Jodie and I have gone to Paris three times now for work, and unfortunately it never lived up to its reputation until our most recent visit.  The first two times I attributed our discontent to three things: 1. We don’t speak a lick of French (Bonjour and Je T’aime won’t get you by) 2. There was no romance (just Jodie and I) and 3. We worked the entire time so we never got to really explore the city.

In case you’re planning a trip to Paris, be sure to check out these few restaurants that we absolutely adored:

1. ANAHI (Restaurante Sud-Americano/Argentinian) 49, rur volta. Tel. 01 48 87 88 24

The steak is out of control. Its always busy so you’ll have to call in advance for a reservation, but still be prepared to wait.  It’s a hole in the wall and super cozy.  Totally worth the wait.

2. 404 (Moroccan Cuisine) 69, rue des Gravilliers. Tel. 01 42 74 57 81.

Great ambience in a cozy setting.  Delicious Moroccan food. Get their recommended dishes (we had something with lamb and loved it).  Gets crazy late night, so get there on the earlier side if you’re not in the mood to party.

3. CHEZ RENE 14 Boulevard Saint-Germain.

French bistro with adorable ambience and classic French food.  Unfortunately, Jodie and I ordered the wrong thing (again, we don’t speak French, but Jodie swears she’s going to learn).  Stick to classic French Steak and Frites (which everyone around us seemed to have), and you’ll go home happy.  Our saving grace was the chocolate mousse and homemade icecream… and lovely maitre d (who spoke English).

4. FOUJITA 2 Restaurant Japonais 7 Rue du 29 Juillet. Tel 01 49 26 07 70.

Authentic Japanese. It’s an absolute hole in the wall but the sushi is heavenly. Our concierge grew up in Paris and swore by this restaurant. Be sure to finish off with the Green Tea icecream. We had two servings back-to-back because it was just that good.

5. ANGELINA (Tea Room) 226 Rue de Rivoli.

Great for an afternoon tea break and a pastry or two. Loved the ambience–so regal and ornate. I wasn’t a huge fan of Mont Blanc (their signature dessert) or their famous l’Africain chocolate, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.

6. HEMINGWAY BAR at Hotel Ritz.

You have to walk through a long hallway decorated with sponsors’ weird clothing and jewelry to get to Hemingway Bar, but don’t let that deter you from your mission. The drinks are (obviously) way overpriced, but it’s such an incredible world in there, that you have to at least have a drink. We love the Serendipity (the Hemingway House cocktail) and the Dry Martini.

Hemingway Bar's menu

At Hemingway Bar with designer Fiona Knapp and Michael

We didn’t have enough time to check out a few highly recommended restaurants (by reputable sources, of course), but we will for sure next time.  Here they are:

Le Coup Chou, Derrière, and Apicius.  Stay tuned for our favorite French brands and shopping spots…

First off, Happy Thanksgiving!  Don’t forget to come by the DANNIJO Black Friday event at Rosenblums if you’re in Jacksonville. Click here for more details.

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Like the great Dave Matthews sings, ‘all good things must come to an end sometime.’  The DANNIJO Summer 2009 internship program went out with a bang…an explosion of a night.  What started off with a surprise DANNIJO Decoupage rooftop Party (music provided by the great John Forte) ended with a 6am Kings of Leon concert in Rockefeller Center with Natalie Morales and Al Roker. Whats cooler than that?!

John Forte gets the groove on

Of course everyone was blinged out in their new DANNIJO (each got a $500 wholesale stipend towards their favorite pieces).  The sequence of events was quite the marathon–

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A few of my latest obsessions and recommendations…

WATCH. The Girl Effect. If this doesn’t inspire you, you’re not human. DANNIJO is currently working on a plan to employ women in developing parts of Africa to create a sustainable business model that fosters economic opportunity and has the girl effect.  The Girl Effect is the powerful social and economic change brought about  when girls have the opportunity to participate in their society.

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Although I’m not a professional food writer, I do LOVE to eat, and I do love to dine out. I figured I’d share some of my favorite New York eats…

ROC (Tribeca)

The BEST ALL AROUND RESTAURANT for dinner (atmosphere, food, crowd, music, etc) is ROC on Duane + Greenwich St. The food (italian) is amazing and the ambiance is perfect (large windows, just the right amount of space–not too large, but still cozy, and great service).  Not to mention, Rocco has the best Ipod in the city, so the music is always great.

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