English Breakfast in Paris

Our time in Paris flew by so fast--it seems like ABF & I hardly ever sat down, and that's almost true! We were on the go so much that mealtime is about the only moment where we sat still for a bit. On our last day there, we thought it would be fun to get an "English Breakfast," or "Petit Dejeuner a l'Anglais." A spot near our hotel offered them for about 11 Euro (or 15 bucks) so we made the short walk to Le Pierrot Bistrot and took a seat near the window.

This place was nearly empty, as it was a bit after the regular breakfast hour. Our server, ebullient and oh-so-French (that's him on the left in the photo below, speaking to a fellow server) immediately brought out generous servings of OJ to get us started. I'm not a big juice person, but who could resist such a classy presentation?

Not long after came a plate of carby wonderfulness: 2 croissants and 2 tartines, which are long, narrow loafs, with a thin layer of butter and a small pot of jam for spreading on top of the butter (basically an open-faced sandwich with sweet and/or savory spreads on top!)

I don't normally mix butter and jam, but this was Paris, and I was going to do it the right way. Delish.

Our main dishes were edible works of art: look at the color! The arrangement! The presentation! The deliciousness! The eggs were cooked just as I like them--runny yolks, a dash of cracked pepper, and oh-so-yummy. The fresh parsley and sliced grape tomatoes were delicious pops of color.

Our cafe cremes were rich and piping hot, and we took our time sipping them and planning our last precious hours in Paris.

Oh, the luxury I felt to be sitting IN PARIS with ABF, sipping coffee and watching French people passing by, carrying baguettes and fresh flowers and beautiful purses, and everyone smoking all the while. I felt like I was soaking it all in and archiving each image, and I hope I keep them with me for a long, long time.

Le Pierrot Bistrot
67 Avenue de La Motte Picquet
75015 Paris, France
01 42 73 68 92

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Paris: First Meal!

ABF & I took the Eurostar from London to Paris, so our first steps in the City of Lights were at Paris's Gare du Nord train station. What a gorgeous building! We stepped outside and wandered around the block, taking it all in and trying to decide where to go next.

Conveniently across the street was Le Bareudeur Patient (which I believe translates to something like the enduring soldier). It had outdoor seating and lots of open tables, so we took our luggage in, picked a corner table, and sat down for our first meal in Paris (!!PARIS!!)

ABF is sorely missing iced tea during his stay in England, so he was thrilled to see they had it on the menu. He ordered it and the server asked if he'd like a medium. ABF said yes, and I think he will regret that for many years to come. I'll explain later.

I was in Paris, so it was all about the red wine--yes please! I ordered a glass of Cote du Rhone (of course!) that was 4 or 6 Euros, so about 6 or 8 dollars. Fair enough! It was tart and rich and oh I was in Paris.

In keeping with that theme, I ordered the Croque Monsieur, a ham and cheese sandwich that is toasted and melty and wonderful. The server asked if I wanted frites (fries) or a salad, and I opted for greens.

The salad was a generous mix of leafy greens, radishes, and tomatoes in a light mustardy vinaigrette. Perfection!

ABF ordered the Croque Madame, which is a Croque Monsieur topped with a fried egg. It looked beautiful, and ABF enjoyed it very much. He opted for the frites, which were very tasty, fluffy, wedges. They tasted slightly different--maybe sunflower or some other type of oil we don't normally use? Tres bien!

We enjoyed our meal, although not so much the cigarette smoke from our fellow patrons. I so appreciate that in America you no longer have to hold your breath while trying to eat a meal. Cigarette smoke is a major trigger for my asthma, so judgments aside, it is just plain bad for ME to be around it. While it is generally annoying and smelly and unhealthy, I reminded myself that hey, that's Paris, and quickly got past it. In fact, I enjoyed the very Parisian-ness of it all. :)

When the bill came, I swear ABF's eyes almost popped out of his head, Looney Tunes style. His iced tea was 8 Euros. EIGHT. That's twice the price of my glass of wine, and oh, about twelve dollars. For ICED. TEA. Listen.. I am one of the first people to pipe up if the bill is wrong, or an item rings up incorrectly at the register, and ABF is the opposite. Except in cases as egregious as this. We looked at the wall and saw that a Long Island Iced Tea, or 'Longue Island Iced Tea' (basically Coca-Cola and a crapload of different types of booze) was 50 cents cheaper than his plain iced tea, so ABF thought, vainly, that maybe there was a mixup and they thought he ordered an alcoholic drink. But no, there was no mixup. That's how much iced tea costs in Paris. Ouch.

I was worried that this experience, with its cool service and general disinterest in our horror, would sour ABF on Paris, but as future posts will show, I think it turned out okay. But he never did order iced tea again....

Au Baroudeur Patient
12 Boulevard De Denain
75010 Paris, France
01.48.78.22.94

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Brooklyn Uncorked!

My friend Holly emailed me this week with some great news--she had an extra ticket to Brooklyn Uncorked--would I like to come? YES!

This evening was sponsored by Edible Manhattan (they do bi-monthly magazines in many places, including Brooklyn and Martha's Vineyard!) featuring recipes, interviews, and features on interesting places and people around town.

