Best of the World with Antoni Porowski (2026) s01e02 Episode Script
Paris
[upbeat music playing
"7 heure du mat" J. Taieb]
[singing in French]
-This is the chicest morning
swim I've ever had by far.
To have a place where you can
start your morning laps where
the bikini made its debut.
You feel like you're in
a time capsule, you know?
You can only find this
in one city in the world,
Bienvenue a Paris.
Je mets mon shetland rouge
ou bien mon shetland bleu? ♪
This is unreal.
What makes
something the best?
Is it the view?
Wow.
You said don't look down
and that was the first thing
that I did.
Is it the stay?
Oh, it's so romantic.
Or is it a meal so good
it makes you want to cry.
Oh, that was so
beautiful that, like,
warmed my soul.
Every year National Geographic
names its Best of the world.
Must see destinations
that rise above the rest.
-This is the most biodiverse
place in the whole world.
-And you're part
of that story.
-Absolutely.
[Antoni] Now they've given
me the best job in the world.
I just saw my reflection.
I'm crushing it.
To explore places to stay.
Restaurants,
sights and experiences.
That's a fang,
I'm in the head.
In Paris,
Mexico City,
London and my hometown.
You're a New York treasure.
I'm on a quest
to find the best.
[thud]
Because for me, the best
is more than just hype.
This is like a beautiful
representation of cultures.
It's food, but it's also
a history of the people.
It's the sights, the sounds.
-It's showtime.
[Antoni] The flavors.
-You can only
taste this in Mexico.
[Antoni] And it's
almost always the people.
-It's made with a lot of love.
-Why the Statue of Liberty?
-She's so New York.
I came to this
country for freedom.
-Unreal.
Best I've ever had in my life.
I'm Antoni Porowski, and
this is Best of the World.
Of course, how else
to start this journey?
[Antoni] Bet you didn't know
I could speak French, did you?
I'm from Montreal, so
I've had a little practice.
Let's be honest, Paris
is on everyone's list.
City of light, city of
love and city of 50 million
tourists all chasing
the same postcard views.
You know the ones,
but trust me,
that's just the
highlight reel.
Paris has layers.
This city is carved
into 20 districts,
arrondissements spiraling out
from the polished and proper,
to the creative,
and even a little edgy.
So I've handpicked six
experiences that get straight
to its chic, messy,
romantic soul,
starting right in the center
where Paris likes to show off
with a hotel that overlooks
the Place de la Concorde.
This town isn't short on five
star accommodation but there's
only one where history is
woven into its walls and
service is an art form.
-Antoni?
-Oui.
-Welcome.
Pleasure to meet you.
-So nice to meet you.
-I'm Elsa the Head Butler,
and I will be
pleased to show you around.
-I can't wait, thank you.
Commissioned in 1758,
Hôtel de Crillon began life
as a palace fit for a king.
King Louis XV in fact.
He had a rep for being a
bit of a royal wallflower,
which is surprising when
everything here is so Extra!
Wow. I've never
seen a tiered pendant.
[Elsa] Yes. It's beautiful.
[Antoni] My gosh.
We're talking
18th century frescoes,
40 types of marble
and 73 chandeliers.
It's less a hotel, more
a beautifully preserved flex.
And over the years it has
attracted Hollywood royalty,
actual royalty,
heads of state, and yep
even Taytay.
Rooms start from
around $3,000.
Fine if college is
optional for your kids,
but just wait till you see
where the A-listers crash.
-There was a story there.
-Of course there is a story.
This is one of the most
beautiful suites of the hotel.
We have a lot of very
important guests staying here,
high profile.
If this one is not available,
they will not come to Paris.
-Wow.
-The famous
composer Bernstein,
the composer of
West Side Story.
-Oh, Leonard yeah.
Leonard, Like I know him. Yeah.
-Yes. He used to live here.
-Live?
-Yes. For months.
[Antoni] Okay, so how much
is this room a night?
[Elsa] Well, this room can be
around 20,000 euros a night.
-Wow. Huh?
Punchy
But for that money,
the VIPs get something
they can't live without
butler service.
-The teams are coming
to have the room ready.
Okay, just wait here.
-Okay.
-Okay.
-Oh, there's more
than one of you. Wow.
-Of course, there's an army.
-Oh my gosh.
[speaking in French]
[Antoni] This was one
of the first Paris hotels
to provide a butler
with every last room key.
And look, there's butlers,
and then there's these guys.
[Antoni] This is standard?
-Well, this is special.
-Yeah.
[speaking in French]
[Antoni] A kind of
personal assistant to deliver
on point opulence 24/7.
-Oh there's more.
Oh there's more.
[speaking in French]
[speaking in French]
-Tell me some of like
the wackiest requests
you've ever had.
-Well, I will keep my secrets.
-Why?
I guess what
happens in the Crillon,
stays in the Crillon.
[speaking in French]
-The bedroom.
-I mean, not a bad
place to wake up to.
Oh.
-Yes.
-The views.
-The best view.
-This is wild.
This, I've never seen
anything like this before.
It's so romantic.
-And we are not finished
here in the in the bedroom.
-Oh no what do we have
to do in the bedroom?
-Of course.
-Elsa just clocked which guest
sleeps on the left and the
right to switch the pillows.
That is attention to detail.
-Well, yes, when you know the
preferences at this point is
that you make the guest
feel like they're really home.
-You do the thinking for them?
-Yes.
-Yeah.
-Absolutely.
-And you love it because you're
smiling while you do it too.
-Yes because I'm passionate.
-Yeah.
This isn't
regular room service.
To operate with this level
of precision and execution,
it's curtain up
on opening night.
And tucked away elsewhere
inside the Crillon is a room
where history isn't
a thing of the past,
it comes alive.
[Elsa] Welcome to
Marie Antoinette's salon.
[Antoni] Wow.
[Elsa] The legend says
that Marie Antoinette,
the Queen, used to have her
piano lessons in this room.
Yeah.
-Okay.
Marie Antoinette
was the original it girl,
a fashion icon, the last
queen before the Revolution,
until she was cancelled
in a way that makes
social media seem mild.
-And so here she used
to learn piano facing
Place de la Concorde,
the square.
-Really?
-Yes.
So that's why we call the
ballroom Marie Antoinette.
-Wow.
Okay.
-And welcome on the terrace.
-Well, this is nice.
Step onto this balcony,
and you're standing on the
front row of French history.
250 years of triumph,
tragedy and spectacle.
From World Wars ending
to World Cup homecomings.
If something big is
going down in Paris,
the crowd is looking up here.
-On this square there
was the guillotine of
Marie Antoinette.
-She was
guillotined in this square.
So she played piano here
-Yes.
-unbeknownst to
her, that her demise.
-Then she end up her life here.
Just here on the square. Yes.
-Oh!
After all this--
-You have both positive
and more tragic part of the
history they are
mixing and what makes it
beautiful as well.
-My gosh.
I mean, that's the
thing, it's like,
no shortage of luxury,
but it is equaled,
if not even
surpassed by the history.
-Yeah.
-Like what a magical city.
-Well, yes.
-It's pretty amazing.
-But for me it was
the same actually,
when I was younger, my
dream was to work in Paris.
Yes.
It was a funny story.
I was watching Celine Dion's
concert on TV, Paris.
-Stop!
-I was eight years old,
and so each time I see the
Eiffel Tower now I remember.
-Wow.
So Celine Dion
brought you here.
What's your
favorite Celine Dion song?
-My favorite?
-Yeah!
-Je goosebumps.
-Yes.
[Antoni] As a French Canadian,
anyone who loves
Celine speaks my language.
Hôtel de Crillon.
They sure don't make 'em
like this anymore.
But it's the people like Elsa
who make it unforgettable.
Because when the
service is this extra,
you'll wonder how you
ever managed on your own.
[Antoni] They say the
best things in life are free
and after the Crillon,
a place where you really
don't want to see the check,
I'm looking
for pure Parisian romance,
but zero cost.
Montmartre, high in
the north of Paris
delivers winding streets,
Bohemian vibes and one
of the best views on earth.
And the most French
way to get there, two wheels.
Okay, this is gonna
be a real workout for me
I can already tell.
This is the
Montmartre Velo Club.
They're about to take me
on one of the most famous
bike rides in the world.
-And the left is back?
-Left is..
-No, right is back.
-No right, oh yeah,
right is back. Yeah.
-Oh wow. Wow.
If I can keep up.
