Erik left yesterday morning for Montreal, leaving me on my own to stay out of trouble.
Easier said than done, as we're into the second of three consecutive long weekends this month. I met up with Alex yesterday afternoon to do some shopping, I need to get a dress for the various weddings we're going to this summer, and after trying on a zillion different things, I managed to find something at Kookai. After picking through the accessories at H&M we cruised through the Grande Epicerie in search of snacks before heading off to our cooking class.
We met up with Marie, and made our way to one of the newer locations of Ateliers des Chefs. I have to say this location was a thousand times nicer than the Galleries Lafayette and Nation locations, which are glassed in kitchens in the middle of the housewares section of each department store. The rue Peclet location, where we were yesterday is it's own storefront, with a large kitchen in the back and a cooking supply store in the front. Much cosier, more private, and the staff were very friendly. On the menu last night was supreme de volaille avec persillade and blanc manger avec fraise au balsamic (chicken supreme with parsley crust; blanc mange (I have no idea what it is in English, but it's tasty!) with strawberries and balsamic vinegar). The whole menu was easy and delicious as usual, and we were even able to enjoy a glass of wine with our meal. The three of us are all gung-ho now to take the macaron class, and the cocktail class that they offer. If only I had a professional kitchen to go along with all my newfound culinary knowledge....
After our 'dinner' Alex and I headed up to rue St Maur to meet Anja at the scary bathroom bar (whose real name is Boui Boui). I'm happy to report that the bathroom is getting progressively less scary, and the owner is just as friendly. He remembered us, and gave us another carafe of wine instead of the bill when we asked. Which we happily accepted. The best part of the Boui Boui is that it is one of the few places we've found where you can have three carafes of wine for less than ten euros each.
Today I went on a 'gym date' with one of my gym friends. It's nice to know that I'm not alone in my mild obsession with these fitness classes, so we made our way to her other gym, which was offering an Attack class this afternoon. It's always fun to check out different gyms here in Paris, because I often have the impression that people don't really work out here. But apparently they do, as there were easily 70 people in the class that we took today.
And now I'm taking my sweet time getting through my planning for tomorrow. Three day work weeks are always a treat.
A+ :)
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Saturday, December 09, 2006
More Good Eats
It's been another busy week, and again, I was surprised (and relieved!) when Friday rolled around yesterday.
Last weekend we headed out to Pavel and Tatiana's for a Russian meal. None of us really knew what to expect, except a lot of vodka. When we arrived, the table was set with three large salads (and I mean large, each salad could have served at least 10 people. There were eight of us). One was Pavel's famous layered herring salad which we'd had before, there was a pickled vegetable salad, and a potato-type salad. All were delicious, and were of course accompanied by vodka. Which actually wasn't that bad. And apparently the Russians drink their vodka with pickles, and Tatiana had made her own dill pickles witch were also delicious, and a surprisingly tasty partner to the drink. There were also little homemade buns stuffed with cabbage, hard boiled eggs and cheese, that are called pirogi. Last time we were there we had talked about pirogi, and how they were such an easy thing to cook when we were in university. Tatiana was very confused, and we learned why when she whipped these things out. Apparently the pirogi that we eat in Canada are actually called something else in Ukraine. The main course was meat baked with onions and cheese on top, and was also very good. For dessert we had a red berry semifreddo-type dessert, that was very refreshing. What an experience! There was so much food left over that Erik got to have it again for lunch the next day when Pavel invited everyone back to help finish the leftovers.
Here are some bad photos of the meal:
Tatiana, and the multi-layer herring salad. Pirogi in the basket on the right.
Bicher and Alex behind the two other salads. Note how much was left. This was after everyone had been served.
The aftermath. Pavel has a habit of carting out the digestifs after dinner, and last weekend was no exception. The Suze wasn't too popular though.
On Tuesday we saw the movie Babel. What a great movie. So interesting, neither of us could sleep that night because we kept thinking about it. Highly recommend it, and not just because Brad Pitt is in it. Parts of it also take place in Japan, and I spent much of the movie nudging Erik every time I heard a 'des-ka' or 'konichiwa'. We want to go back.
On Thursday we were woken up at 5:30am by the Braveheart soundtrack, and other surprisingly good tunes blaring from the apartment above. We waited it out for about thirty minutes before Erik decided to be an 'adult' and tell them to turn it down.
