Bits & Pieces: (Favorite Links)

I always thought that someone could make a mint opening up a good coffee place in Paris. Now there seems to be a few who’ve heeded the call: Coutume Café (47, rue Babylon), KooKa BooRa (62, rue de Martyrs), and Le Bal. Quelle difference!

And since this is the Year of Mexico, in France, a few new Mexican places have opened up serving authentic (or close to authentic) Mexican fare. If you close your eyes, except for the people speaking French instead of Spanish, the super-delicious tacos at Candelaria will make you feel as if you’re right there, in Mexico. And for those who like cocktails, the plain white wooden door in the back leads to a hip cocktail lounge. The Guêpe vert is my favorite, although this isn’t the place for cocktail-lovers who want a quiet space to sip their drinks. (Check out my post Mexican restaurants in Paris for a more complete list.)

I haven’t been yet, but there’s also an American Bar-B-Q in Paris now, too. Yes, really.

Using your ATM card when traveling is often the best way to get cold, hard cash. However they acquire fees from both your bank at home as well as the bank where you’re getting the money. Double-ouch! Convenient, but pricey. For frequent travelers wishing to avoid sky-high ATM fees, I just found out that Schwab account holders can get an ATM card from them, which you can use worldwide with no fees and any ATM fees from other institutions are refunded at the end of the month. If you’re a customer, ask ’em for a card.

Heidi Swanson’s latest book, Super Natural Everyday is gorgeous and I can’t wait to bake and cook my way through it.

Speaking of books, I never thought sandwiches could look so good! Leave it up to Matt Armendariz…

If you live outside of the US and are tired of those annoying “Sorry, this content is not available in your area” messages from the likes of Hulu and Pandora ♥, Witopia will give you an IP address in the United States. It’s probably the best $39 I’ve ever spent. (Thanks to computer whiz Joe Kissell for the tip.)

Memo to Publishers: 8 Things NOT to Say.

Memo to those going on press trips: An Insider’s Guide to Press Trip Etiquette. (Please memorize numbers 1, 6, and 7.)

And as a freelance writer, I had to watch this video about ten times before I stopped laughing. Unfortunately I don’t think they made that conversation up.

Google’s new Recipe Search incited Amanda Hesser to write a plea for allowing recipes not to have to conform to standards that may change the way recipes are written forever. I chimed in later in the comments.

The downside of the recipe search is that my name comes up 3000 times, but not one of the recipe searches leads to the recipe on my site. Um, okay. However I did find plenty of material taken by nefarious means. If it happens to you, aside from feeling bad that folks are trying to make a living that way (instead of, you know, coming up with their own content and recipes) How to Deal with Copyright Theft tells you what options you have.

The fun (and food) – lovin’ gals at Paris by Mouth have a new feature called The Daily Bite, excerpting and highlighting some of the tasty post about Paris, with plenty of listings and archival information.

And the fun (and wine) – lovin’ gars at Ô-Chateau have finally opened their wine bar in Paris. Forty wines are available by the glass, in three various sizes. In addition, there’s spacious tasting rooms for guided wine tastings with their trained sommeliers.

Yowza. The Sweet Life in Paris in paperback just went into its fourth printing, a mere month after it was released. Thanks to all of you who got a book. I wish I could bake each and every one of you a Dulce de Leche brownie and give it to you. But since you already have the recipe in the book, you can make one for yourself and I can save on shipping. Seriously – thanks a bazillion!

Any other expats, if you’re like me, you might find banking terms a little confusing. To avoid telling the bank that they’re welcome to keep all your money, you can check out this practical list of lexicon of French banking terms. (Link opens to downloadable PDF.)