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Food Wednesday: Parisian Detox, also French food critic critiqued
By Ann | January 14, 2009
Bonjour, mes amis! Apology for the recent paucity of posts — Le Figaroscope went on vacation for two weeks, we had visitors over the holidays, I had to finish my French dissertation… I know, excuses, excuses, but here we are again with another addition of Food Wednesday — what’s going in French food media this week?
Our friends at Le Figaroscope have resolved to spring into the new year with… a detox. We think this is a euphemism for diet. Their weekly round-up corrals a herd of health-conscious meals. Leading the pack is Le Bar à Soupes with its six soups that change every day. Le Fig particularly enjoys the bestselling vegetable soup, considered “the little black dress of the house,” according to owner Anne-Catherine Bley. Click here for the full article.
Meanwhile, the NYT has this fascinating article about François Simon, Le Figaro’s very own restaurant critic, who recently ventured to the other side — the kitchen. For five nights last month, Simon cooked as chef in a small bistro in Paris, preparing dinner for 20 customers a night — to mediocre reviews. Many interesting details here about Simon — for example, who knew he was the model for the restaurant critic character in Ratatouille?
Not to be all-François-Simon-all-the-time, but he also keeps this tri-lingual blog, where he and his “team” (friends?) discuss their food finds in Paris. The English version is good, but the French version is fun and gossipy — I especially liked M. Simon’s “anti-vows” for 2009.
Speaking of blogs, who knew Gwyneth Paltrow had one? Called GOOP, it’s where the blonde beaut waxes poetic about fashion, food, travel. We were all poised to dismiss it, but… it’s actually kind of interesting and useful. For example, I really liked this post about fashion basics. She even has some good recipes, though she lost me on this detox diet plan, which prohibits almost anything edible.
Finally, my beloved Mark Bittman had this interesting article on what’s in and out among pantry basics. I agree with a lot here, though not sure I can rid myself of bouillon cubes or canned stock — they’re just too handy!
Happy Wednesday and happy eating!
P.S. Stay-tuned for an exciting new feature to this blog, to be announced in our next post!
Topics: Food Wednesday |
January 16th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Divine retribution pour the critic? I wondered whether there were thoughts in the food media about Rachida Dati’s post natal diet. She’s attracting a rather lot of attention across the pond.
January 18th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Welcome back! I thought you’d fucked off and left us!…
January 21st, 2009 at 9:14 am
France fails to get enough credit for its excellent soup. People are often blinded by the hearty, cheesy, in-your-face Onion Soup. But my favorites are the smooth vegetable puree soups that I first tasted in — you guessed it — Aveyron … Best part: sopping the bowl with a fresh slice of baguette (or pain de campagne).