A honeyMoon in Paris: Ma Bourgogne, Gerard Mulot, Robert et Louise, Brasserie Lipp and more
0 comments Posted by The Blissful Glutton at 4:57 PMLet me tell you how to eat in Paris. You will be tempted to go big and visit all these fancy restaurants lest you be labeled a silly American who wasted precious Paris time. But the mid-priced bistros and brasseries are your golden ticket to the real Parisian dining experience. I suggest eating at a handful of historic spots, some newer chef-driven spots, maybe one blow-out night (like Moon's surprise Thanksgiving dinner reservation), a few ethnic joints of course--the Moroccan food is especially wonderful--and as many patisseries as you can muster.
We started with some old favorites so I could show Moonie the Paris my family has come to love. My family goes to Ma Bourgogne, which sits on Place de Vosges (the oldest square in Paris), every single time we visit. They have a famous steak tartare--although, it is chopped a bit too large for my taste--and a fabulous menu of other specialties from Burgundy (or Bourgogne).
Even though it was raining and cold, we opted to sit in the covered outdoor seating, which was warmed nicely by some heating lamps. First the wine, the chewy and crusty bread and then the famous escargot.
Glorious and I did NOT soak up all the melted butter with my bread if anyone asks you.
Frisées with lardons (bacon), tomatoes and blue cheese.
Salad with cured duck, tomatoes and a perfectly emulsified dressing.
Pork cooked in Puy Lentils: Smoky, creamy, earthy and impossible to stop eating.
Here's the problem with Paris. There are lots of macarons and Moon is addicted. Actually, addicted is too soft of a word. He is obsessed. After lunch, I took him to a regular Marais haunt of mine to get his fix: Gerard Mulot.
Gerard Mulot doesn't make the best macarons in Paris (the best is yet to come), but his are pretty damn good. And he makes them in fabulous flavors like Beaujolais Nouveau in honor of the season.
This was the first of many visits since we were staying in the Marais. It's just around the corner from Place de Vosges if you are doing a little shopping or eating nearby. We were, of course, shopping.
After a stop at our favorite little cafe for a coffee and some free wifi, we went back and took a nap before dinner at a place my Dad found through Pudlo Paris (*the* restaurant guide to buy).
Here's the problem with Paris. There are lots of macarons and Moon is addicted. Actually, addicted is too soft of a word. He is obsessed. After lunch, I took him to a regular Marais haunt of mine to get his fix: Gerard Mulot.
Gerard Mulot doesn't make the best macarons in Paris (the best is yet to come), but his are pretty damn good. And he makes them in fabulous flavors like Beaujolais Nouveau in honor of the season.
This was the first of many visits since we were staying in the Marais. It's just around the corner from Place de Vosges if you are doing a little shopping or eating nearby. We were, of course, shopping.
After a stop at our favorite little cafe for a coffee and some free wifi, we went back and took a nap before dinner at a place my Dad found through Pudlo Paris (*the* restaurant guide to buy).
We were late and ended up doing a mad dash through the wet streets of the Marais to make our reservation. As we walked in a semi-frazzled state, we were warmly welcomed to this exceedingly rustic restaurant. Robert et Louise has been reborn after the original owner passed away and his daughter took the helm. They specialize in prime rib and other meats cooked in a fireplace. Yeah, I said prime rib in a fireplace. You can kind of see it behind the guy in the black shirt.
The place is small. Actually, its more than small. It's cramped. And you might not like the seating if you aren't keen on sharing tables or having your thighs pressed against your neighbor. It's all part of the charm of Parisian restaurants.
We started with goose rillettes. I *love* rillettes. Star Provisions makes some damn good versions, but you can't beat Paris. These were creamy, rich and we scarfed down the entire serving in one minute.
Fresh pork sausages cooked in the fireplace: I could eat ten of these juicy and crispy beauties.
The place is small. Actually, its more than small. It's cramped. And you might not like the seating if you aren't keen on sharing tables or having your thighs pressed against your neighbor. It's all part of the charm of Parisian restaurants.
We started with goose rillettes. I *love* rillettes. Star Provisions makes some damn good versions, but you can't beat Paris. These were creamy, rich and we scarfed down the entire serving in one minute.
Fresh pork sausages cooked in the fireplace: I could eat ten of these juicy and crispy beauties.
