bdokko.com

I've been back from Paris for two full weeks now, but am just now getting around to blogging.  It was a good trip, not that it had any potential to be otherwise, but we really lucked out with weather towards the end of the trip.  It was in the 40's and raining when we arrived, but as you can tell from the Friday pictures, things cleared up just in time for us to leave.  I spent most of the trip playing tour guide for Vanessa, her father, and her father's girlfriend and daughter.  They were very unpicky with what we did and saw, which was nice since it allowed me to do and see some of things I haven't seen yet.

 

If you've never been to Paris, it's nice.  If you have been to Paris, yeah, it's better than nice.  I love the experience of being in Paris--not necessarily doing anything in particular, but just being there.  I wore lots of blacks, but I still don't really look the part, nor do I smoke incessantly.   My feeble attempts to blend in were just that, and I was left with the wish I was cool enough to be Parisian, who perspire style.  The women are beautiful, and always looking their best.  In America, I have students show up to school in pajamas and Uggs.  I am fairly certain that is an criminal offense in Paris, punishable by law.  Despite being near-freezing, they still wear skirts and heels, and never have bad hair days.  Don't get me wrong, it's not simply a vain appreciation for physical appearance, but the fact that they, well, I guess that's the only way to look at it.  Nevermind.

 

We had a great time; eating is just about all we did.  Every destination somehow revolved around a comestible product, be it Parisian macaroons, croissants, pain au chocolat, foie gras, whatever.  We didn't do much shopping, and the shopping we did was for, yes, food to bring home.  Boy, I sure sound like a gluttonous American.  Speaking of which, everyone in Paris is thin.  I'm not sure if it's the nicotine or the diet, but I remember clearly not seeing obesity anywhere except in lines for tourist attractions, where clearly there reeked the unmistakable cultural stench of Americans.  Man, we are fat.

 

Paris is beautiful, with all the of bridges, the lack of skyscrapers, original architecture, and the rich history embedded on every street.  I'll be back next summer, and hopefully with better French speaking skills...

 

Notre Dame - the first part of the week was cold, rainy, and bleak.

 

Vanessa and her dad on Pont des Arts

 

Pont des Arts

 

The ubiquitous McDeath

 

Copper pots galore at E. Dehillerin

 

Tuesday's lunch/tea at Ladurée (Champs Elysées)

 

Mmmm....

 

My celery/black truffle soufflé

 

Macaroons, of course. l to r: Blackcurrant, Fig, Caramel & Fleur de Sel

 

Tuesday dinner at Jacques Cagna - a mushroom soup.

 

Escargot Petits Gris en surprise façon Jacques Cagna (his special recipe)

 

Terrine de faisan fumé au thé et de foie gras de canard, salade de lentilles, endivettes à l’huile de noix
(Terrine of tea-smoked pheasant, duck liver, lentil and chicory sald, baby endives and walnut oil)

 

Risotto Arborio au homard de Bretagne, coquilles Saint-Jacques et jus de crustacés
(Risotto (arborio) with Brittany lobster and scallops, shellfish juice)

 

Noix de coquilles Saint-Jacques d’Erquy poêlées, beurre blanc, cocos de Paimpol, purée de chou-fleur 
(Sautéed scallops, Paimpol white beans and cauliflower purée)

 

Canard colvert rôti au miel et aux épices, sauce à la crème de cassis, purée de céleri et poire rôtie

(Roasted wild duck with honey and spices, blackcurrant sauce, celery root purée and roasted pear)

 

Mignardises. l to r: a brittle of sorts, spiced jellies, lemon meringue, muffin.

 

Millefeuille caramélisé aux framboises, crème légère à la vanille bourbon, sorbet framboise
(Raspberries millefeuille (layered flaky pastry) with light Bourbon vanilla cream, raspberry sorbet)

 

Soufflé aux pruneaux d’Agen et à l’Armagnac, glace aux marrons piémontais
(Prunes and Armagnac soufflé, chestnut ice cream)

 

Notre Dame on our much needed walk back to the hotel.

 

And that was Tuesday.

 

Vanessa at the Louvre on Wednesday

 

Atop the Arc d'Triomphe.  Cold.

 

Vanessa in the midle of the street, Champs Elysées

 

My new favorite flavor of macaroon--licorice.