Forget a pastime,
in France cycling is
a national obsession.
70% of this
country owns a bike.
A quarter million ride
with official cycle clubs.
Montmartre Vélo club
clocks around 60 miles a week.
But if Lycra isn't your
thing, just grab a rental.
Paris alone has more than
600 miles of bike paths
all ready to roll.
-It is such a unique
experience cycling in a
city like this.
I'm so used to like
wide paved roads.
-So here it's small,
cobbled ones.
-Yeah, I think it's
all cobbled actually.
-Okay.
-You have to imagine this
space but with thousands and
thousands of people--
-Yeah.
-Cheering.
[Antoni] The Tour de France,
since 1903 nearly
the entire country has
lost its mind every
summer for this race.
Three weeks over 2,000 miles.
The best riders on the
planet battling it out,
for one thing,
the yellow jersey.
Last year, the final stage
included some of this savage
climb through the
streets of Montmartre.
Cobbles, pain, no mercy,
rising all the way
to the Sacré-Coeur.
[announcer] Listen to
the crowd as they marvel
at the yellow jersey.
-So they also had
the slippery cobbles.
-Except they went a
little further than us.
-Yeah, they went
further and faster than us.
-And we are getting
to the steep bit now.
-Oh, yeah, I'm loosening up.
-Yeah.
-Oh. The hamstrings and quads.
-So how does it feel now?
-Once you go here then
you start to see the,
the Sacré-Coeur
in the background.
-Okay.
-And it means we're really
close and you have the view
of Paris as well.
-Whoah, I just saw
a little glimpse.
[bells ringing]
It's really hard to focus on
paying attention to my bike in
the road when
there's like the most
beautiful views ever around.
The Sacré-Coeur Basilica,
a monument to the
Franco-Prussian war,
has watched over
Paris since 1914.
-Here we are.
-Wow.
Here, 600 feet
above the Seine,
the city unfolds before you.
Low rise, luminous and crowned
by the Eiffel Tower.
It's beautiful here.
-Yeah, of course, it is
the best view of Paris.
-It's a good reward after
our little uphill battle.
-Yeah.
-Two things that I
was most shocked by,
the cobblestones
and how wet they are.
And you guys
just, you don't shut,
you just keep talking during
the entire biking thing.
This is like a
social activity.
-In France, we have
this this tradition of,
of passion and
suffering on a bike.
-This tradition of passion
and suffering on a bike.
This was such an interesting
view and a different
perspective of the city.
It was, it was really cool.
All I want now is like a
croissant and espresso.
-Yeah.
-Where can we find that?
-Yeah.
This is also part of the club.
We always stop for a
coffee and a pastry stop
during our ride.
-My hammies are not impressed
right now, but honestly,
I'm feeling invigorated.
I mean, the experience of
actually riding with this wacky,
ultra passionate group.
It's this Parisian extreme of
like they're putting in the
effort and they're
doing their best,
but then they stop and drink
an espresso out of like a
proper porcelain cup
and have a croissant.
It's so insanely French
in the best way possible.
I don't know anywhere else
in the world where they
would do this sort of thing.
This view a
feast for the eyes.
Absolutely Best of the World.
And speaking of feasts,
all that riding has
made me very, very hungry.
[Antoni] Let's be honest,
France didn't just
invent fine dining,
it perfected it and
Paris is the mothership.
I think there's over 100
Michelin starred restaurants
in the city.
White tablecloths,
rules, reverence.
But there's a place that's
about to challenge everything
you think you know about
French fine dining.
Just East of the
Hôtel de Crillon but
a world away in attitude,
is the 11th arrondissement.
It's got one of the
best bar scenes in Paris,
and a raw energy
all of its own.
But the real reason
you should come here,
the food.
This place has a Michelin
star and what's special about
it is that they
basically only use
ingredients from France.
Bonjour, chef.
[speaking in French].
-This is FIEF, where
Chef Victor Mercier is
rewriting the rulebook.
The menu here
follows one hard line,
if it doesn't
grow in French soil,
it doesn't hit
the plate, period.
Like, what inspired you
to really focus on like,
I only want to use French?
-To be honest,
I've always listened to
3 Michelin Chef saying,
oh, we have the best
agriculture in the world and
I was like, oh, maybe
if you think so, show it.
-So the name FIEF is
Fait Ici En France,
made here in France?
-Yes, yes.
-But do you find that there are
like, limitations
that come with that?
[Victor] Do what you
can with what you have.
-Right.
Alright, now I'm intrigued.
Victor serving up
his own Tour de France,
classic regional
dishes but remixed his way.
[Victor] Alright, so this
dish is inspired by
a childhood memory.
When I used to go down
to the South of France
-Okay.
-So basically this
is inspired by that.
[Antoni] Classic pistou,
traditionally a
rustic Provencal soup.
Pasta, herbs, comfort.
This version different story.
-Thinly sliced cuttlefish in
the idea of a dish of pasta,
but without any pasta.
-But without any of
the, okay carb-less.
Thank you.
All right, this
is my jam here.
I love a good pistou.
This is damn good.
This is the kind of stuff
that makes dining at a place
like this so special,
because it completely has
you rethink what you think
you know about
flavors that belong together.
Am I a food critic,
what's happening here?
-We call it Bouille À Plat
because it's flat.
[Antoni] This isn't the
bouillabaisse I know.
Normally it's a
fisherman's stew.
Hearty, briny, time honored.
But Victor has other ideas.
-What bothers me
with bouillabaisse,
the fish is
sometimes overcooked.
So we serve it like a sashimi.
And we serve it with something
completely different.
This crab soup inspired
with Sichuan pepper and chili.
-Yo, this guy is
a sauce master.
This is actually
my favorite so far.
This is number one.
Every dish so far has been
a love letter to a region,
written in a
completely new language.
So where does he go for
dessert without chocolate?
Answer, somewhere unexpected.
-This is kind of a dessert
that has a lot of success here.
[Antoni] Okay.
-So this is an artichoke
cooked like basically a cake
and it will showcase the
richness of one region.
This vanilla
comes from Brittany.
We pair these two ingredients
together because the vanilla
producer is also an
artichoke producer.
So this is a tribute to
what's going on over there.
-Wow. Artichoke for dessert.
Surprising to the mouth at
first where it kind of makes
your eyes perk up.
I mean, I had high expectations,
but this is legit.
Wow.
I definitely have a
bro crush on Victor yeah.
That was a
flawless food journey,
but some flavors I
wouldn't have expected
from French soil.
Sichuan pepper, really?
Pardon, pardon.
[in French] Thank you,
thank you.
I need to know how
Victor's pulling this off.
-So there is your apron.
-Okay.
-And we're going
to showcase a very
classic way of cooking mussel,
and basically it's
mussel cooked over an open
fire of pine needles.
[Antoni] Okay and that's
literally what we're making.
[Victor] Yes, but in a
completely different way.
All right so we're going
to make the mussel juice.
-Oh, I was already going to
be like, why is there sake?
Okay. cool.
-I was actually really
surprised of what we could get.
-Yeah.
-So for example, we found a
Sichuan pepper from Normandy.
-Really?
-I have a spice called
bréde mafane or jambu,
which is really
used in African food.
This one comes
from Paris also.
-Wow.
-And people look at me
like with big eyes and say,
oh, but do you
have really that?
And like, yeah, I can,
I can show you.
-I didn't
scratch the label off,
made in Japan, like
it's actually made here.
Yeah. Please go.
-No. Smell it.
-That's nice.
-Yes. And we're
just simply going to put fire.
-Wow.
-Nice fire and just
close it and nice
-Oh it's already coming out.
-Yeah.
Obviously there is not a
good mussel sauce without the
French secret ingredients.
-Yeah. Just a little.
-Just a half.
-Half block of butter. Yeah.
So you don't do
lunch service here?
-No. Actually, no.
No, never.
My main focus is
that these guys,
when they come to the
work, they're pretty happy,
they are not scared.
-Right, right. It's
that French like striving for
like perfection, which
is like necessary no?
-No, I, I hate
the way of saying,
oh, we are
looking for perfection.
You will get sad if
you want if you strive
for perfection I think.
-Wow.
I want to be able to see
a little bit of cracks.
-Because we are human.
-Yeah.
-It's nice.
-Perfect.
-So we're going
to to plate now.
-Okay.
-So you can put a
tiny bit of puree.
-Just a little zigzag?
-Yeah. Zigzag.
