David Lebovitz, ex-pat and pastry cookbook author extraordinaire, posted a guide to shopping for supplies in that most culinarily obsessed of cities. He mentions, of course, the legendary E. Dehillerin, as well as the marches aux puces and some intriguing cookbook shops. Sigh. Yet another reason to get myself back to France sooner rather than later.

Next, a ridiculously delicious-looking brunch at Portland, Oregon's Simpatica. My friend Lorna posted this on her Cookbook Chronicles blog just yesterday, and it looks so. Freaking. Delicious. Smoked steak, grilled shrimp, fried eggs, potatoes and broccoli? Um, wow. Never mind the chicken and waffles. Or chicken fried bison. Drool.
Finally, a fabulous piece of art from Jane Mount, who documents people's ideal bookshelves as a form of portraiture. As a lifelong bookworm, I thoroughly approve. And, in fact, I bought a print of this piece, Ideal Bookshelf 6, GW, just yesterday. It's a portrait of George Weld, chef and owner of Egg, a restaurant in Brooklyn. And I can't wait for it to arrive so I can hang it on my ready and eager wall. Yay!

Queenie's Treasury

Happy long-weekend Saturday, people! It's been a fairly busy day chez Queenie; I've whipped up some homemade mayonnaise (a new recipe - more on that later), given myself a manicure, and met up with a fellow blogger for a little sweet treat. All of this is my way of excusing the tardiness of this treasury post - I hope the goodness of the content makes up for the lateness of the hour!

First up this week, a fantastic resource for your next trip to France. I stumbled on this guide to Parisian restaurants, etiquette and norms last week, and I think it's a godsend for Americans headed for the city, be it your first trip or your twentieth. Seriously good stuff - especially the post about restaurant etiquette. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Jake & Mo! (And thanks for an excuse to post a photo of Camille's superlative creme brulee!)

Next, something a little closer to home. For a couple of weeks now I've been following this cool blog called Scouting New York. Written by a film industry location scout, it's already opened my eyes to sights I've missed right here in my own fair city, and taught me more about those I thought I knew well. It's a ton of fun, and I highly recommend you add it to your daily reading roster.

Finally, another awesome recipe from Design*Sponge's In The Kitchen series. This week's recipe was for Boston cream pies, and man oh man do they look delicious. Yellow cake, pastry cream and chocolate glaze? Sign me up, because Beantown here I come.

Paris, crowdsourced.

I am not the only one, it seems, with Paris on the brain.

Yesterday, Decor8, one of my favorite shelter blogs, posted a reader question that went like this: "Hi Holly, I am going to Paris in March with my husbands band, Montage Populaire, do you or any of your readers know of places to go/shop/eat/visit which wouldn’t be in the tourist guides?"

Obviously, I immediately chimed in with a vote for Camille (Naturellement!), and was thrilled to see the other fantastic suggestions from Holly's creative, inspiring readers. I can't wait to try them out for myself - and since I'm already getting nibbles on my home exchange ad (more on this soon), it seems I won't have to wait too long!

The (food) moments that shaped my decade.

The aughts are coming to a close tonight, and I've decided to join the frenzy of lists appearing across the interwebs. Mine is a fairly personal, navel-gazing sort of list; instead of naming the biggest events in the food world in general, I've decided to focus on the most significant moments of my food- and drink-centered life over the last decade.

I turned 21 in 2000 and graduated from college in 2001, so the aughts have encompassed my early adulthood, my twenties. They're the years I spent finding my home (Hello, New York!), my career (user experience research and design, for now) and my taste (Sriracha, bacon and Vietnamese food, FTW!). In fact, it's pretty darn hard to distill the most important moments of my eating life down to a list of just ten top ones, so please forgive me for any that seem like I'm cheating by, say, essentially granting a tie to every single moment of my 2006 trip to Europe. Please?

All right, here goes!

Number 10: My first taste of Far Niente's Dolce.
As you all know, I am a huge fan of dessert wines both funky and sweet, and particularly of those that combine the two. Before I tried Sauternes or Banyuls, though, I drank Dolce - which is America's most delicious answer to the former. I still remember my first sip, which took place one boozy Saturday night in 2004, at Ouest with Nick and Louisa, when Nick ordered a 375 ml bottle for the three of us to share. I'd never tasted anything quite like it - syrupy, but not sickly, and infinitely musky and complex. I'd go on to tour the winery in 2006, where my mom practically had to restrain me from buying a whole case.

