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| It doesn't get much better than this! Le Bar à Rosés (Rosé Bar) at the Saint James Club. |
"Why didn't I know about this place? I've lived in Paris for eight years and I've never been here. What a waste of time. I want to move in ... tonight!"That's how Donna of Best Friend in Paris greeted me when I arrived at the Saint James' ephemeral Rosé Bar last night. Even though her rapid fire exclamations made it impossible for me to get a word in edgewise, I understood exactly how she felt. The Saint James Club is the kind of place that you really want to know about. It's enchanting!
As an ode to the days when the property served as Paris' first airfield for hot air balloons, Franco-American designer Bambi Sloan installed fanciful balloons and old-fashioned glass houses in the garden. The result is a magical terrace in the heart of the exclusive Sixteenth Arrondissement.
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| Terrace restaurant at the Saint James Club |
The Saint James, a majestic Napolean III residence, was built by Madame Dosne-Thiers as a memorial to her husband, Adolph Thiers, President of the French Republic, in 1892. As part of the Thiers Foundation, it served as a residence for France's most talented students for nearly a hundred years. In 1986, the neo-classical mansion was turned into a gentlemen's club by a British businessman. Although it continues to function as a private club, it's also the city's only château-hotel.
Non-members are invited to enjoy the Michelin-starred restaurant serving the cuisine of Chef Virginie Basselot, the cozy library-bar and the terrace after 7:00 pm and for Sunday brunch. Head barman Judicaël Noël has created a couple of rosy drinks for the summer: the Pink Panther, with vodka, fresh strawberries, Malibu and ginger, and Paradize, with Vodka, Saint Germain, fresh passion fruit and kiwi, basil and spicy sirup.
Summertime is a time for dreams and whimsical flights of fancy. It's for long evenings spent chatting with friends, old and new, over glasses of rosé in a jasmine scented garden. Don't wait eight years to go to the Saint James Club. Go tonight, or at least before le Bar à Rosés (Rosé Bar) closes on September 30, 2014!
The Saint James Club also serves one of my favorite brunches (11:30 am - 4:00 pm) in Paris. Reservations are required. Click here to read my review: Stéphane's pick of the day: brunch at Saint James Club.
Thanks to the delightful Ruth of Smash Porcelaine and her charming Parisian husband, Joe, for joining us and making our evening even more enjoyable.
Note: I'm still trying to figure out if it would have been less expensive for each of us to get a glass of Sancerre rosé (12 euros) or a bottle (60 euros).
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Saint James Club
43 Avenue Bugeaud
75116 Paris
tel: +33 (0)1 44 05 81 81
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| Saint James Club |