Yeah perfect. A big spoon,
but try to put them nicely.
-Individually along the base.
-Yeah like.
-Okay.
-And finally the sauce.
And that's it.
-Beautiful.
-Simple.
-That's really freaking cool.
-Please enjoy.
-Yeah?
-This is your spoon, yeah.
-Mhm.
The foam rounds
everything out.
-Yes, we need it.
Are the mussels smoked enough?
-It's not perfect,
it's not overwhelming.
-All right.
-Wow, this is killer.
It's just like, I
don't know, seeing,
like, a young guy,
you're like,
honoring and
respecting your country,
you're doing your own thing.
-Thank you.
-I think environments can
sometimes be very sterile and
professional, but
there's a soul here,
which that's a big
testament to your success so.
-Yeah. Thank you.
-You know what you're doing,
you know what you're doing.
-Thank you.
[Antoni] This place
isn't about nostalgia,
about looking backwards,
it's about asking what it means
for food to be French now.
-It's a deep and humble
respect that he has for all of
the regions from
north to south.
Within those constraints,
he has managed to
be insanely creative and
do things
that I've never experienced.
Pair ingredients that have
never been put together,
all while
respecting tradition.
And that's what
makes FIEF the Best Of,
that's what gives me the
goosebumps when I think
about this place.
I'm going to tell everyone
and their mother about this,
and I'm going to be back.
[Antoni] Paris works
because every district has its
own thing going on.
We've seen the old
school elegance of the 8th,
felt the restless
energy of the 11th,
taken it all in from the 18th.
Now I'm crossing the
River Seine south to
the 13th arrondissement.
A once industrial neighborhood
now wrapped in color and art.
It's also home to
one of my favorite,
slightly nerdy obsessions.
I'm a big fan of furniture.
It's beautiful, but
it's also practical.
The Mobilier National,
aka the National
Furniture Collection,
one of Paris's most quietly
mind-blowing institutions.
Bonjour.
-Bonjour.
Shall we go in?
-Excellent.
This is Lucile,
head of the collections
inspection department.
-Welcome to this
amazing place.
[Antoni] Wow.
This one of a kind
building is home to 100,000
priceless pieces of French
heritage dating back to
the 17th century.
Furniture, textiles, objects
that once shaped power.
Hundreds of specialized
artisans work here,
preserving everything
with almost obsessive care.
But these pieces don't just
sit behind glass they're still
used in parliament,
government ministries and
French embassies
around the world.
-We have a few chandeliers
coming from the Élysée Palace.
-From the Élysée?
-Yes.
[Antoni] Including
the Élysée Palace,
the French version
of the white House.
I mean, just the
thought of the crystals and,
like, removing each piece.
You'd think all of these
fragile items would be under
lock and key but
here's the kicker.
You can just walk in.
Oh. Oh my gosh.
Guided tours are
available three days a week.
Catnip for geeks like me.
The kind of people who
watched Game of Thrones for
the actual thrones.
What's your favorite area?
-Area, you mean.
-Like specifically, like,
are you a chair girl or are
you a table girl?
Like, do you have
like a thing that,
like, I'm a chair guy?
-Oh, it's, oh
you're a chair guy.
I think it might be a
little, I don't know,
things a little bit funkier.
-Okay. Like what?
-I don't know.
-Throne of Charles the 10th.
-Ah, we have a lot
of thrones here.
For instance,
you have this seat,
which was commissioned
by Napoleon the first.
-Such a statement of power.
-Yes.
-This is all like gold leaf.
-Exactly.
Gold leaf put on wood.
-Wow. May I touch it?
Better not. Better not.
Okay I just wanted to see.
-I'm sorry.
-It feels very sturdy and heavy.
And wasn't he a
pretty short guy?
-He was rather a short guy,
but it doesn't matter.
-Big chair for a short guy.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah it's been used.
-It's been definitely used.
And in here,
you have a large series of
seats used by Marie Antoinette
and Louis XVI,
just before the revolution.
-Oh, I can't
believe I touched it.
I won't tell anyone.
-And these seats were
installed in the Élysée Palace
until Emmanuel Macron decided
to change completely the
furnishing and put
contemporary collection.
-So the Macron's are
into French modernism?
-Yes, definitely.
You would love them.
[Antoni] In the 1920s,
French modernism traded
ornamental decoration
for pure function.
That clean, minimal
look we now call modern,
it started right
here in France.
-Mrs. Macron is
actually coming here to
decide which piece she is
going to take to
the Élysée Palace.
[Antoni] And the Mobilier
doesn't just protect the past,
it looks to the future.
Sorry to interrupt.
Inside these studios,
artisans are creating new
masterpieces using techniques
that are centuries old,
like this enormous carpet,
handwoven by
craftspeople like Suzon.
Someday, it could end up
in a French embassy halfway
across the world.
-We are here and we're
gonna arrive at the middle
of the carpet.
-How long have you been
working on this piece?
-Four years.
-Four years.
Oh my gosh.
It'll take up to five weavers
nearly a decade to complete
this piece.
How many hours a day do
you do you work typically?
Like, what's a normal shift?
-Um, it's eight hours a day.
-Eight hours a day
you're doing this task.
But what if like, what if
you're working with someone who,
like, talks a lot like me
right now in this moment and
you're like, I'm trying
to get this job done.
-I just put your air and
-You put your AirPods
in and listen to music?
-Yeah. Yeah.
-What do you listen to?
-Um, Taylor Swift.
-Taylor Swift?
-Yeah.
-Oh my God what's
your favorite album?
-Reputation.
-Ah, you're a Reputation girl.
-I am a Reputation.
-It's so good.
What kind of carpets
do you have at home?
-Uh, Ikea carpets.
-Regular Ikea carpets?
-Yeah.
[Antoni] I think Susan
might be my favorite weaver.
Just ahead of Sigourney.
I was expecting to come in
and just sort of like see
beautiful pieces, which I did,
there was no shortage of that,
but it's so much
more than that.
It's this living, breathing
place and the work that has
gone into preserving something
so special and so unique
makes it The Best.
-And we need to
preserve this kind of crafts.
-Yeah, I don't think I'm ever
going to walk on like a proper
carpet or a rug and
take it for granted.
I have massive
respect for the patience,
skill and quiet obsession
it takes to do this work.
I'll have to come
back when they're done,
in like five years.
Right now, there's
still too much to do,
too much to see, and
definitely too much to eat.
For centuries, the left
Bank has been home to artists,
writers, rebels
and the Sorbonne,
a place where ideas matter.
And here, in the intellectual
heart of the city,
is a small shop
with a big reputation.
Ooh.
This is Quatrehomme.
Over 250 varieties of cheese.
Supplier to some of
Paris's best restaurants,
and a family business
for more than 70 years.
The smell.
-I'm like, it's like a
massive part of my identity.
Anything with a
moldy rind like this.
Heaven. Heaven.
-Hi.
-How can I help you?
-Um, okay.
I'm a little overwhelmed.
There's definitely a lot of
amazing things that I know
that I love.
How long has this
place been open?
-My grandparents
opened it in 1953.
-Okay.
-Yeah, I'm really proud of
continuing the family history.
-Yeah.
Nathalie and her
brother run the shop now.
They took it over
from her mother,
Marie, who made
cheese so extraordinary,
she became the first woman
ever named best
craftsperson of France.
Basically the
Beyoncé of cheese.
-We age a lot of our cheese.
-You age them here?
-Yeah, I age them here.
-Okay wow.
-Yeah, in a secret place.
-Really?
-Oh. Do you want to see it?
-Yes.
-Okay. I think that's possible.
Follow me this way.
-Merci.
Nathalie is an affineur.
That's a cheese
whisperer to you and me.
-Ah-ha. Wow.
-Ah. Welcome.
[Antoni] And wheels of cheese
from every corner of France
are matured in this
one-of-a-kind celler.
-Wow.
[Antoni] That stone is
actually a secret ingredient.
At 45 million years old,
it's not just rock anymore,
but a living,
breathing microbial ecosystem.
-Does that affect the
flavor, in your opinion?
-Of course, because you
have a natural environment
with the humidity,
with the air, with all the wood.
You have something
that is really special.
-Yeah.
-Let me show you one.
-Yeah.
-This is a goat cheese from
Burgundy called Le Tonnelet.
-It looks like a little brain.
-Yeah and.
-It's so beautiful.
-Every two days we turn
it so it stays round.
