Champs Elysees - is described as the world's most beautiful avenue, but only by people who have not been there for several decades.

 In practice, it is a 'disaster' according to renown French architect, Philippe Chiambaretta. He says and I totally agree and most Parisians too, the avenue has become tacky, polluted and hated and the French tend to avoid it if at all possible. The only one who walk its broad avenue are tourists, in the thousands. 

BUT, The  city is seeking to being back this glorious avenue to its history with reducing traffic, widening pavements, planting trees and redesigning store fronts. 

The avenue which was in the middle of the woods until Emperor Napoleon III ordered the design of the French capital  in the second half of the 19th century, was long liked by Parisians. It used to be a very nice and fashionable part of the city. Parisians would love to  go there, essentially to walk amidst nature.

But the last 30 years its turned into an outdated and unpleasant area, 11,000 cars an hour producing tons of pollution. It's become  a highway and a terrible shopping mall.  Why would anyone go there, the locals ask?

The area is about to be redone, the first stage of re-enchantment has begun to bring life back into the area with much greenery..

Mimi Sheraton, New York Times food critic dies at age 97....

 As a rule, I never, ever read food critic reviews, as rating food is so subjective. Ah! but I did read always ( and collect all of his books) the late food writer and critic, James Villas, because ( like me) he waged an uncivil war against voguish gustatory gimmickry.

I knew upon reading his books, that we had a firm bond in our love of all food, and I loved in that he could talk and love all kinds of cooking and foods, but also, could waxed well on the joys of peanut butter and canned tuna!

I will admit that I never read any of Ms. Sheratons books or reviews, but in reading her obituary this morning, I was intrigued by a column she penned a few years ago, called the ' my 10 most memorable meals' and it ended, with her single best meal of her life. Where? You guessed it - France!

By far, she said, was a visit to Paris and the bistro Chez L'Ami Louis many years ago. She writes after spending a few weeks in Paris  to report on the new nouvelle cuisine created by the "young turks", she became exhausted by the cleverness of the new (My feeling always) , and that She cried out for traditional French cooking.

She described a visit to Bistro L'Ami Louis and found his food so totally stunning and soul satisfying ( Now, that woke me up as to her reviews) that it virtually wiped out memories of the new (Something I agreed with her) .

Decadent foie gras simply served with chunks of bread toasted over a wood fire, the sizzling giant snails, the roseate garlic and thyme-scented gigot of lamb, the legendary roast Bresse chicken, the blood-red entrecote and the crackling roasted kidneys - while most of her memories of the nouvelle creations have long disappeared, its the traditional French cooking that, those
melodies do linger on. 

Late in her life, she remarked that while everyone is looking to the right (or the new) , its better to check up on the left (or the old).

                                       Bravo, Ms. Sheraton.