Unique Dining Experience in Paris…

Catherine (4th Arrondissement)

I can totally appreciate artistic expression in any form and I’m a huge visual art lover. When I travel I don’t tend to visit too many art museums these days. When I do, I prefer the smaller less famous ones. Dont get me wrong, I have visited them. I’ve been all through the Louvre, multiple times, L’Orangerie, Orsay. But every time I went to these museums it was because the person I was traveling with wanted to go there. Of course Its always nice to be able to say you’ve been there. I mean if you’ve been to Paris a gazillion times and never been to the Louvre you’d have to engage that conversation a million times over as to why not. And again dont get me wrong, all of them were amazing and I have no regrets. In fact I will be writing about a few of the lesser known museums in and around Paris soon. But when I’m traveling I’m looking for something specific. It almost always has to do with people, food and wine.

Recently, on one of my trips to Paris I had an experience involving one of the city’s local residents that was pretty life changing. I came across a company called Eatwith.com. Eatwith is an organization that matches you up with local hosts all over the world. My immediate thought was wow, this is right up my alley. There are many hosts in Paris on their site but I was very drawn to this one particular listing with a woman named Catherine: “French Dinner near Ile Saint Louis. By the Seine river, a 5 minute walk to Notre Dame Cathedral. In a cozy and warm Parisian apartment”. I couldnt get my curser over to the green “Book my Seats Now” button fast enough.

The first time having dinner with Catherine it was just me and a friend of mine. Catherine meets you down on the street when you arrive and walks you up the beautiful wooden staircase to her apartment. I brought a couple bottles of wine and Catherine also had an apertif waiting for us. She had invited an artist friend of hers to join us. He was charming and gregarious and spoke excellent English. It felt as if we were all old friends. Catherine made a five course dinner with the first course being served very casually at the couch and coffee table. We sat on the floor in our socks and talked about everything under the sun. We had the best time with them! Catherine’s dinners are true farm to table, organic home cooked meals. She is a wonderful Chef. And her table setting is always absolutely gorgeous. You can see more pictures on her Instagram feed @catherinerichard3. From Catherine: “Some are born with a silver spoon in their mouth, I was born with a wooden spoon in my hand! I spent a lot of time in my father’s restaurant where I tasted dishes, enjoyed all the smells and watched all the recipes develop before my eyes, to the delight of the customers and mine!”

I’ve had dinner with Catherine many times now and not just at her cozy and warm Parisian apartment. Catherine has lived in Paris in this same apartment for 23 years and she really knows Paris. She has become a good friend and we have dined at some fun local spots where there wasn’t a tourist in sight! She embodies the definition of “salt of the earth”. She is very personable, funny, sweet, kind, charming and you cant help but fall in love with her. If you want a memorable Parisian experience you should book a dinner with Catherine. You wont regret it. We are hoping to host her here for a visit to Seattle next year which just might include a collaboration French wine dinner. If you live in the Seattle area be sure to subscribe to the blog for more information on these types of dinners. Here is the direct link to book a dinner with Catherine in Paris.