Bastille Day At The French Market Cafe - Vive La France!

I have gotten my coffee at The French Market Cafe pretty much every day I've been in town for the last two decades. It's my spot. I love them. In all these years of patronage, I think last Sunday might have been the most fun yet at the French, as they celebrated Bastille Day a couple of days early.

The patio was decked out in red, white, and blue balloons and bunting. The special menu for the day was all French favorites like the croque monsieur, quiches, and le cheval. There was a waffle bar set up outside for the day, and you can be sure that the champagne was flowing.

Our favorite chanteuse, Zaya, was singing the classics like "La Vie En Rose", and there was a fun photo booth set up right in the middle of it all with French props to make one look legit, even if you were a Yank like me.

All the beloved staff were decked out in red berets, even Carole at the register. I'm sure she was secretly pleased. Je t'aime, Carole!!!

No one looked more perfectly Parisian than owner, Agness Martinez. Ever the gracious hostess, she waltzed throughout the celebration, smiling and serving her friends and all the Frenchies who came from all over town to join in on the festivities. It was a madhouse, yet all the service was with a big smile, with laughter and fun for staff and patrons alike.

It was a delightful Sunday afternoon, and never have I felt more the wonderful French qualities being honored on this holiday ... Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity ... for ALL.

Vive La France and Vive La French Market Cafe!!!

*And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear friend, Christina Conway! Vive La Christina!!!

The French Market Celebrates 20 Years and Bastille Day!

I am so grateful for The French Market Cafe. It is my little spot to go and feel real community, real neighbors, and real good coffee every day in Venice. They are celebrating 20 years of business this year, not an easy feat, especially these days. So it was a party for Bastille Day yesterday ... a perfectly glorious day outside, made more so by the festive atmosphere of the Musette music and special bbq menu (Merguez sausage! Croque Monsieur!) for the occasion.

The outdoor patio was festooned with red, white and blue for the French holiday, and the loyal patrons were in the mood to party in the daytime. Always fun.

Owner Agnes Martinez was radiant in her patriotic outfit, and our gracious hostess accepted kisses and congratulations for all of her hard work over the years making "The French" a place that is absolutely beloved by her locals.

Thank you to Agnes, Carole, Eddie, Jenny and everyone who makes The French Market Cafe a joy to share your day with! Here's to many, many more years of French food and fun ... J'adore!!!

French New Wave Venice

There are many times in life - especially in Venice - where you go, "This is like a movie", or "I couldn't even make this up". The place is full of characters, that as a writer, you think, "No one would ever believe this person was real, if they weren't". I'm constantly writing down little moments in my notebook, to use in a script or book later on, as inspiration is constantly everywhere.


A good example of this happened the other day. I was on my way home from my morning walk at the beach when I saw my Creepy Landlord pull up in front of my place. If you know me at all, you probably know about this guy. The problems - CREEPY problems - with this person go way back, and our relations lately have devolved in a big way. I recently let him have it in a letter, and seeing him pull up in front was the first I'd seen of him since his receiving it, and frankly, I was not in the mood to deal.

So I went on over to the French Market to get my coffee, and kill some time, hopefully long enough to miss The Creep. I told my friend and waiter extraordinaire, Christopher, that I was sorry I was going to take up a table with just coffee, but I was hiding out from my Creepy Landlord, blahblahblah. I'm usually in and out of there in a hurry, so it's out of the ordinary for me to linger. It wasn't super busy at that moment, so we had more time to chat than normal, and I shared just some of the Creepiness with my French pals.

After a bit, I said my goodbyes to Carole and Christopher, and biked back towards my house. I went an odd way, so I could sneak up and see my place without being seen. When I turned down an alley, I heard the puttering of an engine behind me, but I had my hood up and shades on, so I didn't have any peripheral view, and didn't feel like glancing back and having to deal with something else. Another weird turn by me, another weird turn by the puttering engine. I kept going until I reached the corner where I could see my house. The coast was clear. One second later, a scooter pulled up alongside me, the helmet came off, and there was Christopher, on the delivery scooter!


"I had to make sure zat you were alright", he said in his super thick French accent. He'd hopped on the scooter and followed me as soon as I'd left, going above and beyond the call of waiter, into true friend territory. (And he didn't want any credit or his picture taken, so I had to snap this in passing):


That's what a Community is all about, man. Caring, taking a moment of your own time to make sure someone else is ok, and doing it just because you're a good person, not because you expect anything in return. I treasure that about the relationships I've formed over the years here in Venice. They are legit, and people really do care.

So you see ... cool things don't just happen in the movies, they happen right here, every single day.