Cucina Testa Rossa

Mandala Ray

What started out as a small unassuming little cocktail reception for 20 with champagne and snacky things turned into a late night party for about 100 complete with a fabulous dinner, flowing Moet et Chandon, and a tour of the kitchen by the charming Chef Fabrice Girardeau. I selected Mandala Ray because it was in the center of Paris close to where most people were staying and it has the star power of Johnny Depp and John Malcovich behind it. Tucked just off the Champs Elysees, Mandala Ray is a beautiful bar for an aperitif or in this case a late night blow out. It was supposed to end at 9pm. I left early.....at 1am! I guess it was a success :-)

La Vue de Ma Fenêtre ~ Springtime in Napa Valley

Springtime in the Napa Valley amongst the vines ~ May 2006

Cooking the Code, DaVinci Style

fruit platters I put out each morning. note the Versailles china pattern.

Continuing from last week's musing being close up and personal on the set of The DaVinci Code movie, I'm sure you are wondering if or where the actual cooking took place. Well look no further...

...In the middle of the table I always tried to keep a big copper bowl filled with vibrant lemons or limes, oranges or pineapples or melons or apples along side a vase of huge stalks of fresh rosemary or basil picked fresh from the garden. It was my refuge from the ensuing, permeating insanity. I'd bury my head in the herbs and inhale deeply hoping that when I lifted my head I'd be back in my charming Left Bank apartment waking up from what had been a very bad dream. Alas, it was not to be so I focused on the task at hand which was trying to get the kids' dinner out before they tore apart the chateau and then the parents' dinner.

Someday I'll tell you the Russian diamond mafia story complete with a Matrix-looking guy named Alexi and a sting set up.... but until then, enjoy these pictures of life cooking in the most famous (thanks to The DaVinci Code) chateau in France...

Cafe Ruc

One of my clients is a Very Large Software company that is hosting a Very Large Software conference here is Paris so today is the first day that friends and co-workers are starting to arrive. It is also the first day of a week long food extravaganza that left my clothes a little snug around the waistline.  The week kicked off at Cafe Ruc on rue St Honore, one of the Costes brothers owned restaurants around Paris, including Georges at the Pompidou, Le Bilbouquet, and the Costes Hotel. I recommend Cafe Ruc not so much for the food but for the great location and great people watching. The outdoor tables face Rue St Honore, the Palais Royal and the Louvre so never a dull moment. Voila le repas...... 

tomato, mozzarella and basil drizzled in olive oil


aspargus with chantilly mousse


whole sole meunier pan fried


salmon drizzled with pesto sauce


chocolate fondant

Masters of the Universe, Unite!

Great op-ed piece in today's New York Times by James P. Othmer entitled "Masters of the Universe, Unite!" ~ a commentary on the guilty verdict of the Enron execs.

"...This is about us. The Masters of the Universe. The all-knowing, type-A power mongers in crimson suspenders with bottomless expense accounts. This is about the fate of the prickly, unapologetic, rule-averse tough guys like you and me who run this country, not because we're particularly talented or charming, but because we have the gift of arrogance...."

Why we live here....

umbrellas on a beach in nice and the mediterranean sea

May 5th marked my 2 year anniversary of washing up on these fair French shores, a milestone unimaginable at the outset. So now, more often than not, friends in the US are asking me, "So when are you coming home?" My first thought is "I am home, Paris is my home.", a concept that too was inconceivable 2 years ago. The follow up question is always, "Well what is it about Paris...?"

I fear that my words would fall far short of expressing the joy that a simple walk down my street, rue Monge, affords me. This stroll takes me by an arena, Arene de Lutece, that was built in 100 AD and a few blocks beyond that is the magnificent Notre Dame, complete with John the Baptist sans tete! Turning a corner, I am often unexpectedly greeted by the breathtaking Pantheon or the flickering Eiffel Tower that never fails to stop me in my tracks and put a smile on my face as I think to myself "I am living in Paris!"