We got there as the doors opened, hoping to hit the best spots before they ran out of everything. Kudos to HP for her strategy--it worked quite well! We zoomed around the first floor and took it all in, had a sip or two of wine, a cube or 3 of cheese, and then headed upstairs for the main floor.

On my way to the upstairs, I spotted Baiting Hollow Farms Vineyard (you may remember it from this post!) I introduced myself to Paula, who was gracious, friendly, and also pouring some of their delicious wines.

I had a sip or two of their crisp, just-sweet-enough Riesling and let Paula & Company get back to work. I can't wait to visit them again this summer when ABF comes back for a break from London!

There were so many great vendors, wonderful wines, and delicious dishes. This event was so fantastic--I can't wait until 2012!

The first tidbit to greet us upstairs was from Vandaag restaurant, located in the East Village. Hello, oak-smoked duck breast on a beer-bread crisp with watercress and a ranch dressing! This was so sinfully delectable that we came back again--when I raved to the chef, he winked and put TWO more on my plate. Sweet!

The next food stop was Red Hook Lobster Pound--I was all atwitter with excitement, darn near drooling as we waited in the growing line (again, kudos to Holly P for getting us there so early!). I watched them buttering and grilling the hot dog buns, arranging the lightly-dressed seafood in a towering pile, and whisking them our way. We went around the corner and sat down to snarf them--that's when I realized these weren't LOBSTER rolls, but shrimp rolls. Womp womp.

Yeah, yeah, I get it--much cheaper to give away pounds of shrimp vs. lobster, but still, what a letdown! The shrimp was fine, good dressing and nice crunchy bits on top, and a good match for the rest of my Baiting Hollow Farms Vineyard Riesling, but not the star of the show just yet.

On to our next round--we tried some reds from Duckwalk/Pindar (Pindar is where ABF & I had our second date), then went to the next booth for some homemade mortadella on a cracker, dressed with wholegrain mustard and a cornichon. I love everything on this dish. ZOMG. I intended to go back for more, but got distracted by.....

Spicy lamb burgers! Holy savory showstopper. The crew from Rose Water was slamming to get these dishes out. The smell was outrageous, and the pickled veggies had me raring to eat. The sous chef was quite friendly, and while we waited for the assembly, he placed a single pickled chickpea on my plate and told me to try it. The chickpea was zingy and delicious--couldn't wait for the burger!

He was clearly passionate about his work and loved to share it--I love that in a fellow food fan.

While Holly P hovered for our food, I stepped to the right and got the red blend from Shinn Estate wines. I told the man at the booth that we wanted something to go with the lamb burger, and he suggested their red blend. It was a lovely match for the expertly-seasoned, pause-worthy burger, which we tried not to immediately inhale. The mint pesto was a perfect, piquant touch.

We stopped for a sweet treat--strawberry shortcake tucked into the corner. The berries were succulent--deep, red berry flavor with sweet cream. The biscuit was a bit dry, but it had good flavor.

I don't know who made this manchego cheese ball, but I would like to thank him or her. Profusely. Yummina yummina!

These bites of brown butter cakes with goat cheese 'frosting' stopped me in my tracks...and sent me back for round 2. These were at the table hosted by The Cleaver Co & The Green Table. 12 more of these, please!

One of the best bites of the night: Buttermilk biscuit with braised Flying Pigs Farm pork belly and Blooming Hill Farm pickled ramps (all local ingredients from the Ici Kitchen- "ici" means "here" in French). WOW. I wish I'd had another one of this bite, too. Succulennnnnnnnnnnt!

I heard someone describe Buttermilk Channel's (SO high on my Restaurant Wishlist right now!) zucchini & basil soup as their favorite dish of the night, but I think I'm just not a cold soup fan.

It would take me all day to list all the wonderful winemakers and restaurants featured here--I finally got to sample Macari, Shinn Estates, Palmer, Croteaux, and Raphael, as well as ones I've already tried and loved: Bedell, Baiting Hollow Farms, Channing Daughters, Wolffer, Duck Walk, and of course, Clovis Point! Thanks ever so much to Holly P for inviting me to be her +1--what a fantastic night.

Coming up in the last full week of June: Eat Drink Local week--I'll have to sample more deliciousness then!


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Guest Post: Sonic Hot Dog Tasting!

You may remember my friend Hoosh from her previous post on a Sonic Burger taste test. That post remains one of my most-searched and viewed posts to date(Hoosh also remains one of my favorite people)! She was lucky enough to do a hot dog tasting recently, and sweet enough to do another guest post. Thanks, Hoosh!!!

I like to eat and I like to tell people what I think. Surely there’s a place for me in this world?!

It turns out Sonic Drive-In was looking for people exactly like me this week to take part in a hot dog taste test. They want to add one or two new varieties of hot dogs to their $1.99 hot dog menu. (Have you tried the new menu yet? No? Go! Go now! I highly recommend the New York Dog.)

My first experience being a Sonic taste-tester was about a year ago. It was across town, utilized computers and video equipment and engaged testers in open discussions. My second taste test was in Downtown OKC, used paper tests and Putt-Putt pencils, and we weren’t supposed to speak unless spoken to.