Our main course. The prime rib for two. It comes with a vinegary salad, some pan sauteed potatoes and some worn wood plates to serve yourself on. If you aren't a fan of grass-fed beef, you won't like French meat. It is super grassy, fattier than you are used to and you can assume your meat will be cooked rare. Truth be told, French beef is not my favorite. I prefer meat from Spain, Argentina and the States. This is still a very cute restaurant worth a visit though. The wine list has plenty of affordable options and it is very hot right now.
Another day, more rain, which we just used as an excuse to laze the morning away in our shockingly comfortable bed while drinking large bowls of cafe au lait and eating crossaints.
After a visit to the Louvre to see the Tintoretto exhibit, we took a taxi over to Saint Germain de Pres to have lunch at Cafe de Flore, but sandwiches and salads weren't going to cut through the cold weather. So, we scurried across the busy street to Brasserie Lipp.
I love eating here. Not only is the choucroute garnie fabulous (wish I could find a good one in Atlanta outside of my kitchen), but the space is quintessentially Paris. We sat in a little corner table on the top floor where we had a perfect view of the waiters doing their centuries old dance.
My frisee aux lardons: the croutons didn't do it for me and I prefer a thinner lardon of bacon. But the salad was still a nice precursor to my main.
I love eating here. Not only is the choucroute garnie fabulous (wish I could find a good one in Atlanta outside of my kitchen), but the space is quintessentially Paris. We sat in a little corner table on the top floor where we had a perfect view of the waiters doing their centuries old dance.
Moon's pickled herring with onions.
Moon's poulet roti (roast chicken). Very crisp and juicy. It came with fries too.
My pristine choucroute garnie. It had everything I look for. A good amount of finely shredded sauerkraut, salted potatoes and various cuts of pork.
The iPhone pic I sent to my mom to make her jealous.
Happily full, we started walking until we couldn't walk anymore. As we wandered the streets, we amassed quite the arsenal of bags from the various food shops we couldn't resist. Once we got closer to our hotel, we took inventory and realized we'd gone overboard. Shocker! We had more than enough food for our very own in-room feast. So, we canceled our reservation for the night and decided to lock ourselves up in the room. Would you like to see gluttony defined? Observe:
See that bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau? We got it from Boucherie Milo (1, Rue JP Timbaud , Paris 75011)--where we bought all the meats from--after the owner insisted we have a taste. God, I miss our visits to that man. It was the most amazing Beaujolais. This year is being called "the best vintage in history." Get on it, people.
The next day was Thanksgiving and Moon's long-awaited surprise dinner. I am horrible at waiting on surprises and he wouldn't give me any hints. The hotel staff was even taking precautions when confirming all the reservations made. 
However, the wait was worth it. Stay tuned for that meal and much more...
A honeyMoon in Paris: The arrival and a dinner at Bofinger
0 comments Posted by The Blissful Glutton at 4:56 PM
Our family grows (I'm the short one in the white dress).
We chose Paris.
It made sense. He likes wine. I like wine. He loves food. I love food. We like to eat.
I lived in Paris for a summer during college and remember dreaming of the day I’d be there with someone I loved. This trip lived up to all of my embarrassingly girly fantasies plus more eating than I thought humanly possible.
We pounded the streets every day, ate, found some crazy Thai massage parlor in the Bastille, ate, got cursed by a gypsy, ate some more, saw some art, ate, shopped, and slept like hibernating bears. It was all quite magical and I only gained a pound and half.
Since we went to SO MANY places. I am going to break the restaurants up into smaller posts so the photos don’t overwhelm.
After arriving in Paris, we broke the cardinal rule of jetlag maintenance. We went to bed shortly after arriving at our hotel in the Marais. Of course, that was after we bought some croissants and sandwiches made with crusty baguettes, ham, butter and Gruyere cheese and a bottle of Badoit from Chez Jean across the street. We slept and slept some more. Weddings are E-X-H-A-U-S-T-I-N-G, but very fun. Having all of your friends and family in one room for one night is a dream.
After we took a somewhat awkward “shower” in our stylish yet completely dysfunctional large tub/rain shower thingamajig, we set out onto the chilly and damp streets to get our bearings and some dinner.
That night, we chose Bofinger (www.bofingerparis.com), which my aunt was a regular at when living in near Place de Vosges. They used to call her Madame Cinq Minute” because she always called for a reservation and promised she’d be there n five minutes. The entire staff would greet here by that moniker when she made her entrance. It was all very grand and silly. Needless to say, I love this restaurant for reasons beyond the food.
Bofinger specializes in seafood. We ordered a large platter of oysters, pink shrimp and langoustines to start.
Every briny bite was pristine.
Moon surprised me with a bottle of Billecart, which is one of my favorite Champagnes.
