Paris_ The Collected Traveler - Barrie Kerper [248]
Léobert (75 ter rue de Charonne, 11ème / +33 01 43 71 70 05). Wholesale-only upholstery supplies. École Boulle’s source.
Brigitte Duros (27 rue Froidevaux, 14ème / +33 01 43 22 44 77 / tapisserie-paris.com). Judge for Meilleur Ouvrier de France embroidery competition. Restores tapestry, embroidery, and antique fabrics. Can duplicate most any textile. Dyes her own yarn, fixing the tint in bouse de vache (sounds better in French—fermented cow manure!) to restore antique tapisseries. Located on charming courtyard behind the Montparnasse cemetery.
La Galerie des Cadres (131 rue des Rosiers, Saint-Ouen / +33 06 80 65 22 33 / galeriedescadres.studio-batignolles.com). Michel Idée owns this great source for frames at the Paris flea market. All periods and styles. If he doesn’t have it, he’ll find it!
Maison Degroote-Mussy (12 passage des Taillandiers, 11ème / +33 01 48 05 17 16). Last time we popped in, they had a back order of six months, fabricating furniture for Alberto Pinto. One of the few furniture makers still in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine.
Gauthier et Cie (68 avenue Ledru-Rollin, 12ème / +33 01 47 00 60 44 / gauthier-cie.com). Monsieur Tournay’s boutique used to be hidden inside a courtyard on rue de Charonne. He’s upscale now, with a beautiful shop. Why not, for the most beautiful curtain rods in the world? Massive gilt bronze Louis XV consoles. Hand-sculpted wooden rods tinted to the client’s specification. Sells primarily to Russian and Middle Eastern markets. A downer? No new catalog nor price list. To-the-trade only.
Georges Le Manach (31 rue du Quatre-Septembre, 2ème / +33 01 47 42 52 94 / lemanach.fr). Upstairs, delicious silks produced by a meilleur ouvrier de France using Adidas-clad foot power. Jean Paul Getty’s fabric source. Factory in Tours to visit by appointment only. Worth it to see men—tattoos and earrings—hand weaving silk. Sale on slightly irregular fabrics.
Passementerie Île-de-France (11 rue Trousseau, 11ème / +33 01 48 05 44 33 / pidf.fr). Passementerie (trims, cording, and tassels) for royal families and castles. Antique collection to view.
Q: And speaking of addresses, what are some of your favorite culinary haunts in the vicinity of Drouot?
A: A lot of dealers just cross the street to one of the cafés; having a sandwich jambon-beurre at the bar helps to pass the time before the doors open again. Order a demi and you’ll hear the latest scandal or coup in the trade. It’s more pleasant here since smoking was banned. For a real meal, Chartier (rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, 9ème / +33 01 47 70 86 29 / restaurant-chartier.com) provides bistro fare in an incredible Belle Époque atmosphere. I love it from the minute I walk in. The waiters dash about in their long white aprons, torchon swung over their arm, serving up steaming French cuisine. Try the tartare de boeuf just to witness the waiter’s flair in whisking together raw hamburger, mustard, and egg. Orthodox and pied noir Jews (formerly of colonial Algeria) trade in diamonds and textiles in this part of the ninth arrondissement, so good kosher restaurants and bakeries exist down most any street east of Drouot. La Boule Rouge (1 rue de la Boule Rouge), owned by the famous pied noir singer Enrico Macias, offers typical Algerian dishes, including couscous. Watch out for the harissa, the hot chili and garlic condiment.
With fine weather, walk a block to the shopping street, rue Cadet, or continue on up the hill along rue des Martyrs, for a food lover’s paradise of shops filled with foie gras, cheese, pastries, sausages, and bread. Order takeout (à emporter) and eat in the Square d’Anvers, at avenue Trudaine, with a glorious view of Montmartre. Afterward, hoof it down the hill to 3 rue de Rochechouart and stop for Aurore Capucine’s lavender cookie. I’ll travel five thousand miles just to gorge on one. Zazou (20 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre) specializes in North African pastries. Get a tray and load it up with makroud (date-stuffed cakes), semolina and honey cake, or