By I Prefer Parissssssssssss

Caroline Nin at L'etage

I was invited to hear a friend of mine's friend sing at a new cabaret/piano bar Sunday night starting after 10PM. I usually don't go out that late on a school night, especially Sunday, and I almost declined the invitation. But then I said to myself, sometimes life is a cabaret old chum, so I came to the cabaret.  I didn't know the singer or the venue but I liked the mystery of that. Would it be cute and corny or was it going to be gay and glamorous? Luckily it was the latter, and the singer's name was Caroline Nin and the place wasL'etage, located on the second floor of the new restaurant Les Jalles.

Les Jalles is on a deserted street off the Blvd. Capucine right by the Opera and I had to walk through the restaurant, which was a beautiful but pricey affair to go upstairs to L'etage, the cabaret space. It was a cozy, dark room with low sexy lighting, comfortable, plush club chairs, a long bar, and a black lacquered piano. It was decorated in a faux Art Deco style but it almost passed for a real Art Deco nightclub except the only thing missing was a sultry chanteuse. Well, my wish was soon fulfilled when Caroline Nin took the microphone: she was long and leggy, smashingly dressed in a tuxedo with sky-high heels and sporting blond hair. Very modern dayDietrich. She had a smooth, crooner style voice and jumped from Cole Porter to Fats Waller to Edith Piafeffortlessly. I also liked that her singing didn't overtake the room or demand your full attention and I didn't feel uncomfortable chatting my friend during the performance.

There was an impressive cocktail menu and apparently the mixologist is highly regarded. Soon as I sat down I was served a glass of ice water with lime even though I said I was waiting for a friend. Service was off to good start and it was attentive and caring all night. I had some non-alcoholic concoction with a strong ginger tang to it with fruit juices. There was a small bar food menu but they were out of four of the seven items I ordered which I found annoying since it was not that late and I was hungry. They were able to eek out three dishes and although they were good they were too precious and puny. A charcuterie plate for 9 euros consisted of 10 paper-thin slices of only one type of sausage. Not my idea of a real charcuterie platter.

What I liked best about L’etage was that it was an informal place to drop by and hear some soothing music, enjoy a cocktail, and relax in an intimate space, all without a cover or minimum, which is rare in Paris these days. Sunday night is not the most exciting night in Paris but Caroline Nin at L'etage is changing that.

You don't have to eat at the downstairs restaurant to get into L'etage. L'etage is open 7 days a week till 2AM. 

Caroline NIn will be appearing at L'etage the rest of June at 10PM on the following dates:
June 10, 11, 12,17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 

For more info on Caroline's performances at the bar go to www.carolinenin.com

L'etage at Les Jalles
14 rue des Capucine, 75002
Metro: Opera or Madeleine 
www.lesjalles.fr

Above photos courtesy of Carla Coulson

Fui convidado a ouvir um amigo de um amigo meu de cantar em um cabaret / piano bar nova noite de domingo, com início após dez horas. Eu geralmente não saio tão tarde em uma noite de escola, especialmente domingo, e eu quase recusou o convite. Mas então eu disse para mim mesmo, às vezes a vida é um cabaré antigo companheiro, por isso vim para o cabaré. Eu não sabia que o cantor ou o local, mas eu gostei do mistério do que isso. Seria bonito e piegas ou foi ele que vai ser gay e fascinante? Por sorte era o último, eo nome do cantor foi Caroline Nin eo wasL'etage lugar, localizado no segundo andar do novo restaurante Les Jalles.

J'ai été invité à entendre un ami de l'ami de mine à chanter une nouvelle nuit de cabaret / piano-bar dimanche à partir après 22 heures. J'ai l'habitude de ne sortir que tard dans la soirée l'école, surtout le dimanche, et j'ai presque décliné l'invitation. Mais alors je me suis dit, la vie est parfois un copain vieux cabaret, alors je suis venu au cabaret. Je ne savais pas le chanteur ou le lieu mais j'ai bien aimé le mystère de cela. Serait-il mignon et ringard ou allait-il être gai et glamour? Heureusement, il était le dernier, et le nom du chanteur était Caroline Nin et le wasL'etage endroit, situé au deuxième étage de la nouvelle restaurant Les Jalles.