Smack My Ass and Call Me Augustus Gloop

I thought this sign had the name of the shop on it, but my French ain't that good yet. What this sign says is that someone at this shop was awarded a very prestigous honor: they were named a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (literally, 'Best Worker of France'.) Competitions for this award are held every three years and the awards vary from wood-working to chocolate-making. Once achieved, the honor is held for life. Many spend months preparing a piece of work that demonstrates both artisitic excellence and mastery of their craft. Patrick Roger is both the name of the store and the master sculptor/chocolatier/artist that started it all. The website is a graphical showpiece worth checking out.

We just stumbled upon this place by chance but we were drawn in by the fact that about a third of the store is dedicated to a not-for-sale chocolate sculpture: a rolling cocoa desert with chocolate stack mesas rising up out of it. The cool visual with the sheer volume of cocoa you could breath in made for a heavenly display.

They sold stuff, too. An endless array of chocolates in exotic flavors, various candies in bright colors, and relatively plain bars of chocolate from all over the world. Eye-candy and belly-candy, both at once.














We grabbed some chocolates with exotic flavors like sezchuan pepper, sesame, lemongrass, and lime. We have shown impressive restraint in that they aren't all gone yet!

Cheers!

The Odius Column

Once called an eye sore but now the most visited paid tourist attraction in the world, La Tour Eiffel is a sight to see. Our hotel had a view of it, but from our room we could only see the reflection of the lights. Luckily, right around the corner was a lounge with open-air balcony and a great view. Photos from here and walking around Paris are in the slideshow.




“And during twenty years we shall see, stretching over the entire city, still thrilling with the genius of so many centuries, we shall see stretching out like a black blot the odious shadow of the odious column built up of riveted iron plates.”

Signers of the letter this quote is taken from included Messonier, Gounod, Garnier, Gerome, Bougeureau, and Dumas.

Freedom Frites And That Older Woman

Ah, the food of France! But I suppose I should just say the food of Paris since I am yet to go anywhere else...


Ah, the food of Paris! Rich, savory... full of things like butter, cream, bacon, and sumptuous cheeses... everything is a feast. Even the simple places serve classic, delicious food. Any diet I perceive myself to be on must be forgotten for a few days whilst dining in Paris.

So here we have it, a long list of camera phone pictures of everything we ate, mostly arrange from left to right, top to bottom -- at least on my screen. Click on the picture for a closer look.

1. A leek and cheese tart (they didn't call it a quiche!) with fries. This was at our first stop and was a great start. Cold beer to drink -- a Belgian Leffe blonde. It was a hot day in Paris and this hit the spot.
   
2. At the same spot, a plate of charcuterie with paté, rillet, dried sausage, boiled ham, and dried ham.
3. A giant, spicy steak tartar. Yep, that's a big ol' pile of raw chopped steak mixed with some onions, spices, and large capers. Fries on the side, of course.
4. Escargot á la Bourguignonne (snails in a garlic, shallot, and parsley sauce) -- excellent! This was at a place near our hotel, Le Suffren, that was recommended by the concierge. Excellent value for the quality of the food.
   
5. Plate of raw oysters and boiled prawns - these were some of the best oysters I've had.
   
6. Profiteroles - a dessert made from choux pastry (an amazing kitchen creation), filled with ice cream, and topped with a rich, chocolate syrup.
7. The house cheese platter to share.
8. Omelette de Campagne (country omelet with bacon, cheese, onions, and potatoes) -- served with a side salad to make a very filling lunch.
   
9. The wife's salad - I don't remember what they called it but it was full of potatoes and dried ham.
10. Boeuf Bourguignonne, a classic French beef stew.
    

We didn't eat a bad bite through the entire trip! I need to go eat something now.

Cheers!





"Every city has a sex and an age which have nothing to do with demography. Rome is feminine. So is Odessa. London is a teenager, an urchin, and, in this, hasn’t changed since the time of Dickens. Paris, I believe, is a man in his twenties in love with an older woman."
John Berger, an English painter and novelist.

Fungus Among Us

All of the downsides of our life in England can be quickly forgotten because of one little thing: it's so easy to get out of town! Friday night, I picked up the wife from work and by 10, we were cruising through Paris. Nice. We had a quick, but fun, two days in La Ville-lumière.

As always, the trip was mostly about food, both eating at the restaurants and getting booty to bring back to England. Last time I was in Paris, we had bought a black truffle from Fauchon, a gourmet food store. Truffles are notoriously expensive but we splurged. Back in Chicago, we did what we thought we were supposed to do: we packed the truffle in dry, white rice and put it in the fridge. The idea is that the rice absorbs moisture from the truffle and its environs and keeps it from spoiling, while at the same time the rice becomes uber-infused with truffle essence. Win, win... or not? What we had been misinformed on is how long this truffle would keep. We wanted to make it last but instead it ended up spoiling. Argh.

Whilst ambling down a Paris side street, we came across a small shop and restaurant, Maison de la Truffe (The House of the Truffle). This place was incredible: bowls of fresh truffles, a wall of truffle infused oils, and a restaurant where truffles take center stage. We didn't stay for a meal (we hope to go back) but once again we are now proud owners of our very own fresh, black truffle. This time, though, we knew we had to do our homework.

I did some research and found various sources that had a handful of similar but varying ideas on what to do with our truffle.

Here is what I did: I scrubbed the truffle with some port wine we had on hand (brandy was recommended but port was suggested as an alternative) to kill any funk on the outside of the thing. I let it dry, then cut it into three chunks. I picked two clear, solid Pyrex dishes with tight lids and sterilized them with boiling water. In the first dish went some chopped truffle and about a half cup of melted butter. This will stay in the fridge and should last as long as butter will . In dish two went larger chunks of truffle submerged completely in good olive oil. This goes into the freezer and can keep well for up to a year or so. Lastly, the final chunk for eating in the next two weeks went into rice in a seal jar.

The smell of the kitchen while chopping truffles is an experience to savor. I truly hope these preservation methods are successful -- with any luck some of you might get to sample one of the world's foremost culinary delights, too.

Cheers!