Chinese takeout sheets
By Ann | August 31, 2010
I used to dream about Chinese food while writing Kitchen Chinese. I should have made my bed with these wacky Chinese takeout sheets. They’re printed with pictures of Chinese food, with the names of the dishes in characters. I wonder if they satisfy midnight kung pao cravings?
Photo from Garnet Hill.
Topics: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Provence food notes
By Ann | August 27, 2010
A good vacation is nothing without good food, and I certainly had my fair share in Provence this summer. Here’s a little round-up of some of the things I ate…
La Gare de Bonnieux (Bonnieux, tel: 04 90 75 82 00)
This is Bonnieux’s former train station, now converted to a restaurant, and it’s one of those institutions that everyone seemed to know about, except me (for a long time) because it’s a little hard to find. It’s kind of a genius concept, though. The lunch formule starts off with a trip to the buffet froid, where you can load your plate with fresh and delicious French salady things like mesclun leaves, grated carrots, or lentils.
Then there’s a plat du jour, like this meltingly tender osso bucco, and finally desserts such as fromage frais with berry coulis or îles flottantes. Fine dining this is not. But it’s fresh, fast, casual, kid-friendly (there’s a terrasse, and green space for them to run around), and the formule is only 14 euros.
Les Deux Garcons (Cours Mirabeau, Aix-en-Provence; tel: 04 42 26 00 51)
On a rainy Saturday, we took a trip to Aix-en-Provence, and, yes, we ate at Les Deux Garcons. With former patrons like Picasso, Cézanne, and Zola, how could we resist?
I ordered the soupe de poissons, which was ladled from a giant tureen and garnished with grated Gruyère, croutons and rouille (a garlicky mayonnaise). It was too salty, but still soothing on a damp day. It was also 17.50 euros (for soup!) but after I’d finished one bowl, they offered to trot out the tureen for a second. (I declined.)
We sipped coffee from the cafe’s famous gold-rimmed cups and watched the crowds stroll by on the Cours Mirabeau.
I could almost picture a young Cézanne rushing by on his way to visit his father’s hat shop next door (it’s now a bank, but if you peer closely you can make out the words Chapellerie du Cours Mirabeau) .
Soupe au Pistou luncheon, Bonnieux
It may be made of mere humble vegetables, but soupe au pistou is taken very seriously in Provence. So seriously that the village where we stay has a lunch-time party to celebrate it. You bring 25 euros, and your own bowls, glasses and silverware, and gather at picnic tables in the main square.
The village brings the soup.
It was filled with fresh beans and garden vegetables and loads of basil-garlic paste known as “pistou.” Better than mine? Well, maybe.
Pinna (Route de Buoux, Chemin de St-Massian 84400 Apt; tel: 04 90 74 39 60)
I’ve waxed poetic about Pinna in the past, but time has not diminished my love for this Italian traîteur (take-away shop) near Apt. If anything, as evidenced by the stockage that I brought back to Paris, my enthusiasm has only grown.
Their canned sauces, pastas, lasagnes, breadsticks, raw-cured ham and handmade ravioli are perfect for a fast meal. Everything is fresh and delicious, and many of the ingredients are grown on-site. If you are renting a house in the area, there is no better place to shop than Pinna.
Etape du Promeneur (Buoux, tel: 04 90 04 60 21)
I eat eggs only two weeks a year. During the remaining fifty, I dream about the tender, fluffy, golden, herb-flecked omelettes at this humble mom-and-pop restaurant in Buoux.
Do I have a favorite omelette? Please. Choosing between the Provencale (filled with ratatouille), champignon, and fines herbes is like choosing a favorite child.
Then there are the frites, crunchy shells giving way to a tender center. They’re fried with aromatic herbs like sage leaves and rosemary.
And don’t get me started on the salads! The leaves are perfect and unblemished, drizzled judiciously with herb vinaigrette, dusted with sesame seeds and slivered almonds.