We both ordered choucroute.
He, the version with seafood.
And, me, Bofinger's version with loads of porky goodness.
We then waddled home and fell soundly asleep as the sounds of the streets echoed into our room. Bliss.
It made sense. He likes wine. I like wine. He loves food. I love food. We like to eat.
I lived in Paris for a summer during college and remember dreaming of the day I’d be there with someone I loved. This trip lived up to all of my embarrassingly girly fantasies plus more eating than I thought humanly possible.
We pounded the streets every day, ate, found some crazy Thai massage parlor in the Bastille, ate, got cursed by a gypsy, ate some more, saw some art, ate, shopped, and slept like hibernating bears. It was all quite magical and I only gained a pound and half.
Since we went to SO MANY places. I am going to break the restaurants up into smaller posts so the photos don’t overwhelm.
After arriving in Paris, we broke the cardinal rule of jetlag maintenance. We went to bed shortly after arriving at our hotel in the Marais. Of course, that was after we bought some croissants and sandwiches made with crusty baguettes, ham, butter and Gruyere cheese and a bottle of Badoit from Chez Jean across the street. We slept and slept some more. Weddings are E-X-H-A-U-S-T-I-N-G, but very fun. Having all of your friends and family in one room for one night is a dream.
After we took a somewhat awkward “shower” in our stylish yet completely dysfunctional large tub/rain shower thingamajig, we set out onto the chilly and damp streets to get our bearings and some dinner.
That night, we chose Bofinger (www.bofingerparis.com), which my aunt was a regular at when living in near Place de Vosges. They used to call her Madame Cinq Minute” because she always called for a reservation and promised she’d be there n five minutes. The entire staff would greet here by that moniker when she made her entrance. It was all very grand and silly. Needless to say, I love this restaurant for reasons beyond the food.
Bofinger specializes in seafood. We ordered a large platter of oysters, pink shrimp and langoustines to start.
Every briny bite was pristine.
Moon surprised me with a bottle of Billecart, which is one of my favorite Champagnes.
We both ordered choucroute.
He, the version with seafood.
And, me, Bofinger's version with loads of porky goodness.
We then waddled home and fell soundly asleep as the sounds of the streets echoed into our room. Bliss.
Well, I am back and trying to get used to the time change before attacking next week's workload and dealing with my impending kitchen renovations (yikes!). I had an absolute blast on my trip and gained some much needed perspective. After Madrid, we stopped in Berlin for a couple of days and Prague for one chilly night before I made my way back to the States. Here are some photos from our meals in both cities. You can view them in my Berlin album (which also has some photos from the many museums we visited) and my Prague album if you aren't keen on slideshows. I hope to sum up the entire trip with restaurant listings, etc. once I am back in the swing of things. Until then...
Well, I am back and trying to get used to the time change before attacking next week's workload and dealing with my impending kitchen renovations (yikes!). I had an absolute blast on my trip and gained some much needed perspective. After Madrid, we stopped in Berlin for a couple of days and Prague for one chilly night before I made my way back to the States. Here are some photos from our meals in both cities. You can view them in my Berlin album (which also has some photos from the many museums we visited) and my Prague album if you aren't keen on slideshows. I hope to sum up the entire trip with restaurant listings, etc. once I am back in the swing of things. Until then...
Well, I am back and trying to get used to the time change before attacking next week's workload and dealing with my impending kitchen renovations (yikes!). I had an absolute blast on my trip and gained some much needed perspective. After Madrid, we stopped in Berlin for a couple of days and Prague for one chilly night before I made my way back to the States. Here are some photos from our meals in both cities. You can view them in my Berlin album (which also has some photos from the many museums we visited) and my Prague album if you aren't keen on slideshows. I hope to sum up the entire trip with restaurant listings, etc. once I am back in the swing of things. Until then...
Our trip to India (finally got all my pics up) was very long so we had to make a stop to break up the trip. We chose Alba because the truffle festival was going on and none of us (including my incredibly well-traveled parents) had been. We were only there for a couple of days, but it was wonderful. Here is a taste of our short time there. Watch for the picture of the truffle sculpture--coolest thing ever.
Aside from Vegas, I cannot think of any other place I would rather celebrate my birthday than New York and that is exactly where Moonie and I went. Moon and I in NYC is a dangerous thing and am almost embarrassed to tell you guys how many places we ate. Trust me there are some omissions. lt is definitely time for a fast.
