The Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month

 

Today is not just Armistice Day, it’s also the eleventh day of the eleventh month. If you are like millions of people who have the propensity of spotting 11:11 on the clock, morning and night, then I don’t need to say more, but if that simply strikes you as weird, be sure to read this past Monday’s Parler Paris Nouvellettre®!

GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER

Cara Black was a smashing success yesterday with more than 50 attentive listeners at our monthly Parler Paris Après Midi gathering! She’s become such a hot author that her newest book, the 15th of her murder mystery series centered in Paris, “Murder on the Champ de Mars,” has her name plastered at the top much larger than the title of the book. That’s when an author knows they’ve ‘made it,’ really made it!

Cara’s ability to get away with murder didn’t start out dreaming this is how her cookie would crumble. She just became obsessed by a story dating back to World War II, one of Paris’ oldest district, Le Marais, and a little Jewish girl living on rue des Rosiers who came home from school one day to find her family gone, really gone. We all know the rest of that sad story, but Cara Black has taken it all to new heights.

Will we see it on the silver screen or the flat screen? Likely, so stay tuned for book number 16 coming soon and a film or TV series that will take us all over Paris on the heels of her young female detective, Aimée Leduc.

To read more about the afternoon and see photos, visit Parler Paris Après Midi. To purchase her books, visit our recommended books page.

HOUSE HUNTING

We wrapped up the filming on Monday afternoon of our 21st House Hunters International episode with Janet and Michael Hoover from Texas. It will be a while before you see this one air, as the apartment they chose to purchase will undergo renovation and therefore the crew will come back to film what is called “the reveal” — then it all has to be edited and scheduled for airing. Expect to see it in about six to eight months time!

Without giving too much away, this episode features three small apartments, two in central locations and one in an outer district that all have the exact same price tag. The main differences? Size and amount of renovation. Martine di Mattéo, our ‘resident’ interior architect and designer who has put her magic touch on almost all the apartments we represent, came to the rescue to enlighten them on what they can expect from renovation, instrumental in their decision.

Episode #22 will be filmed next week here in Paris…with the same crew, but of course a new client and new properties. This episode may air faster as there’s no renovation in the works on which the filming must wait.

There are ‘rumors’ that episode #20 will be airing this month featuring Daryl Balestra from Ohio…but we don’t have a firm date and time yet, so stay tuned. The moment we know, you will know. It’s a full one-hour renovation show and yes, Martine did this apartment, too.

Meanwhile, the FYI Network is launching its first “Tiny House World” and the premier show features my niece, Shari Linnick from Brooklyn, my daughter, Erica Simone, as her sidekick, with me, of course (!) as the real estate agent. Mark your calendar for Saturday, November 21st at 10 p.m. EST to watch when Shari visits three teeny-tiny apartments in Paris and we all help her make the decision on which one to call home!

Here’s the sneak peek preview to the new series. And just so you know, Shari’s the redhead who says, “I kind of wanted a toilet!” while making a funny face. Can you blame her?

Don’t miss it and do visit our new Adrian on Tiny House World Facebook page.

CANDY’S DIRT AND SECOND SHELTERS

Jon Anderson, who writes for Candy’s Dirt, came to town and Second Shelters from Dallas. We met (where else, but Café Charlot!) and he got me talking about real estate and life in France. That’s easy, right? Out of it came this article: “Parlez-vous Adrian Leeds? Agent and HGTV Star Tells How to Live ‘The Paris Life.” and “Looking for a Second Home in Paris, Adrian Leeds can Help with That.”

I’d like to clarify a point or two…just to set the record straight. Jon, I’ve been here 21 years…not 24. But that’s okay. Who’s counting? Actually, I am!…Every moment.

One important note in contradiction to what Jon understood is that it’s not ‘illegal’ to have buyers bidding higher than the asking price in France, but it is immoral! If a buyer offers asking price, the seller is ‘morally’ obligated to accept it. This is one way property prices do not get inflated.

And yes, I have Dallas connections — family on my father’s side where a big reunion will take place next June — hence the opportunity to speak at Candy’s Special Staff meeting on June 9th, 2016. Want to attend? Stay tuned for more details or learn more.

TALKING TURKEY

Almost every year (as with this one) I head for the sweet hills of the Luberon in Provence to dine on turkey with a group of some of my favorite Americans in the home of Barb Westfield who rents her gorgeous village house when she’s not entertaining all of us or herself.

If you’re preparing for Thanksgiving à la Française, then heed Janet Hulstrand’s article in Bonjour Paris titled “Turkey Tips & Thanksgiving Memories from Americans in Paris” and my advice (quoting myself from the article):

“French free-range turkeys are large in size, but lighter in weight than American turkeys,” she says. “The meat is leaner, darker, juicier and cooks in HALF the time, I swear! Perhaps because the meat isn’t as dense, although this is just a guess.”

According to Adrian, sweet potatoes are relatively easy to find, “and least expensive if you look in the markets catering to West Africans, for example, the one on rue Dejean in the 18th arrondissement, at Metro Château Rouge.” The “fixin’s” (cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie filling, etc.) can be found through MyLittleAmerica.com or MyAmericanMarket.com. And if you’d rather leave all the cooking and clean-up to the restaurants, she recommends Joe Allen or Breakfast in America. “But you’d have to reserve soon!”

Barb, who is an aficionado of sous-vide cooking, cooks her turkey under water:

“Sous-vide (/su?’vi?d/; French for “under vacuum”) is a method of cooking in which food is sealed in airtight plastic bags then placed in a water bath or in a temperature-controlled steam environment for longer than normal cooking times—96 hours or more, in some cases —- at an accurately regulated temperature much lower than normally used for cooking, typically around 55 °C (131 °F) to 60 °C (140 °F) for meat and higher for vegetables. The intent is to cook the item evenly, ensuring that the inside is properly cooked without overcooking the outside, and retain moisture.” (Wikipedia.org)

She has a tricky way of cutting the turkey apart and putting it back together — so it won’t look like a Butterball, but you can bet it’s going to be a whole lot tastier! (I’ll report on it soon enough!)

A la prochaine…

Adrian Leeds
The Adrian Leeds Group

(at Café Charlot)

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P.S. NUE YORK is officially going to print! This is your last chance to get a limited edition, signed copy before its official release in spring 2016. The time has come. After all of the hard work, the wild years of streaking in public, the relentless fundraising (I’m sorry)… the book is going to print this month thanks to all your support! Through November only—pre-purchase your limited edition signed & kissed copies through BigCartel for $95 as well as signed postcard sets.