Mamie Gateaux, Paris

With its plaid paper tablecloths, vintage café lait bowls, and adjoining antique store-- Mamie Gateaux has the kind of charm you would expect to stumble upon in Paris.

After days of passing by shuttered windows, we decided that if we wanted to eat here we would have to give in to their odd hours of operation. We slept in one morning (not a problem) so we were in the neighborhood for breakfast when they opened at 11am. By then of course we were hungry for lunch.

We ordered the vegetable crumble -- a savory take on the berry version... and like any crumble, the topping was the best part, a golden crust of parmesean cheese and toasted pine nuts.

Parisian Patisserie Checklist

1/ Chausson au pomme

2/ Pain au chocolat

3/ Canale (Fab's is still our favorite)

4/ Macaron

5/ Croissant d'abricot

6/ Fougasse aux lardons from Paul

Check, check and check!

Ciao Bella

We had our last meal in Paris at La Laconda, an Italian restaurant located in the 6e arrondissement. We were initially lured by their sign advertising a truffle-tasting menu, but instead settled for their classic, and less pricey, pasta dishes. Hardly settling though, they were delicious!

Morning Glory

Day after day of breakfast bliss at Chateau des Alpilles in St. Remy de Provence.

La Brasserie du Commerce, St-Remy

Ronak still teases me about how we shared a burger after our 33k bike ride through the provençal countryside-- as if we didn't each deserve our own after that.

Ripe for the Picking

Roadside Pique-Nique

There's no better way to eat in France.

Bistrot d'Antoine, Nice

Bistrot d'Antoine seemed unassuming at first... a charming bistro offering traditional French fare... but after walking in and being turned away night after night, we realized that this was a special place that required a little more forethought.

We finally made a reservation and ate here on our last night in Nice. A perfect farewell dinner before we headed to our next destination, Saint-Remy de Provence.

La Glace

Going to France in the summer gave us a good excuse to have ice cream every place we went. The most noteworthy flavor we had was in Nice: caramel au beurre salee (big surprise) with nibs of gooey toffee throughout.

As Happy as Clams

Since last May, Ronak and I have talked about recreating the meal we had at Esca on our 1 year anniversary: Linguine with briny clams, hot red pepper and pancetta. A few nights ago we finally did, using Chef David Pasternack's cookbook, Young Man & the Sea, as our bible. It seemed appropriate to go to Eataly for the main ingredients, since Pasternack has his hand in the produce selection (and his cookbook sits perched on the fish counter there).

Despite the hub of the lunch-time crowd, the fish monger gave us his full attention and explained the difference between mahogany and little neck clams-- The recipe called for either, but since the two types of clams are so different in size we had trouble deciding. In the end we went with mahogany-- a good choice! The clams were delicious and succulent, though it was the smokiness of the pancetta and heat from the peppers that left us with the most memorable taste in our mouths... once again.

Uncom-pear-able

8am. Awake early on a Sunday morning. A beautiful rarity for me. The city was sweepingly serene and quiet. As I pretended to still be asleep, I heard the usual sounds of rummaging in the kitchen. The master was prepping her instruments...

10am. Sara's family arrived and warmth suddenly filled the apartment. Théo's big blue eyes lit up the room. Everyone's laughter filled the air. Sunrays flooded our windows that day.

11am. Breakfast was finally ready! It was perhaps the best french toast all of us have ever had. Thinly sliced bosc pears, caramelized in sugar, tucked inside bread dipped in a pear-liqueur-spiked egg batter... then crisped to a golden brown, and topped with powdered sugar. As if it couldn't get any better, out came the crispy applewood bacon. The result was all smiles and a lot of "mm-mmming". A wonderful day for Rachel, Fabien and Théo to visit, for Sara's pear-ents to be there, enjoying the delicious pear-ing that was so ap-pear-ant (sorry had to to do it!).

Green Day

Friday afternoon at the Union Square Farmer's Market.

The Beat

To me, life's best relationships have always carried a rhythm. The hum of your favorite teacher. The sound of your mother fiddling around the house. Flipping the pages of an exciting book. Well, the rhythm of our relationship has always been food... and on this special night, we were enchanted by the BEAT of the Tabla. (Tabla is the word for Indian drum)

Tabla is a Danny Meyer-owned restaurant just a block from our apartment, with the brilliant Floyd Cardoz as chef. The waitress characterized the meal as seasonal ingredients using Indian spices and French cooking techniques. A perfect fit for me and Sara.

This was a truly notable meal. We shared everything, starting with the Five Onion Soup, a tangy broth with a delicious light spice to whet the palate. For the main course, we had the Fawa Crispy Skate with Peekytoe Crab Biryani (!!) and the Goan Beet Salad. The skate was perfectly prepared with a Fawa breading that gave it great texture and glimmer. The beet salad had crispy bacalao chips (salted cod) with an intense saltiness that heightened all the flavors. For dessert, we ordered the Mango Ice Cream Sundae, which is something I will never forget. Topped with mascarpone, meringue 'kisses', hazelnuts and crumble, the mango ice cream was perfectly creamy and not too sweet.

As we were leaving the the restaurant, we noted that the 80's decor seemed a bit out of place. It was then that Sara noticed a bin full of huge pomegranates and joked about swiping one... when the busboy told us "its all yours, go ahead and take it! We are closing in a month anyway."

.... and so we left this amazing meal with a bittersweet ending. Another new favorite soon to be gone... yet, we are so glad we had our chance to experience it and will try to go one more time before its gone, even if just for dessert.

