Thanks, wliwl! And the guy was good-looking, too. He reminded me of the attorney boyfriend in Le Divorce. :)

I like Café Panis on Quai Montebello, across from Square Viviani and Notre Dame.
http://www.eng.cityvox.fr/restaurant...opinions-Place

To further complicate what a kir is, in Beaune we had Kir Peche, a peach liquer, wonderful!

Yum! I'm definitely trying that kir!

Btilke,

Noticed your post about tea with fresh mint leaves - is this iced? How do you ask for it? Thanks!

ttt

No, definitely not iced. Served hot in a small teapot brimming with fresh mint leaves. You pour it into a glass. Some places sweeten the tea by putting sugar in the pot, others bring sugar on the side so you can sweeten it to your taste. Some places will serve it to you in a large glass with mint leaves, pre-sweetened or with sugar on the side.
Up here in Brussels, the menus usually list it as "the a la menthe fraiche" so that's how I order it, although some people just say "the menthe fraiche" (apologies for the lack of accents) and that's how I hear the waiters calling it to the bar.
If a menu lists it only as "the menthe" than it's probably just some mint flavored tea in a tea bag, which is not at all the same.
It's equally refreshing on a warm or cool day. Clever Moroccans!
Caveat: it may be served to you in an inexpensive Moroccan look metal teapot (made in China). Downside is those teapots don't have proper "resisters" to keep the handles cool, so watch out. I usually have to wrap a napkin around the handle to pour.

On Paris menus (usually in couscous restaurants), it is marked "thé à la menthe". A lot of Moroccan restaurants will bring it free of charge at the end of the meal.

This said, my office coffee machine has "thé à la menthe" as one of the selections.

At Scossa, the cafe we like on the Place Victor Hugo, it's listed as the a la menthe fraiche, to distinguish it from the ordinary stuff in a teabag, I suppose. At Moroccan restaurants, I would imagine that their default the a la menthe would be with fresh leaves and not just a teabag.

t

As an art collector, tradition requires a stop at La Palette on rue du Seine. Nothing much has changed in almost 40 years; however the infamous toilet has been upgraded. The surly, bearded waiter is always there (part owner, I am told) and I hear the menu is quite good. Our standard order is a Kir and demi pression. Some things never change, and that can be a very good thing.

The first drink on the first trip to Paris was at Les Deux Magots...
http://babette.smugmug.com/photos/43658957-L-1.jpg

But for the best selection of bieres...

http://babette.smugmug.com/photos/44072465-L-1.jpg

And we always spend an afternoon at the Brasserie D'Ile St. Louis...

http://babette.smugmug.com/photos/10405146-L.jpg

Pjk

My husband and I like Pâtisserie Carette, on the Place Trocadero. We always try to stop there for a pot of tea and a pain au chocolat.

Pâtisserie Carette
4, place Trocadéro
Tel: 01 47 27 98 85

Sandy

Another (heavenly) kir-Royale-like drink: creme de peche (or poire)liquer and champgne...it must have a name but it escapes me!

Kir royal (sans e) or non royal remains the name no matter which liqueur is used. Most cafés offer at least 4 variations -- cassis, blackberry, raspberry, peach -- some have an even bigger selection of possible liqueurs.

Most (but not all) cafés respect the name 'kir royal' and will only call it that if they use champagne.

If they use another sparkling wine, they will usually give it an invented name along the lines of 'kir spécial,' 'kir maison,' or some other name in line with the name of the establishment.

A normal kir will be made with normal white wine, often muscadet, but there is no rule about this. At home, most people use the cheapest white wine they have on hand, because putting liqueur in it automatically 'spoils' any special qualities that the wine may have, the same as mixing Coca-Cola with a fine whiskey.

Duh, no "e" on royale, thanks Kerouac for the correction. I must have 007 on the brain (or maybe just Daniel Craig?)

ttt

I have had an almost annual three-decade ritual of on arrival day/evening, going to Cafe Flore...in the 6th...to have a Kir Royale or two. Then I go back to my hotel room, put in my foam earplugs, and sleep like a baby and wake up the next morning minus the jetlag.
The other cafe I've been going to for equally as long is the cafe on the corner of rue de Seine and Blvd.St.Germain also in the 6th. They have quite tasty food especially omelettes with fries. I sit outside right on that corner and take in the sights. On rue de Seine between Blvd. St.Germain and rue Buci...for one block...there is the open-air market and food vendors selling all kinds of foods. Plus, the grocery store is also in that block. So, I can knock out many birds with one stone before returning to my nearby hotel. Smiles. Happy Travels!

bkm

cafe hugo in the place de voges in marais district--food was very good and atmosphere was great--some of the cafes are hit and miss in my opinion