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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
My pristine choucroute garnie. It had everything I look for. A good amount of finely shredded sauerkraut, salted potatoes and various cuts of pork.
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:


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).
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.
Ramen and pork buns at Momofuku.





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."







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.







Labels: New York, New York City

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

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

Alfajores: Dulce de leche sandwiches between two cookies and dusted in sugar. Surely the sweet stuff that dreams are made of.


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

Pappardelle with mushroom cream sauce

Pasta (I forgot which type) with Bolognese sauce

Milanesa with arugula salad

Sandwich de migas: boiled egg and ham on pillowy soft white bread.

Sandwich de migas

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


Labels: Argentina, Bariloche, Buenos Aires
Labels: Mexico, Playa del Carmen

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~


















































