Pierogis at Veselka in NYC, New York

It has been a while I wanted to try Veselka, a restaurant located in the East Village, that serves Ukrainian cuisine. Interestingly, Veselka is located where it used to be Little Ukraine and you can still see some of its presence, between the Ukrainian Church, Ukrainian Museum or Ukrainian school!

The restaurant reminded me a bit of Katz's deli, probably because of the decor that appears similar to what it was when they opened in 1954 (not that I was there), as well as the large crowd waiting for a seat. We went there at 11:30am on a Saturday and it was already packed! Normal: people came for breakfast in this 24/7 joint. 

Although the menu offers traditional breakfast items such as pancakes, waffles or eggs, we decided to try typical Eastern cuisine dishes. We started off with soup. Jodi ordered a Matzo Ball soup.

I ordered the Borscht soup.

Soups are homemade and we ordered the small portions. I was imagining smaller portions to be honest! This was a nice size for $4.75! The matzo ball soup was very good: the matzo ball was soft and tasty and the chicken soup, that contained some real chicken, was delicious. 

The borscht was very good and you could definitely taste the beets that are used. It was served with sour cream that I dipped in the soup: fantastic!

We then wanted to try pierogis (dumplings). We picked cheese pierogis as well as potato pierogis. 

We decided to get both pierogis fried so they had a bit of crunch on the outside. 

Both dishes were served with homemade apple sauce and sour cream. The potato pierogis were also served with some delicious caramelized onions. I liked the pierogis, but definitely preferred the potato ones as the cheese ones were a bit bland, not because of the shell but because of the farmer's cheese they use, although there was some sweetness to it. I would have preferred a goat or swiss, but for sure, it would have nothing to do with Ukrainian authenticity...

In fact, I will retrieve the same farmer's cheese in the cheese blintze.

This was a disappointing dish as all I could taste was the cheese and the blintze itself was overpowered by it. Too bad!

So, although I did not like everything I ate, I will probably come back to Veselka to try some other dishes. I like the casual atmosphere and the very comforting food.

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

The best Banana Cream Pie ever - Redeye Gill in NYC, New York

If you go to The Redeye Grill, it is not for their steaks or their seafood! Surprisingly, I would only go for one of the most delicious banana cream pie I ever had! Forget Billy's Bakery and just go to The Redeye Grill!!!

It is the third time I had this dessert and each time I was in heaven! Ok, I had steaks in the past and never tried their seafood. Except last week...When I went back for lunch. I like the decor of this restaurant that looks like a cafe and has a beautiful raw bar with an impressive selection of seafood: fish, shrimp, scallops, you name it! I started off with the Diver Scallops.

It was served with oyster mushrooms. The scallop (listen Gordon Ramsey!) was perfectly cooked with a nice sear on both sides. It had just enough salt on top and tasted fresh. The pairing with oyster mushrooms was fantastic and kind of elevated the dish.

Then, I chose the grass fed 8oz New York strip.

They dry age the meat for 28 days to tenderize it and accentuate the flavor. I asked for a medium rare temperature and got a medium to medium well one! As I had limited time, I could not ask for another one! The steak was dry for sure and I was really not impressed by it. It was served with French fries that were however very good! Note that the only sauce available besides ketchup is A1 steak sauce: they do not have other sauces like mayonnaise.

Then came the long awaited banana cream pie!!!

The piece they serve you is big! The crust is a graham cracker crust that was buttery and not too sweet at all. It was thick enough not to be lost in the overall dessert! They they have this heavenly creme patissiere that smothers the bananas and is topped by a probably homemade whipped cream. The first bite is an invitation to over indulge for sure! It is definitely freshly made and when eating it, you are not at all feeling a sugar rush. This is a hit!!!

I would probably go back to The Redeye Grill, skip the steaks (every time I went it was so so), order seafood and for sure eat that banana cream pie!!!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Totto Ramen in NYC, New York

Last year, I discovered ramen. So I was very excited to go to Totto Ramen, after the feasts I had at Momofuku Noodle Bar and Ippudo. Each time we passed in front of this joint, there was a big line, so we definitely wanted to try it! If there is a line, there must be a reason!

We arrived at 11:30am, knowing that they opened at 12pm; there were already few people waiting. What you have to do is put your name on a list and they will call you to sit you. The place is very tiny, so you have to be patient and pray that people will eat quickly and leave, and that you will not have in front of you a group of people who did not see each other for 10 years and are trying to catch up!!!

So we sat at the bar. I like that because we had a direct view on the kitchen and were able to see the cooks making noodles, bouncing them up and down to remove the excess of water, as you can see on the video below.

We started off with the Char Siu Bun.

It is a bun stuffed with braised pork belly (char Siu) and tartare sauce. This was so so: like eating a blob of fat with just a little bit of meat. 

Jodi ordered the vegetable ramen.

The presentation was phenomenal with all the colors. The dish was composed of a Konbu seaweed and shiitake mushroom based soup, with seasoned avocado, seasonal vegetables, Yuzu paste, sesame oil, salted kelp and lime. First of all, the avocado had a weird taste and the overall dish did not have a balanced taste, more like a potpourri in a soup (for a nice breath all afternoon?).

I ordered the Totto Chicken Paitan Ramen.

