Paris-Île St-Louis: Part One - My Private Island

For me, on this rainy Paris morning, a meander through the quiet rues of the Île St-Louis seemed just the antidote for the blues this weather can bring. During the summer months, Île St-Louis is a tourist magnet and the resident’s nightmare, but on a misty autumn day, it had that quiet village feel the locals favor.

The majority of visitors come to Île St-Louis for the obvious "charm and ice cream;" however, there is much more to be found if one sheds their tourist hat and takes some time to "see" and experience. Our tour begins on the eastern tip and takes us down the center of the island on rue St-Louis en l’Île, the main artery where locals do their shopping. There are also a few historic architectural landmarks nestled amid the colorful and fascinating shops, some of which are landmarks in their own right. Our tour will not visit each individual venue along the rue, just enough to whet your appetite for more. This tour is mainly about stopping long enough to appreciate some particular and unique treasures that the ice-cream-eating tourists often overlook.


A perfect place to stroll on an autumn afternoon.

Quick Tips:

The more contemporary rue des Deux Ponts also boast commercialism but tends to have service-orientated businesses, as the pharmacy, Laundromat, and a very handy and friendly post office. But I did spot a quirky bar, an enchanting crêperie, and one vibrant trendy shop on this busy rue. It primarily serves as a conduit for vehicular traffic to and from the Right Bank over Pont Marie and the Left Bank over Pont de la Tournelle.

The streets circling the island, called quais, are streets with a more historic venue. Packed side-by-side on the wharf embankments that front the Seine are the sumptuous mansions and hôtel particuliéres. These gracious residential landmarks we will discover in Part Three of this walk.


One of the many vibrant merchant façades on rue St-Louis en l’Île.

Best Way To Get Around:

The nearest Métro stations are on the Right Bank across Pont Sully, Métro: Sully-Morland, and across Pont Marie at Métro: Pont Marie. The easiest one to access is across Pont Marie.

According to my calculations, Île St-Louis is less than 1 mile long and only about 2 blocks wide. This compact size lets even the slowest flanuer gently stroll and experience the treasures of Île St-Louis in the course of a day.

Before circling the island to delight in the exquisite architecture along the quais, absorb some history, and spectacular views, we paused for refreshment under the cheery cherry-red canopy of the
Brasserie de l'Île St-Louis.


Early morning at Brasserie de l'Île St-Louis

I peeked inside the door and saw a well-worn wood grained bar, decorated with mounted animal heads and painted Alsatian folk-art. It looked as though little about the decor had changed in 50 years, yet the patina was not unattractive The cozy dining area, with wood-paneled walls, looked to be filled with a mix of tourists and locals enjoying lunches that emanated amazing aromas. But because I don’t like dead animals staring sadly at me while I dine, my companion and I opted for the large covered heated terrace.


View to the bridge with the gypsy curse

The terrace not only afforded us a view of the Passerelle St-Louis, and the buttressed end of Notre-Dame beyond, but a look at the sight of a local legend. While we waited, my companion, a Paris resident for 30 years, related the gypsy legend of Passerelle St. Louis (formerly Pont Rouge). In the 17th century the Parisian authorities arrested an innocent young gypsy woman for several thefts committed near the bridge. She would not confess to the crimes of which she was innocent, and was tortured to death. Her grief-stricken mother placed a curse on the newly erected bridge so it would collapse. And collapsed it has, seven times in fact. The present bridge dates only from 1970.


The calm efficiency of our waiter

Soon we had our plates of choucroute and cassoulet, a basket of bread, and glasses of house red wine to take the chill out of the rainy day. Choucroute is an Alsatian dish of sausage, pork, potatoes, and sauerkraut, served with spicy Maille mustard. My friend seemed to enjoy every single bite of it. My cassoulet was flavorful and rich which only comes from slow-cooking and the right combination of ingredients. Each chef has very strong opinions about what makes the best one, the type and amount of white beans, the right meat combination, tomato, no tomatoes, seasonings, from what our waiter relayed, the list is truly endless. Whatever his recipe, my meal was delicious and I appreciated that it came with a lovely green salad dressed in a tangy vinaigrette that balanced that richness of the cassoulet.


cassoulet

Our bill for lunch was under €15.00 each, including a glass of house red wine and coffee.
This brasserie is closed Wednesday, but is one of the few restos open on Sunday, when there are very few decent places to eat in Paris.
They are closed the entire month of August.
No reservations, credit cards accepted.