-Poetry.
-Yeah.
-Oh, that's so nice.
Chills. What else?
-Now I'm greedy, now
I want everything.
-Ah!
-Yes.
-Okay. That's very satisfying.
-They cut the rind here.
This is so good.
-This is different.
I've had Comté no less than
100 times in my life and I'm
not just saying
this because I'm here,
like that's the
best I've ever had.
May I try a third one?
-Yeah. Of course.
Tomme de Savoie.
-I love a Tomme de Savoie.
-Okay.
-She looks like an old brick
with a bit of moss growing
that you found in the forest.
-It looks old and dry,
but it's absolutely not.
-I, this is my childhood.
-This is good.
-Yeah, this is good.
[laughs]
This is so special.
-Okay.
-This cave is like
nothing I've ever seen.
May I ask for a couple to,
to wrap up that I can
take with me?
-Of course. Follow me.
-Yeah. Mm.
This is what
Paris does best.
[speaking in French].
It treats food
with reverence.
Craft like a calling,
and somehow never takes
the joy out of it.
Come on.
Mm, mm, mm.
Damn.
A random baguette from
a bakery and it's like a
ten out of ten.
No duds in this town.
Paris is known
for fine dining.
But this is so much quicker
and just as delicious as
sitting in a restaurant.
Paris by day
has been magical,
but when the sun goes down,
this city changes.
And there's one
last place that only
comes alive after dark.
[Antoni] Paris has
no shortage of bars and clubs,
but I like my nightlife with
a bit of old school glamor,
which in this town
means only one place.
For my final stop, I'm
heading back north to
the 18th arrondissement.
For years, this
neighborhood wore its rough
and rebellious edge proudly.
Today it's still bold, just
dressed a little better.
Right ahead, we
have that iconic red windmill.
Step inside the
Moulin Rouge and you're
instantly transported.
The iconic windmill
first lit up in 1889.
Back then, it was where the
rich rubbed shoulders with the
bohemians of Montmartre,
a place where
rules were bent and where the
can-can was born.
Oh, wow.
No, this is huge.
Today, the venue is
as spectacular as ever.
And the costumes?
Absolutely ridiculous
in the best way.
-Hi, Antoni.
-Bonjour. C'est bien.
-Bonjour. Oui.
Welcome to Moulin Rouge.
Enchante.
-Enchante.
So nice to meet you.
And dancers like
Cyrielle put on two shows
a night every night.
And are you from
Paris originally?
-No, not at all, I was
born in French Guyana.
-Oh, okay.
-I came in Paris
for the Moulin Rouge.
-For this?
-When I decided I
wanted to be a showgirl,
I was like, of course I want
to work at the Moulin Rouge.
Like, this stage
is incredible.
So it's a
pleasure and an honor.
-It's epic.
It's monumental.
-I'm gonna show you where
the real magic happens.
-Perfect, yes. Let's go.
-So I'll bring you backstage.
Come with me.
-Cyrielle is taking me
to meet a showbiz legend.
Bonjour. Bonjour.
90 year old Mine Vergès
is the longest serving
costume creator in
the show's history.
[in French] Hello.
[Antoni] With her protege,
Maxime she's the creative
force behind every
piece that hits the stage.
-Wow.
[Antoni] Alongside
her work at Moulin,
Mine dressed the biggest
names in French music and
collaborated with the
likes of Lagerfeld and Mugler.
She's a bona fide legend.
[Antoni] These
aren't mere costumes,
they're Parisian
haute couture.
Each piece is handcrafted
right here stitch by stitch.
Silks, gold thread,
Swarovski crystals.
Cyrielle.
Wow.
-I'm back.
[Antoni] This is one of 1,000
costumes designed by Mine and
her team.
Each one must be
custom fitted.
From sketch to stage, it
can take up to two years.
-So yeah, this
costume is really special.
[Antoni] So you,
clearly, there's no way,
like you can't put
this on yourself,
you need help.
How does it work for the show?
-We have, like, dressers
to help us for the show.
-Yeah, what do you think
about being one of them tonight
and dressing me?
-Nothing would terrify me more,
but I'm down.
-Okay.
-That is the most Parisian
of advices that I've ever
received in my life.
[Antoni] There's nearly
10,000 feet worth of feathers
in these outfits.
-Wow.
[Antoni] Enough to get
Gaga through a summer tour.
-That's pretty cool.
-Yeah.
[Antoni] And the costumes
aren't just dazzling they're
insane feats of engineering.
-Wow, this is heavy.
-Oui. I take that.
-Okay. So you
put it on like that?
-Yeah.
-So I'm gonna.
-Okay, so the the
little one. Okay.
-Oh, my God, my thumb hurts.
Oops.
-Are you okay?
I'm so sorry.
-It's just an eyeball they're
replaceable these days. Yeah.
-My God.
-No, no, no,
you're totally fine.
So it's the first clip?
-Oh, yeah, the first clip
is fine and then I'm ready.
Do you want to try to pull it?
-Yeah, I can just pull it.
-Yeah?
-Okay. Whoa.
You can take flight.
-You really have to hold your
core really in front because,
like, of course,
we have to look pretty and smile
and act like it's not heavy.
-And how much time
do I have to do this?
-Not long.
-Uh, not long.
-What's not long?
-So if I don't attach it right,
you could literally fall over.
-You'll mess me up.
-I'll mess you up,
I'll ruin your life.
-Exactly.
[overlapping chatter]
-I hear popping of
champagne bottles.
Everyone is dressed
very nicely and I don't know
if that's just
because we're in Paris or
if it's for the show.
I think the
pressure is definitely on.
I got to get those
clips done right.
Cyrielle's counting
on me and there'll be,
what, 850 people watching?
No big deal.
[singing in French]
When the lights come up,
the spectacle kicks off
with polished precision.
As long as no blundering
Canadian screws it up.
[speaking in French]
Okay, I'm gonna
get out of the way.
I'm psyching myself
up for the quick change and
seeing what it takes to
pull off this show.
Whoa!
Come on.
-You're gonna see it on stage
but sometimes we just do it.
Do you want to try?
-Ha, ha, I can
barely touch my toes.
Seeing the can-can live
is something else.
[upbeat music playing]
24 high kicks in 30 seconds.
A world record.
[audience applause]
Good job.
Which is giving me
the courage to help backstage,
though, that might
just be the adrenaline.
-Maybe go this way.
-Okay, this part
facing forward.
-Yes.
-Oh.
-Oh, yeah.
-This feels ceremonial.
I don't want to break it.
-No.
-I know how many hours
it takes to get here.
Okay and I'm gonna go behind.
-Yeah. Perfect.
-Okay. What color?
Blue.
Which is the front?
The sticker?
-Yes.
-Okay.
Red.
Thank God they're in order.
Okay.
-Yes.
-You're red, red?
Yep.
Thank God I'm not color blind.
Okay.
-Merci.
-Okay.
-Thank you.
-Oh.
-Okay.
I have to go.
-Okay. Crush it.
-Thank you.
-Okay.
The feathers are holding on.
I think I clipped them right.
[audience applause]
Job done, I hope!
Now I can finally take my
seat and watch the show.
The dancers are world class.
Whoa!
The artistry is unreal.
The costumes are insane.
And yes, the clips
are perfectly fastened.
You're welcome.
-Woo!
But really,
it's an astonishing show.
Yo, come on.
Babe, you crushed it.
-Thank you.
-You're a gem. Seriously.
-Thank you.
[speaking in French]
Oh, I was so
happy to meet you.
-How do you still
smell good after running
around like that?
-Really?
-I'm sweating more than you.
I'm disgusting right now.
-Oh no, I was sweating.
-I hope you get eight
hours of sleep tonight,
light your favorite candle,
take a bath and just listen
to some nice chill music.
-Yeah, I'm not gonna.
I'm gonna do that second show.
-Oh, my gosh, you
have a second show,
I just forgot,
wait that's crazy.
-Yeah. Yeah.
I have the second show.
-What!
Well thank you.
Seriously thank you.
-Thank you so much.
Thank you.
[Antoni] It really is
just such a beautiful city.
It's almost overwhelming.
[in French] Thank you very much.
And then there are all the
people that keep it breathing
and keep it being what it is.
Paris is hands down the
chicest city on earth.
A place that honors its
history but's never
weighed down by it.
It's timeless, and
that's what sets it apart.
We live in a world
that's just like,
constantly changing and here
I feel like I got a little bit
of sense of we really
want to protect what we have.