The menu at l’Etape is very simple–basically salads, omelettes, and charcuterie–but this year we did something special. On Mondays and Fridays, you can pre-order a prix-fixe menu: four courses for 18 Euros, and Madame decides what you eat. First, we treated ourselves to kirs (one of earthy, sweet chestnut; the other blackberry slightly reminiscent of Kool-aid) and then we feasted on meltingly tender rabbit in mustard sauce and a gratinéed purée of chestnut and pumpkin. A peppery goat cheese followed, and then a refreshingly tangy slice of tarte au citron. It was our last night, an unforgettable meal, my favorite of the trip, in my favorite restaurant in the world (or at least one of my top five).
Topics: Voyages, Dining Out and About | 5 Comments »
Summer holiday
By Ann | August 23, 2010
All year long, I dream of lavendar, bright sunshine, olive oil, and the juice of a nectarine running down my chin. Happily, my dreams came true this summer, during our vacation in Provence. What did we do?
We walked through lavender fields near Sault, strolling the 5-km “Chemin des lavandes,” each step perfumed by a lovely, clean fragrance.
We shopped the region’s famous open markets, following them to a different village each day of the week.
I fell in love again with these fresh, speckled beans, called cocos rouges in French.
We shelled a kilo for delicious soupe au pistou.
We visited our friends Kristin and Jean-Marc Espinasse, who taught us our French-word-a-Day. Their adorable pups Braise and Smokey were good teachers, too.
We lunched on tapenade made by Kristin’s adorable belle-mère, washed down with fruity rosé from Jean-Marc’s very own Domaine Rouge-Bleu…
Followed by a beautifully fresh fish, garnished with oven-roasted potatoes and tomatoes, and a gleaming thread of green olive oil. It was so fresh and lovely, the perfect summer meal.
We explored the town of Forcalquier, and caught a glimpse of the Alps looming in the distance.
In the afternoons, we’d lounge by the pool and read. (I finished Possession and three volumes of Tintin.) We spent the evenings drinking wine and cooking delicious food like these stuffed eggplant. It was a lovely holiday and I can’t wait to go back next year.
If you visit Provence, here are a few tips…
Where to go: We usually visit an area of Provence called the Luberon, and stay in the village of Bonnieux. But there are many charming and picturesque villages in the area, including Gordes, Roussillon, Lacoste, Ménerbes (made famous by Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence) and Goult, all of them hill towns. On the south side of the mountain, I love the village of Lourmarin.
What to do: Explore the different villages, each with its own personality. Visit the lavendar fields near Sault, or lunch at a goat farm near Sivergues. Discover local wine at V Comme Vin in Apt. Go antiquing in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Take a ramble — the region is covered with walking trails that scale and descend the Luberon’s mountainous bulk.
Where to shop: My absolute, number one, favorite Provence activity is to visit the outdoor markets, which move each day from village to village. I love the beautiful produce and different smells of sausage, cheese, roasting chicken, herbs, spices and lavendar. To avoid crowds, I try to arrive early, before 10am. My favorites are:
Sunday: Coustellet
Monday: Forcalquier (an especially huge market)
Tuesday: Gordes
Friday: Bonnieux (my most favorite)
Saturday: Apt
What to eat: I always try to make one batch of ratatouille and one of soupe au pistou, a hearty vegetable soup served with a swirl of pesto (”pistou“) and grated Gruyère cheese. I also love the petits légumes farcis, or hollowed tomatoes and courgettes stuffed with meat and baked with breadcrumbs. The region is famous for its olive oil and salty olive spread of tapenade; I also love the caviar d’aubergine, or eggplant spread, and anchoiade, a intense dip of anchovies, garlic and olive oil. Pissaladière makes an excellent snack; it’s a cross between pizza and a tart: a bread base spread with caramelized onions and dotted with black olives and anchovies.
Where to eat: Stay tuned for Here is a special post on my favorite restaurants!
Do you dream of Provence too, mes amis? What are your favorite things to see/eat/do there?
Topics: Voyages | 7 Comments »
August
By Ann | August 4, 2010
It’s August, which means Parisians have fled their fair ville — staying in town during the dog days of summer is so terribly unchic, you know. And so, mes amis, it’s just little old me alone in the big old City of Light. And, to be honest with you, I’m kind of enjoying the emptiness.