Number 9: Dinner at Alinea.
This one just made it in under the wire, happening as it did in November 2009. My first (and hopefully not last) dinner at Alinea was predictably delicious, and - despite the giant spoiler effect of following Grant Achatz's restaurant for years - surprising and exciting. It was a meal unlike any other I've ever eaten, one where craftsmanship was present in every bite and whimsy never once trumped flavor. A truly incredible experience.
Number 8: Discovering the wonder of Vietnamese food.
Gradually, over the last eight years, my Asian cuisine of choice has slowly shifted from Chinese, to Thai, and finally alighted on Vietnamese. The original Asian fusion, Vietnamese food combines Asian ingredients and flavors with French technique, and has given us such culinary delights as pho (a noodle soup like no other) and the currently super-trendy banh mi, a sandwich full of terrine, herbs, pickles and pate, served on that most French of breads, the baguette. It's slightly funky, thanks to the ever-present fish sauce, but also refined, thanks to a balance of flavors and textures. And I just can't get enough.

Number 7: Making banh mi at home.
Speaking of Vietnamese food - but, seriously, folks...I'm including this past summer's banh mi-fest not only because the results were delicious, but because I think it marks a culmination of the collaborative cooking and exploration Louisa and I have done together. We push one another to try new and different techniques and ingredients, using our time together each summer to tackle a couple of new projects. These banh mi, for which we made everything from scratch - even grinding our own meat - save the bread, are our proudest achievement to date. A repeat performance is planned, and we'll be upping the ante by baking our own baguettes.

Number 6: Ditching vodka for booze with actual flavor.
Just as there's a place for water in the pantheon of great beverages, there's one for vodka. That place, however, is not in a cocktail, and certainly not in a martini. If there's one thing for which my boozehound side is most grateful to the aughts, it's the cocktail craze, and, in particular, the resurgence of brown spirits and gin. Gin is just...better. As is bourbon. And dark rum. And...everything. Vodka is great in a Russian restaurant, served ice cold alongside caviar, but that's about it. I know some of you disagree, and that's your perogative. But, you're, um, wrong.

Number 5: Discovering Thomas Keller.
Obviously, I didn't discover Chef Keller, but he didn't mean much to me before, oh, 2003 or 2004, at which point I became obsessed with eating in at least one of his restaurants. Since then, I've cooked from three of his cookbooks (Bouchon, The French Laundry and Ad Hoc), eaten at three of his restaurants (Per Se, Bouchon and Bouchon Bakery) and become a devoted fan. His mashup of American ingredients and know-how with classic French technique may no longer be revolutionary, but it's still revelatory: I dare you not to fall in love with Bouchon's entire menu. Go ahead - in fact, I double-dog dare you.

Number 4: Joining eGullet.
I joined the internet food fray in 2005, when I became a member (and, eventually, a staffer) of eGullet. For a time, it was my absolutely favorite place on the web. Full of interesting, smart people who knew a ton about home cooking and the restaurant world, it was where I first stretched my food-loving wings, and, in particular, my food-writing muscles. It's where I learned about Sriracha and how to make puff pastry. It's where I learned how to take decent photographs of food. And, most significantly, the two week-long foodblogs I did there in 2006 and 2007 gave me the confidence I needed to start my own blog, which is coming up on its (gasp) third anniversary.

Number 3: Making my first mayonnaise.
I read Amanda Hesser's memoir Cooking For Mr. Latte when it first came out in 2003. It was a sweet book, but I was more interested in the food than in the love story, and was determined to become as sophisticated an epicurean as Ms. Hesser herself. Thus inspired, I made my first mayonnaise from her recipe, and have been whisking ever since. It marked the first time I ventured into truly classical, technique-focused cooking, and the deliciousness of homemade mayonnaise convinced me that (most) shortcuts are, indeed, for suckers.

2. My trip to Europe with Louisa.
Louisa and I spent two weeks in Prague, Strasbourg, Champagne and Paris in 2006. The trip cemented us as best friends, thanks in great part to the enormous amount of bonding we did over food and drink. Whether it was duck in a Prague pub, flutes of Champagne in a Reims tasting room, or steak tartare in Paris, the food we ate and the sights we saw created a common set of memories and experiences that will be ours, alone, forever. It also happens that the trip included two of my top meals of all time (at Chez Yvonne and Camille in Strasbourg and Paris, respectively), the best eclair in history, and the most satisfying doner kebab ever. All in all, two weeks that will live in memory - actually, in perpetuity, thanks to the internet.

1. Shopping at the Union Square Greenmarket.
Blame it on Dan Barber, Michael Pollan - whomever. For a myriad of reasons, I started shopping seasonally and locally a few years ago, and have no plans to go back. Oh, sure, I still buy frozen vegetables, and I do buy cucumbers out of season - not to mention the occasional flown-in fish. But, thanks to New York City's incredible Greenmarket network, I've been able to do a remarkable thing: support local businesses, reduce my carbon footprint, and make super food - all at the same time. Nothing's changed my eating habits more drastically in the last decade than my effort to shop as much as possible in Union Square (or at one of the other Greenmarket outposts around the city), and, for that I am grateful.

