An Opulent Afternoon in Paris and an announcement

We're only about a month or so away from the start of the holiday season so folks, let me ask you this: have you started getting ready yet?
Glorious Fall, with its warm, golden tones and a bounty of seasonal fruit, foliage and nature's gifts, offers an abundance of inspirational decorations for the holidays. Almost a standing tradition at our home, we would kick-start mini projects for the holidays as soon as October arrives and get a head-start on the holiday shopping to avoid those last-minute stresses not to mention, getting the best deal for our money. I'm on a mission to find the perfect end-tables for our sectional in the living room, toys for all the little munchkins - this has always been the biggest headache factor for us, gifts for the in-laws (an even bigger headache) and select cookware for our holiday feasts. As an avid online shopper, imagine the thrill
when
the folks at CSN Stores, a Top 3 online retailer in US, invited me to do a product review from one of their 200+ online sites, a marketplace offering household goods from furniture to home gym equipment to, my favorite, bakeware and many more. I am excited to make the announcement at this time since the timing's certainly perfect as we search for the best online bargains for the holidays. So do stay tuned for the upcoming reviews, giveaways and treats for you down the road.

Now, back to the series of my afternoon affairs in Paris.

Hôtel Le Bristol, Paris - the hallmark of luxury, extravaganza and grandeur. Palatial hallways, sumptuous tapestry, deluxe fabrics and refined furniture

.....a statement of French chic and opulence. Somehow, this place reminded me of the movie Pretty Woman; does the following photo remind you of a particular scene from the movie?

Nevermind that it was ridiculously priced, but I have found yet another great millefeuille, one that's even on par with that of Hermé's. Impossible? Mais, oui......

It was a traditional millefeuille with 3 layers of puff pastry, baked to a golden, flaky perfection (unlike the over-done, slightly bitter flavor that I had written about here) with layers of basic but simply divine, velvety goodness of a créme pâtissiére. And, to justify the exorbitant price?  An extra side of raspberry sorbet which I thought, would be better on its own - the millefeuille did not need any extra adornment anyways - but at Euro 23 a piece, I wouldn't complain and would gladly take the sorbet, powdered sugar, gold leaf and all! By the way, my instructor Chef JJ used to be the head pastry chef at Le Bristol and I thought it was so neat to see his raspberry sorbet here, which was demo'd to us in class.

During the non-summer months, Le Bar at Le Bristol  holds a Fashion High Tea twice a month where one gets to enjoy the latest haute collections from fashion designers accompanied by a selection of haute pastries specially designed by resident pastry chef Laurent Jeanin.

An elegant afternoon in the exquisite gardens of Le Bristol, sipping tea, sampling delectable pastries and catching a glimpse of the ritzy life. Sheer indulgence? Perhaps. My everyday cup of tea? Definitely not.

Hôtel Le Bristol, Paris
112 Rus du Faubourg Saint-Honoré
75008 Paris
Tel.: 01 53 43 43 40
Afternoon tea served from 3:30 pm - 5:00pm