GABIN AND LE MANDIGOTTE

Le Mandigotte rue Lepic

There are two rue Lepics. Rue Lepic en bas, that is, between Place Blanche - Moulin Rouge and rue des Abbesses. At one time a colorful market street. So enchanting, I swiftly moved there  from my hotel on Avenue de l'Opera to the Hotel Prima, no. 29, my second day in Paris in 1972. On my third day in Paris, I learned that you don't touch the fruit. If you want to buy an apple, you point to it, pay for it, and the vendeur will hand it over. I also learned that real men drink (or did drink) un petit Calva with their café in the morning. The Café de 2 Moulins where I discovered this became famous with the film Amelie Poulain  and that and time changed the rue Lepic en bas.

Souvenir shops and banks have replaced many of the commerçants. One can still find tous qui faut for good cooking, but it's not the same.

Rue Lepic en haut, once you've crossed rue des Abbesses, is a serpentine-cobbled-stone trail that winds upward to Sacre Coeur. It's very pretty and has the charm of old Montmartre. Le Mandigotte is one of the most charming grace à Gabin the fat Lab that sits in front and does his fair share of begging, and Vincent the owner who has the magic touch for making all the guest feel at home.