Unfortunately, this week’s taste test was the same low-tech variety. But they still gave me $20 cash and a $20 gift card for my trouble. Plus free lunch, free parking and a free slushy on my way out the door!

There were about 30 there for the testing. We were given water, saltine crackers and a test. Then they handed our four hotdogs, one at a time and asked us to follow the instructions on our paper to rate them. Here they are…

Chipotle BBQ Chili Cheese Coney

Description – Beef frank topped with shredded cheese and a chipotle/BBQ-flavored chili sauce, with several fried onion strips on top.

Looks – If I didn’t know what it was, I would have said it was a mistake. The chili wasn’t very meaty, and it looked like someone spilled their leftover onion rings on top. I kept wanting to pick them off and eat them, but I’m glad I left them on the dog because they wound up adding great texture.

Taste – The first bite was incredible. But I was very hungry and thought it might have affected my first impression. So I took another bite. And another. Can you believe it actually got better with every bite!? The chili sauce was just spicy enough and just sweet enough. It’s rare to find that perfect balance. The texture of the onions made up for the lack of meatiness you’d expect in a chili sauce.

Suggestions – Such a wonderful hotdog deserves a more unique bun. Perhaps a specially-designed Texas Toast bun might be better for this hearty combination of foods.

Bacon Lettuce Tomato Dog

Description -- Hot dog on a poppy seed bun, topped with lettuce, tomato slices, bacon and blue cheese dressing.

Looks -- I noticed my hotdog didn’t look the same as the ones given to the people beside me. Mine had less of everything. Especially the blue cheese dressing. :(

The poppy seed bun felt unusual in my hands. I kept wanting to flick off the seeds before I got the hotdog to my mouth. (Like when you put scotch tape on a cat’s paws just to see him shake them frantically. Does anyone else do that? Just me? Don’t call PETA.)

Taste -- The first bite tasted wrong. Like I didn’t get a good combination of all the elements. But the second the third bites didn’t taste much better. The tomato wasn’t ideal, so that might have thrown everything off. The bacon was boring. The lettuce was tasteless. The blue cheese dressing was watered down. Without any significant flavor, the not-so-good tomatoes really stood out. But even if they were good tomatoes, the hot dog would still be very un-extraordinary.

Suggestions -- I would have added thicker dressing with a heartier blue cheese flavor. The veggies would have to be fresh. The bacon should have been heartier.

Cheeseburger & Fries Dog

Description – Beef frank topped with pickles, French fries and cheese sauce

Looks – All I could see was the cheese, with limp fries poking out awkwardly.

Taste – There was such potential with this one, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations. The fries were soggy, but they did add a nice saltiness. I didn’t get a pickle in every bite, and the bites without pickles were boring. The cheese was mediocre at best, and it just got worse as it cooled. (I hate the word congealed, but that’s exactly what it did.)

Suggestions – Thin pickle spears on each side so that there’s pickle in every bite. Crispier fries, or perhaps fries on top rather than under the cheese. And the cheese needs to either stay warm or stay runny, or perhaps grated cheese would have been better. The dog needed mustard. Perhaps it was there and I couldn’t taste it?

California Dog

Description – Beef frank on a poppy seed bun, top with a generous portion of guacamole, diced onions, tomato slices and Monterey jack cheese.

Looks – All I could see initially was the cheese. I expected very little guacamole, and therefore, flavor.

Taste – Holy guacamole! It had the perfect amount of creamy guac under the cheese. The onions added an awesome crunch and kick to an otherwise smooth and mellow dog.

Suggestions – Dice the tomato and sprinkle it on with the diced onion. Maybe some bean sprouts would make it even more “California-y”.

Final Thoughts:
Overall, I’d definitely choose the Chipotle BBQ Chili Cheese Coney as my favorite. In fact, I’d probably order it on a regular basis instead of my usual New York Dog. My second favorite was the California Dog. I know I’m going to crave that guacamole and frank combo now that I’ve tasted it. Someday, I might consider ordering a Cheeseburger & Fries Dog if I’m feeling particularly gluttonous. And, while the Bacon Lettuce Tomato Dog might sound good idea in theory, some foods just don’t belong on a dog.

More Marvelous (Borough) Market

After leisurely eating my goat milk ice cream and strolling around part of the market, I moved over to the meat/fish area. I can't tell you how cool it was to see these gorgeous displays of seafood, meat and more. You know it's fresh when you can't smell any fish!

This market was so remarkably fresh that it was a delight to hang around the stalls and check out the fish, crustaceans, and more on display.

While the majority of people were there to purchase fresh seafood, I noticed quite a few people armed with cameras, and very, very nice cameras at that (I used my trusty but affordable Canon EOS Point-n-Shoot).

What's that? Sangria for sipping whilst I wander?

Don't mind if I do!!!

Honestly, it was just so fun to wander around, make polite small talk with vendors, and sample bits and pieces, or even just inhale the inviting aromas. I couldn't possibly capture it all--but you are welcome to check out more photos here on my Stuff I Ate Facebook page--click THIS LINK!

Borough Market
8 Southwark Street
London, SE1 1TL

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