Welcome to FOUND Paris
Jean Imbert, Trocadero listings, Le Saint Sébastien, Crimson, best online groceries, Ruche, The Whitebridge Hotel, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Cruising altitude
Globe-trotting chef Jean Imbert has finally hit his stride at the swanky Hôtel Plaza Athénée, where on Fridays and Saturdays, you can find his 190 € three-course lunch.
Imbert’s arrival three years ago signaled a major changing of the gastronomic guard in Paris — after all, he replaced Alain Ducasse. But it’s taken some time for him to settle in, especially because he has restaurants everywhere from Saint Barths to Dubai. Out of the gate, he did a brilliant job rebooting the Plaza Athénée’s rather elderly brasserie, Le Relais Plaza, with a menu of comfort food dishes like baked stuffed tomatoes.
It was slower going at Jean Imbert au Plaza Athenee, the hotel’s main gastronomic restaurant, with its opulent Vive le Roi! decor, best embodied by a mile-long red marble table dotted with crystal and gilt candelabras. If an initial meal here was excellent, the following one came off more like business-class catering.
Now, though, Imbert’s reached cruising altitude. It’s especially true of the lunch menu, which includes a first, main, and dessert (a miniature buffet of spectacularly beautiful and inventive French pastries). There’s also a complimentary suite of hors d’oeuvres, plus champagne, mineral water, and coffee. The menu evolves regularly, but a recent lunch of scallop mousse with sea urchin, followed by sea bass in a sauce of vin jaune with girolles mushrooms was technically flawless, beautifully plated, and deeply satisfying.
They also pour a seriously good list of wines by the glass, including a flinty Condrieu and a luscious Pommard. Under the direction of galant and hawk-eyed Denis Courtiade, probably the best maitre d’hotel in Paris, service is unfailingly warm and alert, all part and parcel of one of the best buys in town. –Alexander Lobrano
→ Jean Imbert au Hôtel Plaza Athénée (8th arr) • 25 Av Montaigne • Lunch Fri & Sat 12h30-14h15, dinner Tue-Sat 19h15-22h15 • Book.
PARIS RESTAURANT LINKS: The top women’s chefs defining Paris’ new dining scene • Paying a visit to Goncourt newcomer Le Cornichon… and Margaux, new restaurant serving classics in the 16th • Sauvage in the 6th turns 10 • Where David Lebovitz has been dining around town lately • Some Michelin predictions in advance of the big announcement • Why are there suddenly so many coffee shops?
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
Three properties for sale around 3M € in the Trocadero area of the 16th:
→ Poincaré (metro Trocadero, Victor Hugo, Boissiere) • 3BR/2BA, 198 m2 • Ask: 3.15M € • 1st floor apartment in renovated 1930s building w/ quiet secure courtyard, intercom, building attendant, elevator, street parking • Annual property taxes: 2085 €; annual maintenance fees: 7216 € • Agent: Guillaume Victor Pujebet, Daniel Feu Victor Hugo.
→ Trocadero (metro Trocadero) • 4BR/2.1BA, 243 m2 • Ask: 3.3M € • Large apartment with high ceilings in renovated 7-story building in prime location • Annual expenses: 10 400 € • Listing agency: Vaneau Trocadero.
→ Lamartine Square (metro Victor Hugo, Rue de la Pompe) • 4BR/4BA, 230 m2 • Ask: 3.3M € • Roomy, airy (and air-conditioned) 3rd floor apartment in 7-story 1930s building with elevator • Annual property taxes: 4600 €; annual maintenance fees: 8136 € • Agent: Berenice Miliotis, Victor Hugo Immobilier. –Andra Zeppelin
WORK • Friday Routine
Queen of the castle
DANIELA LAVADENZ • restaurant owner • Le Saint Sébastien
Neighborhood you live and work in: 11th arr
It’s Friday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Le Saint Sébastien is a neo-bistrot in the 11th, which is where I live too, within walking distance of the restaurant. We’re only open for dinner, so we start our work day at 14h. I’m very involved in the daily operational life of the restaurant, all day, every day, which is normal when you work for yourself. My husband is a business owner, too; he runs a great craft brewery near Paris, Deck & Donohue, and his schedule is dynamic like mine, so we’ve created our own balance. Fridays are often a very busy service for us; it requires organization of the main room (where we welcome the guests), the wine selection, and coordination between kitchen and front of house. A few hours before service, things feel lively — great vibes, and a little bit of adrenaline before the evening starts.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Small but important tasks — replying to client requests, paying invoices, validating wine orders with the providers, checking food costs, and creating social media content. I need to catch up on them now, as tomorrow, I’m going to be on the floor, so I’ll have less time for the back office tasks.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
This weekend, we’re heading to Alsace, where my husband is from. He’s booked us a table at La Nouvelle Auberge in the village of Wihr-au-Val. We’re going for its amazing wine program, so I’m really excited to discover the menu. Another restaurant I loved for the wine is La Table de Chaintré in Mâcon in Burgundy. It has one of the best wine lists in the region, so I’m keen to go back. Otherwise, in Paris, I often go to Clamato, Café du Coin for their pizzetas, Ten Belles for a quick lunch (they have the best egg mayo focaccia) and Le Mary Celeste for a small bite to eat with a nice glass of wine.
Any weekend getaways?
We own a cottage in the north of Burgundy, in a region called Yonne, and for the last two years, we go there as much as our schedules let us. Since we bought it, every second of my free time has been spent looking around for interior inspiration, then scouring secondhand websites like Le Bon Coin, Proantic, Interencheres, and the auction house Drouot for furniture, china, chandeliers, and so on. My other main activity since we bought the cottage is planting raspberries and blackberries out in the garden, and removing the weeds. During the summers we’ve been going to Les Estivales de Puisaye, which puts on an amazing show of classical music in castles and chapels around Yonne.
