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Guess where I was today....? :) Yep, the Salon du Chocolat! A modern day Gene Wilder, not creepy Johnny Depp, version of Wonka's famous chocolate factory. It looks like they've expanded to China and Russia. Here's a sneak peak. Check back this weekend for the full fountain of chocolate fantasies....
Who knew this beautiful purple globe could be the cause of so much controversy? Male or female? Innie or outie? Since eggplant is feminine in French, as in la jolie aubergine, I assumed it was female however I was mistaken. Dismissed as folk lore and old wives tales, the eggplant is neither male nor female but is actually a member of the nightshade family which includes tomatoes, sweet peppers and potatoes and grows like tomatoes, hanging from the vines. It is often confused as a vegetable but it is actually a fruit - specifically a berry. Once again, who knew? Not this little cook, that's for sure. Click here to read more about this beloved berry....
a rainbow of grilled eggplant, roast peppers and tomatoes, artichokes, mozzarella and basil
crab salad napolean
Heralded by the press as "The Brothers Who Ate Paris", Jean-Louis and Gilbert Costes' empire includes at least forty hotels, cafés and restaurants. They claim to design their food for women with simple fare, small portions, sauces on the side and never more than one garniture. You will notice that most of their food is eerily similar at Georges at the Pompidou, Cafe Ruc, their eponymous Costes Hotel and Le Bilbouquet.
My friend Alanna was in town and treated me to the best kept secret in town. Avenue Montaigne is home to the Plaza Athénée, Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and L'Avenue. Sitting on their terrasse dining al fresco, we had our own personal light show, with an unobstructed view, courtesy of La Tour Eiffel....
not to mention the most handsome maitre d'hotel in town :) cheers!
L'Avenue
41, ave Montaigne
75008 Paris
+33 1 40 70 14 91
chocolate molten lava cake with vanilla bean gelato
The first week I moved to Paris, my friend Kendall and I stumbled on this little treasure on rue Mouffetard. Around the corner from Hemingway's apartment, this was one of his many haunts during a time that he penned was one of the happiest in his life. Café Delmas at Place de Contrescarpe with it's new red awnings and summer cold water spritzers to keep its customers cool makes what Kendall claims is the best Chocolate Molten Lava cake in town. So when she and her family moved back to the States this past summer, it only made sense to have one of their last of many send-offs at Café Delmas. With it's fancy new remodels came a new menu. Voila...
the Delmas burger and some rockin' fries
club sandwich with more of those rockin' fries
lamb kebabs and baked potato chips
penne pasta with sun dried tomatos, roasted peppers, artichokes garnished with fried basil
thinly sliced pineapple with strawberry coulis
risotto and grilled shrimp with sun dried tomatoes and truffle jus
salmon salmon with asparagus and snow peas
Adieu et a la prochaine mes amis....
"I am convinced that I am the one who introduced quiche to America." ~James Beard
There's a new kid on the block and they are making some pretty tasty treats starting with this little number above. From quiches to tartes to salads and sandwiches, so if you're in the 'hood, check it out! It's right across the street from Eglise St Medard at the foot of Rue Mouffetard. Bon appetit.
Les Tartes du Marches
51, rue Censier
75005 Paris
(M) #7 Censier-Daubenton
Lundi-Samedi 10h-20h
Dimanche 8h-14h
On a small farm on the west coast of France in a little town called Vendée a stone’s throw from the beach, a lone fig tree hung heavy with fruit. My flatmate Pierre spied these little purple ornaments and quickly filled up a bag just before hopping on a train headed for Paris. Click here to finagle a fig...
"Lettuce is divine, although I'm not sure it's really a food." ~Diana Vreeland, fashion editor
Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say... and resourcefulness is key to survival in a kitchen. Without a salad spinner and all the counter space taken up with preparing dinner, the lightbulb went off over Pierre's head. A dish rack isn't necessarily just for dishes! In this case it doubled for a salad spinner and by the time we were ready to eat, the salad had drip-dried and was ready to toss. Another culinary disaster averted :*)
A little over a year ago I was treated to a wonderful lunch at this Parisian legend that has been open for over 150 years and was a favorite of the early 1900s literary crowd, artists and philosophers alike including Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas, Henry James, Picasso, Hemingway with Lenin and Trotsky at the chessboard. Today, the crowd is much more subdued but you can enjoy jazz music every night. I haven't tried one but rumor has it that they make the world's best champagne julep. Cheers!
Hemingsway's spot immortalized at the bar
Click here for a great story about this Parisian institution.
La Closerie des Lilas
Chef Jean-Pierre Cassagne
171 blvd Montparnasse at Port Royal
75006 Paris, France
Tél: 01 40 51 34 50
Birds swimming at l'Arene de Lutece ~ Paris, October 2006
One of the more colorful characters at Place Monge market....
I've posted many times about my little Place Monge farmers market and the beautiful produce, artisanal cheeses and saucisson, farm fresh eggs straight from the nest and luscious foie gras but I've never introduced the farmers and cast of characters behind the tables who bring us all these delicacies every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Today I toured Place Monge with a camera crew who is making a video of the various arrondisements of Paris and introduced some of the more gregarious personalities that make life around Place Monge so fun. Click here to take a virtual tour...
