L'Alivi — Restaurant in Paris

If you want to not have a horrible experience in Paris do yourself a favor and do not go to this place. My husband and I arrived to this restaurant without a reservation only to be told that all the tables were reserved (there where only 3 empty tables) one of them was taken by the person before us who did not have a reservation either. According to the helper he was lucky and he has taken the last available table. She offered to seat us outside with really bad weather and nobody seating outside. Otherwise we would have to wait for an hour and a half to be sited indoors. I convinced my husband to wait for a little in case they would have a last minute cancellation. I let her know that and she assured me she had confirmed the reservations a few minutes before and the people were going to be there soon. While we waited outside a young couple stopped by and went in to ask for a table. I asked if they had a reservation and they did not. Imagine our surprise when we see them being seated and we had been waiting outside to be seated way before they arrived. I went inside and I asked what has happened. The waitress tried to tell that they had a reservation but I told her she was lying since they told me they didn’t have one then she told me she had just gotten a phone call with a cancellation and that was why they were being seated. Yes!! They were seated Before us even thought she knew we were waiting outside and she could see us looking at her through the window. The question here is why? did we do anything wrong? Maybe we did not try to speak in French to her? We did not want to be told that we did not do a good enough job! Maybe we were not dressed well enough? We were not the best dress in the premises but we for sure were not the most underdressed; the young couple that arrived after us were carrying their backpacks and were wearing jeans and tennis shoes. Besides, the restaurant does not have a dress code. Again, why then; we notice from the beginning that she was very reluctant to give us a table, did she notice my Spanish accent? Is she a racist? I hope not but it would not surprise me. In any case I can’t help but wonder what did we do wrong in her world to deserve this treatment. My conclusion is that unfortunately there are good and bad people in this world and we just happened to run into a really bad one today. I really hope that this review gives you pause and that you chose to go to another one of the thousands of restaurants in Paris and...

This cozy corsican restaurant is like many Marais establishments, housed in an house with a lot of history. It is said that the great Renoir had a little bit too much wine and serenaded a woman of the night just around the corner. But that is only hearsay.

What is truly true is that my grandmother is from Sardegna. The island just south of Corsica or Corse as the french say. The menu echoed of the same ingredients that marks the cuisine of the italian regions that are close or that Corse traded with. The pistou ornamenting the carpaccio was lovely and crunchy with hazelnuts and herbs from the lush paysage of the french island. The fish with the polenta was succulent and tasty with a grilled polenta that would make my milanese friends proud.

The staff was heartily friendly and created a nice vibe in this wonderful restaurant. Though I would rather call it a trattoria, which is a place where the white gloves and tuxedos are banned and so even liquid nitrogen. A trattoria for me is a place to eat and enjoy a delicious meal with a relaxed and lovely atmosphere. Well done L' Alivi for being such a great restaurant (or trattoria). We felt very well taken care of and the menu and the wines matched...

It is claimed to be "the best ice cream in the world" and I have ZERO doubts about it!

On a nice afternoon in Paris, a group of friends and I came to Berthillon to get ice cream. Originally disappointed because I thought it was closed, we got in line because everyone else was in line (my best tip of advice for traveling - if there are a bunch of people standing in line, whatever the store is selling must be good). Anyway, we discovered that this little window in the middle of a tiny street was actually Berthillon!

Now, the gelato was SO good. I can honestly still remember the distinct taste in my mouth. Especially the pieces of strawberry in the wild strawberry. Also, as a side note, my boyfriend and I usually share gelato so we get to try everything without the extra calories, but I was so adamant about getting my own. I really wish I could have...