I didn't take photos everywhere we dined because my camera was weighing me down as we were on our feet for about 10 hours a day (as you should be in NYC). In addition to our marathon grubbing, we saw some great exhibits at the Whitney and the Met, took a nice stroll through Central Park and paid a visit to Century 21 which is the best department store ever.
It was such a great trip that I am thinking of making it a tradition. Here is the quick and dirty of our 4 days in NYC with good and bad pics. Hope you enjoy.
DAY ONE:
Ramen and pork buns at Momofuku.
Ramen and pork buns at Momofuku.
Dinner that night was another amazing experience at Bar Boulud. I just cannot say enough about this place. Relaxed vibe with stellar food and my folks were kind enough to call ahead and have a gorgeous bottle of wine sent to our table. Best birthday meal in ages.
DAY TWO:
Grabbed H&H bagel and Zabars goodies for breakfast in bed at the hotel. There is absolutely nothing better than freshly baked bagels with a slather of scallion cream cheese.
Hit the original Grand Sichuan: and it was a total waste of a meal. Dirty tasting fish, salty pork belly drenched in too much soy and flavorless noodles. We took 3 bites of each dish and left. Definitely not up to the standards it once was when my idol, Ruthie R. wrote about it for The New York Times.
Thank god Joe's Shanghai was so close. Shanghai soup buns conquer all. Love this place and it killed the taste (and memory) of the previous "meal."
And a little stop at Magnolia Bakery for a cupcake. Num num num.
We continued to walk until we reached Colombus Circle where we rested our feet at the Bouchon Bakery cafe which has a great view of the circle.
We continued to walk until we reached Colombus Circle where we rested our feet at the Bouchon Bakery cafe which has a great view of the circle.
Dinner that night was a bust. We were completely delirious and ended up canceling our reservation at Inisieme before hitting an Indian restaurant near our hotel, Swagat.
I had eaten here before, but this meal was just plain bad. Overcooked rice, lamb vindaloo that tasted more like chunky spaghetti and an underwhelming saag paneer. The staff were very attentive and friendly though.
DAY THREE:
Train to Times Square to hit Szechuan Gourmet, recently reviewed by Frank Bruni. The restaurant completely lives up to the hype and it a welcome alternative if you don't feel like trekking it to Flushing. An amazingly good meal.
In true glutton fashion with a little help from my equally gluttonous man, we went for a second lunch at Luzzo Coal Oven Pizza.
Great pizza but my nose smelled this spot, Vinny Vincenz, after we left and we had to grab a slice, of course. Probably the best sauce I have tasted in a long long time.
Moon found this great New American restaurant on the Upper West Side, Dovetail. Casual, refined and an overall great spot for dinner. The lighting was pretty poor so I didn't get any great shots except for this one of our amuse bouche.
DAY FOUR:
Oh, how tired we were by this point. To make matters worse, my old soccer injury started acting up so I was limping around the city all day--sweet. My dearest readers know that didn't stop me from eating though! We immediately headed to Katz's for a proper breakfast of pastrami sandwiches and pickles. This place never gets old.
After walking off our meat coma, we headed to the Met to see some art including one amazing fashion exhibit with superhero inspired designs from hot designers like Alexander McQueen with the original costumes from movies like the recently released, The Dark Knight. An overall dream exhibit for a graphic novel and fashion junkie like yours truly. We then hit the roof of the museum for that spectacular view, a cocktail and the Jeff Koons exhibit. 
We still had a few hours to kill, so my pizza-crazed Moon directed our cab towards Patsy's Pizzeria on W. 74th. Still good after all these years and the best location in my opinion. The rest of the night was a blur of delayed flights and crazy turbulence thanks to the storm. But we got back safe, very full and happy.
One of the greatest things about Atlanta is Hartsfield and the sheer multitude of flights to pretty much anywhere you could want to go. If you haven’t noticed by now, I have a serious travel bug and fully intend to have traveled to every continent many times over before I die. Although I was born in Rio, I had never been back to South America since my family first immigrated here when I was 2 years old. So, I was ecstatic when my Dad told my sister and I they were going to Argentina for his birthday—skiing in Bariloche in Patagonia has always been a dream of his and he has been in full on "travel the world" mode since he retired last year. You know I was on it in a New York minute. We had plans to go to Rio beforehand but ran into trouble with getting me a visa since I gave up my Brazilian citizenship when I became a U.S. citizen. I was bummed but still excited at the prospect of seeing Argentina in the winter. We stopped in Buenos Aires, which I can only describe as Madrid minus the pretension. The people were so genial and the town so full of color despite its grayish winter pallor. When it came to food, I had four things on my mind: A sandwich de migas, some alfajores, lots of steak and Italian food. I definitely got my fill.
