September 9, 2020 -- Things are tough here in the city of love, lights, and masks.

I have been missing the Paris I knew as a visitor or the first year I lived here.

Living here, well, parfois c’est compliqué (sometimes it’s complicated), but there is enough wine and delectables to numb us from the pain.

When I first came to Paris and was fresh off the boat, I looked around and must have said, “OMG, that is amazing,” several times a day.

I didn’t really speak French, but the only place I could speak French was in a restaurant because food is my language.

Also, when it comes to legumes (vegetables) they more or less sound the same in English.

Here’s a story for you.

I was in a bistro in my neighborhood and was seated next to two very chic French ladies and the salad they were having looked absolutely delicious. When the serveur (waiter) arrived, I discreetly pointed to the salad they were having and asked the waiter for a salade du beet.

He widened his eyes and said, “Madame, you mean bettrave not beet.” It turns out that bite pronounced “beet” means a vulgar word for penis (dick)… which means I ordered a dick salad.

Sometimes I would pass the restaurant and see the waiters and they would chuckle and say, “Bonjour Madame. Nous avons beacoup du beets pour vous.” (“We have a lot of beets for you.”)

And I would walk away and say, “OMG, France is soooo romantic.”

Well the French and their food is what is keeping this city afloat these days or at least trying to. I know it has been crazy times everywhere but it seems this year in Paris got a bit lost with gillet jaunes (yellow jackets), grève RATP (transportation strike), and, of course, confinement.

Restaurants in Paris are having a difficult time especially now that the city is empty with most people gone and the fact that there are virtually no tourists.

So I want to write about all the places I truly missed during confinement because not all restaurants were able to stay open for just delivery during confinement.

But there is one place in particular I want to talk about today.

It’s my favorite pizza joint in Paris. It’s called Via Roma on Rue des Dames.

Trust me. I know pizza. I am from New York and I do not mean any disrespect to Spumoni Gardens, Sal & Carmine’s, John’s Pizza, and that other one in Mill Basin, but Via Roma is one of my favorite places in Paris.

Not that I plan on committing a crime but the truffle cream pizza could be my last prison meal request. Just to know.

Via Roma is the kind of place where they make me feel like family. It really does remind me of those pizza joints when I was a kid… where everyone knows everyone.

We have so many places that are starting to close down in Paris – so once we get out of this mess, please come and support this restaurant.

This place is special and needs to stay open.

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ABOUT MISS YVONNE

Miss Yvonne is a writer, actress and stand-up comedian living in Paris.

She’s also available for tours of the famed and fabulous city.

Contact her at www.parisairconcierge.com.

IMAGE CREDITS

All photos by Miss Yvonne