Pirouette Restaurant -- Restaurant Review

Address: 5 Rue Mondétour, 75001 Paris, France

Transit: Châtelet - Les Halles

TÉL : +33 1 40 26 47 81 

Closed Sundays 

Rating Standards: 5-Stars = Extraordinary; 4-Stars = Excellent; 3-Stars = Average; 2-Stars = Fair; 1-Star = Poor

€ = Inexpensive: 30€ and under; €€ = Moderate: 31€-49€; €€€ = Expensive: €50 -75; €€€€ = Very Expensive: more than €76 (prices based on minimum 2-courses)

1-Bell = Pleasantly quiet (less than 65 decibels); 2-Bells = Can talk easily (65-70); 3-Bells = Talking normally gets difficult (70-75); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-80); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)

  4.25 - Star...............................................................€€.............................................................3 - Bell

Our friend invited us out to lunch in the Les Halles area of Paris. The area is being is being renovated so lots of construction around that site.  I never really think of having good food in that area, I’ve always considered it just an OK area for food, but today was an exception to the rule, what a gem we stumbled on to.

Wine list

Pirouette has only been open for about a year. It is very modern and very sleek. They even

have their own little al fresco dining area in the courtyard, we opted to eat indoors since there’s still quite a chill in the air.

They have a nice extensive menu and for their menu du jour (entrée and plat of today's specials) it was 15 euros for lunch and for the entrée+plat+dessert (choices off the entire menu) it was 38 euros, good deal.  They also had quite an extensive wine list.

Entrees:

We had 3 different entrées.   

First was the cod with a spicy chorizo sauce.   

The fish was cooked

perfectly, not much flavor, but with the accompanying chorizo sauce it was great. In fact the Proprietor told me it’s a bit spicy, but I’m from California, trust me it was not spicy, but good, but for the French it would’ve been spicy.

The blanc de sèche, artichauts, lomo, piquillas, jus de viande. It was cuttlefish; it was very tasty, the saltiness of the thinly sliced chorizo and the accompanying artichoke hearts were great. There were even a few dabs of, what we assume was, some watered down sriracha sauce.  I had only one little criticism; the cuttlefish was a tad too rubbery for my taste, but good none-the-less.

Lastly, we had the eggs cooked on a plancha with a puree of asparagus, bacon and salad.

No complaints here, the dish was fabulous, very tasty and well balanced.

Plats:

We had 4 different entrees.  The first was a sweetbreads with petits pois. This was one of my favorite dishes. The sweetbreads were cooked perfectly, tender, not mealy nor overcooked, just perfect. The green peas were to die for, so fresh and not adulterated with much else to keep the natural flavors of the peas in tact. Excellent overall.

Next plat was the roasted pigeon breast with white asparagus. This was my second

favorite dish. Don’t want to sound like a broken record, but it was so tender, and it was accompanied with liver.  Very well seasoned and just overall tasty.

Third plat was the grilled bar (bass) with onions and chorizo.  The fish was nice and moist on the inside and crispy on the outside, and with the crumbled, toasted, crispy chorizo atop it gave it an even extra crispiness. It was an enjoyable dish.

Last plat was the 7-hour lamb with violet carrots and baby grapes. 

Although quite tasty, this was probably 

my least favorite of all the dishes. I’m not saying it was bad, in fact it was very good, but just not my favorite.  When something is braised for that long it can get a little stringy, it’s the nature of the beast, but it was good none-the-less.

Desserts:

First dessert was a soft brebis with black cherries. I’ve eaten a lot of cheeses in my lifetime, in particular brebis, but have never tasted a soft brebis (sheep cheese) quite like this. I’m sure it’s common, but for me it was my first time to eat it. I loved it; however, I would’ve preferred it without the black cherry confiture. A lot of times French like a drizzle of honey or confiture to add that little sweetness; I can do without it.