A friend in the south of France just sent me this note this morning. I was bemoaning the cold, cloudy spring we've been having in Paris. Here is her response:

"Everything here is wonderful.....we have nothing but sunshine! People are going to the beach, getting tanned and everything is blooming. There are wild poppies growing alongside the autoroute, beautiful little yellow flowers and the bouganvilla is breathtaking. And you should see the market - I've been eating fresh asparagus, artichokes, avacados and green beans, plus cherries, strawberries, raspberries and kiwis...!

Today my husband took me to lunch at a little place overlooking the Mediterranean in the city of Sanary...then we went to a city called Cassis, and took a little cruise to check out the calanques(incredible cliffs)...today there was some wind so the white caps looked like diamonds sparkling on the sapphire sea - but when we got to the ancient white cliffs - it turned the color of Indian turquoise...the sun was hot, but the wind kept everything fresh and alive. After that, we explored some other beaches, had a picnic supper and watched the sun set the Med on fire as it set..."

This is why we live here.....

Chateau Cooking, DaVinci Style

Place de la Concorde metro stop DaVinci Code-d out

For those of you who have spent the past three years living with an indigenous tribe in sub-Saharan Africa, you might not have heard of The DaVinci Code. For the other four billion plus of us, we have been inundated with Code media the likes of which have no doubt already seared their iconic status in future business school marketing classes. The French who loathe anything splashy or frivolous (or garrulously American) actually redesigned the Concorde metro station a la DaVinci Code going so far as to repaint, yes repaint!, the station red! Considering they wouldn't so much as clean the metro stations when the Olympic bid committee came to town, this is quite a statement. So what does the DaVinci Code have to do with cooking, you ask? More than you might think, at least for this little cook. Click here to decode this mystery....

Poulet du Printemps et Tajine d'Agneau

After five loooooooooooooooong, cold, gray, gloomy winter months and long work days I was in the mood to cook! It was Jean's birthday and spring had indeed finally arrived though rather elusively popping in and out of winter so since it was still a bit chilly, I decided to make a Tajine d’Agneau (lamb tagine). I’d never made one and had been wanting to cook one since I visited the store at the Monde Arabe lined with beautiful tagines in all sizes, rich colors, and ornate designs. Click here to read what all this has to do with a poulet du printemps.....

Lunch at Le Crillon

Where is the first place you call when your manager asks you to plan an executive lunch in Paris? Uh.... Le Crillon, bien sur! The Grande Dame of Paris has recently undergone a $25 million renovation to restore it to its original grandeur. Originally commissioned by Louis XV to architect Jacques-Ange Gabriel in 1758 to create the most magnificent facades in Paris, Le Crillon overlooks the frenetic Place de la Concorde, is next to the US Embassy and a stone’s throw from the swanky Rue du Faubourg St Honore. Click here to experience the gastronomic delights of Chef Jean-Francois Piege...

Vach'Art ~ Bovine Update

Bovine update: I thought this was another delightful art exhibit courtesy of the Mairie de Paris as the most whimsical exhibits and displays pop up in every nook and cranny of the city throughout the year with no rhyme or reason, simply for the enjoyment of the people and futher promote the arts. However Dorie Greenspan just enlightened me that it is much more prolific than simply a little Parisian project. Courtesy of the Minister of Culture and Communication (wouldn't it be nice if the US had one of those!?), Paris is one stop on the cows migration around the world, aptly named CowParade or Vach'Art in France.

Each cow is designed and sponsored. The green flowered cow is sponsored by La Croissanterie (notice the horns!) and the spoon cow is sponsored by none other than our own Ben & Jerry's or Glaces Ben & Jerry's here. They are grazing their way through europe on their way to the US with visits to Boston, Wisconsin and Denver. Check out their web site.... yes, the cows have their own website, moooooooost certainly (sorry, couldn't resist)!