"7 heure du mat" J. Taieb]
[singing in French]
-This is the chicest morning
swim I've ever had by far.
To have a place where you can
start your morning laps where
the bikini made its debut.
You feel like you're in
a time capsule, you know?
You can only find this
in one city in the world,
Bienvenue a Paris.
Je mets mon shetland rouge
ou bien mon shetland bleu? ♪
This is unreal.
What makes
something the best?
Is it the view?
Wow.
You said don't look down
and that was the first thing
that I did.
Is it the stay?
Oh, it's so romantic.
Or is it a meal so good
it makes you want to cry.
Oh, that was so
beautiful that, like,
warmed my soul.
Every year National Geographic
names its Best of the world.
Must see destinations
that rise above the rest.
-This is the most biodiverse
place in the whole world.
-And you're part
of that story.
-Absolutely.
[Antoni] Now they've given
me the best job in the world.
I just saw my reflection.
I'm crushing it.
To explore places to stay.
Restaurants,
sights and experiences.
That's a fang,
I'm in the head.
In Paris,
Mexico City,
London and my hometown.
You're a New York treasure.
I'm on a quest
to find the best.
[thud]
Because for me, the best
is more than just hype.
This is like a beautiful
representation of cultures.
It's food, but it's also
a history of the people.
It's the sights, the sounds.
-It's showtime.
[Antoni] The flavors.
-You can only
taste this in Mexico.
[Antoni] And it's
almost always the people.
-It's made with a lot of love.
-Why the Statue of Liberty?
-She's so New York.
I came to this
country for freedom.
-Unreal.
Best I've ever had in my life.
I'm Antoni Porowski, and
this is Best of the World.
Of course, how else
to start this journey?
[Antoni] Bet you didn't know
I could speak French, did you?
I'm from Montreal, so
I've had a little practice.
Let's be honest, Paris
is on everyone's list.
City of light, city of
love and city of 50 million
tourists all chasing
the same postcard views.
You know the ones,
but trust me,
that's just the
highlight reel.
Paris has layers.
This city is carved
into 20 districts,
arrondissements spiraling out
from the polished and proper,
to the creative,
and even a little edgy.
So I've handpicked six
experiences that get straight
to its chic, messy,
romantic soul,
starting right in the center
where Paris likes to show off
with a hotel that overlooks
the Place de la Concorde.
This town isn't short on five
star accommodation but there's
only one where history is
woven into its walls and
service is an art form.
-Antoni?
-Oui.
-Welcome.
Pleasure to meet you.
-So nice to meet you.
-I'm Elsa the Head Butler,
and I will be
pleased to show you around.
-I can't wait, thank you.
Commissioned in 1758,
Hôtel de Crillon began life
as a palace fit for a king.
King Louis XV in fact.
He had a rep for being a
bit of a royal wallflower,
which is surprising when
everything here is so Extra!
Wow. I've never
seen a tiered pendant.
[Elsa] Yes. It's beautiful.
[Antoni] My gosh.
We're talking
18th century frescoes,
40 types of marble
and 73 chandeliers.
It's less a hotel, more
a beautifully preserved flex.
And over the years it has
attracted Hollywood royalty,
actual royalty,
heads of state, and yep
even Taytay.
Rooms start from
around $3,000.
Fine if college is
optional for your kids,
but just wait till you see
where the A-listers crash.
-There was a story there.
-Of course there is a story.
This is one of the most
beautiful suites of the hotel.
We have a lot of very
important guests staying here,
high profile.
If this one is not available,
they will not come to Paris.
-Wow.
-The famous
composer Bernstein,
the composer of
West Side Story.
-Oh, Leonard yeah.
Leonard, Like I know him. Yeah.
-Yes. He used to live here.
-Live?
-Yes. For months.
[Antoni] Okay, so how much
is this room a night?
[Elsa] Well, this room can be
around 20,000 euros a night.
-Wow. Huh?
Punchy
But for that money,
the VIPs get something
they can't live without
butler service.
-The teams are coming
to have the room ready.
Okay, just wait here.
-Okay.
-Okay.
-Oh, there's more
than one of you. Wow.
-Of course, there's an army.
-Oh my gosh.
[speaking in French]
[Antoni] This was one
of the first Paris hotels
to provide a butler
with every last room key.
And look, there's butlers,
and then there's these guys.
[Antoni] This is standard?
-Well, this is special.
-Yeah.
[speaking in French]
[Antoni] A kind of
personal assistant to deliver
on point opulence 24/7.
-Oh there's more.
Oh there's more.
[speaking in French]
[speaking in French]
-Tell me some of like
the wackiest requests
you've ever had.
-Well, I will keep my secrets.
-Why?
I guess what
happens in the Crillon,
stays in the Crillon.
[speaking in French]
-The bedroom.
-I mean, not a bad
place to wake up to.
Oh.
-Yes.
-The views.
-The best view.
-This is wild.
This, I've never seen
anything like this before.
It's so romantic.
-And we are not finished
here in the in the bedroom.
-Oh no what do we have
to do in the bedroom?
-Of course.
-Elsa just clocked which guest
sleeps on the left and the
right to switch the pillows.
That is attention to detail.
-Well, yes, when you know the
preferences at this point is
that you make the guest
feel like they're really home.
-You do the thinking for them?
-Yes.
-Yeah.
-Absolutely.
-And you love it because you're
smiling while you do it too.
-Yes because I'm passionate.
-Yeah.
This isn't
regular room service.
To operate with this level
of precision and execution,
it's curtain up
on opening night.
And tucked away elsewhere
inside the Crillon is a room
where history isn't
a thing of the past,
it comes alive.
[Elsa] Welcome to
Marie Antoinette's salon.
[Antoni] Wow.
[Elsa] The legend says
that Marie Antoinette,
the Queen, used to have her
piano lessons in this room.
Yeah.
-Okay.
Marie Antoinette
was the original it girl,
a fashion icon, the last
queen before the Revolution,
until she was cancelled
in a way that makes
social media seem mild.
-And so here she used
to learn piano facing
Place de la Concorde,
the square.
-Really?
-Yes.
So that's why we call the
ballroom Marie Antoinette.
-Wow.
Okay.
-And welcome on the terrace.
-Well, this is nice.
Step onto this balcony,
and you're standing on the
front row of French history.
250 years of triumph,
tragedy and spectacle.
From World Wars ending
to World Cup homecomings.
If something big is
going down in Paris,
the crowd is looking up here.
-On this square there
was the guillotine of
Marie Antoinette.
-She was
guillotined in this square.
So she played piano here
-Yes.
-unbeknownst to
her, that her demise.
-Then she end up her life here.
Just here on the square. Yes.
-Oh!
After all this--
-You have both positive
and more tragic part of the
history they are
mixing and what makes it
beautiful as well.
-My gosh.
I mean, that's the
thing, it's like,
no shortage of luxury,
but it is equaled,
if not even
surpassed by the history.
-Yeah.
-Like what a magical city.
-Well, yes.
-It's pretty amazing.
-But for me it was
the same actually,
when I was younger, my
dream was to work in Paris.
Yes.
It was a funny story.
I was watching Celine Dion's
concert on TV, Paris.
-Stop!
-I was eight years old,
and so each time I see the
Eiffel Tower now I remember.
-Wow.
So Celine Dion
brought you here.
What's your
favorite Celine Dion song?
-My favorite?
-Yeah!
-Je goosebumps.
-Yes.
[Antoni] As a French Canadian,
anyone who loves
Celine speaks my language.
Hôtel de Crillon.
They sure don't make 'em
like this anymore.
But it's the people like Elsa
who make it unforgettable.
Because when the
service is this extra,
you'll wonder how you
ever managed on your own.
[Antoni] They say the
best things in life are free
and after the Crillon,
a place where you really
don't want to see the check,
I'm looking
for pure Parisian romance,
but zero cost.
Montmartre, high in
the north of Paris
delivers winding streets,
Bohemian vibes and one
of the best views on earth.
And the most French
way to get there, two wheels.
Okay, this is gonna
be a real workout for me
I can already tell.
This is the
Montmartre Velo Club.
They're about to take me
on one of the most famous
bike rides in the world.
-And the left is back?
-Left is..
-No, right is back.
-No right, oh yeah,
right is back. Yeah.
-Oh wow. Wow.
If I can keep up.
Forget a pastime,
in France cycling is
a national obsession.