The next dessert was the gariguette strawberries and rhubarb in a rhubarb sauce. This was

everyone’s favorite dessert. It had a nice balance of tartness and sweetness and accompanied with the “nage” rhubarb and a pistachio palmier, how could you go wrong. Excellent dessert!

And, lastly the praline tart with speculoos ice cream and caramel sauce.  I love speculoos, it’s like a sweet graham crackers that is often used as a crust or base for desserts. And, who wouldn’t like pralines with caramel sauce. Yum-yum!!!!

Overall:

What an excellent find in the 1er arrondissement.  This is definitely a must go to place.  It was 94 euros per couple with 2-bottles of wine, 3-glasses of rosé, and 3-cups of coffee.

I can’t wait til the weather warms up so we eat al fresco. Chapeau to the Chef!

Al fresco dining in front of restaurant

An expensive customer service lesson learned the hard way

Under perjury of the Customer Service Gods, these photos are real and were not altered nor photoshopped

I’ve been doing dishes by hands for the past 3-years since we’ve lived in our apartment. I thought I could continue doing so, but as most of my friends know, I don’t do a very good job of washing dishes and because of the high calcium content in the water, my hands break out with eczema pretty badly. I’ve tried wearing gloves, but they’re so clunky that I have a tendency to drop and break dishes.

There’s this little machine we have back home, it’s called a “dishwasher”.  Almost all homes have a dishwasher in the US, in fact I would be surprised if they didn’t. In Paris, you can buy dishwashers, but the biggest factor is whether or not you have the space to build in or have space for a “portable” model, that can double as a counter-top.

I found space in my already tight kitchen, and if you thought I made floor space, you’d be wrong. I found space atop my washing machine, imagine that. I’d have to get a stepladder to load the top of the dishwasher, but it’s a small price to pay to have clean dishes, n’est-ce pas?

So I decided to search online. Most of our appliances came from Darty, well known in France for their excellent customer service and return policies.  I wanted to save a few Euros, so I can spend more for some wine perhaps?  So, I searched on Amazon.fr (France). I found the perfect dishwasher (not from Darty). I checked out all the reviews and they were perfect.

I received a note stating that the dishwasher would be delivered on Thursday by the Post.  On Tuesday morning (2-days prior to the scheduled delivery) our doorbell rang. I NEVER answer our door unless I’m expecting someone. But JJ decided to answer the door, and here’s the postman with a box in front of our door. Didn’t even have time to say boo! and he scooted out faster than Joan Rivers heading for a sale at “Plastic surgeons are us”. 

Brought the box back into our apartment, yeah, I’m excited, it’s our dishwasher. Took the dishwasher out and this is where the trouble began.  I could’ve sworn the dishwasher was rolled down the Grand Canyon and retrieved to be resold.

Not even an hour later I’m emailing Amazon. The vendor asked me to send pictures of the damage, which I did immediately. They stated that they would request a refund from the Post Office.  A day later, nothing, so I wrote and asked “What’s up”? Their response was, “The post office has refused the claim.  If you do not want the dishwasher, you need to return it?”  Of course I want something that doesn’t work, all busted up, after all it’s a piece of art. So my NORMAL response was, “of course I want to return it, you stupid idiot!”

So, the following day a woman called, and left a message. She spoke faster than the speed talkers in television commercials. A friend was coming by that afternoon, so I asked if she could call for me, cause clearly I didn’t understand a word the vendor said, plus when I get upset, the only language I can remember is “Vulgarity.”

So our friend Gianna called for us and this is what I learned about the French customer service system as it relates to the Post Office:

1.  In most cases, returning an item delivered by the Post Office is at your expense.
2.  If a post-person comes to deliver a package, and wants to leave immediately, ask them to wait. If they say they are in a hurry, tie them to the doorpost, or cuff them, or sit on them.
3. Tell the post-person he will be released as soon as you inspect the goods.
4. If the good(s) are OK, then release the post-person and send him on his way. Remember to thank him and tell him to have a wonderful day.
5. If the good(s) are damaged, keep the person “tied up” until you have time to tape it back up and tell him specifically, YOU REFUSE TO ACCEPT IT BECAUSE IT IS DAMAGED.  If need be, record the conversation, and take photos on the spot.

