Café les Deux Magots is one of THE most famous cafés in Paris and definitely a literary café (Sartre, de Beauvoir and Hemingway all wrote here). It’s also featured in the 1995 version of Sabrina starring Richard Gere and Julia Ormond. It was one of Hemingway’s favorites. Indeed, Janet Flanner relates that it was here they shared “a piece of personal duplicate history that he and I discovered one day at a quiet back table in the Deux Magots cafe, which he always favored for serious talk”. That tragic personal duplicate history was the fact that both of their fathers commited suicide. This was also a favorite of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, so much so that the place outside is named after them, “Place Sartre-Beauvoir”. This is also a divine place to sit on a sunny day and people watch. I whiled away an hour or two taking note of what people were wearing. Besides the de rigeur black, I saw lots of Converse Chuck Taylors and tons of women wearing cowboy boots! And then there was this great older gentleman who sat in front of me with a cool Tibetan hat on. Photos: November 2007
That bright autumn day last November I chose a wonderful Buffaletta de Mozzarella salade (12.80€ - $18.69USD) and an espresso (4.20€ - $6.13USD). The cheese had a nice firm texture, the basil was fresh, the tomatoes were wonderful! It was the first time I ever liked cherry tomatoes. Olive oil and vinegar were served with the salad which was topped with coarse sea salt. There was cracked pepper on the table so I could as much on as I liked. Free bread was served, so I made a small puddle on the plate of olive oil & balsamic vinegar and sopped the bread in that. I sat at a table that was snug in a corner between the door and the wall. Must be a popular spot because an elderly woman came by and looked questioningly at me. I assured her I was leaving and it was mon plaisir to give up my table. She seemed pleased and gave me a grandmotherly smile!