You might think it strange that one of my favorite places in all of Paris is a bastion of American calm and swank. If you know me though, you know that literature is near and dear to my heart, and that to go follow in the footsteps of my favorite reprobates; Hemingway, Wilde, and Gershwin, was high on my list. Gershwin actually composed “An American in Paris, at the piano bar downstairs, called The Ivories. Many well known jazz age cocktails were pioneered at the lovely long oak bar, and we did our due diligence in sampling a few.
In doing some research before the trip, I found that the bar is LITERALLY a slice of New York, transplanted to Paris. It was previously a bar in Manhattan, that was purchased by a well known jockey. He had the whole place dismantled and shipped to Paris, where it was reassembled in it’s off the beaten path location, down a small connecting street, around the corner from the famous Place de Vendome, with all if it’s well heeled shoppers and some of the most venerable jewelry houses in the world.
It became a gathering spot for American expats, who flocked to Paris in the years before the Great War. In its history, the list of notable patrons is long and glittering, including Coco Chanel, the Duke of Windsor, Humprey Bogart, and even 007 himself, who recalls the night he both visited the bar and lost his virginity, while reminiscing in “From a View to a Kill”.
We wandered in, tired, footsore, and ready for a drink, and were instantly at home. The bar menu is significant, with an excellent whisky and scotch selection, pages of jazz age cocktails, and quirky illustrations. The walls and bar are heavy carved oak, so the bar is elegant and quiet, without being stuffy, and college pennants are everywhere! The Daughter was disappointed that her college was not represented, so we will remedy that on the next trip! The biggest surprise was their very short menu, which consists solely of a hot dog offering, other than the standard bar snacks of mixed nuts, served with our drinks. It has never been my opinion that hotdogs are actually food, but I was hungry, and snagged a bite or two of Annabel’s. It was surprisingly good, and they are steamed in a vintage style steamer that sits on the counter.
It was lovely, for the hour or so we were there, to relax and listen to English, spoken in British and Irish accents. If you are ever in Paris, take a stroll down the Rue Daunou, and stop to have a drink with the Boys.
Vagabond.Belle 