Note:  we were not asked to signed a received receipt

So, I had 3 choices:

1. Keep it.  Not an option.
2. Schlepp it to the post office. It weighed a ton, but would’ve been cheaper and only cost 25 Euros, but then I would probably have broken a body part trying to get it to the PO.
3. Arrange for a transporter (not the Post as they don't pickup) to come pick it up for return. I chose this option at 45 Euros.

In Summary:  What I’m upset about is that neither Amazon nor the vendor ever told us to inspect the goods first before letting the postman go. Apparently, it’s a well known fact and common practice that this is done here, who knew? Obviously the French know this.  In fact, our friend Gianna kept telling me, this is not the US, this is France, we do things differently.  No lying there.  And, the vendor of the product does not pay the shipping cost to return the item as would most commonly be done in the US.  The vendor basically said they would be willing to refund the money we paid for the product when they receive it back (as if refunding money for a damaged product is a favor….. perhaps it is in France!)

I want to stress, not all appliance delivery places are this bad, as I mentioned I’ve ordered a washing machine and dryer from Darty and they were excellent. They even installed our washing machine for us. I use Amazon a lot. I’ve spent thousands of dollars, but have learned only to order small items from Amazon France, and leave big ticket items to the stores, e.g, Darty, better known for their customer service and refund policies. 

The transporter for the return of the dishwasher was supposed to call to arrange a pickup time, but they just showed up in front of the building with no advance notice.  Fortunately we were home.  One person, no dolly.  The guy (very nice, friendly) had to carry the box (around 50lbs) to his truck.

Yes, indeed it was an EXPENSIVE/HARD LESSON learned!

Jeanne B -- Restaurant Review

Address:  61, Rue Lepic

Tel: 01 42 51 17 53

Metro: Line 12 Abbess ) 

Open:  (9:30 am to 10:30 pm)

Rating Standards: 5-Stars = Extraordinary; 4-Stars = Excellent; 3-Stars = Average; 2-Stars = Fair; 1-Star = Poor

€ = Inexpensive: 30€ and under; €€ = Moderate: 31€-49€; €€€ = Expensive: €50 -75; €€€€ = Very Expensive: more than €76 (prices based on minimum 2-courses)

1-Bell = Pleasantly quiet (less than 65 decibels); 2-Bells = Can talk easily (65-70); 3-Bells = Talking normally gets difficult (70-75); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-80); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)

  3.5 - Star...............................................................€.............................................................3 - Bell

This restaurant is located in the heart of the tourist area we know as Montmartre.  It's located on Rue Lepic, in fact not too far from where we used to live.  As you enter the restaurant you'll notice a traiteur (take-out) section and chicken roasting. The smells are intoxicating.

They also have a wonderful selections of desserts. So, if you're not in the mood to cook, here's a great alternative for take out.

There are tables at the front of the restaurant with a large window if you want to people watch.  They also had a wonderfully fabulous room in the back that had a large sun-roof which allowed alot of natural light in.  I loved the back room until it filled up and it became almost impossible to hear anyone.













For the entrée + Plat it was 19 Euro, for the entrée, plat and dessert it was 23 Euros. Very, very reasonable prices.  They also had a cute wine list right on the bottle which we found very amusing.

I had the artichoke, only because I really love artichokes. You can't really mess up an artichoke that's been steamed. It was what I expected and what I wanted.  The accompanying sauce was a mayonnaise type of sauce. Simple but good.

One ordered the hummus.  It was interesting since it was topped with chicken and mushrooms. I liked it, but then I'm a sucker for anything hummus. Whereas our friend thought it was just OK.