So, folks - if you've managed to stick it out this long - what were the formative moments of the aughts for you? Share in the comments - and Happy New Year!

Queenie's Treasury

This weekend has been a bit of a whirlwind for me, so I apologize for the slightly late arrival of this week's edition of the Treasury. Without further ado...

One of the coolest, lust-worthy things making the blog rounds this week is Ikea's new Charley Harper-esque melamine tray. Emblazoned with a flock of multicolored birds, it's cheerful, it's cheap, and it's great design.

Next up, a drool-worthy look at Paris through the eyes of a first-time visitor, Erin Gates of the design blog Elements of Style. You all know how much I love Paris, and it's been a joy to read along as Erin falls in love with the city in her own way. I've always avoided doing too much shopping in Paris (the better to save my money for food and booze), but I might have to make an exception on my next visit.

Finally, a little holiday fun. Today is the first full day of Rosh Hashanah, the festival celebrating the Jewish new year. Up in Portsmouth, at the Strawberry Banke museum (one of the coolest examples of living history there is), it's being celebrated much as it was by first-generation Russian immigrants back in 1919. Barbara Ann Paster plays Shiva Shapiro at Strawberry Banke, right down to preparing roast chicken with kasha and putting up late summer peaches. Check out the New York Times story for some fun history lessons - and some gorgeous recipes.

Wherein I add my voice to the general chorus.

When I read Julie & Julia in 2005, I was underwhelmed by Julie Powell's story. As a food geek (not yet blogger), I was of course struck dumb with jealousy at her success and her chance to appear in the New York Times food section (Nerd alert: Amanda Hesser cameos as herself.). But Powell's book (I did not follow her blog) seemed to me to be a story of struggle against many things in which I myself find pleasure: the unique challenges presented by living in New York, the act of writing, and the small and large tasks involved in cooking a meal.

Don't get me wrong - I thought Amy Adams did a fantastic job bringing Julie Powell to the screen. A lot of people have made much of the fact that Julie is not "likable." Well, she's not. But she is someone to whom many of us can relate. Stuck in a soul-sucking job that makes her feel useless, watching her college friends ascend to great career heights around her, she is feeling that all-too-typical I'm-turning-30-and-don't-feel-like-I-have-anything-sufficient-to-show-for-it malaise. (I know a little something about this.)

In this, she's not so different from Julia Child, who found herself feeling useless and out of place in mid-century Paris. Nora Ephron, whose recent films have struck me as a bit insipid (in contrast to the near-perfection of her screenplay for When Harry Met Sally), does an incredible job of syncing up the stories of these two women, both rhythmically and thematically.

Ephron makes it easy to draw parallels between their lives; for example, all the cooks in the story (including Julia's editor, Judith Jones) are united by the remarkable perfume released when they deglaze a boeuf bourgignon with the titular bottle of burgundy. Sadly, though, Julie's ultimately self-serving goals and view of the kitchen as a battlefield pale in comparison to Julia's goal of bringing French food to Americans and her view of the kitchen as a place of excitement and discovery.

As many reviewers have noted, Julia's Paris (and, briefly, her Germany, Norway and Cambridge) is full of joy, where Julie's New York seems like a place of relentless hardship - to the point where I wanted to scream, "If you hate riding the subway, move to the suburbs!" Both women, though, are blessed with wonderfully supportive husbands and have marriages that are truly partnerships - something that is all too rare in our entertainment, but a phenomenon I see around me daily.

Ephron brought these two relationships to life, and the pitch-perfect portrayals of Simca Beck, Louisette Bertholle, Dorothy McWilliams and Irma Rombauer were similarly spectacular. (All of these folks are described vividly in Julia's memoir My Life In France, on which her half of the movie is based, and which I highly recommend you read as soon as humanly possible.)

But while Meryl Streep's Julia (like the real-life version) is a magnetic whirl of charm and wit (She pulls a cannelloni out of boiling water and declares it to be "as hot as a stiff cock!"), Amy Adams' Julie is not only lost, but seems to face her life with a combination of resignation and selfish, dejected entitlement.

It's fairly well-known that Julia didn't have a terribly high opinion of Julie. Some believe it's because Julia thought Julie was taking advantage of her masterpiece, or trying to grab at little bits of her limelight. I disagree.

