I am no different than most, I like tips and recommendations from people I know. I like to return the favor and am flattered by how often I am asked about my favorites, from restaurants to hotels to hairdressers to dress makers. Everyone has favorites, of course, and items they are comfortable recommending. Since I travel so much, it seems I can save people some time and money, serving as the reader's surrogate, buying and trying things myself. Sometimes I write about them in magazine articles and sometimes I am interviewed in magazines about my likes and dislikes. Here are some recommendations:

Restaurants and Hotels

For more than fifteen years, my husband Edward and I have been writing a Wining and Dining column for the Quarterly Review of Wines, which is distributed on newsstands nationwide. Here are pdf files of a few of our recent articles:

Wining & Dining: Provence
Wining and Dining: Orlando
Wining and Dining: Spain
Wining and Dining: South Beach
Wining and Dining: Our Favorite London and Dublin Hotels
Wining and Dining: Les Baux de Provence
Wining and Dining: Shanghai
Wining and Dining: More Best Bites
Wining and Dining: Rio de Janeiro
Wining and Dining: Sydney, Australia
Wining and Dining: Three Great Relais & Châteaux
Wining and Dining: New York
Wining and Dining: London
Wining and Dining: Alsace

Herbs and Spices

There is no better place than Aphrodisia for spices, herbs and essential oils.  I’ve been going there for the last twenty years and never been disappointed. So, for those of you unhappy with some store bought spice jars (like everything there is quality and quality not mentioning freshness), go for a walk if you live in Manhattan (264 Bleecker Street) and discover the kind of shops that is a reminder of French local market spice/herb stands or look up their site.   

Cheese

For cheese lovers go to The Vermont Butter and Cheese Company and taste their newest baby, “fromage blanc.”

Until recently, this was a hard one to find in the US, even in New York where everything seems available.  Now, The Vermont Butter and Cheese Company  (tel . 1-800-884-6287) has finalement added it to its line of superb products. It’s one of those French women diet secrets (along with yogurt) and it is as versatile as we eat it at breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can eat it plain, with a drizzle of honey, berries of any kind, as a dip with crudités and in countless fish, meat and veggies recipes.   Try it and don’t blame me if you get hooked.  I am.

It’s not the only product that this company makes well: a sliver of their cultured butter with sea salt crystals will give another dimension to your morning oatmeal or your piece of toast.  For those of you who use crème fraiche, I highly recommend theirs. A teaspoon on a bowl of berries will make for a special dessert. Their small round bijou is indeed a gem of a goat cheese that is particularly tasty toasted under the broiler for a few minutes and added to a mixed green salad with some cooked beets and a few nuts.  All their goat cheeses are actually worth experimenting at various ripening stages.  As if this was not convincing enough, read the history of the company on the company’s Website and meet the lovely owner, Allison. If it’s like in the wine business where “like you like your wines” applies: you’ll surely fall in love with une femme passionnée , the company and the products she created where quality reigns supreme. 

Note Cards

A few years ago in San Francisco I ran out of note cards and when shopping for quick fix fell in love with the artwork and cards of Nick Hanzlik. I subsequently sought him out to do some work for Clicquot and found him living and working in North Carolina. Nick's work is extraordinary. His illustrations are paper cut-outs pasted down and then photographed for reproduction. When the publisher of French Women Don't Get Fat suggested chapter illustrations . . . I recommended Nick. And I am glad. Check out his cards, which can be ordered from his web site: www.r-nichols.com.

Chocolate

Need I tell you I love chocolate? Good, rich, dark chocolate. Many of you have asked for additional recommendations for quality chocolates and I must admit that among commercial brands, I am not alone in singling out Valrhona. In Paris, my favorites include the wonderful Marcolini, down the street from where I live on rue de Seine. These handcrafted chocolates by the talented Pierre Marcolini are divine, particularly his collection of petit carres and coffee dark chocolates which are sometimes difficult to live without. Jean-Paul Hevin’s shop, also near my home in Paris, is another much loved chocolatier. It’s not uncommon for me to find myself there once a week. And last, but certainly not least, Michael Cluizel. The one and only exclusive US Cluizel shop is located at ABC Carpet and Home in New York.

I’m happy to report that artisan chocolatiers in the U.S are making some great chocolate. I love Jacques Torres, Vosges, and Scharffen Berger.

And then there is Recchiuti Confections . . . I’ve tasted most of what they make at some point or other, but my three favorites remain: force noire; kona coffee (maybe because I think chocolate pairs best with coffee); and last but not least piedmont hazelnut.

On my most recent trip to Paris, I fell in love with Chocolaterie de Beussent, located at 21, rue de Bourg Tibourg 75004 Paris and Jean-Charles Rochoux's shop, on 16, rue d'Assas 75006 Paris.

