As a part of the Dining Traveler team, it goes without saying that I love to travel. However, like most people, I have to space out my travels due to finances. As such, I like to find dining options in DC where I can feel like I am on vacation. A charming Italian restaurant with housemade pasta can make me feel like I am in Rome, and a bustling Japanese izakaya can bring back memories of being in Tokyo.

Recently, I stopped by Maison Kayser, a Parisian bistro that opened downtown. The warm, comforting fragrance of baking bread enveloped me as soon as I walked in the door, transporting me to the neighborhood bakeries of Paris. The enticing smell led me to grab a menu and sample some of the treats. Read on to find out more about my experience.

Bistro Vibes
The DC outpost of Maison Kayser has two sections: a take-away cafe and sit-down bistro. The bistro is oozing with Parisian charm and Parisian fare. Sample fresh salads like the endive salad with radicchio, blue cheese, and apples or a goat cheese salad with a lemon vinaigrett. You can also indulge in entrees like a veggie quiche, macaroni au gratin or a pasta tossed with meaty mushrooms and baby kale. However, our favorite part is the bread. Crunchy baguette, chewy multigrain, nutty walnut, fragrant sourdough and so much more. All of the bread is baked fresh daily, and the quality is impeccable.

Carry Out Cafe
The to-go section of Maison Kayser filled with delectable pastries like croissants and eclairs and madeleines. Baked goods are served in mini versions for a smaller bite…or so you can sample more items. The tiny tarts and mini muffins are irresistible. Sandwiches, bread, coffee, and dessert are also available.

Maison Kayser: The Verdict

We are lucky that a Maison Kayser has opened up in our city! Stop by for pastry, baguette and more.

Maison Kayser, 1345 F St NW, Washington, DC; Website 

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The Midnight Moon cocktail, created by talented bartender Stéphane Ginouvès (check him out in action on this video), is made with honey from hives on the hotel’s terrace.  I gave this champagne cocktail recipe a try at home and the results are delicious and very easy to make.  Dining Traveler tip: stir the honey with the gin before adding the champagne.  It makes the drink much smoother.

He was gracious enough to share the recipe with the Dining Traveler:

Midnight Moon Cocktail

4 oz. Champagne

0.7 oz. Bombay Sapphire East Gin

0.3 oz. Honey

1 Lemon peel

Mix the honey and gin, pour into glass (I prefer coupe glass versus flute), follow by pouring the champagne, and finish with a fresh slice of lemon peel (twist peel before dropping it into the drink for more lemon flavor).

My version is not as fancy as Mr. Ginouvès (I’ll admit, I used Cava), but I plan to serve it as an aperitif at my upcoming holiday Christmas party.  I also used Bond Street Gin, a small batch gin from Oregon, which I find a lighter than Bombay Sapphire. There’s something about a bubbly cocktail that gets the party started.  Do you love bubbles as much as I do? What’s your favorite champagne cocktail recipe?

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A few weeks ago, I posted a picture on Instagram and my good friend (and spiritual adviser) Nina commented: “one day you should write about the healing powers of Paris”.  She was referring to an encounter we had in Paris in 2008.  Nina was my first friend in college.  She is almost six feet tall, blond, and bohemian. I am short, brown, and military.  On paper we are so different but we bonded over our similarities: our hometown of Rochester, NY, Puerto Rican roots, and most importantly, our passion for writing.  After graduation, we traveled different paths. I ended up being stationed in Japan and Nina spent time during graduate school in South Africa.  Despite different routes, one thing never changes: when we see each other we depart with a renewed sense of calm and optimism.

Bastille: our neighborhood for the weekend.

It was late summer of 2008 and I was living in Stuttgart, Germany and Nina was living in Paris.  I was working a time consuming job as part of a General Officer staff and living in an emotionally abusive relationship.  Nina was also in a personal and professional crossroads during her time in Paris, she was miserable and living in a hostel.  Right before my arrival she had  watched “You can heal your life” by Louise Hay and realized she wasn’t being open and receptive to goodness.  The universe in its divine intervention (and Facebook) brought us together in Paris for a weekend.  I was emotionally drained from my relationship and work and decided to splurge on a 350 Euro last minute Lufthansa ticket to the City of Lights.

Nina and I in Paris

She was working independently during a short term stay in Paris and was staying at a hostel.  I was doing well financially mostly due to my expat allowances in Germany and decided to treat her to a weekend at The Standard Design Hotel in Bastille, a small design hotel in one of my favorite arrondissements. I don’t clearly recall where we exactly ate or drank but I do remember how I felt walking the streets of Paris with her.

