tongue in beak: food

Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

6/18/09

hidden kitchen

Hidden Kitchen is an underground supper club run by Braden and Laura, a young American couple. I had read several positive reviews on the internet, so once we finalized our travel details earlier this year, I immediately emailed to make a reservation. I thought it would be a nice break for hubby, who doesn't speak any French, to be able to converse with someone other than myself.

We started with champagne cocktails while waiting for everyone to arrive and then were seated for ten courses with seven wine pairings. It turned out to be a wonderful evening with a room full of amiable strangers, mostly American tourists (and talk about small world...one of the couples seated beside us lives in Solana Beach which is adjacent to us here in Del Mar!) I highly recommend Hidden Kitchen for a unique dining experience in Paris.

lovely atmosphere

amuse-bouche: squid ink cracker w/onions (pickled, I think)

fava bean raviolo w/sweet pea & herb sauce

poached egg w/chilled white asparagus & parmigiano mornay sauce

seared salmon w/rhubarb bay leaf sauce & kohlrabi lime slaw

pan fried mackerel w/apricot barley & poppy seed cucmbers

deconstructed mint julep palate cleanser: bourbon gelatin topped w/sorbet
(much more sophisticated than the jello shots we had in college!)

herbed stuffed pork roulade w/white bean salad & fried artichoke

beet salad (w/a fun trompe l'œil beet made from a cherry & lettuce leaves)

rhubarb mint sorbet w/shortbread cake & strawberries

petits fours (yes, that is a rice krispie treat!)

post-dinner conversation

Braden & Laura's dog, Tati

fauchon

l'église de la Madeleine

If you've been shopping around Place de la Madeleine and need a place to recharge, descend to The Counter at Fauchon where you can have a light meal at the bar in an air-conditioned room. Prices are medium-high but the food quality is good. While you wait for your order, check out their collection of pricey wine and spirits. Afterward, head back upstairs to purchase gourmet gifts to bring home.

pink and black Fauchon décor

salade niçoise - 10 euros

salade de fruits w/refreshing passionfruit granita - 6 euros

Rémy Martin Louis XIII - 2300 euros

Champagne Roederer Cristal - 3500 euros

various Cognac A.E. Dor; the 1889 vintage is 7000 euros!

6/9/09

the neighborhood

Being able to live like a local is one of the benefits to staying in an apartment while traveling. As wonderful as restaurant food is, it was also nice to have some simple meals "at home." We stayed in the sixth arrondisement where there's no shortage of vendors, but no matter where you are in Paris, you are close to many wonderful food purveyors and markets.

our apartment building's courtyard

the neighborhood

benefits of city living

bon appétit!

6/4/09

les macarons

Let me start by warning you that I will be blogging many, many posts about the food we enjoyed in Paris! I'm beginning with one of my all-time favorites, the macaron. No, not those Mounds-candy-bar-type coconut macaROONS but macaRONS which are buttercream (sometimes other fillings) sandwiched between two delicate cookies made of ground nuts (usually almonds), sugar, and egg whites. Pâtisseries have really gotten creative with their flavor offerings of these confections and some even make savory versions. If you don't want to make your own, here is a resource to help you find macarons around the world (or try Googling your city).