*Remember chocolate should be tasted at room temperature . . . and as with wine read the flavor descriptions, enjoy the aroma, sense the texture by chewing ever so slowly to get that velvety smooth texture and savor the unique flavor of each piece. Don’t forget the last step: the aftertaste. Remember that with all good things less is more, and it’s all in the first bites.

Vive le chocolat!

For even more information on chocolate, visit frenchwomendontgetfat.com.

Croissants

Many readers have written to say they have enjoyed preparing the recipes in French Women Don't Get Fat, but they haven't tackled croissants yet, which I fully understand. So, here are two secret directions to where I go for my favorite croissants when I'm not baking in Paris and New York (why are they so close to my home?)

La Bergamote
169 9th Avenue (corner of 20th St.)
New York, NY 10011
Telephone: 212-672-9010

You may like to go to La Bergamote for breakfast or afternoon tea as they have a few tables and a very Parisian display of patisseries of exquisite quality.

Carton
6 Rue de Buci
Paris, 6ème

Their baguette tradition, brioches, pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins and palmiers are zee best, and most of their patisseries are exquisite. In spite of the number of good patisseries in the neighborhood, they have their regulars who just moan and groan on Mondays when they are closed.

Yogurt Makers

If you've read my book, you know that I love yogurt and make my own, which means less sugar and less money. It's easy. You can buy a relatively inexpensive yogurt maker for foolproof, good results. I have one made by Donvier.

In addition to Donvier, there are many great yogurt makers out there, available at most stores and dozens of websites. Keep your eyes peeled for these brands:
Salton
Deni
Euro Cuisine
Yogourmet

Hair

This is a tough one -- so subjective -- but people always ask where I get my hair done, here are my regular New York and Paris favorites:

Frederic Fekkai
15 East 57th St.
New York
Telephone: 212-753-9500
My two favorite stylists there are Philippe Barr and Patrick Bassett.

Peter Gadge
88 Rue des Archives
Paris 3ème
Telephone: 01 42 78 79 72
From the states: 011 33 1 42 78 79 72

After having recommended Peter in a piece in Town & Country (June 1999), I am amazed but not surprised that some clients from Boston, San Francisco, Atlanta, etc., keep coming back. He's still the king of zee best cut in town -- a true artist. A great gift to give oneself . . . you'll be a true Parisienne after la transformation. Trust him . . . and be prepared for a slow cut.

Flowers

Flowers are the gift for all occasions as the saying goes, "Dites le avec des fleurs" (say it with flowers). I cannot live without flowers, and am captivated by the increasing number of small flower shops doing unusual arrangements. Here are a few favorites in New York, Paris and Toronto:

New York
L'Olivier at www.lolivier.com
Uptown: 19 E. 76th St., telephone: 212-774-7676
Downtown: 213 W. 14th St., telephone: 212-255-2828

Olivier, king of Provence in New York, has a style I fell in love with when I first saw his amazing arrangements at restaurant Daniel, and now that he has opened a place on 14th Street (which one can rent for parties as it's attached to a beautiful garden in the back done by Olivier himself), I can stop at the shop on my way home and pick the flowers of the week. His windows are worth seeing, and so is his secret garden.

Paris . . . "small is beautiful"
These are small shops that do one-of-a-kind little arrangements to please the most demanding flower lover, and they deliver:
Sol y Flor, 5 rue Coetlogon, 6ème, telephone: 01 45 44 75 21
Odorantes, 9 rue Madame, 6ème, telelphone: 01 42 84 03 00
Guillaume fleurs, 120 boulevard Raspail, 6ème, telephone 01 45 49 44 14
Lea Flores, 119 rue de Grenelle, 7th, telephone: 01 44 18 01 31

Toronto
Teatro Verde is actually more than a flower shop. In addition to the truly stupendi arrangements, this most incredible shop features items handpicked by the owner and his partner from all over Europe, particularly France, be they vases, dishes, books, linens, cards, pieces for the bathroom and much more. What a treat to shop!

Home and Fashion Ideas

House and Garden
Travel + Leisure

Numerous women ask where I buy my ‘couture’ clothing. I have a secret to tell you: French women don’t wear couture! We much prefer a few pieces of simple, good quality clothing that we can accessorize with and wear forever. Some of my favorite blouses I’ve owned for many years. Recently, I fell in love with the classic style blouses at São, located in Soho. A tailored white blouse is perfect for any occasion.

The São Store
112 Wooster Street
New York, NY 10012
www.SaoNewYork.com

Watches

I love my Breitling. I don't always wear a watch, but sometimes I must, and I appreciate how important watches are to some people and how much they are noticed. The model I wear is Callistino. When it comes to watches, I was raised to trust the Swiss. Breitling is a family company that only makes the best. I usually wear it the French way, that is with dial on the palm side of my wrist and the bracelet on top of my wrist so it looks like I am actually wearing a fancy bracelet. I also find wearing it this way facilitates discreet glances at the time.

--more to come--