Another friend order the lobster bisque, wow this was the best of all three.  It was delicious.  I could've just had that alone. Lots of flavor and just plain delicious without being too rich, the balance was just right.

Now onto our plats (main dishes). One friend ordered the lamb, pink. The lamb was perfectly cooked. It was pink, but not raw and it was delicious and it was accompanied with a small salad and a potato gratin.  We all loved this dish.

One ordered the vegetable pie. Actually, it was just "so-so", nothing extraordinary. It fact very plain. Also accompanied with a salad. Our friend had to ask for tobasco because it was very, very bland.

I had the lobster over a toasted bread with cheese on it. I thought the lobster was good. There wasn't a whole lot of it, but it was good none-the-less and the accompanying salad was a nice accompaniment. I did not like the bread though, it tasted too much like a gateau or a brioche. For me I think that kind of bread should be reserved for French toast, oh well.

For dessert we shared a "cafe gourmand."  It was interesting, cause I've never had a cafe gourmand that was basically 3-different types of chocolate candies: white, dark, and a milk chocolate with some nuts it








Summary:  A great find in the 18eme for a good meal or for take-out. The quality of food was excellent, and the prices unbelievably good. Here's my biggest fear. It's only been open for a month, already tourists are starting to pour in. There's nothing wrong with that, but I find once tourists take over, these types of places become complacent. I just hope they remain true to their charter of having good food at affordable prices.

The other problem I had, once it got crowded in the back, it was unbearably loud. I couldn't wait to leave cause the noise level was intolerable. Our friend had a decibel reader and it reached as high as 75 db.  So, if you go ask to be seated up front.

So, for the 3 of us our bill came to 112 Euros with a bottle of wine, an half a bottle of sparkling water and coffee. If you're in the neighborhood and looking for good simple food, this is the place. And, believe it or not they are open EVERY day, yes, including Sundays and Mondays. 

Les Prolongations -- Restaurant Review

Address:  76, Boulevard de Grenelle

Tel: 01 45 75 62 05

Metro: Line 6 Dupleix) 

Rating Standards: 5-Stars = Extraordinary; 4-Stars = Excellent; 3-Stars = Average; 2-Stars = Fair; 1-Star = Poor

€ = Inexpensive: 30€ and under; €€ = Moderate: 31€-49€; €€€ = Expensive: €50 -75; €€€€ = Very Expensive: more than €76 (prices based on minimum 2-courses)

1-Bell = Pleasantly quiet (less than 65 decibels); 2-Bells = Can talk easily (65-70); 3-Bells = Talking normally gets difficult (70-75); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-80); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)

  2.75 - Star...............................................................€€.............................................................*1 - Bell

*(Note: we were in a private booth)

This is a restaurant just down the street from "Dernier Metro", and in fact they are the same owners.  Although it's better known for a "Happy Hour" place or for apéros, we decided to try it out for lunch.  It is a Basque style restaurant. It's a very long restaurant with a bar running along its side and 2-tall tables just in front of the bar.  The main dining area was a shared dining area of maybe 14-people, very tight and you get to know your neighbors pretty quickly.  Surprisingly, there were only 3 of us but we got the private round room in the back, which I absolutely adored.  It can easily sit 4 comfortably and 6 snuggly.  So ask for that room if you should want to venture in.

We perused the menu and they have daily lunch specials on a board.  The entrées and the Plats were very reasonably priced  They also had a regular menu which you could order from, so we did both, we ordered from the board as well as the regular menu, to mix it up!  Warning- the formule (prix fixe) only applies to the items on the board... if you mix and match or order from the regular menu you pay a la carte.

For our entrées, I got the pigs ears. I actually liked it a lot. The meat was tender and the cartilage had the nice characteristic chewy crunch.  It was a lot like a Filipino dish called "sigsig" typically made with pig's head. Personally, I would liked it better if it had been served with a slice of lime and chilis.  Instead, I sprinkled "espelette" a typical Basque season that has a little bite to it.