And last night, we had dinner at the other restaurant I had made reservations at. This place was right around the corner, but we seriously have to start making our reservations for a later time. I always say 8:00, because it seems kind of late for some reason. But realistically, neither of us get home until 7:00 on Fridays, and we usually eat dinner at 9:00 or 10:00 during the week, so I don't know. Anyway, of course we were the first people there, and it was so uncomfortably quiet until the place started filling up.
I have to say that this place was a bit of a disappointment. We were both seated on the same side of our table, which was odd, and it was right in the entry, which was kind of interesting because we could watch the bar, but we really felt like we were on display once we started eating. The food was nothing spectacular, and certainly not worth the amount we paid for it. We think it was our most expensive meal yet, by a couple of euros. We've come a long way from the 9 euro menus that we were eating in Montmartre when we first arrived, but we haven't come too far.
So, the food. I had warm artichoke salad for an entree and confit de canard for my plat. The salad was fine, and the duck was good, but it was served with sauteed potatoes that were burnt. Erik had foie gras to start, and it's hard to go wrong with that, and andouillettes as his main, but his potatoes were burnt too, and he ranked his cafeteria andouillette higher than this one*. For dessert I had the Grand Marnier souffle, which I actually didn't like that much, and Erik had a yummy chocolate mousse. The bread was good, and I regret not eating more of it.
Anyway the place was called Chez Dumonet and it is at 112 rue Cherche Midi. The food that was being served around us looked good, so eat at your own risk.
This weekend we have a date with Ina and her Paris cookbook. Steak with bernaise sauce; pear, endive and roquefort salad, and some dessert that doesn't involve the use of the oven. It broke again. We're off to the basement at BHV to look for another fuse. Plus, if we do get the oven fixed, I intend to buy some beaters (only 25 euros at Darty!) and do some baking. Wish me luck.
*For anyone who's interested, the first place goes to the Encrier; the cafeteria andouillette is number two and third place goes to the Raspail Vert.
Last weekend we headed out to Pavel and Tatiana's for a Russian meal. None of us really knew what to expect, except a lot of vodka. When we arrived, the table was set with three large salads (and I mean large, each salad could have served at least 10 people. There were eight of us). One was Pavel's famous layered herring salad which we'd had before, there was a pickled vegetable salad, and a potato-type salad. All were delicious, and were of course accompanied by vodka. Which actually wasn't that bad. And apparently the Russians drink their vodka with pickles, and Tatiana had made her own dill pickles witch were also delicious, and a surprisingly tasty partner to the drink. There were also little homemade buns stuffed with cabbage, hard boiled eggs and cheese, that are called pirogi. Last time we were there we had talked about pirogi, and how they were such an easy thing to cook when we were in university. Tatiana was very confused, and we learned why when she whipped these things out. Apparently the pirogi that we eat in Canada are actually called something else in Ukraine. The main course was meat baked with onions and cheese on top, and was also very good. For dessert we had a red berry semifreddo-type dessert, that was very refreshing. What an experience! There was so much food left over that Erik got to have it again for lunch the next day when Pavel invited everyone back to help finish the leftovers.
Here are some bad photos of the meal:
Tatiana, and the multi-layer herring salad. Pirogi in the basket on the right.
Bicher and Alex behind the two other salads. Note how much was left. This was after everyone had been served.
The aftermath. Pavel has a habit of carting out the digestifs after dinner, and last weekend was no exception. The Suze wasn't too popular though.
On Tuesday we saw the movie Babel. What a great movie. So interesting, neither of us could sleep that night because we kept thinking about it. Highly recommend it, and not just because Brad Pitt is in it. Parts of it also take place in Japan, and I spent much of the movie nudging Erik every time I heard a 'des-ka' or 'konichiwa'. We want to go back.
On Thursday we were woken up at 5:30am by the Braveheart soundtrack, and other surprisingly good tunes blaring from the apartment above. We waited it out for about thirty minutes before Erik decided to be an 'adult' and tell them to turn it down.
And last night, we had dinner at the other restaurant I had made reservations at. This place was right around the corner, but we seriously have to start making our reservations for a later time. I always say 8:00, because it seems kind of late for some reason. But realistically, neither of us get home until 7:00 on Fridays, and we usually eat dinner at 9:00 or 10:00 during the week, so I don't know. Anyway, of course we were the first people there, and it was so uncomfortably quiet until the place started filling up.
I have to say that this place was a bit of a disappointment. We were both seated on the same side of our table, which was odd, and it was right in the entry, which was kind of interesting because we could watch the bar, but we really felt like we were on display once we started eating. The food was nothing spectacular, and certainly not worth the amount we paid for it. We think it was our most expensive meal yet, by a couple of euros. We've come a long way from the 9 euro menus that we were eating in Montmartre when we first arrived, but we haven't come too far.
