PICKS OF THE MONTH: PARIS

Restaurant: Café du Marché

38 rue Cler, 75005

Chic locals of all ages and tourists alike monopolize this picturesque café in the 7th arrondissement, just around the corner from the Champs de Mars and the Eiffel Tower. Leave the Jules Verne to Tom and Katie - those in the know gather at Café du Marché for some of the best traditional French cuisine in Paris. With dishes like steak tartare and Salade Niçoise, as well as desserts and good wine served at lunch and dinner, the place fills up quickly so get there early (let's say around 8pm - early by French standards). On a warm, sunny day tiny tables line the sidewalk of rue Cler, filled with fashionable students, middle-aged hippies, smart businessmen, old lovers and American families traveling à la Rick Steves (who also happens to be an avid promoter of this restaurant. I've even spotted him there once or twice).

Their Confit de Canard is the best I have ever tasted and their riz-au-lait (rice pudding) is always a requisite follow-up after my main course. I find myself often heading to the café when I am in Paris and can't be bothered to cook. Breakfast, such as a café au lait and croissant, is always enjoyable and provides for some great people watching. Prices also happen to be very affordable, which is probably the reason for its diverse clientelle. And just in case the place sounds too perfect to be..well, French...note that it is closed Sundays for dinner, so you will just have to head to Ladurée for pastry instead.

Cultural Activity: Salsa by the Seine

Quai Saint Bernard, between Gare d'Austerlitz and the Institut du Monde Arab, 75005

What makes Paris so special? The grumpy waiters, the daily strikes or the endless supply of puppy poop? Well perhaps for some. But for many people I suspect Paris' alluring appeal to be the constant variety of cultural and social events put on throughout the city and the often small cost to participate in these activities.

One such event is what I like to call Salsa by the Seine. In the Summer months, twice a week in the evening, an open large salsa class is held on the quai of the left bank in the 5th arrondissement (starting around 7:30pm depending on the night). Taught by a reputable instructor and with Latin music blaring in the background, anyone who shows up can join in for a quick lesson in salsa 101. And best of all: it doesn't cost a thing! Following the lesson, everyone from the salsa 101 students to ballroom aficionados gather for a massive Latin dance fest under the stars. Crowded, yes, but then no one will be the wiser when you accidentally trod on your partner's toes. Come early with some friends and a picnic and make a night of it. Who said Paris was expensive?


Club: Le Queen

102 Avenue des Champs Elysées, 75008, http://www.queen.fr/

Marie Antoinette may have lost her head years ago but I say: Long live the Queen! For it is she who reigns over Paris' party scene today. But there's no need to get one's revolutionary muskets in a knot, this Queen just happens to be the hot gay nightclub nestled on the Champs Elysées.

Although frequented by the city's large gay community, it is a big nightclub that exists for everyone to enjoy - sexual orientation being a non-issue. It is a place where straight and gay can gather side by side for a long night of booty-shaking, cocktail guzzling and fun. Weekends are very popular as are Wednesdays, its token ladies' night where women get in for free. Le Queen is fun for everyone and has become quite the clubbing institution among young Parisians. If unsure where to go out at night in Paris, I recommend popping by her majesty, the Queen. And to anyone who feels above this experience, well...let them eat cake!