One had the vegetable soup. It was very watery, lacked any real flavor even though the stock was clearly chicken. He had to put a lot of pepper and espelette to give it some taste. I had tasted it, and I have one word to describe this soup, bland.

The other entree was the duck livers.  I had a taste of this, and I really liked it. It was very good, not mealy or overdone. And, adding espelette made it even tastier, so I would highly recommend this dish as an entree.

Two of us had the tripe, which is typically very Basque. It was very good. It was cooked in what I think is a lot of vinegar probably to counteract the fat as well as the smell.  It did not have that typical tripe smell, but it was a tad bit on the greasy side, which is characteristic of the dish.  It was served with potatoes. I liked this dish, but it's not for everyone.

Our companion had the veau (veal) that was cooked in a very thick sauce.  He really enjoyed it, whereas I thought it was tasty, but the texture was off-putting.  It was too, too glutinous.  Way too much flour as a thickening agent.  It's almost as if they took a slurry and just poured it in the stew. And, the sides of mash potatoes was enormous!

For dessert, I had a plate of cheese. Nondescript, but very good.  One person had the apple crumble. It had to have been more then 2-days old. I had a tiny taste of it, it just tasted like it had been baked a few days earlier. It was very dry and I did not like it all.

And, our companion had the creme caramel.  I didn't taste it, but he enjoyed it and thought it was very good.








Overall, I can see how this place would be popular among the young for aperos or "happy hour."  It's not fine dining, there were hits and misses. The service though, was excellent, but as my companion stated, he would opt to go to the "Dernier Metro" in the future.

And, for me, although it was a fun experience, I would prefer trying something else.

Total bill for 3 of us came to 130 Euros that included a bottle of red wine "Domain Abotia" Irouléguy, a carafe of rose, and an additional 2-glasses of wine and coffee.

Le Gagnage -- Restaurant Review

Address:  46, Rue Falguiere 15eme

Tel: 01 43 22 54 48

Open:  Monday - Closed Sundays and Mondays
Metro: Line 12 Pasteur) 

Rating Standards: 5-Stars = Extraordinary; 4-Stars = Excellent; 3-Stars = Average; 2-Stars = Fair; 1-Star = Poor

€ = Inexpensive: 30€ and under; €€ = Moderate: 31€-49€; €€€ = Expensive: €50 -75; €€€€ = Very Expensive: more than €76 (prices based on minimum 2-courses)

1-Bell = Pleasantly quiet (less than 65 decibels); 2-Bells = Can talk easily (65-70); 3-Bells = Talking normally gets difficult (70-75); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-80); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)

  3.75 - Star...............................................................€€.................................................................1 - Bell

A friend invited us to join him for lunch, and it turned out it was in the 15eme, cool, in our neighborhood.  We're always looking for new restaurants in our "hood."  It's called "Le Gagnage" meaning to forage.  It's a really cute restaurant maybe 24-tables at the most. As we walked in, I noticed our wait person looked really familiar, so I asked her if she had worked at "Le Gran Pan", also in the 15eme, and sure enough she did, and recognized us.  Her name is Aurélie Michel, she left Le Gran Pan in June and opened up Le Gagnage with Jérôme Michel from Garnier in September.  It's a very cute restaurant and Aurélie, from what I recall, was always so nice and pleasant at Le Gran Pan and carried that cordiality over to her new restaurant.

As we perused the menu, they had some really interesting choices. They had a formule, so for an entrée and plat  it was 27 euros.  They also had the special of the day, entrée and plat, or plat and dessert for 22 eruros. I thought the prices were very reasonable.

Two of us had the Gambas entrée, while one of us had the velouté de chou fleur (cauliflower).  Loved the gambas, seasoned perfectly, but the accompanying greens I found a bit strange. Almost as if it had been sitting around awhile so it lost some of its luster and crispness, but the gambas were EXCELLENT. They were seasoned with espelette, and they were pretty a pretty good size!