This almost could be considered a non-attraction, because the arch is all that remains of the Hôtel de Bretonvilliers. This hôtel particuliéreor mansion was built in 1637 by architect Jean Androuet Du Cerceau for the secretary to the King’s counsel, Claude Le Ragois de Bretonvilliers.



This portico is all that is left of the hôtel particuliére Bretonvilliers

In the 19th century, when Baron Haussmann modernized the city, Île St-Louis was not exempt from his plans. This splendid hôtel particuliére was regally situated at the eastern tip of the island was said to be breathtakingly beautiful. But because Haussmann’s plans called for a "clear perspective line of sight" from the Bastille to the Pantheon, the mansion was demolished to make way for the boulevard Henry IV. The broad arch now marks the entrance to rue de Bretonvilliers, where remains a series of six small hôtel particuliéres dating from the same time as the mansion that disappeared in 1840.

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Pont Marie by Nicolas Raguenet
The now demolished Hôtel Bretonvilliers is on the left.
Photo of the painting was taken at Musée Carnavalet

I viewed several engravings and paintings at Musée Carnavalet that testified to what I had read that the Hôtel de Bretonvilliers and its gardens was the most beautiful mansion complex on the island for over 200 years. What I see in my "clear perspective line of sight" is a hunk of the Institut du Monde Arabe and generations that will never know the beauty of the exquisite estate that exemplified Parisian beauty, destroyed in the name of progress.





plaque at porte rouge de petit Hôtel Bretonvilliers

It is said that Berthillon arguably serves the best ice cream and sorbets in all of Paris! That could very well be. But I have heard that Amorino also has wonderful gelati and sobetti. I think that it is time to compare, non?

The original tea room style shop, fronted with wood panels, was closed on each of my visits to the island this trip. Not to worry, I opted to try out the latest flavors for autumn at Pom’Cannelle, another Salon de Thé nearby at 27 rue St-Louis-en-l'Île. It is one of the many establishments that is licensed to sell Berthillon Glacier throughout Paris.



The original Berthillon tea room, closed on the
days I was on the Île.

I usually try to get a cone of three scoops in order to taste as many flavors as possible, but not get too muddled. One memorable visit, I sampled the pêche, cassis, and poire sorbet in trio. These proved to be a wonderful combination, making June feel closer than the calendar said it is. The peach sorbet’s flavor was as close as you can come to a sweet, ripe peach in October. It was very sweet, creamy, and full of flavor. The pear sorbet had that grainy mouth feel, just like a biting into a frozen pear. Both flavors were enhanced by the piquant zing of the deep red cassis. Inspite of the cold rainy day, I swear I felt summer in my veins.



If the original Berthillon shop is closed, don't fear,
Berthillon Ice Cream is sold at
Pom’Cannelle Patisserie a few shops away

A few days later I had the glace trio with a small scoop each of vanille, caramel au beurre salé, and the earl grey. Call me crazy, but the three of these flavors blended perfectly. The rich, creamy flavor of pure vanilla, the slight salty tang of the caramel salé with the earl grey lending a soft but heady aroma created one of the most unusual taste experiences I have ever had. If I were seated at a table instead of walking down the rue, I would have been pounding it and screamed, "Yes, yes, yes…!"

Yes, it was that good!
A cone of 3 scoops of sorbet or glace = €3.65 = heaven.

The next trip to l’Île, I challenged Amorino to the test. I tried to sample similar flavors so as to be fair to my testing taste buds, so I chose the Amorino sorbettis pêche, lemon, and pear. After much slurping, I honestly felt that they were better in comparison to their Berthillon counterparts: smoother textures, more aromatic, and much less sweetened, letting the natural flavors emerge. I favored the lemon with bits of the zest in the mix.

To try to compare the two ice creams was a bit more difficult; the Amorino ice-cream flavors in Italian made the flavor selection a baffling process. Baci di dama, crema, stracciatella, zabaione, amarenada, bacio bianco... the list of unknowns seemed endless; I need to bring an Italian dictionary next time. But the young proprietor was patient and helped sort out the delicious mysteries.