Our first meal was at Piegari which can only described as the best family-style Italian meal I have had in ages outside of Italy. Every 29th of the month is "Gnocchi day" so we picked a great night to come and ordered the gnocchi of course!
A snapshot of the restaurant
Fennel gratin
Grilled calamari with sweet baby tomatoes
Assorted croquettes--the rice and baby shrimp variety was our favorite.
Simple green salad with shaved parm
Gnocchi with tomato and basil
Fresh pasta with seafood
Meringue with ice cream and strawberries
Lunch the next day was at La Biela, a place my parents used to frequent on their trips to Buenos Aires when they were living in Rio. A cute cafe on a nice street with plenty of options and they even have a guy that comes around to shine your shoes while you eat.
Spanish tortilla with chorizo
Steak sandwich
Eggs with ham and French fries
How civilized
I have no will power when it comes to baked goods and made a beeline at the first sign of these:
Alfajores: Dulce de leche sandwiches between two cookies and dusted in sugar. Surely the sweet stuff that dreams are made of.
Assortment of steaks served family style on a cutting board
A mountain of french fries
Alfajores: Dulce de leche sandwiches between two cookies and dusted in sugar. Surely the sweet stuff that dreams are made of.
We met up with some friends of my parents for a steak dinner at La Cabaña Steakhousewith some of my parents' friends who had some funny stories about them and my folks at Carnaval. Scandalous! But I digress...on to the steak.
My prime ribeye
Souffle potatoes
Souffle potatoes
And guess what was waiting for me when I got back to my room:
Alfajores
Alfajores
The next day was a a stroll through Palermo and Old Palermo. Such a nifty neighborhood with great boutique shopping and cool homes. I snapped this of the city when we were walking to lunch. A nice man told me it was probably not the best neighborhood to have a camera out in. This was not the first time a local told me crime was bad and to hide my valuables.
Lunch at Grappa, an Italian restaurant located in a renovated industrial building. Good--not great--food but a pleasant lunch none the less.
The digs
Fresh spinach fettucine with meat sauce
Gnocchi with mushroom cream sauce
Spinach dumplings with gorgonzola sauce
Flan casero
Lunch at Grappa, an Italian restaurant located in a renovated industrial building. Good--not great--food but a pleasant lunch none the less.
The digs
Fresh spinach fettucine with meat sauce
Gnocchi with mushroom cream sauce
Spinach dumplings with gorgonzola sauce
Flan casero
In keeping with our Italian feeding frenzy we went to yet another Italian restaurant for dinner, Sottovoce. Very old school spot complete with Frank Sinatra tunes and some killer pastas.
Pappardelle with mushroom cream sauce
Pasta (I forgot which type) with Bolognese sauce
Milanesa with arugula salad
Pappardelle with mushroom cream sauce
Pasta (I forgot which type) with Bolognese sauce
Milanesa with arugula salad
The best plane food ever:
Sandwich de migas: boiled egg and ham on pillowy soft white bread.
Sandwich de migas
Sandwich de migas: boiled egg and ham on pillowy soft white bread.
Sandwich de migas
The next day we woke up way to early to travel to Bariloche, a skiing town in Patagonia. This was was waiting for us when we arrived. Gorgeous.
The view got even better the next day but that night was the culinary highlight of the trip. Meat, meat and more meat at Boliche de Alberto. Imagine a little restuarant off a windy, snow covered street with huge crowds waiting for a simple menu of expertly prepared meat and a great bottle of Malbec. We ate here twice it was so good! Here are some photos of the food and very crude video so you get a sense of the action.
The man on the right is Alberto, himself
The view got even better the next day but that night was the culinary highlight of the trip. Meat, meat and more meat at Boliche de Alberto. Imagine a little restuarant off a windy, snow covered street with huge crowds waiting for a simple menu of expertly prepared meat and a great bottle of Malbec. We ate here twice it was so good! Here are some photos of the food and very crude video so you get a sense of the action.
The man on the right is Alberto, himself
Bad lighting and a flimsy point and shoot are a lethal combination but the food was so amazing. Simple and cooked well. You cannot beat that.
Assortment of steaks served family style on a cutting board
A mountain of french fries
More meat
Like dancers:
I slowed down on the picture taking and just relaxed on the final days of the trip. How could you not want to hang out and stare at this all day?
