food, food, food!

A travel book I'm currently reading says the senses of taste and smell are magnified when travelling. We're definitely finding that to be true so far, particularly with taste. The instant I bit into a baguette on my first day here, I knew I'd ruined baguettes for the rest of my life. It was absolutely yummy and perfect. It's definitely the national food - I'd say 1 out of 3 people walking down the street in paris is carrying a baguette with them. And since e-coli is still spreading in Europe, we feel eating lots and lots of baguettes and cheese is the responsible thing to do :)

matt with baguette and pain chocolat


One of our best meals has been the dinner picnic we had along the Seine River by the Notre Dame. We feasted on a baguette (of course!), cheeses, olives, marinated tomatoes, and vino. The entire experience was just mind-blowing - everywhere you looked, people were having their own picnics and taking in the beautiful atmosphere. I absolutely love how you can drink anywhere you want here! We've got a few more similar picnics planned... :) Pretty much any meal we've had has been fantastic. Last night we celebrated a late anniversary dinner. The restaurant was small, low-key and very cozy; the food rivaled the fanciest restaurants we've eaten at! I had lobster ravioli and then beef cheek wrapped in phyllo. Matt's decadant, and very French, meal include foie gras with sweet pepper chutney and duck confit. We finished this off with creme brûlée and chocolate mousse. mmmmmm, so delicious!

I had my own chance at French cooking with a day-long class at Le Cordon Bleu (thanks Con & Liz for an awesome gift!!!). On the menu was a salad of dandelion leaves with bacon and warm soft boiled egg; pan-fried sea bass fillet on a carrot puree with cumin, red wine sauce and herb salad; panna cotta with lemongrass and red berry jelly. The class was an absolute blast and I learned so much, including how to filet a fish! It was a surprise to all of us when the threw down a whole sea bass in front of us and said we had to cut our own fillets. How well you did really made the difference between a beautiful piece of sea bass, or something that looked like it was run over by a truck.I'd say I was average - not bad for my first time! :) Few pics are below (the assembled dish is actually one the chef made). I promise to make this meal for whoever wants! Also, the last pic is a bit of a joke - just in case I ever need any entry photo for Top Chef, figured I'd take the opportunity to pose :)

with chef franck poupard

Top Chef contestant?

getting lost in paris

Today is the two week mark of our trip. We've been terrible about blogging, but it's just because we've been busy getting lost in Paris...that, and sleeping in. :) We're staying with our friend Geoffroy's friend, David, who has an amazing 13th story flat in Issy-les-Moulineax, just outside of Paris. The view from our balcony is below, and it's just awesome to sit out here and eat breakfast each morning.

night view; eiffel tower goes to sleep at 1am, usually way before we do!

enjoying lunch at home

Geoffroy and David have been the most thoughtful and hospitable hosts ever and we feel very lucky and grateful for all they've done for us. Because of them, we feel a lot less like tourists, and a lot more settled into Parisian life. And since we've got months left, we don't feel the need to fill each day siteseeing (though it's hard to go anywhere in Paris and not be blown away by something amazing - even the metro stations are works of art!). We try to have at least one "goal" per day - on Sunday it was having moules frites. After an afternoon biking through the streets of Paris (I was terrified, Matt loved every second!), we accomplished our goal. We also dined on foie gras and steak tartare in the same meal - not bad at all!

biking by the louvre

Last week we took a 4-day trip to Tuscany to stay with our wonderful friends Remy, MB and little Ben who were staying at a villa outside Asciano (near Sienna). We had an awesome time with them - taking mornings pretty easy and lounging out by the pool. In the afternoons we headed out to Montalcino or Chianti for wine tastings. Our nights included sitting outside on our terrace, overlooking the Tuscan countryside, and drinking lots and lots of vino. Thanks to the Remorenkos for a great trip and the memories!

at montalcino

tasting some chianti classico

what was i thinking ...

view from our picnic on the banks for the seine.

looking back, it's hard for me to believe there was a time in my life when i didn't really like france. mais oui, c'est vrai ... my parents signed us up to host a french student, geoffroy, in 1991. it went so well that our parents decided to send will, my older brother, and i to france in the summer of 1992 for 3 weeks. i was 15 and wanted to spend the summer hanging out w/ my friends doing whatever 15 year olds do in the suburbs.

instead, we toured WWI battlefields, rode bikes through the french countryside, took boat rides in the english channel and ate delicious home-cooked meals. honestly, i wasn't a huge fan. the camembert smelled funny, there were no handy markets (now 7-11s) or malls and i couldn't find a decent hamburger, hot dog or pizza.

fortunately, my tastes and taste buds evolved. in 2006, cath and i spent a night in paris - touring the sights, getting lost and gorging on scrumtrulescent food and wine - on our way to the french riviera. i started to look at france anew, in no small part to my little polska, who loves all things french.

i appreciated their way of life, the fact that they always take lunch (it's unheard of to eat at your desk - something i've done nearly my entire career), the entire country vacations during the month of august, they linger over their meals (and usu have at least a glass of wine w/ lunch and dinner) and you can drink alcohol anywhere, anytime. one can point out shortcomings in this, but it's a lifestyle that jives w/ ours now, esp, as i strive to be an "international gentleman of leisure" following a hectic 3 years of work + school.