Metro in Paris

As we wandered at Pere Lachaise Cemetery looking for the tomb of Jim Morrison we talked about where we were in our lives.  I was in a destructive relationship that had turned off my spark.  Parts of my self-esteem were buried deeper than some of the century old graves at the cemetery.  We may not have found Jim Morrison that day, but thanks to Nina, I was able to find some of that spark again.

Paris

I recall that weekend being unusually sunny in Paris. Nina and I roamed the city, sat in cafes savoring crepes drenched in Grand Marnier on the thirtieth year of our lives.  We sat on the warm grass of an anonymous park reflecting on how these two Puerto Rican girls from industrial Western NY had traveled the world yet feeling so lost in that particular moment.

Teary-eyed, I said goodbye to her at Gare du Nord as I was headed back to Germany.  It took months to leave the abusive relationship I was in but that experience was a turning point to give me the courage to break away. Sometimes it takes someone from home in faraway lands to bring a spark back into your life.  For her, my visit was a turning point as well. After our meeting, she found an apartment on the 18th arrondissement and her experience in Paris turned to a positive one.  She says that weekend broke a cycle of pessimism for her. It did cracked a cycle of emotional violence for me. 

Fast Forward to 2014: Nina and I Dancing at my Wedding in Rochester.

Six years have passed and I find myself meeting Nina in our hometown where she currently lives. In Rochester, I had the opportunity to witness one her greatest milestones: a play she wrote, The Life of Leo Woolcome to life. We have met at many places, to include at my wedding in Rochester this year.  The experience we had in Paris will always be one of those travel memories I will have close to my heart. Do you have a healing travel experience?

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During my six years living in Europe, I traveled several times to Paris. During those trips I was either working or visiting friends. I had never been on a romantic trip to Paris until I met the Dutchman last year. Last year, two weeks before leaving Brussels for good, we hopped on the Thalys (the high-speed train) to Paris for a few days. The trip was on a whim, as I was leaving soon and we had only been dating for a month. One day he said, “we should go to Paris” and given my love for travel, I jumped at the idea. We spent 2 days walking the streets of Paris, sharing an ice cream cone at one of the gardens in Versailles, kissing by the Eiffel Tower, and getting to know one another over tea at a café near Centre Pompidou. The day we headed back to Belgium, the city was under siege by torrential rains. We tried the metro, then a cab trying to make it to the station on time to no avail. It was the last train of the day. I had a race to run the early the next morning. It was our first crisis together and although a little nervous, we were going through the options. I recall saying “maybe the train is delayed”, he just brushed off my theory. As we rushed to the platform, there it was: the Paris to Brussels train was late! We both hugged and said “I love you” for the first time. For that, Paris Nord will always have a special place in my heart.


Notre Dame from the Seine….

Fast forward 9 months later, and we find ourselves back on the Thalys to Paris. Just a short stop on my summer Eurotrip, but it was an experience to go back to one of the places where our story started to take shape. We stayed at Mama Shelter, a cute boutique hotel near Pere Lachaise. I love staying in residential neighborhoods, away from the tourists where you get a feel how the locals live. The hotel has small quirks like superhero masks as lampshades and black walls. We began our stay with a lovely dinner at L’Ange Gardien, a little bistro close to the hotel. Thanks to the unusually hot weather, we sat outside, studying the people walking by as we enjoyed the white wine, scallops, and duck. The lovely dinner set the stage for a charming 48 hours in the city of light.


All you need in life: Champagne and Cheese

The following morning we went for a run, crossing the 11th arrondissement, through Bastille until making it to the Seine. After our run, we went to a boat cafe, overlooking the Notre Dame. It was a beautiful and peaceful scene. That afternoon, we did what most lovebirds do in Paris, placed a lock at the Pont de l’Archevêché. We bought a simple Master lock and borrowed the shopkeeper’s sharpie to write our names and the dates. As we placed our lock, I couldn’t help to get a little emotional as we affirmed our love on the bridge. Afterwards, we went to the riverbank nearby to have a picnic with champagne, truffled brie, and crackers. There we stayed for hours, admiring the boats sailing across the river and taking in the sunset.



The locks of the Pont de l’Archevêché

Our last day, we walked through the Pere Lachaise cemetery to catch our metro. We admired the ancient tombs, some who have not been taken care of in centuries. It was still early in the morning and not that many tourists. There was something very peaceful about the place: the scent of the moss, birds singing, and seeing a piece of history of people who had influence in making Paris one of the most beautiful and intriguing cities in the world. We embarked on this trip with no agenda, just walk through the city and take in the little things which make it so special. This time, both the train and us were on time. We boarded with new memories and many new ideas for our future.

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