My Paris is better than yours

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If you’re at all like me, you’re much happier if there’s a food aspect to the things you do and the places you visit. Luckily, a number of cultural establishments in Paris have made sure to feed your stomach as well as your mind.

The Musée Jacquemart-André is a luxurious 19th-century mansion that presents the art collection of its former owners. The dining room is now a salon de thé, serving tea, lunch, and pastries. At the Palais de Tokyo, the controversial contemporary arts center, the Tokyo Eat restaurant and its postmodern decor is as much a part of the experience as the edgy gift shop and the art itself.

The Théâtre Edouard VII kindly solves the dilemma of whether to eat before or after a play. The owner’s wife, a best-selling cookbook author, recently opened Café Guitry inside the theater. Her cooking (featuring specialties like lamb tajine with prunes and grilled almonds, or lemon and rosemary roasted chicken) is so good that people eat there even when they’re not staying for the performance.

Selling food and drinks inside a movie theater isn’t unusual, but no one does it with as much style as Studio 28 in Montmartre. This tiny cinema (just one auditorium, decorated by Jean Cocteau no less) has a small bar that serves refreshments—soft drinks, cocktails, and tarts—that you can enjoy in the winter garden.

The Opéra Bastille has launched a series of events that it calls Casse-Croûte à l’Opéra (a snack at the opera). Every Thursday at lunchtime, stop in and listen to a concert by the orchestra or a talk/debate with an opera professional, and perhaps enjoy a light lunch from the bar. Entrance is free; the cost of a sandwich, drink, and dessert is about $9.25.

The mix of food and art naturally leads us to Galerie Fraîch’Attitude, which specializes in “Eat Art,” art that uses food as its inspiration, subject, or material. Some of the exhibitions are actually edible and are meant to disappear into visitors’ stomachs, to be re-created the next day.

Marie Hennechart From top: Le Pont des Arts, a footbridge across the Seine; learn to cook at L’Atelier de Chefs; the Museé Jacquemart-André

Most Parisians are city kids who shudder at the thought of spending more than a day in the country, and yet the first ray of sun sends them hunting for a patch of green on which to picnic with friends. A popular spot is Le Pont des Arts, a wood and cast-iron footbridge across the Seine linking the 1st and 6th districts. If it’s too crowded, go farther up to the Quai St-Bernard, on the south bank of the Seine in the 5th. Beyond the large grassy areas and beautiful river view, the main attraction is the dancing arenas, where professionals and amateurs dance the summer nights away in a whirlwind of salsa, tango, and samba. Another favorite is the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont in the 19th, an arrondissement of hidden treasures. The park offers breathtaking landscapes and happens to be the steepest in Paris. Some argue that this makes picnicking a challenge, but such is the spice of life.

Paris is rediscovering a pleasure in cooking, prompting the creation of a number of classes that adopt a modern approach: The goal is to give you the basics so you can have fun in your kitchen and entertain without stress. Fred Chesneau, founder of L’Atelier de Fred, teaches small groups of up to six in a darling neo-rococo kitchen. The Bergerault brothers at L’Atelier des Chefs do it on a larger scale in a lofty glass-roof workshop, complete with bookstore and boutique. In both cases, you cook your meal and eat it, too.

If it’s wine you’d like to learn about, Lavinia has a free tasting every Saturday and gives tasting classes for all levels. (Prices range from $38 to $177.) At Legrand Filles et Fils, a wine store constructed in 1880, you can sign up for a series of courses or attend a single session to discover one region or producer. (All classes will work to accommodate English-speaking students upon request.)

Le Fooding is a Parisian movement that promotes new ways to eat, cook, and even think about food (lefooding.com). Events are either free or very inexpensive and involve the hottest chefs and the trendiest locations: wandering wine tastings with nibbles, market stands serving delectable soups, giant picnics on the banks of the Seine.

Paris is also home to a number of food shows, unique opportunities to meet producers, taste products, and possibly bring something home. The Salon Saveurs (held in May and December) showcases a great array of artisanal foods, while independent French vintners present their wines at the Salon des Vins des Vignerons Indépendants (held in April and November). As for the Salon du Chocolat (in October), it is a chocoholic’s dream come true.

For the latest trends, restaurant reviews, shopping tips, and events, Parisians pick up the free weekly paper A Nous Paris (distributed on Tuesday mornings in the Métro) and the city magazine Zurban ($1.25, published on Wednesdays and sold at newsstands), which also includes listings for movies, concerts, plays, and art shows. In French only, bien sûr!

• Musée Jacquemart-André 158 bd Haussmann, 8th arr., 011-33/1-45-62-11-59, musee-jacquemart-andre.com, admission $12, lunch $19
• Palais de Tokyo 13 av du Président Wilson, 16th arr., 011-33/1-47-23-38-86, palaisdetokyo.com, exhibit admission $8, sea bream $23
• Théâtre Edouard VII 10 place Edouard VII, 9th arr., tickets 011-33/1-47-42-59-92; Café Guitry, 011-33/1-40-07-00-77, theatreedouard7.com, lamb tajine $26
• Studio 28 10 rue Tholozé, 18th arr., 011-33/1-46-06-36-07, cinemastudio28.com, tart $9.25
• Opéra Bastille 120 rue de Lyon, 12th arr., 011-33/1-72-29-35-35, operadeparis.fr
• Galerie Fraîch’Attitude 60 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 10th arr., 011-33/1-49-49-15-15, fraichattitude.com
• L’Atelier de Fred 6 rue des Vertus, 3rd arr., 011-33/1-40-29-46-04, latelierdefred.com, two-hour classes $79
• L’Atelier des Chefs 10 rue Penthièvre, 8th arr., 011-33/1-53-30-05-82, latelierdeschefs.com, classes from $20
• Legrand Filles et Fils 1 rue de la Banque, 2nd arr., 011-33/1-42-60-07-12, caves-legrand.com, events from $13
• Salon Saveurs 011-33/1-46-05-80-77, , admission $10.50
• Salon des Vins des Vignerons Indépendants 011-33/1-53-02-05-10, vigneron-independant.com, admission $8
• Salon du Chocolat chocoland.com, admission $15.75