Pia and I found this place last year: it had a good-looking crowd, a cool vibe, and that je ne sais quoi that could be called restaurant charisma.
After a late start yesterday (I was very tired after all that artifying the day before), I got on the Métro rather aimlessly, wondering where I could get something nourishing to eat at the odd hour of 3pm. Then, "Le Fumoir!," I thought, maybe not with an exclamation point, as I was very tired, but definitely with satisfaction.
Le Fumoir is right off the Métro, just west of the Louvre. Since yesterday was yet another holiday in France, there were quite a few people hanging out in the sidewalk café, but inside was relatively quiet, and felt very cool and refreshing compared to the strong sun and heat outside (it was summer weather yesterday). Also, since there's no smoking allowed in bars and restaurants now (though I can't explain the place near my apartment where everyone is smoking hookahs), the terrace of most restaurants is Secondhand Smoke Central. So I took a seat at the bar.
More reasons to appreciate Le Fumoir: it's a very handsome restaurant, it serves all day, the bartenders know how to make real cocktails (a rarity in Paris), there's a big selection of super-fresh juice combos, and the people-watching is excellent.
I had a yummy caesar-style salad, with romaine, haricots verts, white asparagus (which I still don't understand the point of), roast chicken, tons of parmesan shavings, and croutons. And a bergamot-mint iced tea. And a café, which comes with gingersnaps. I read the International Herald Tribune and felt very cosmopolitan, indeed.
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