As for the soup, wow, that was our favorite entree of the meal. It was creamy, but not too heavy and  you didn't have to guess what it was, definitely cauliflower, and it had a nice slice of bacon on top, how can you go wrong with bacon n'est-ce pas?

For our plat.  One of us at the magret de canard. It was cooked "bleue" rare.  I'm not big on rare duck cause I find it very rubbery. But the person who had it loved it.

As for the sword fish, I found it extremely dry, but the accompanying saucy foam was nice. And the vegetables were good too. I hope this is not a trend that they like to overcook their fish.

Their signature dish is the Andouillette, a tripe sausage. This is the dish that they're known for, it's also hand-made. As many of us know you can get some really bad andouillette.  This was incredibly delicious. The tripe was nice and tender, and although it had the typical smell of tripe, it wasn't overwhelming; definitely a winner.

For dessert Two shared a fondant au chocolat  cake or what we know in the US as lava cake.  They both claimed it was delicious.

I had the cheese plate, and I have to say, the choices were wonderful, but there was one particular cheese that I totally fell in love with, "le Plaisir au chablis".  It was creamy, albeit a little on the smelly size, but I just adored it.





We all agreed that the swordfish was a bit overcooked; however, the few misses were more attributable to individual taste than anything else, example I do not like duck "rare".  We would definitely go back. In fact, next friends who want to go, we'll be happy to accompany you.

With 2 bottles of  Coiffy Pinot Noir and a half a bottle of Regnard, and a coffee, our bill came to about 150 euros for 3-people.

"Paris, I’ve grown accustomed to your ways"--Ruth Yunker

Ruth is a wonderful friend, columnist and humorist.  Her previous book “Me, Myself and Paris...” (refer to my interview with Ruth--January 7, 2011) was a truly great insight as to how she sees Paris through her eyes. 

In her new book “Paris, I’ve grown accustomed to your ways" she brings us more into the Paris world not as a visitor, but as someone who has spent a lot of time in Paris, and shows us the changing, or not, of  daily Parisian Life.

Her writing captures the daily adventures of living in Paris through humor and a fresh way of looking at things that we ex-pats either take for granted or overlook as just routine. 

I highly recommend this book.Chapeau Ruth!!!

To purchase the book, please click on link (Amazon--"Paris I've grown accustomed to your ways...")

Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG Paris customer service and beyond…

Going home for the holidays

Typically I write about food, restaurants, and travel. But this time around I wanted to share our experiences lately flying back to the US for the holidays. Because it seems like it’s implausible, but at the same time you can learn from our mistakes when dealing with CDG-Paris employees, regardless of what airline you use.

Where to start, we booked months in advance our flight from Paris to San Francisco through British Airways (BA). The flight was supposed to leave December 1 Paris to London then London to San Francisco. 

On the morning of December 1, as we woke up early to prepare for our flight, I decided to check my email, which I wouldn’t normally do, but something said I should check.  I got an email that said that our BA flight from Paris to London has been cancelled and we can call a not-toll free number or re-book online. So, Just Jack immediately went online to re-book; the BA systems would not allow him to rebook. So, he immediately called the 800#; however, the phones are only answered between 9 am to 2 pm. And, this transpired around 8 am.  So, as soon as 9 am hit, Just Jack immediately called (Note: 800 numbers are not free in most of Europe). So, he had the privilege of holding, and paying for being on hold for 30 minutes. He then found a number to call from Belgium which was free, so he called that number and was on hold for 45-minutes before finally giving up.  So, our friend Steve encouraged us to go to the airport in person to get this straightened out at the BA ticket counter. He came with us for morale support. 

