In the heart of Paris’ elegant 16th arrondissement the Bistro de la Muette could just as easily be called the Bistro 42,as in euros-the cost of a complete meal that features a choice of entrée, plat,dessert ou fromage and a bottle of wine for two.

This typical Montmartre bistro that periodically becomes a cabaret, has stood on this site in various permutations for over 400 years. Being the snob that I can be, that was reason enough to avoid it, but on this crisp fall morning I popped in to take off the chill with a café/calva, and met owner Patrick Fracheboud who went the extra mile and served me a glass of calvados with my coffee.

In addition to my articles about the elegant boutique of the internationally renowned caviar importer, PETROSSIAN, M was recently invited (with our foreign press association) to the recently opened Boutique Rive Droite near the Russian Orthodox Church on the rue Daru in the 17th arrondissement as they prepared for Christion Easter on April 5 and Russian Orthodox easter on April 12.

We’d been shopping at the Organic Market on the Blvd. des Batignolles and it was time for lunch. I remembered passing a quaint bistro on the rue des Dames called, quaintly enough , Un Air de Famille. From the outside it looks like the tiny  salon de thé that Fréderic’s parents originally opened thirty years ago but inside it is a maze of nooks and crannies filled with antiques that can accommodate up to 100 diners.

 Just a few steps from the Arc de Triomphe, this pleasant bistro has become a canteen for business types from the neighborhood, and after my lunch and conversations with adjacent diners I know why.

I was in the 17th arrondissement to look at an apartment to add to my list of rental units and en route to the Metro I stumbled upon Les Poulettes Batignolles, well, not exactly, I’d read a review by a critic that I respect and wanted a look see. Satisfied with  what I saw I booked a table for Saturday afternoon.