I also love visiting castles, the villages around them, and during the summertime, the village flea markets. Among my favorites are Château de Fontainebleau and Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, both around a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Paris, and Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, which is around a four-and-a-half-hour drive.
What was your last great vacation?
It was the Scottish Highlands in April last year, a destination that I’d had in mind for a really long time. We stayed at The Whitebridge Hotel, a beautiful old hunting lodge turned hotel and pub in Inverness before driving up to the Isle of Skye where we stayed at Viewfield House, a gorgeous Victorian manor house in Portree. Whilst there we visited Stirling Castle and Urquhart Castle (like I said, I love castles), Rosslyn Chapel and Roslin Glen, and Scone Palace, a former royal Scottish palace, nothing to do with pastry! The restaurant we loved the most was Inver in Strathlachlan in Argyll & Bute.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
A patchwork platter from Astier de Villatte & Saquai. I think it was a limited edition, but I love what Astier de Villatte do in general. I'm a big fan of the coupelles, which are like small dishes or saucers, and the coupe and the gobelet in the Lion Collection.
GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines
Provisioning, online
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of Paris’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or email found@foundparis.com.
Épices Roellinger (above), unparalleled selection of exotic and freshly ground spices
Poiscaille, subscription-based service delivering sustainable seafood directly from French fishermen
Bordier, famous for artisanal butters (like seaweed and smoked salt), creams, cheeses
Delicatisserie, high-end cakes, tarts, other sweet delicacies
Terroirs d’Avenir, extension of Parisian shops providing meats, fish, and produce sustainably sourced from small-scale farmers and artisans
Poilâne, for miche, punitions, and spoon-shaped biscuits, delivered anywhere in France
Maison Dehesa, for the best pata negra, bottarga, guanciale, and smoked ikejime sardines
Kom and Sal, chef Nadia Sammut sells gluten-free bread, cakes, and biscuits
Bacanha, elegant syrups in distinctive bottles for desserts, cocktails, even a glass of sparkling water
CULTURE & LEISURE • Saturday Night
Saut Hermès • Le Grand Palais (8th arr) • Fri-Sun, weekend pass, section 1, 235 € per
André Rieu • Accor Arena (Bercy, 12th arr) • Sat @ 19h00 • section X, 84 € per
Danakil • Zenith Paris (Parc de la Villette, 19th arr) • Sat @ 18h30 • libre, 36 € per
GETAWAYS • Forêt de Rambouillet
Greener pastures
The Skinny: Just a 45-minute drive from Paris, nestled in the Forêt de Rambouillet, lies a country house surrounded by a bountiful garden that feeds both Ruche and its Boulogne counterpart, La Table de Cybèle. Chef Cybèle Idelot, originally from San Francisco, and her husband Franck (from Champagne) split their time between the two locations. Here, the team works the garden together, feeding their menu with the freshest produce possible.
The Vibe: Soft green pastels, natural linens, and warm wood coalesce for a relaxed, earthy setting, as though you’re staying for the weekend at the home of your friends Cybèle and Franck (a few overnight rooms are indeed available to book). Shelves supporting jars of preserved or dried produce, herbs, and peels instantly immerse you in Cybèle’s no-waste approach, intertwined with cookbooks, art, and design books.
The Food: Whether showcasing the morning’s prime harvest or humble vegetable scraps, each serving demonstrates a deep respect for ingredients. With a focus on sustainability, Cybèle even reimagines cacao — her focao, a concoction made from smoked vegetable scraps mimics the beans’ bitterness and nuttiness. Another standout is her carrot dish, featuring every part of the vegetable, and including a carrot “coffee” delicious enough to drink by the mug. The food is vegetable-driven without being vegetarian; she also serves local game and fish from small fishmongers.
The Drink: Franck kicks things off with garden-inspired mocktails or cocktails before diving into an impressive selection of natural wines. His extensive knowledge brings the stories behind each cuvée to life. The wines aren’t just complimentary, but a natural extension of the flavors on the plate, adding an extra layer of depth to the experience. For instance, a velvety Ploussard by Les Bottes Rouges accompanies a dish of venison loin, kiwai with marigold, pointed cabbage, and mustard seeds.
The Verdict: It’s worth making time for the Sunday lunch tasting menu, in which the seven courses unfold over a leisurely afternoon, a quaint escape combining thoughtful cuisine and loving hospitality. –Candice Chemel
→ Ruche (Gambais) • Domaine les Bruyères, 251 Avenue de Neuville • Book.
GETAWAYS LINKS: SNCF reveals design for new TGV-M, debuting on Paris-Lyon-Marseille line next year • Checking out the new Hotel Experimental Marais • Nobu Hospitality makes its Netherlands debut • Yolo’s Alps hotels list • Relearning how to sleep at a Swiss spa • This art fair turned Marrakesh into a vital creative hub.
ASK FOUND
First, a quick primer on how this works: You send us the pressing questions of the day (on dining, services, living in Paris and surrounds). We all put our heads together (us, FOUND, + you, FOUND subscribers, who are also FOUND) in search of truth and beauty.
Three FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we are seeking intel:
If you haven’t already, tell us your favorite Paris restaurant.
What Paris hotel do you always recommend for out-of-town guests?
Tell us about your favorite short-distance getaway?
Got answers or more questions? Reply to this email.