 

Wednesday dinner at Benoit

 

Saint-Jacques rôties en coquille à la grenobloise
(Saint-Jacques scallops roasted in shell with Grenobloise (browned butter, capers, parsley, lemon))

 

That was Wednesday.  It was a great pace, just seeing a couple of things each day, instead of rushing around trying to pack it all in.  It helped that we never had to stand in lines, since it wasn't as crowded as it is in the summer.  The wet weather helped clear it out, too.  By Wednesday night, we had plenty of foie gras.  I haven't posted many pictures of it because it's visually not that special, and some people are against the production of foie gras.  Not that any of my three readers would object.

 

"Wow, is there really no one in the Orsay?"  Actually, this is a model of the museum...

 

Lunch in the restaurant within the Orsay museum, former restaurant of the Hôtel d'Orsay.

 

A delicious sautéed perch with potatoes

 

Vanessa on Passerelle Léopold-Sedar Senghor, looking towards the Louvre

 

Thursday dinner at Restaurant Auguste

 

Vanessa!

 

Poêlée d'escargots et persillade à la lyonnaise - Chantilly de pomme de terre charlotte fumée au bois de hêtre
(Pan-fried escargot and chopped parsley, creamed potato Charlotte, beechwood smoked)

 

Carpaccio de Saint Jaques, choux fleur blanc et violet - vichyssoise en cressonnette
(Scallop carpaccio, white and purple cabbage - Vichyssoise with cressonnette)

 

Huitres creuses en gelée à la diable, mousse de raifort

(Fresh oysters, horseradish foam)

 

Homard bleu rôti aux épices et chutney Thaï, mini penne
(Roasted blue lobster with spices and Thai chutney, mini penne)

 

Poire William aux condiments épicés et bavarois, réduction de mûre, miel et pignon de pin

(Pear William with spices and Bavarian condiments, blackberry reduction, honey and pine nut)

 

That was Thursday.  At this point, my American body began to scram, or enter a rapid phase of emergency shutdown, as to avoid catastrophic failure of internal organs.  You can't eat like this regularly, let alone everyday.  The portion sizes, thankfully, are much smaller than in America, but the richness--oh the richness.  After a while, you body says, "um, what do you want me to do with all this butter collecting down here?"  I loved all my dining experiences in Paris, but I think I could hear myself getting fatter.

 

Blue skies!

 

Vanessa and her dad

 

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre

 

On the way to our last meal in Paris, Le Jules Verne

 

After a private elevator ride up 123 meters, this is the view from our table.  From our table.  Table.  Nice.
(View is northeast)

 

Escargots "Helixbernn" en coque dorée, marmelade tiède et sucs de persil

("Helixbernn" snails in kromesky fritter, warm marmelade and parsley juice)
Those are paper-thin slices of mushroom

 

Chou-fleur de Bretagne en délicat velouté, Saint-Jacques nacrée et caviar de France

(Velvety Brittany cauliflower, sea scallops, French caviar)

 

Suprême de volaille façon cordon bleu, céleris crus et cuits, vrai jus

(Breast of chicken, cordon-bleu style (somewhat deconstructed), raw and cooked celery, cooking juice)

 

Soufflé pistache et caramel, glace crème brûlée

(Pistachio and caramel souffle, custard ice cream)

 

The busy kitchen at Le Jules Verne

 

Underside of Tour Eiffel, on our way out.

Looking at Plier Nord

 

If you think all we did was eat, you are correct.  We slept some, walked a lot, but pretty much it was just an eating excusion.  Special thanks to my father in law who helped make all those fine meals possible, and to the French for being French.  Now as for the Frenchies working at Charles de Gaulle airport--I could most definitely do without them.  How rude.

 

 

 

---

 

Time flies! It's already November, and already the one-year anniversary of our wedding (11/15/08). It's been quick, but that's a good sign, right? I gained some weight (actually, a little more than some...), took some vacations, and got to spend every day with my best friend, my wife! I'm taking Vanessa to Paris for our anniversary, but we're going the week of Thanksgiving. Vanessa's dad is joining us, too, as well as his companion and her daughter. Vanessa's been there once before, but it doesn't really count; it was a short stay when she was younger. We've got a lot planned, but as we always do, we've planned our vacation around GOOD FOOD.