Trader Jacques

Thanks to Trader Joe's, we don't need to go to a patisserie in Paris, or even leave the house to have freshly baked croissants.

JULiETTE

This past Sunday we went to Williamsburg to see Kristen run in the NYC Marathon. We cheered her on from Bedford Avenue, and spotting her among the thousands of runners felt like an accomplishment in and of itself. As she approached us there were mutual squeals of excitement, and even after she continued on, we couldn't shake the pride we felt from her amazing achievement.


All that cheering made us hungry so we decided to eat lunch in the neighborhood. We happened upon JULiETTE, a quintessential french bistro filled with red flea market chairs, vintage metal signs and Ricard Pernod bottles. How could we resist? There was a bit of a wait, but after one sip of their deliciously spicy Bloody Mary we were pacified. We ordered the Banana Stuffed French toast, and while it was good, it just couldn't stand up to our favorite recipe. We also had the Omelette of the Day, filled with kale & jack cheese. The crispy potatoes cooked in extra virgin olive oil were the highlight of that dish... Oh and another highlight, they served Stumptown coffee.

Our New Stumping Ground

As an alternative to the numerous Starbucks in the city we decided to check out Stumptown Coffee last weekend. It's located in the Ace Hotel just a short stroll from our apartment. Originating in Portland, the Stumptown brand has thankfully made it's way to NYC, bringing along its charm and its beans.

It was particularly brisk last Saturday, so even though the line was long we were happy to step into this cozy cafe just to escape the cold. Stumptown has a 1940's vibe, with baristas wearing vests and newsies-style caps. Once we realized that we could be served from the hotel lobby we parked ourselves there, shed our coats, and absorbed the mid-century atmosphere. The coffee was rich and smooth and we agreed that once we're out of Peet's, Stumptown will become our new home staple.

Gone Pickin'

Last weekend Rachel, Fabien, Claire, Jenny, Erik and I spent the afternoon apple picking at Melick's Farm in New Jersey. Ellis and Théo came along for the fun as well. We filled or bushels with golden delicious, granny smith and jonagold apples while eating a few right off the tree.

Sadly, Ron wasn't feeling well so he had to stay home in bed... though he was able to partake in the experience later on in the form of a homemade apple-raspberry crumble.

New York à la Provençal

For my 30th Birthday Ron took me to Mas (Farmhouse) tucked away on Downing street in Greenwich Village. I had just recently become acquainted with the word "Mas" while doing hotel research for our trip to Provence, and was ecstatic that Ron happened to find the urban equivalent in New York City.

The restaurant was very elegant with rustic textures and simple lines. We sat next to each other at the long communal table and enjoyed taking in the scenery from our central perspective. The menu was seasonal and organic with tantalizing ingredients that made it very hard for us to come to a decision. To make it a little easier we assured each other we would share everything. The lighting was too low to capture decent photos, but I think the descriptions below do the trick.

Sweet Corn Soup with Seared Sea Scallop
Greenmarket Corn, Parsley & Hon Shemiji Mushrooms

Liberty Gardens Tomato Tart
Caramelized Onions, Parmesan Sablée, Toasted Pinenut Dressing

Medallions of Halibut Wrapped in Leeks
Summer Squash & Zucchini Sautéed with Onion Brulée, Chanterelles

Roasted Wild Striped Bass
Green Cauliflower Purée, Baby Leeks & Ragout of Corn & Cranberry Beans

Concord Grape & Apple Cider Sorbet
Honey & Caramel Ice Cream

Savoring Summer

This past weekend our friends Max & Joanna invited us to the Hamptons for a little getaway, and to bid our final farewells to Summer. We never got out our swimsuits, but instead our sweatshirts, and embraced the crisp autumn air and traces of campfire smoke.

On our way out we stopped at one of the many farm stands and stocked up on fresh sweet corn. As soon as we got home we ate the first couple of ears with butter and black truffle salt. Delicious. The remainder of the corn I combined with ingredients from the Union Square Farmers Market and made a Corn Chowder with homemade bacon bits. It may have been the first homemade soup of Fall, but it still had all the flavors of a beautiful Summer.

A Very Nice Dinner

Bonne-Maman prepared the perfect meal before our send-off to Nice: A classic salade nicoise (with potatoes), bread, cheese, and red wine.

R.I.P. Cafe Colonial

To our horror, Ron and I just discovered that Cafe Colonial, a Nolita landmark and the setting for our 3rd date, has closed down. Everything was perfect about this place-- the breezy Brazilian atmosphere, the vintage tiled floor and tin ceiling, and of course the food. Its disappearance is not only a loss to us, but a huge loss to a neighborhood where it stood for 15 years.

Allen & Delancey, where Ron and I had our first date has also since closed. I hope a pattern isn't forming where we experience these amazing places together, and then they disappear only to become legendary tales.

Savoring the Salt

For our 1 year anniversary I signed Ron and myself up for a cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education. We took the Savor the Salt class which focuses on dishes that use salt in a variety of cooking techniques. Chef Renée Marton explained to us the history of salt and brought in salts from various regions for us to taste. The truffle-infused salt was by far our favorite. Eleven of us were divided into teams and had the opportunity to cook Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons, Spiced-Salt Rubbed Rib Eye Steak, Whole Red Snapper Baked in a Salt Crust and the reason I chose this class... Caramel Ice Cream topped with flaky pink Australian sea salt in homemade tuiles. Ron was especially hands on in making the ice cream. Hmm, I wonder why?