I think that Julia's dislike for the Julie/Julia Project arose from Julie's view of cooking as a summit to be reached, come hell or high water, as opposed to an act to be undertaken with pleasure and excitement. Throughout the movie, Julie talks about "having to" cook. "I have to bone a duck," or, "I have to kill a lobster." To me, and, I suspect, to Julia, these are things I get to try, not things I have to plod through. Julie sees cooking as a means to an end, not as a joyful end in and of itself.

Ultimately, though, both women face rejection, and both decide that they must power past it if they are to achieve their goals. This, for me, was where Ephron's true-to-life portrayal of Julie as irritating paid off.

No matter who you are, to get what you want you have to be willing to declare, as Paul Child does, "Fuck them." Screw the haters, screw the doubters: believe in yourself, and the rest will follow. This, as much as how to make a perfect beurre blanc, is what Julia has taught me, and I'm glad Ephron saw it, too.

Paris, through the eyes of a Parisian.

For those of you who - like me - just can't get enough of Paris right now, have a gander at Cyril Genty's incredible, inspiring photoblog Un Jour à Paris. Each day he takes and posts a photo of his adopted home, and the results show a far more real, grittier, and more beautiful version of Paris than we typically see on this side of the Atlantic.

As someone whose favorite parts of her own city are typically those where the beauty is cut with a little grit, I am breathless at Cyril's ability to document those same parts of his home.

Many thanks to the blog Inside Out, whose fantastic interview with Cyril pointed me toward his blog, and kickstarted my latest addiction.

Photo courtesy of Un Jour à Paris.

Parisian perfection, part two.

Hello, doves!

Just wanted to let you all know that the second half of my guest post for Jauntsetter is now up and blogged for your reading pleasure. Enjoy, and tune in shortly for a new edition of Queenie's Take!

Au revoir!

Well, golly gee!

Jauntsetter is my latest addiction.

A most fabulous travel site and weekly newsletter for New York women, Jauntsetter highlights travel deals, tips and tricks for ladies traveling from the New York area. Each week, they feature a different destination (recent spots include Baltimore and Fire Island) and a different Jauntsetter of the Week. The Jauntsetters are always cool women with great travel wisdom to share, and I love hearing about their experiences, especially those related to food (um, duh).

Earlier this week, Jauntsetter editor Dororthy McGivney posted some musings on traveling solo, inspired by her (current!) trip to Paris. I tweeted her to let her know how much I loved the post, and we got to talking a bit about great things to do in Paris.

And then, the most exciting thing of all happened - Dorothy invited me to write a guest post and share my Parisian favorites with Jauntsetter's readers!

The first half of my perfect Parisian day is already posted over at Jauntsetter, with a second post (all about ice cream, Camille and wine) planned for this afternoon. Go check it out, and make sure to sign up for Jauntsetter's newsletter while you're at it!

Speaking of macarons...

The king of macarons himself, the great Pierre Hermé, is featured today on The Selby. They have a recurring series that takes you inside the homes and studio spaces of creative people, and today they have some great photos of Hermé's Paris apartment.

Since I am a bit of a design addict and more than a bit of a macaron lover, this is pretty much online Nirvana for me. I think New Yorkers can learn a lot from how Parisians effortlessly mix the ancient and the modern - just look at that yellow Eames rocker next to the intricate marble fireplace.

This isn't the apartment I'd choose for myself, but you have to admire the courage. Too often Americans let the space dictate the style, rather than expressing themselves within the space provided. I'll remember this chair + fireplace combination the next time I start with a new apartment.

Photos courtesy of The Selby.

More on the Marais.

Earlier today, S.HOPtalk posted an interview with Little Brown Pen's Nichole Robertson. Nichole and her husband recently picked up stakes and moved from Montclair, New Jersey to rue St. Paul in the Marais, in central Paris.

Loyal readers will remember how much I love the Marais, and can probably guess how jealous I am of Nichole. But, that won't stop me from sharing her great recommendations for your next visit to Paris, including a stop or two in that most excellent neighborhood.

Enjoy!

Paris, as seen by Design*Sponge.

Design*Sponge posted an awesome, incredibly comprehensive guide to Paris today. They don't mention Camille, but nobody's perfect.

Paris in Poladroid.

I'm famous! (Well, sort of.)

How did I become famous, you might ask? Well! Schmap puts out these nifty online guides to different cities (which are absolutely perfect for use with your iPhone), and they've used two of my photos for their latest Paris edition!

A shot I snapped outside of Pierre Herme's (closed) Rue Cambon shop is included, as is the photo I took of the entryway at Angelina's. Schmap links directly back to my Flickr photostream, so here's hoping Schmap will earn Queenie some new Paris-loving readers - no doubt Schmap will earn some Queenie-loving users.

Thanks, Schmap!

P.S. - Check out the Schmap widget on the right-hand side of the page...