Topics: Uncategorized | 8 Comments »
Spotted near Les Halles
By Ann | July 30, 2010
Wondering what to call your shoe store? Nothing says footwear like the world’s most famous talk show host.
Topics: Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
Recent restaurant redux
By Ann | July 22, 2010
I know I’ve been a little remiss on the restaurant posts recently, but sometimes when I’m eating out, I just want to stuff my maw instead of taking notes and photos. But then, browsing a few of my favorite France blogs, I had an epiphany: I can do a short and punchy restaurant roundup instead of a long, elaborate rumination. I can — gasp! — do whatever the heck I want — it’s my blog! So, borrowing a page from the charming Sweet Freak, here’s a little restaurant redux of the places I’ve eaten at recently.
Where: Pizza Chic (13 rue de Mézières, 6e)
Dined with: Ravenous pizza fan (CK) (husband)
Ate: Pizza aurora — crisp and chewy pie, topped with tomato sauce and slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese, which were added after the crust was cooked, a delightful blend of cool and warm. CK had his usual, pizza diva, topped with tomato sauce, cheese, ham and mushrooms.
Thoughts: This is my dirty restaurant secret because we eat here all the time (seriously – all the time) and yet I have never mentioned it. On this occasion, slightly tipsy after a glass of wine at Café de la Mairie (where they now charge for the accompanying potato crisps — what is the world coming to?), we stayed cool by arriving before the 8.30pm dinner rush and sitting outside. After dinner, we went to buy a six-pack of Perrier at Monoprix, as is our usual post-Pizza Chic tradition. Now you know all our secrets.
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Topics: Dining Out and About | 7 Comments »
Gone fishin’
By Ann | July 16, 2010
I saw this yesterday, posted outside the fish shop. It’s a cute sign and I’m all for long summer holidays, but SEVEN WEEKS of vacation? Good grief!
Topics: Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Bonne fête du 14 juillet!
By Ann | July 14, 2010
Happy Bastille Day, mes amis! Here in Paris we’re celebrating with giant rain showers and the military parade on TV. I was hoping to picnic this evening on the Champ du Mars, to drink rosé on the grass, eat peanut noodles and watch the fireworks, but the weather has decidedly, er, dampened my plans.
Wet grass means no picnic. Cloudy skies mean dubious views for fireworks. Temps below 70ºF mean it’s too chillly for rosé. But I’m still determined to make the peanut noodles. Hey, one out of four ain’t bad.
Just in case your Fête Nationale is sunnier than mine, here’s the recipe for my spicy summer peanut sauce, straight from the back of Kitchen Chinese. An easy and versatile recipe — I’ve made it in giant quantities (for, like, 150 people) for my book party and tiny amounts, just for me — it’s savory and addictive, and wonderful tossed with noodles, shredded chicken, and julienned cucumbers and carrots for a refreshing salad. Add dashes of cold black tea when tossing the sauce with the noodles.
As for me, I’ll be eating my noodle salad with chopsticks while watching my favorite rendition of La Marseillaise. Vive la France!
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Topics: Kitchen Chinese: a novel, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Top Chef exit interviews
By Ann | July 7, 2010
Apologies for the shameless self-promotion (yet if not here, where?) but I am very excited to be chatting with this season’s Top Chef contestants as they pack their knives and go. If you’re a Top Chef fan like me, please check out my exit interviews on the Washingtonian’s Best Bites blog. Each Friday, we’ll grill a newly axed chef-contestant on behind-the-scenes gossip like why the h*ll they didn’t taste their food. After all, as the old adage goes, if you can’t take the heat, stay out of reality TV.
Topics: Articles | 6 Comments »
Real hot dogs “New Yorkais”
By Ann | June 30, 2010
Breaking news: Real New York hot dogs are available in Paris! (Side note — who knew real New York hot dogs were so fetishized?) When I saw this real, New York hot dog cart outside La Grande Epicerie, I had to stop to sample a weiner. After all, I needed to know: Is there anything different about a hot dog that bills itself as “le vrai New Yorkais” but which is found Paris?
Topics: Uncategorized | 6 Comments »