70% of this
country owns a bike.
A quarter million ride
with official cycle clubs.
Montmartre Vélo club
clocks around 60 miles a week.
But if Lycra isn't your
thing, just grab a rental.
Paris alone has more than
600 miles of bike paths
all ready to roll.
-It is such a unique
experience cycling in a
city like this.
I'm so used to like
wide paved roads.
-So here it's small,
cobbled ones.
-Yeah, I think it's
all cobbled actually.
-Okay.
-You have to imagine this
space but with thousands and
thousands of people--
-Yeah.
-Cheering.
[Antoni] The Tour de France,
since 1903 nearly
the entire country has
lost its mind every
summer for this race.
Three weeks over 2,000 miles.
The best riders on the
planet battling it out,
for one thing,
the yellow jersey.
Last year, the final stage
included some of this savage
climb through the
streets of Montmartre.
Cobbles, pain, no mercy,
rising all the way
to the Sacré-Coeur.
[announcer] Listen to
the crowd as they marvel
at the yellow jersey.
-So they also had
the slippery cobbles.
-Except they went a
little further than us.
-Yeah, they went
further and faster than us.
-And we are getting
to the steep bit now.
-Oh, yeah, I'm loosening up.
-Yeah.
-Oh. The hamstrings and quads.
-So how does it feel now?
-Once you go here then
you start to see the,
the Sacré-Coeur
in the background.
-Okay.
-And it means we're really
close and you have the view
of Paris as well.
-Whoah, I just saw
a little glimpse.
[bells ringing]
It's really hard to focus on
paying attention to my bike in
the road when
there's like the most
beautiful views ever around.
The Sacré-Coeur Basilica,
a monument to the
Franco-Prussian war,
has watched over
Paris since 1914.
-Here we are.
-Wow.
Here, 600 feet
above the Seine,
the city unfolds before you.
Low rise, luminous and crowned
by the Eiffel Tower.
It's beautiful here.
-Yeah, of course, it is
the best view of Paris.
-It's a good reward after
our little uphill battle.
-Yeah.
-Two things that I
was most shocked by,
the cobblestones
and how wet they are.
And you guys
just, you don't shut,
you just keep talking during
the entire biking thing.
This is like a
social activity.
-In France, we have
this this tradition of,
of passion and
suffering on a bike.
-This tradition of passion
and suffering on a bike.
This was such an interesting
view and a different
perspective of the city.
It was, it was really cool.
All I want now is like a
croissant and espresso.
-Yeah.
-Where can we find that?
-Yeah.
This is also part of the club.
We always stop for a
coffee and a pastry stop
during our ride.
-My hammies are not impressed
right now, but honestly,
I'm feeling invigorated.
I mean, the experience of
actually riding with this wacky,
ultra passionate group.
It's this Parisian extreme of
like they're putting in the
effort and they're
doing their best,
but then they stop and drink
an espresso out of like a
proper porcelain cup
and have a croissant.
It's so insanely French
in the best way possible.
I don't know anywhere else
in the world where they
would do this sort of thing.
This view a
feast for the eyes.
Absolutely Best of the World.
And speaking of feasts,
all that riding has
made me very, very hungry.
[Antoni] Let's be honest,
France didn't just
invent fine dining,
it perfected it and
Paris is the mothership.
I think there's over 100
Michelin starred restaurants
in the city.
White tablecloths,
rules, reverence.
But there's a place that's
about to challenge everything
you think you know about
French fine dining.
Just East of the
Hôtel de Crillon but
a world away in attitude,
is the 11th arrondissement.
It's got one of the
best bar scenes in Paris,
and a raw energy
all of its own.
But the real reason
you should come here,
the food.
This place has a Michelin
star and what's special about
it is that they
basically only use
ingredients from France.
Bonjour, chef.
[speaking in French].
-This is FIEF, where
Chef Victor Mercier is
rewriting the rulebook.
The menu here
follows one hard line,
if it doesn't
grow in French soil,
it doesn't hit
the plate, period.
Like, what inspired you
to really focus on like,
I only want to use French?
-To be honest,
I've always listened to
3 Michelin Chef saying,
oh, we have the best
agriculture in the world and
I was like, oh, maybe
if you think so, show it.
-So the name FIEF is
Fait Ici En France,
made here in France?
-Yes, yes.
-But do you find that there are
like, limitations
that come with that?
[Victor] Do what you
can with what you have.
-Right.
Alright, now I'm intrigued.
Victor serving up
his own Tour de France,
classic regional
dishes but remixed his way.
[Victor] Alright, so this
dish is inspired by
a childhood memory.
When I used to go down
to the South of France
-Okay.
-So basically this
is inspired by that.
[Antoni] Classic pistou,
traditionally a
rustic Provencal soup.
Pasta, herbs, comfort.
This version different story.
-Thinly sliced cuttlefish in
the idea of a dish of pasta,
but without any pasta.
-But without any of
the, okay carb-less.
Thank you.
All right, this
is my jam here.
I love a good pistou.
This is damn good.
This is the kind of stuff
that makes dining at a place
like this so special,
because it completely has
you rethink what you think
you know about
flavors that belong together.
Am I a food critic,
what's happening here?
-We call it Bouille À Plat
because it's flat.
[Antoni] This isn't the
bouillabaisse I know.
Normally it's a
fisherman's stew.
Hearty, briny, time honored.
But Victor has other ideas.
-What bothers me
with bouillabaisse,
the fish is
sometimes overcooked.
So we serve it like a sashimi.
And we serve it with something
completely different.
This crab soup inspired
with Sichuan pepper and chili.
-Yo, this guy is
a sauce master.
This is actually
my favorite so far.
This is number one.
Every dish so far has been
a love letter to a region,
written in a
completely new language.
So where does he go for
dessert without chocolate?
Answer, somewhere unexpected.
-This is kind of a dessert
that has a lot of success here.
[Antoni] Okay.
-So this is an artichoke
cooked like basically a cake
and it will showcase the
richness of one region.
This vanilla
comes from Brittany.
We pair these two ingredients
together because the vanilla
producer is also an
artichoke producer.
So this is a tribute to
what's going on over there.
-Wow. Artichoke for dessert.
Surprising to the mouth at
first where it kind of makes
your eyes perk up.
I mean, I had high expectations,
but this is legit.
Wow.
I definitely have a
bro crush on Victor yeah.
That was a
flawless food journey,
but some flavors I
wouldn't have expected
from French soil.
Sichuan pepper, really?
Pardon, pardon.
[in French] Thank you,
thank you.
I need to know how
Victor's pulling this off.
-So there is your apron.
-Okay.
-And we're going
to showcase a very
classic way of cooking mussel,
and basically it's
mussel cooked over an open
fire of pine needles.
[Antoni] Okay and that's
literally what we're making.
[Victor] Yes, but in a
completely different way.
All right so we're going
to make the mussel juice.
-Oh, I was already going to
be like, why is there sake?
Okay. cool.
-I was actually really
surprised of what we could get.
-Yeah.
-So for example, we found a
Sichuan pepper from Normandy.
-Really?
-I have a spice called
bréde mafane or jambu,
which is really
used in African food.
This one comes
from Paris also.
-Wow.
-And people look at me
like with big eyes and say,
oh, but do you
have really that?
And like, yeah, I can,
I can show you.
-I didn't
scratch the label off,
made in Japan, like
it's actually made here.
Yeah. Please go.
-No. Smell it.
-That's nice.
-Yes. And we're
just simply going to put fire.
-Wow.
-Nice fire and just
close it and nice
-Oh it's already coming out.
-Yeah.
Obviously there is not a
good mussel sauce without the
French secret ingredients.
-Yeah. Just a little.
-Just a half.
-Half block of butter. Yeah.
So you don't do
lunch service here?
-No. Actually, no.
No, never.
My main focus is
that these guys,
when they come to the
work, they're pretty happy,
they are not scared.
-Right, right. It's
that French like striving for
like perfection, which
is like necessary no?
-No, I, I hate
the way of saying,
oh, we are
looking for perfection.
You will get sad if
you want if you strive
for perfection I think.
-Wow.
I want to be able to see
a little bit of cracks.
-Because we are human.
-Yeah.
-It's nice.
-Perfect.
-So we're going
to to plate now.
-Okay.
-So you can put a
tiny bit of puree.
-Just a little zigzag?
-Yeah. Zigzag.
Yeah perfect. A big spoon,
but try to put them nicely.
