The Earful Tower: Paris – Details, episodes & analysis

Meet Loïc Estimbre, a Parisian entrepreneur who is behind four different eateries on just one street in the 12th arrondissement.    That street: rue Emilio Castelar.    In this podcast episode, we talk food in Paris, the 12th district in general, and the challenges of funding four separate spots.    As for Loic, I met him when he was behind the counter at the Magic Carpet cafe and was surprised to see him literally building a new eatery down the road. Imagine my surprise to learn that he leading a team that was behind half the places on this little street.   His spots:

• The restaurant: Le Singe à Paris
• The café: Magic Carpet
• For beer and whisky: Chinaski
• The sandwich spot: Johnny Dwich

The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson. 

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The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. For the past 92 months and counting it has cost just $10 a month to unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris. 

Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent. 

For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:

Website 

Weekly newsletter 

Walking Tours

This week on the show it's Guy Griffin, the owner of Cafe Mericourt in the 11th arrondissement. He talks about the current explosion of speciality coffee shops across Paris and whether it is sustainable.   He also takes us behind the beans... er, scenes... about the change in tipping culture, the challenges of being an entrepreneur in France, and the cost of hiring people in France compared to the US or Australia.   As for you - why not go in for lunch as a savvy diner. Look at his ever-changing menu here.

• Address: 22 Rue de la Folie Méricourt, 75011 Paris
• Find Cafe Mericourt on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/cafemericourt/
• Explore the website here: https://www.cafemericourt.com/menu

The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson. 

***********

The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. For the past 92 months and counting it has cost just $10 a month to unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris. 

Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent. 

For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:

Website 

Weekly newsletter 

Walking Tours

So what is the best-known street in Paris? And if that seems obvious, then what's number two? And three?

After last week's pod with Parisians Abiola and Margaux sharing their take on popular Paris streets, we surveyed our audience for an official answer. 

Here it is, presented by Oliver and Lina. Thanks to all who participated. Read some more of the comments here on Substack.

Fitting music this week, again, is from Pres Maxson. 

Thanks 

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The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris. 

Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent. 

For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:

Website 

Weekly newsletter 

Walking Tours

L is for Lyon. In this episode, you'll hear about my experiences after spending 48 hours in Lyon with Lovely Lina. 

There's also some local insights from Caroline Connor, who does wine tastings in Lyon, and runs the website and social media accounts by the name of Wine Dine Caroline.

You can find more from her here.

Do you like this podcast? Become a Patreon member of The Earful Tower here to support this show and get extras.

The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson.

Click here for our walking tours of Paris.

K is for Kylie the Crocodile in Paris. In this episode, you'll hear a brand new twist in the story of Kylie the Crocodile. 

This episode was taken from a live show at Spilling the Beans. 

To buy a copy of our children's book, Kylie the Crocodile in Paris, click here.

Do you like this podcast? Become a Patreon member of The Earful Tower here to support this show and get extras.

The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson.

Click here for our walking tours of Paris.

J is for Jewish Paris. In this episode, I take you walking through the Jewish quarter of Paris to try to understand what's going on there.

Edith de Belleville, a licensed tour guide, author, and expert on Jewish history, writes me an itinerary of what to find, including:

• The Shoah Memorial
• The Museum of Jewish Art and History
• The As du Fallafel restaurant

You can find more from Edith here.

During my cultural an culinary explorations, I bump into Jewish history guide Karen Reb Rudel who explains more about Jews in Paris. Find her tours on Sightseeker's Delight.

Then I track down the head honcho at L'As du Fallafel, Yomi Peretz, to understand how his restaurant got so popular. 

Do you like this podcast? Become a Patreon member of The Earful Tower here to support this show and get extras.

The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson.

Click here for our walking tours of Paris.

I is for Ile Saint-Louis - an island in the Seine. As far as I'm concerned, it features the most beautiful walk in Paris. 

In this episode, I take you walking along the best bits of the island and share my favourite haunts. I also share my ideal route so you can do the same. 

Do you like this podcast? Become a Patreon member of The Earful Tower here to support this show and get extras, including a video walk of this very route.

The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson.

Click here for our walking tours of Paris.

H is for Haussmann - Baron Haussmann that is. He was the urban planner behind the redesign of Paris under Napoleon III. 

But what is a Haussmannian building? Who was Haussmann, really, and why was his work so important? Where can you find it in Paris? And what's his legacy?

All those questions are answered in this episode, with help from tour guide Boris Petrovic from Paris in Person (find his Haussmannian Paris tour here).

Do you like this podcast? Become a Patreon member of The Earful Tower here to support this show and get extras.

The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson.

Click here for our walking tours of Paris.

G is for Guimard - Hector Guimard that is. He is the architect behind the iconic Paris Metro entrances, several Art Nouveau buildings in Paris, and some very beautiful furniture and decorations in museum displays around the world. 

But what is Art Nouveau? Who was Guimard, really, and why was his work so important? Where can you find it in Paris? And what's his legacy?

All those questions are answered in this episode, with help from tour guide Boris Petrovic from Paris in Person (find his Art Nouveau tour here), from Paris head auctioneer Chrisophe Lucien, and from Julie Treumann of the Driehaus Museum in Chicago. 

Do you like this podcast? Become a Patreon member of The Earful Tower here to support this show and get extras.

The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson.

Click here for our walking tours of Paris.

F is for Floods - that is, the floods of the Seine River in Paris. And today we're paying particular attention to the game-changing Great Flood of 1910. 

Featured is the voice of Jeffrey Jackson, Professor of History at Rhodes College, and the author of "Paris Under Water:  How the City of Light Survived the Great Flood of 1910". You can find more about Jeffrey on his website here.

Become a Patreon member of The Earful Tower here to support this show and get extras.

The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson.

Click here for our walking tours of Paris.