So, the food. I had warm artichoke salad for an entree and confit de canard for my plat. The salad was fine, and the duck was good, but it was served with sauteed potatoes that were burnt. Erik had foie gras to start, and it's hard to go wrong with that, and andouillettes as his main, but his potatoes were burnt too, and he ranked his cafeteria andouillette higher than this one*. For dessert I had the Grand Marnier souffle, which I actually didn't like that much, and Erik had a yummy chocolate mousse. The bread was good, and I regret not eating more of it.
Anyway the place was called Chez Dumonet and it is at 112 rue Cherche Midi. The food that was being served around us looked good, so eat at your own risk.
This weekend we have a date with Ina and her Paris cookbook. Steak with bernaise sauce; pear, endive and roquefort salad, and some dessert that doesn't involve the use of the oven. It broke again. We're off to the basement at BHV to look for another fuse. Plus, if we do get the oven fixed, I intend to buy some beaters (only 25 euros at Darty!) and do some baking. Wish me luck.
*For anyone who's interested, the first place goes to the Encrier; the cafeteria andouillette is number two and third place goes to the Raspail Vert.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Good Eats.
It's report card time again, which means that I have lots of time to update you on the goings on of our life.
We had a fantastic dinner last night at a restaurant recommended by one of the many Parisian blogs that I read.
The restaurant was Les Fils de la Ferme, and was surprisingly close to our house. We found the service to be a bit snooty, especially towards the end, but it certainly didn't affect our enjoyment. The amuse bouche was a foam of crushed peas and mint, which was a nice refreshing way to start the meal. For our entrees, we had risotto with carrots and caraway, and oeufs en cocotte with foie gras, both were delicious. Our main course consisted of lamb and daurade, which were both satisfying, and not too filling, which left us just enough room for the most important course of the meal. Erik had the chocolate dessert, which was a chocolate ganache with lychee sorbet. I had creme brulee with some kind of honey, which gave it a very earthy flavour. Very interesting, and very yummy.
We've got another selection lined up for next Friday, Chez Dumonet, which I'm sure we've walked past a zillion times on the way to our old standby Midi Vins, so it will be fun to try it out.
Plus, Erik is making beef bourguigon, which smells fantastic. He also thinks it would be fun to do an Erik/Ina challenge, a la Julie/Julia project. I can't complain, but I think I like cooking too much to sit on the sidelines too often.
Plus, we're being treated to an authentic Russian dinner tomorrow night at Pavel and Tatiana's. Erik has been preparing me with stories of vodka being served in large quantities. Hopefully we'll be able to make it home...
Erik just offered to write some report card comments for me (I declined, of course). Then wondered how Azizullah was doing...ahh memories of a life teaching in a system that didn't have holidays every six weeks. What torture.
We had a fantastic dinner last night at a restaurant recommended by one of the many Parisian blogs that I read.
The restaurant was Les Fils de la Ferme, and was surprisingly close to our house. We found the service to be a bit snooty, especially towards the end, but it certainly didn't affect our enjoyment. The amuse bouche was a foam of crushed peas and mint, which was a nice refreshing way to start the meal. For our entrees, we had risotto with carrots and caraway, and oeufs en cocotte with foie gras, both were delicious. Our main course consisted of lamb and daurade, which were both satisfying, and not too filling, which left us just enough room for the most important course of the meal. Erik had the chocolate dessert, which was a chocolate ganache with lychee sorbet. I had creme brulee with some kind of honey, which gave it a very earthy flavour. Very interesting, and very yummy.
We've got another selection lined up for next Friday, Chez Dumonet, which I'm sure we've walked past a zillion times on the way to our old standby Midi Vins, so it will be fun to try it out.
Plus, Erik is making beef bourguigon, which smells fantastic. He also thinks it would be fun to do an Erik/Ina challenge, a la Julie/Julia project. I can't complain, but I think I like cooking too much to sit on the sidelines too often.
Plus, we're being treated to an authentic Russian dinner tomorrow night at Pavel and Tatiana's. Erik has been preparing me with stories of vodka being served in large quantities. Hopefully we'll be able to make it home...
Erik just offered to write some report card comments for me (I declined, of course). Then wondered how Azizullah was doing...ahh memories of a life teaching in a system that didn't have holidays every six weeks. What torture.
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