-Individually along the base.
-Yeah like.
-Okay.
-And finally the sauce.
And that's it.
-Beautiful.
-Simple.
-That's really freaking cool.
-Please enjoy.
-Yeah?
-This is your spoon, yeah.
-Mhm.
The foam rounds
everything out.
-Yes, we need it.
Are the mussels smoked enough?
-It's not perfect,
it's not overwhelming.
-All right.
-Wow, this is killer.
It's just like, I
don't know, seeing,
like, a young guy,
you're like,
honoring and
respecting your country,
you're doing your own thing.
-Thank you.
-I think environments can
sometimes be very sterile and
professional, but
there's a soul here,
which that's a big
testament to your success so.
-Yeah. Thank you.
-You know what you're doing,
you know what you're doing.
-Thank you.
[Antoni] This place
isn't about nostalgia,
about looking backwards,
it's about asking what it means
for food to be French now.
-It's a deep and humble
respect that he has for all of
the regions from
north to south.
Within those constraints,
he has managed to
be insanely creative and
do things
that I've never experienced.
Pair ingredients that have
never been put together,
all while
respecting tradition.
And that's what
makes FIEF the Best Of,
that's what gives me the
goosebumps when I think
about this place.
I'm going to tell everyone
and their mother about this,
and I'm going to be back.
[Antoni] Paris works
because every district has its
own thing going on.
We've seen the old
school elegance of the 8th,
felt the restless
energy of the 11th,
taken it all in from the 18th.
Now I'm crossing the
River Seine south to
the 13th arrondissement.
A once industrial neighborhood
now wrapped in color and art.
It's also home to
one of my favorite,
slightly nerdy obsessions.
I'm a big fan of furniture.
It's beautiful, but
it's also practical.
The Mobilier National,
aka the National
Furniture Collection,
one of Paris's most quietly
mind-blowing institutions.
Bonjour.
-Bonjour.
Shall we go in?
-Excellent.
This is Lucile,
head of the collections
inspection department.
-Welcome to this
amazing place.
[Antoni] Wow.
This one of a kind
building is home to 100,000
priceless pieces of French
heritage dating back to
the 17th century.
Furniture, textiles, objects
that once shaped power.
Hundreds of specialized
artisans work here,
preserving everything
with almost obsessive care.
But these pieces don't just
sit behind glass they're still
used in parliament,
government ministries and
French embassies
around the world.
-We have a few chandeliers
coming from the Élysée Palace.
-From the Élysée?
-Yes.
[Antoni] Including
the Élysée Palace,
the French version
of the white House.
I mean, just the
thought of the crystals and,
like, removing each piece.
You'd think all of these
fragile items would be under
lock and key but
here's the kicker.
You can just walk in.
Oh. Oh my gosh.
Guided tours are
available three days a week.
Catnip for geeks like me.
The kind of people who
watched Game of Thrones for
the actual thrones.
What's your favorite area?
-Area, you mean.
-Like specifically, like,
are you a chair girl or are
you a table girl?
Like, do you have
like a thing that,
like, I'm a chair guy?
-Oh, it's, oh
you're a chair guy.
I think it might be a
little, I don't know,
things a little bit funkier.
-Okay. Like what?
-I don't know.
-Throne of Charles the 10th.
-Ah, we have a lot
of thrones here.
For instance,
you have this seat,
which was commissioned
by Napoleon the first.
-Such a statement of power.
-Yes.
-This is all like gold leaf.
-Exactly.
Gold leaf put on wood.
-Wow. May I touch it?
Better not. Better not.
Okay I just wanted to see.
-I'm sorry.
-It feels very sturdy and heavy.
And wasn't he a
pretty short guy?
-He was rather a short guy,
but it doesn't matter.
-Big chair for a short guy.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah it's been used.
-It's been definitely used.
And in here,
you have a large series of
seats used by Marie Antoinette
and Louis XVI,
just before the revolution.
-Oh, I can't
believe I touched it.
I won't tell anyone.
-And these seats were
installed in the Élysée Palace
until Emmanuel Macron decided
to change completely the
furnishing and put
contemporary collection.
-So the Macron's are
into French modernism?
-Yes, definitely.
You would love them.
[Antoni] In the 1920s,
French modernism traded
ornamental decoration
for pure function.
That clean, minimal
look we now call modern,
it started right
here in France.
-Mrs. Macron is
actually coming here to
decide which piece she is
going to take to
the Élysée Palace.
[Antoni] And the Mobilier
doesn't just protect the past,
it looks to the future.
Sorry to interrupt.
Inside these studios,
artisans are creating new
masterpieces using techniques
that are centuries old,
like this enormous carpet,
handwoven by
craftspeople like Suzon.
Someday, it could end up
in a French embassy halfway
across the world.
-We are here and we're
gonna arrive at the middle
of the carpet.
-How long have you been
working on this piece?
-Four years.
-Four years.
Oh my gosh.
It'll take up to five weavers
nearly a decade to complete
this piece.
How many hours a day do
you do you work typically?
Like, what's a normal shift?
-Um, it's eight hours a day.
-Eight hours a day
you're doing this task.
But what if like, what if
you're working with someone who,
like, talks a lot like me
right now in this moment and
you're like, I'm trying
to get this job done.
-I just put your air and
-You put your AirPods
in and listen to music?
-Yeah. Yeah.
-What do you listen to?
-Um, Taylor Swift.
-Taylor Swift?
-Yeah.
-Oh my God what's
your favorite album?
-Reputation.
-Ah, you're a Reputation girl.
-I am a Reputation.
-It's so good.
What kind of carpets
do you have at home?
-Uh, Ikea carpets.
-Regular Ikea carpets?
-Yeah.
[Antoni] I think Susan
might be my favorite weaver.
Just ahead of Sigourney.
I was expecting to come in
and just sort of like see
beautiful pieces, which I did,
there was no shortage of that,
but it's so much
more than that.
It's this living, breathing
place and the work that has
gone into preserving something
so special and so unique
makes it The Best.
-And we need to
preserve this kind of crafts.
-Yeah, I don't think I'm ever
going to walk on like a proper
carpet or a rug and
take it for granted.
I have massive
respect for the patience,
skill and quiet obsession
it takes to do this work.
I'll have to come
back when they're done,
in like five years.
Right now, there's
still too much to do,
too much to see, and
definitely too much to eat.
For centuries, the left
Bank has been home to artists,
writers, rebels
and the Sorbonne,
a place where ideas matter.
And here, in the intellectual
heart of the city,
is a small shop
with a big reputation.
Ooh.
This is Quatrehomme.
Over 250 varieties of cheese.
Supplier to some of
Paris's best restaurants,
and a family business
for more than 70 years.
The smell.
-I'm like, it's like a
massive part of my identity.
Anything with a
moldy rind like this.
Heaven. Heaven.
-Hi.
-How can I help you?
-Um, okay.
I'm a little overwhelmed.
There's definitely a lot of
amazing things that I know
that I love.
How long has this
place been open?
-My grandparents
opened it in 1953.
-Okay.
-Yeah, I'm really proud of
continuing the family history.
-Yeah.
Nathalie and her
brother run the shop now.
They took it over
from her mother,
Marie, who made
cheese so extraordinary,
she became the first woman
ever named best
craftsperson of France.
Basically the
Beyoncé of cheese.
-We age a lot of our cheese.
-You age them here?
-Yeah, I age them here.
-Okay wow.
-Yeah, in a secret place.
-Really?
-Oh. Do you want to see it?
-Yes.
-Okay. I think that's possible.
Follow me this way.
-Merci.
Nathalie is an affineur.
That's a cheese
whisperer to you and me.
-Ah-ha. Wow.
-Ah. Welcome.
[Antoni] And wheels of cheese
from every corner of France
are matured in this
one-of-a-kind celler.
-Wow.
[Antoni] That stone is
actually a secret ingredient.
At 45 million years old,
it's not just rock anymore,
but a living,
breathing microbial ecosystem.
-Does that affect the
flavor, in your opinion?
-Of course, because you
have a natural environment
with the humidity,
with the air, with all the wood.
You have something
that is really special.
-Yeah.
-Let me show you one.
-Yeah.
-This is a goat cheese from
Burgundy called Le Tonnelet.
-It looks like a little brain.
-Yeah and.
-It's so beautiful.
-Every two days we turn
it so it stays round.
-Poetry.
-Yeah.
