Last weekend was the birthday of my daughter Aimée. This happy event unfortunately fell this year in the aftermath of the tragic events that consumed Paris. Celebrations were subdued this year in that they were confined to home, rather than go out in a city already traumatized. We initially were thinking about celebrating in a …
Galettes Des Rois, Monkfish and Crustacean Butter Read More »
The largest chocolate show on earth, Salon de Chocolate, was in town recently and of course I couldn’t wait to go, but for other reasons than downing as much chocolate as I want. It is one of the most wildly popular and wickedly delicious shows put on earth to glorify chocolate in all forms! …
The parched brown and orange leaves caught up in the crisp wind are slowing drifting down to scattered wrinkly patches on the sidewalks. Raining colours of autumn may be beautiful to the eye, but to me and many others around the globe it can signal the onset of dreary clouds of seasonal affective disorder, …
Tis The Season For Seasonal Affective Disorder And Good Excuse For Pastry Read More »
My birthday celebration has been a whirlwind celebration of three straight days full of merriment, spectacular sights, good food, laughter and even wonderful omens! Birthdays should always be celebrated in a big way, with as much flare, style and adventure as you can put together. Friday my official birth day, …
The ferry ride across the Bosphorus, in the blistering hot sun, provided my first view of the magnificent Hagia Sophia slowly becoming more visible, as the ferry slowed to dock in Eminonu, the old city’s port. Newly arrived, I felt suddenly plunged into a kaleidoscope of colorful sights, smells, and sounds that might as well been 100 …
Easter chocolates and cherry trees have little in common, except that they both appear in the spring. Nevertheless, in the past week, I have had long and fruitful walks discovering both again. The first one was a 14 kilometer walk through three of the prettiest parks south of Paris in the suburbs of Sceaux, …
Too much of too much can be a good thing now and then! If the ultimate wine show wasn’t enough to take me on full blast, then comes the Saveur’s ultimate gourmet food show. Neck to neck weekends with these two monumental dazzlers is a guarantee to be either enthralled, broke or both! …
I ended up having this insatiable craving to have dressing this past weekend, despite the fact that I had not planned on having a traditional Thanksgiving meal. For me, the feast is not totally translatable here, without the rest of my family, and besides I was busy with the ultimate wine salon. But by …
Chocoholics were in chocolate heaven this weekend at the Salon de Chocolate, an annual affaire that is hugely popular here. A chocolate extravaganza and orgy all wrapped into one spectacular show that delivered on its promise to dazzle. And dazzle it did! As soon as I walked in, the aroma of chocolate engulfed me, …
You gotta love the French when it comes to pleasures of all kind, be it wine, art, food and love! Not your everyday experience to find a working vineyard in a Parisian hospital, but Paris is known for her little surprising secrets! Hopital Bretonneau, up in Montmartre, has been growing grapes since 2001, with …
I have written before about the seriousness Parisians maintain about their beloved baguette. The city of Paris puts on a contest each year to find the best baguette each year. Contests such as these may uncover some of the city’s talented bakers, who in the past were not known. It can not be described as …
As the daytime draws to an end and the impending shadows of the evening slowly give way to dusk, the energy changes within me to a quieter one of expectation and celebration. I know that in an hour or so, I will partake of an immense pleasure of eating some my beautifully prepared foods …