Gelato Italiano

I opted for the focaccina with scoops of zabione (a very rich, creamy custard and Marsala wine concoction with a heady pale golden color), pistachio (that one I know), and a lemon-coriander (I forget the Italian name). So, I love lemon coriander chicken, but would it be good as an ice cream? It was not only good, but it was to-die-for good. The lemon gave the right amount of zest, enhancing the richness of the cream. The coriander lent such an elegant flavor note and aroma that would have been hard to place if I hadn’t already known what it was. This creation was concocted by a master! I can’t believe that I didn’t buy a 500-gallon drum and have it shipped to Chicago.

Although I thought that the decor of the store I visited on the Île felt a bit like a chain store, but I did love the way the gelati was displayed in the freezers. The luscious swirls of creamy, fruity goodness were mounded into individual metal tubs and dusted or sprinkled or piped with nuts or cookies or chocolate. Besides wanting to try each and every one, they were quite a seductive sight to see!



zabione - macarpone - amarenada - biscotti
Thank goodness there was glass in front of the
display case, or I would have tried all the flavors!

If I have to vote between Berthillon and Amorino, I would definitely say I feel that the Amorino gelato wins hands-down in the ice-cream department. It had a much smoother texture and was not as sweet as the Berthillon. But you will have to go take the taste test yourselves and vote for your favorites. I hear that there is a newly opened gelateria called Pozzetto right across the river in the Marais. Many say that THEIR gelato is the best! A focaccina with three scoops of gelati (ice cream) = 5.25€ = bliss!

It is hard to miss the intensely Rococo façade at no. 51, as you walk down rue St-Louis-en-l'Île. The wild-man mascaron mask that decorates the gorgeous foundry balcony held up by a pair of impossibly delicate and elaborate spread-winged dragons will grab your attention at forty paces.


Rococo riot grabs hold of you

This hôtel particuliére, or 16th century mansion, is named after Jean-François Guyot de Chenizot, a tax collector who acquired the residence in 1719. In 1726, with the help of his architect : Pierre de Vigny, he was responsible for the over-the-top Rococo remodel. While Voltaire and Rousseau wrote of man’s necessary freedom, architecture changed to complement the new ideals. The refined, nature-inspired curves of Rococo became extremely popular.


pot-bellied dragons hold up a delicate balcon

Chenizot’s design choice just only begins at the entry portal. Mascarons, seashells fans and delicate vermiculated rustication also embellishes the interior courtyard walls. In spite of the effusive curvilinear styling of the applied décor, it still feels fresh, fashionable, and sensual after so many centuries.


Is the man on this mascaron the happy tax collector Chenizot ?

Following the trail of a red scooter, parked within the courtyard, I was able to walk in and admire the overall lines of the building, although some of the sections were sadly dilapidated. In the back of the court were two understated store façades, where I found that the owner of the red moto is working. He said that some of the ancient hôtel was being slowly refurbished by the owner and the commercial renters. His place of business was called "Presence", the number #1 high-end audio/video retailer in France.


compelling courtyard

At the corners of the courtyard, if the doors are open, you may be able to view one of the staircases and elaborate handrail that was preserved. I was thrilled that one of the doors was open and I was able to peek in to admire the ornate design in person, after only seeing the handrails immortalized on film by Eugene Atget. Although it was the less ornate of the staircases, (the dragon staircase door was locked tight), you may be luckier should you pursue this quest.


sundial

But within the courtyard, I was able to observe an 18th century meridional or sundial with an unusual tripod gnomon. Being an all too frequent Parisian-grey day I may have missed this practical ornament, as it blended into the façade from the courtyard below. But at the first peek of the sun, I snapped a quick photo.


Tous ce qui peuvent être trouvés n'importe où peuvent
être trouvés à Paris
All that can be found anywhere can
be found in Paris. —Victor Hugo, 1881

Although all this Rococo embellishment was lovely, I was weirdly enchanted with the courtyard pavers that were covered by the autumnal remains of a sweet green moss. It was hard not to think how the beauty of the natural world always surpasses what man manages to create.