-Oh, that's so nice.
Chills. What else?
-Now I'm greedy, now
I want everything.
-Ah!
-Yes.
-Okay. That's very satisfying.
-They cut the rind here.
This is so good.
-This is different.
I've had Comté no less than
100 times in my life and I'm
not just saying
this because I'm here,
like that's the
best I've ever had.
May I try a third one?
-Yeah. Of course.
Tomme de Savoie.
-I love a Tomme de Savoie.
-Okay.
-She looks like an old brick
with a bit of moss growing
that you found in the forest.
-It looks old and dry,
but it's absolutely not.
-I, this is my childhood.
-This is good.
-Yeah, this is good.
[laughs]
This is so special.
-Okay.
-This cave is like
nothing I've ever seen.
May I ask for a couple to,
to wrap up that I can
take with me?
-Of course. Follow me.
-Yeah. Mm.
This is what
Paris does best.
[speaking in French].
It treats food
with reverence.
Craft like a calling,
and somehow never takes
the joy out of it.
Come on.
Mm, mm, mm.
Damn.
A random baguette from
a bakery and it's like a
ten out of ten.
No duds in this town.
Paris is known
for fine dining.
But this is so much quicker
and just as delicious as
sitting in a restaurant.
Paris by day
has been magical,
but when the sun goes down,
this city changes.
And there's one
last place that only
comes alive after dark.
[Antoni] Paris has
no shortage of bars and clubs,
but I like my nightlife with
a bit of old school glamor,
which in this town
means only one place.
For my final stop, I'm
heading back north to
the 18th arrondissement.
For years, this
neighborhood wore its rough
and rebellious edge proudly.
Today it's still bold, just
dressed a little better.
Right ahead, we
have that iconic red windmill.
Step inside the
Moulin Rouge and you're
instantly transported.
The iconic windmill
first lit up in 1889.
Back then, it was where the
rich rubbed shoulders with the
bohemians of Montmartre,
a place where
rules were bent and where the
can-can was born.
Oh, wow.
No, this is huge.
Today, the venue is
as spectacular as ever.
And the costumes?
Absolutely ridiculous
in the best way.
-Hi, Antoni.
-Bonjour. C'est bien.
-Bonjour. Oui.
Welcome to Moulin Rouge.
Enchante.
-Enchante.
So nice to meet you.
And dancers like
Cyrielle put on two shows
a night every night.
And are you from
Paris originally?
-No, not at all, I was
born in French Guyana.
-Oh, okay.
-I came in Paris
for the Moulin Rouge.
-For this?
-When I decided I
wanted to be a showgirl,
I was like, of course I want
to work at the Moulin Rouge.
Like, this stage
is incredible.
So it's a
pleasure and an honor.
-It's epic.
It's monumental.
-I'm gonna show you where
the real magic happens.
-Perfect, yes. Let's go.
-So I'll bring you backstage.
Come with me.
-Cyrielle is taking me
to meet a showbiz legend.
Bonjour. Bonjour.
90 year old Mine Vergès
is the longest serving
costume creator in
the show's history.
[in French] Hello.
[Antoni] With her protege,
Maxime she's the creative
force behind every
piece that hits the stage.
-Wow.
[Antoni] Alongside
her work at Moulin,
Mine dressed the biggest
names in French music and
collaborated with the
likes of Lagerfeld and Mugler.
She's a bona fide legend.
[Antoni] These
aren't mere costumes,
they're Parisian
haute couture.
Each piece is handcrafted
right here stitch by stitch.
Silks, gold thread,
Swarovski crystals.
Cyrielle.
Wow.
-I'm back.
[Antoni] This is one of 1,000
costumes designed by Mine and
her team.
Each one must be
custom fitted.
From sketch to stage, it
can take up to two years.
-So yeah, this
costume is really special.
[Antoni] So you,
clearly, there's no way,
like you can't put
this on yourself,
you need help.
How does it work for the show?
-We have, like, dressers
to help us for the show.
-Yeah, what do you think
about being one of them tonight
and dressing me?
-Nothing would terrify me more,
but I'm down.
-Okay.
-That is the most Parisian
of advices that I've ever
received in my life.
[Antoni] There's nearly
10,000 feet worth of feathers
in these outfits.
-Wow.
[Antoni] Enough to get
Gaga through a summer tour.
-That's pretty cool.
-Yeah.
[Antoni] And the costumes
aren't just dazzling they're
insane feats of engineering.
-Wow, this is heavy.
-Oui. I take that.
-Okay. So you
put it on like that?
-Yeah.
-So I'm gonna.
-Okay, so the the
little one. Okay.
-Oh, my God, my thumb hurts.
Oops.
-Are you okay?
I'm so sorry.
-It's just an eyeball they're
replaceable these days. Yeah.
-My God.
-No, no, no,
you're totally fine.
So it's the first clip?
-Oh, yeah, the first clip
is fine and then I'm ready.
Do you want to try to pull it?
-Yeah, I can just pull it.
-Yeah?
-Okay. Whoa.
You can take flight.
-You really have to hold your
core really in front because,
like, of course,
we have to look pretty and smile
and act like it's not heavy.
-And how much time
do I have to do this?
-Not long.
-Uh, not long.
-What's not long?
-So if I don't attach it right,
you could literally fall over.
-You'll mess me up.
-I'll mess you up,
I'll ruin your life.
-Exactly.
[overlapping chatter]
-I hear popping of
champagne bottles.
Everyone is dressed
very nicely and I don't know
if that's just
because we're in Paris or
if it's for the show.
I think the
pressure is definitely on.
I got to get those
clips done right.
Cyrielle's counting
on me and there'll be,
what, 850 people watching?
No big deal.
[singing in French]
When the lights come up,
the spectacle kicks off
with polished precision.
As long as no blundering
Canadian screws it up.
[speaking in French]
Okay, I'm gonna
get out of the way.
I'm psyching myself
up for the quick change and
seeing what it takes to
pull off this show.
Whoa!
Come on.
-You're gonna see it on stage
but sometimes we just do it.
Do you want to try?
-Ha, ha, I can
barely touch my toes.
Seeing the can-can live
is something else.
[upbeat music playing]
24 high kicks in 30 seconds.
A world record.
[audience applause]
Good job.
Which is giving me
the courage to help backstage,
though, that might
just be the adrenaline.
-Maybe go this way.
-Okay, this part
facing forward.
-Yes.
-Oh.
-Oh, yeah.
-This feels ceremonial.
I don't want to break it.
-No.
-I know how many hours
it takes to get here.
Okay and I'm gonna go behind.
-Yeah. Perfect.
-Okay. What color?
Blue.
Which is the front?
The sticker?
-Yes.
-Okay.
Red.
Thank God they're in order.
Okay.
-Yes.
-You're red, red?
Yep.
Thank God I'm not color blind.
Okay.
-Merci.
-Okay.
-Thank you.
-Oh.
-Okay.
I have to go.
-Okay. Crush it.
-Thank you.
-Okay.
The feathers are holding on.
I think I clipped them right.
[audience applause]
Job done, I hope!
Now I can finally take my
seat and watch the show.
The dancers are world class.
Whoa!
The artistry is unreal.
The costumes are insane.
And yes, the clips
are perfectly fastened.
You're welcome.
-Woo!
But really,
it's an astonishing show.
Yo, come on.
Babe, you crushed it.
-Thank you.
-You're a gem. Seriously.
-Thank you.
[speaking in French]
Oh, I was so
happy to meet you.
-How do you still
smell good after running
around like that?
-Really?
-I'm sweating more than you.
I'm disgusting right now.
-Oh no, I was sweating.
-I hope you get eight
hours of sleep tonight,
light your favorite candle,
take a bath and just listen
to some nice chill music.
-Yeah, I'm not gonna.
I'm gonna do that second show.
-Oh, my gosh, you
have a second show,
I just forgot,
wait that's crazy.
-Yeah. Yeah.
I have the second show.
-What!
Well thank you.
Seriously thank you.
-Thank you so much.
Thank you.
[Antoni] It really is
just such a beautiful city.
It's almost overwhelming.
[in French] Thank you very much.
And then there are all the
people that keep it breathing
and keep it being what it is.
Paris is hands down the
chicest city on earth.
A place that honors its
history but's never
weighed down by it.
It's timeless, and
that's what sets it apart.
We live in a world
that's just like,
constantly changing and here
I feel like I got a little bit
of sense of we really
want to protect what we have.