Note 4 agents were free; 1 agent is on the right of the sign texting

Once we arrived at the BA ticket counter we noticed that there were several ticket agents that were free, but only 2 agents helping customers. So, Just Jack went to the available ticket agent and told her our dilemma. She said she couldn’t help us only one agent could rebook (WTF!), and we would need to get in the other line where an agent was already helping two customers.  So, Just Jack got in line, 45-minutes later the woman assisting the two customers got up in the middle of everything and left and was relieved by another agent. Obviously she didn’t want to miss her lunch break, what dedication.  Just Jack tried to tell her that we were to speak to her, but she said the new agent can assist us. So, after an hour the new agent finished with the two men; however, the one other passenger being assisted by the other agent was told to go to this new agent, in essence “cutting” in front of Just Jack, while the other agent and her co-worker left, I assume to go to lunch.  While I’m sitting there I noticed 1 agent was texting, another 2 were gossiping while Jack continued to wait in this one line.  After another 20-minutes or more Just Jack was finally able to speak to the agent.

The agent, pleasant enough told us that we couldn’t make our connecting flight (duh), and that there was no other BA flight today; however, he could book us on American Airlines (AA) for the following day which would fly from Paris to Dallas, and Dallas to Reno.  By European law, if you are stranded they are required to put you up in a hotel and provided compensation for your meals, but we declined since we have a home in Paris. So, heading back to Paris, we realized we had already shut down our apartment, meaning no refrigerator, no food.  We were so exhausted from this event that we did not feel like going out to eat, but I did find a can a soup that we shared.

Our friend Steve volunteered to take us back to the airport the following day. So, happily we went back to the CDG for our AA flight to Dallas. We checked in and everything seemed normal. We boarded our plane and about 45 minutes after the scheduled departure the pilot came on to say there was a problem with a cabin pressurization valve but it had now (finally) been fixed and we will be on our way.  About 10 minutes into our flight we were told there was a problem with the (just fixed) pressurization valve, and now, also, the backup valve was not working.  So since the pressurization cannot be done we would need to fly to London (diversion #1). We were flying at a much lower elevation so the flight took much longer than expected.  As we began our descent and landed, we were accompanied by a slew of fire trucks. Our first thought, are we going to need to evacuate from those chutes, already making us nervous.  But we were later told that since the plane was heavy with fuel it’s customary practice to have fire trucks follow the plane in case the brakes spark and could create a fire. Well that’s comforting to know.

Once we landed we had to remain on the plane. Interestingly AA made it as comfortable as possible for us. They had bags and bags of potato chips and water for us and we had access to the toilets. We were told that the part the plane needed was available in London and we just basically had to wait until it arrived, replaced and tested, which was more than 2-hours later, which meant we would certainly miss our connecting flight to Reno. 

After all is said and done, our pilot announced some more good news, since the crew already flew a certain number of hours, by US aviation laws they could not fly all the way to Dallas since that was beyond their allowed flying time, so we would have to stop in JFK-New York (diversion #2). So, as we flew to NY we all assumed that we would remain on the plane to change crew and we would clear customs in Dallas.  As we neared Dallas, our pilot gave us more good news. We would have to clear customs at JFK since Dallas customs would be closed by the time we would arrive!?!?  We were not happy with the news because in essence it would mean we would have to get all our luggage, clear customs and then recheck our baggage and re-board the plane. 

Once we arrived at JFK we disembarked, went through immigration and had to get our luggage to clear customs. The JFK employees must’ve been taking service lessons from the CDG, they were abrupt, rude and not helpful at all.  Once we cleared customs, we were told since everyone’s luggage and boarding passes were tagged with Paris to Dallas, all luggage and boarding passes would need to be retagged in order for them to depart New York for Dallas.  So, a long line started forming. Fortunately, we were not too far from the front and were able to get our new tickets and new luggage tags. We headed to security and after about 2-3 hours re-boarded our plane.

