The
Discrete Charm of Paris' San Regis Hotel
There’s a throwaway line in the movie “The Way We Were” where Robert
Redford asks Barbra Streisand the name of her favorite hotel, and she
says, “The San Regis in Paris.” Of course, the left-wing character
Streisand plays in the film would be an unlikely guest at the luxurious
Right Bank hotel, but her response was on target, evocative of a place
of discrete charm and grace, known only to those in the know, and
located in the world’s most romantic city.
It’s a small hotel, only 44
rooms – no two of which are alike. The one John Grisham favors has a
balcony that looks out over the rooftops of Paris across the river to the
Eiffel Tower. To see such a view on a moonlit night is to understand
Paris’ eternal allure. Grisham, Lauren Bacall, Romy Schneider, Candace
Bergen, and the real Barbra Streisand are among the well known who have
frequented this exclusive retreat on the Rue Jean Goujon in the
fashionable eighth arrondissement.
A quiet street, only two
blocks long, the Rue Jean Goujon seems hidden within the Golden Triangle,
the area roughly bounded by the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Place de
la Concorde. But a brief walk in any direction leads to a range of
fabulous destinations: the haute couture shops of Avenue George V, Avenue
Montaigne, and Rue Francois; the Grand Palais, and the Champs Elysees; the
Place de la Concorde opening on to the Seine, the Tuilleries, and the
Louvre beyond.
Although state-of-the-art
in terms of technology and modern comforts, the San Regis still looks like
the elegant 19th century townhouse it once had been.
Split-level public rooms are decorated with authentic furnishings from
the Louis XV, Regency, and Napoleon III eras and accessorized with antique
paintings and objects d’art including some Sevres pieces that are truly
magnificent.
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The feeling of being in a
private home is enhanced by the experience of dining at the San Regis in
an exquisite space designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon, who has done interiors
for the Georges V in Paris and Essex House in New York. The raised recess
at the far end of the bar/lounge has room for only four tables covered in
creamy damask with olive green undercloths, a Regency-styled fireplace and
several antique buffets. The two side walls are covered with a paisley
fabric in warm tones of gold, red, and green that echoes the carpet’s
design while the back wall is paneled in fine oak and decorated with what
appears to be a pair of trompe-l’oiel bookshelves but are actually book
covers and linings, an interesting play between illusion and reality.
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In an area filled with
great restaurants, the small dining room of the San Regis stakes a
particular claim appealing not only to hotel guests but people who live
and work in the neighborhood. This much we learned from the young and
lovely Anne Wencelius, Director of Sales, who joined us for dinner on a
mild September evening. The daughter of a forestry specialist, Anne was
born in Cameroon, lived in the Ivory Coast, the French West Indies, and
Washington D.C. before her parents sent her home to Paris to be educated
at the Sorbonne. Along the way, she developed, among other things, a
sophisticated palate for food and wine.
The San Regis
menu, prepared by a chef who has been at the hotel for more than a decade,
is based wholly on fresh ingredients and takes advantage of seasonal
bounties.
As of the moment, these included sea scallops Anne told us,
suggesting the warm salad of lentils, carrots, and a small crepe that held
four pearl-like scallops. An excellent choice, enhanced with a dressing of
tangy pear-flavored vinegar.

The single gracious waiter |
It was served along with the rest of our
dinner -- and fittingly, given the small dimensions of the dining area --
by a single gracious waiter. He then presented salty Norwegian smoked
salmon on a bed of dill and little triangles of artichokes surrounding
French beans and topped with pine nuts. |
Anne recommended the
poached sea bream from Brittany which was fragrant with thyme, cooked to
just the right degree and served in a tarragon sauce – the two herbs
blending harmoniously. There was also entrecorte so tender, the absence of
steak knives was not even noticed. For dessert, one of us had the standard
and ever-luscious crème brulee with orange rinds while the other took Anne
’s advice once again and went for the prunes with red pepper chutney and
caramelized pine nuts. This exotic combination, an anomaly on the
otherwise classic French menu, was sharp, sweet, and crunchy – an
interesting and delicious departure from the norm.
The wine list was more
predictable: all-French and reasonably priced from 25 to 100 Euros (the
dollar/Euro ratio being nearly equal at the time of our visit). There were
red and white Burgundies and Bordeaux, a few Loire Valley vintages, three
roses and champagne. We had an excellent red Chambolle-Musigny, 1997,
which was warm and not at all aggressive. “It will be even better in five
years,” said Anne who prefers Burgundies to Bordeaux – “They are too
aggressive and dry up your mouth.”
After dinner, we retreated
to a little alcove off the lounge before French doors that led to a hidden
garden. “We have people here who have been coming for years,” Anne told us
as we lingered over coffee. “Some of our French guests tell us the San
Regis seems like a British country house. But our British guests tell us
it’s like a French country house.”
This pair of Americans did not feel equipped to take a stand. We could,
however, vouch for a luxurious environment, a great dinner, and a
blissful evening in a serenely beautiful retreat in the heart of a
bustling Parisian neighborhood.
Hotel San Regis
12 Rue Jean Goujon
75008 Paris
Phone: 01 44 95 16 16
Web: http://www.hotel-sanregis.fr
# # #
About the Authors: Myrna Katz Frommer and Harvey Frommer are a wife and husband
team who successfully bridge the worlds of popular culture and traditional
scholarship. Co-authors of the critically acclaimed interactive oral histories
It Happened in the Catskills, It Happened in Brooklyn, Growing Up Jewish in
America, It Happened on Broadway, It Happened in Manhattan, It Happened in
Miami. They teach what they practice as professors at Dartmouth College.
They are also travel writers who specialize in luxury properties and fine dining
as well as cultural history and Jewish history and heritage in the United
States, Europe, and the Caribbean.
More
about these authors.
You can contact the Frommers at:
Email: myrna.frommer@Dartmouth.EDU
Email: harvey.frommer@Dartmouth.EDU
Web:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~frommer/travel.htm.
This Article is Copyright © 1995 - 2012 by Harvey and Myrna Frommer. All rights
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