Our final meal that I took my camera to was El Rincón Patagónico, which specializes in lamb and goat. Good meal, great wine selection but Alberto trumped this place. The cabrito was stellar--check out how it is cooked. Sorry for the less exciting soundtrack :)
Another great trip comes to an end and I am still processing everything I saw, heard and tasted. If you have never been to Argentina, I would definitely recommend it. How great to travel somewhere so radically different and only have an hour time change! Rio is next on my list.
Hola everyone.
I am sorry for the sporadic posts over the past week but I have been taking a mini-breather from the old blog and losing myself in some books and my iPod. It has been a nice break. I am in Buenos Aires right now and it is absolutely lovely. Such a civilized city and it is great to be somewhere chilly instead of muggy old ATL. Here are a few images from my Mexico stopover I forgot to post. Gotta run but stay tuned for my Argentina post.
After France, we took a short flight to Bilbao and immediately made our way to check out the Guggenheim before before driving a little over an hour to La Rioja, the wine region of Spain. The architecture of the building (designed by the fabulous, Frank Gehry) was unbelievable. The Spanish love (and respect) architecture and it is not uncommon to see the architect's name on a plaque outside the buildings they have designed. I like that.
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Upon arriving in Rioja, we drove up the winding streets to Laguardia, an enclosed village on a hill, for a quick bite and some exploring.
The streets of Laguardia
Every "block" has a bunch of restaurants and bars, so we just popped into the first one we saw and grabbed a couple of tapas and a glass of wine.
Assortment of tapas
Hams and sausage
After checking into our hotel and grabbing a quick siesta, we made our way to Meson Chuchi in Fuenmayor for some dinner. Chuchi is a typical asador or restaurant where many items--like the baby goat my parents shared--are cooked in fire.
Fried chorizo
Mushrooms with parsley and garlic (OMG)
Shrimp cooked on the plancha (I can never resist whole shrimp)
I crashed hard that first night. I guess I did not realize how tired I was from all the traveling. After ordering a strong pot of coffee, I opened my curtains to this view:
A lovely start to a relaxing day centered around winery tours and serene scenery.
Winery#1: Viña Real
The winery
One of the caves built into the side of a mountain
Some of the barrels located underneath this glass floor:
Great winery and I was a fan of the Imperial Grand Reserva.
It was time for lunch, so we drove to Logroño for a little walk and some tapas.
One of the side streets
Assortment of tapas
Chorizo on toast
Winery#2: Viña Tondonia
This was my favorite winery because of the knowledgeable tour guide who guided us through the mold-lined walls of the old caves. It was kind of dark and creepy (I expected Bella Lugosi to emerge from the shadows at any time), but I learned so much.
Barrels
Wine bottles covered in mold (they are only cleaned with a damp cloth before being sold)
Our guide serving us wine during the tasting portion
Manchego and Marcona almonds (I could live off both)
Winery #3: Marqués de Riscal
The hotel (designed by Gehry) located on the same land as the winery
Just a shot of this crazy pollen that was falling from the sky during our entire visit. It looked like it was snowing. So bizarre.
A view from the town of Laguardia where we went for dinner that night.
Jamón ibérico
Spinach and shrimp croquetas
Pochos: a mixture of white beans, chorizo and pork fat. Delicious!
Winery#4: Muga (the final tour)
A little of this might have made its way back in my suitcase...
Our final meal for the trip was at another asador in Fuenmayor, Alameda. I had left my camera at home to give my family a break from all the picture taking and just let them enjoy. But (of course), my sister insisted I take pictures with my mother's camera because the meal was so impressive. The executive chef was a seriously talented older lady accompanied by a grill master. This was my hands down favorite meal of 2008. Simple, clean and so flavorful food in a modest setting. Here are some highlights:
Smooth gazpacho with a crisp piece of chorizo
Perfect croquetas
My parents and I chose a bone-in ribe eye which the chef told us was aged 10 years. Not sure if something was lost in translation (even though we were speaking Spanish), but the steak was seriously the size of a something you'd see on the "Flinstones" and the best steak I have ever eaten in my life. The chef cut it from this large block of meat before slowly (and, I mean slowly) cooking it on a gentle fire so all the fat would melt off. No salt or seasoning was added until the very end.
This was the end result:
Like butter. I will dream of this steak for a very long time.
Well, I am home now and still catching up on the work I missed when I was gone. But, it was a great trip overall. I am just so thankful my family is able to take these trips together even though we are all grown up and have our separate lives. I don't know what I would do without them or the memories. Until next time...
~Bliss~
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