It was certainly a different crew and we flew to Dallas after an hour on the tarmac queuing to take off.  Once in flight we flew without incident.  We were told that once we arrived in Dallas we would have a packet with our hotel vouchers and new airline tickets for our destination for those whose final destination was not Dallas.  We were given our hotel voucher and a reservation confirmation (not boarding pass/ticket) for the morning flight to Reno.  After saying goodbye to our new friends on the plane, after all we had a common bond, it was almost like college hazing that brought us closer together, we headed to get our luggage.  Once at the luggage area, we were told that those of us with connecting flights, our luggage would stay at the airport for easy facilitation the following day, which meant we had no change of clothes.  Fortunately, I always carry extra medication that I need in my carry-on. It was already midnight and we all started getting into another line to get on the shuttles that would take us to our hotel, the Marriot, which I must say was very nice.

Once we got off the shuttle bus, another long line was created to get our room tickets. There was a departing and arrival board close to our line. Just Jack decided to check our flight scheduled for the following morning and discovered is was cancelled.  More good news.  So, we decided to get our room ticket and call AA once in our room.  Just Jack immediately called customer service and after much research they were able to get us on a flight that following evening.  So, Just Jack asked if we could have our luggage delivered to our hotel so we could get a change of clothes.  They said they would deliver it the following morning.  We slept like a log being so exhausted from all the adventures we had.  

The following morning, no luggage. So, Just Jack decided to just tell them DO NOT deliver it to the hotel, since we would be checking out in an a few hours. It appears he later discovered they had no idea where our luggage was. So, Just Jack went to the tiny store in the hotel. They had two t-shirts a 100% cotton shirt that was an extra large (too big for Just Jack) and the other was a blend. He got the 100% cotton shirt that says, “I love Texas”. I refused to buy one at this point, so I remained very European and wore the same clothes.

Finally, evening came we checked in and the ticket agent was incredibly nice. He checked to see where our luggage was, but could not find them, but was pretty certain it’d be on our flight. So we headed to security and they had one of those radiation rooms that I refused to go through, since I believe they are not healthy for you. So, I was literally patted-down all over. That was the only excitement of my trip.  We boarded our flight to Reno and fortunately a friend picked us up and we got to our cabin after 3-days of adventures.  And our luggage arrived with us!

Flying is definitely not what it use to be. Here are a few tips and tricks and things you should know when flying from Europe:

• Always check your email, phone messages or phone texts to see if you received a message informing you that either your flight has been cancelled our delayed.
• Unlike in the US where we have 24-hour free toll free numbers for customer service, you will pay for most 800 #’s in Europe. So, check and see if there are alternative numbers that you can call without being charged.  And, always check their operating hours.
• Online re-booking for some airlines are either not working or did not reprogram that you can re-book your flights. Therefore, it might be better for you to just go to the airport.
• If you are connecting on a flight and will miss that flight, check for alternate ways to get there. For example, had we started earlier, we could’ve taken the Eurostar from Paris to London and made our connecting flight.
• Always have your passport readily available with your airline ticket. They checked you at every “check-point.”
• By European law, if the airline makes you miss a flight and therefore you need a place to stay the airlines are required to provide you with accommodation and reasonable compensation for your meals.

In summary, we fault BA. Their systems failed, their customer service failed.  I wrote them a letter of our experiences on December 4 and have yet to hear a response.  On the other hand, I do not fault AA at all. They did all they could to accommodate us and make us feel comfortable when our flight was either diverted our delayed. So, kudos to them.

As most of us who live in Paris know, CDG can be a very, very challenging airport. There is a reason why CDG is consistently voted as one of the worst airports in the world.  In fairness, they are making an effort to remodel the airport and some areas have greatly improved. Now if they can just improve their customer service, CDG would be a winner.  So, be patient, it does not help to escalate a problem or yelling and screaming, although at one point I wanted to strangle the ticket agent…., take a xanax or go have a drink. And, most of all Bonne Chance!!!