The dish is a chicken based broth with chicken, scallion, onion, char siu pork, and a nori. Jodi and I added a soft boiled egg to our ramen. I was very disappointed by my dish: the chicken was tough and bland and the soup tasted just like a chicken soup without any additional flavor that would make it different from a...matzoh ball soup!!! I guess the only thing I liked was the egg that was perfectly cooked, a bit soft with a runny yolk.

So, this was disappointing: I was expecting a festival of flavors, similar to our experience at Momofuku or Ippudo. So I will pass next time as it is not worth the wait for me!

Enjoy (the post)!

And remember: I just want to Eat!

Bibimbap at Miss Korea BBQ in NYC, New York

In our quest for the best Bibimbap, this fantastic Korean rice bowl dish, we decided to go to Miss Korea BBQ in Korea Town.

When we arrived in the restaurant, we were asked if we would consume alcohol. As we said no, we were sent upstairs, on the third floor (probably because their second location did not have a liquor license and they wanted to preserve the main one to their customers who would order some). They told us that this was the same menu and same cuisine. As the elevator was out of order and we proceeded to take the stairs. This was like going to a hidden and secret place, in these dark staircases (ok, maybe I saw too many James Bond). 

So here we are in the restaurant on the third floor! I do not know if the one downstairs has the same decor, but this one was modern.

Once we ordered our food, they brought us the banchan, these little plates that usually start a Korean meal. These dishes were not that great I have to say! The only thing I liked was the turnip and the fish skin. Otherwise, they had some fish that had a very strong taste and the kimchi was replaced by a bok choy salad that I did not really like.

They also brought us a soup made with a beef stock base (it was the special soup of the day apparently). The soup was just fine. Anyway, we were there for the bibimbap, so I did not mind not loving it!

For Bibimbap, they have a vegetarian one that is cold or a selection of hot ones, made with tofu & mushroom, beef, chicken, pork or seafood.

Jodi went for the tofu & Mushrooms. She asked for a raw egg also.

On my side, I asked for the kimchi and Bulgogi (marinated beef).

Although I appreciated the taste of the beef, the main problem was that they added seaweed to the bibimbap, giving a fishy taste to the dish. Without it, it would have been decent...
The mushroom and tofu bibimbap was a bit bland and definitely, after having tried some homemade tofu at Cho Dang Gol in NYC, it is difficult to appreciate store bought tofu!

So, definitely, Miss Korea BBQ is not the best bibimbap place we were looking for...I guess the quest continues!

Enjoy (no comment)!

Cookies at City Bakery and Rocco's in NYC, New York

I guess this past week end was a cookie discovery, in the sense that we got to try some cookies for snacks. The first joint we went to is City Bakery; not that we went there for their cookies, but more for their hot chocolate. The second one, is Rocco's on Bleecker street.

City Bakery is supposedly known for their hot chocolate and I read recently an article ranking it best hot chocolate in the US. It said: "Made from pure melted chocolate bars and topped with homemade marshmallows, this thick hot chocolate is F&W editor in chief Dana Cowin's favorite version in the country". 

So, here we are at City Bakery: the place is packed! We can see lots of people with a cup of hot chocolate, food and cookies. As we ordered, we could not miss the chocolate room behind us...Promising!

As well as the rack full of freshly made cookies in front of us!

That was so tempting that we decided to get a chocolate chip cookie!

It was a nice size and you could definitely see that there was a lot of chocolate! Not the type of cookies where you are looking for chocolate chips! This cookie was one of the best I ever tried! It was not too sweet, was chewy and heavenly buttery. The photo below will show you that they do not cheat their customers when it comes to chocolate:

The hot chocolate however was a bit disappointing...

It started well though! Imagine a cup full of melted chocolate with a homemade marshmallow in it. I was so expecting something scrumptious...It was not the case. I am not sure what chocolate bar they use or if it is because I ate some cookie before, but I found it just ok. It is not like the hot chocolate at Max Brenner where I drink a bit and then will finish it in few minutes. In fact, I left some of it, that is very rare with me. 

The second bakery is Rocco's.

We were just walking in the street when we saw all these big cookies at the window!

Look at the size of the cookies next to the Linzer tarts! They had plenty of them: s'mores, twix, chocolate chip, dark chocolate chocolate chip, chocolate peppermint... And inside, it was as if we found heaven for sweets!

I ordered a twix cookie and Jodi a chocolate chip one. I took a photo of each of them next to a lemon, so you can see the size of it!

Chocolate Chip Cookie

Twix Cookie

I love twix and was pretty excited to try a twix cookie! Unfortunately, you could barely taste the twix. The cookie was not soft and not chewy, too sweet and lacking butter. The chocolate chip one was not better and tasted more like a crumbled vanilla cookie than anything else. They were disappointing. 

I think the mistake with Rocco's is that it is an Italian Bakery, so we should have tried some Italian specialties such as cannoli or Napoleons. As for City Bakery, I would go back to try their other cookies or just get again their chocolate chip cookie!

City Bakery - 1

Rocco's - 0

Enjoy (I did)!

Fabulous treats in Paris, France

I could not end the posts on our trip to Europe without mentioning two fabulous treats you can find in Paris!!!

The first one is Angelina! If you like pastries and love hot cocoa, this is your place. Their most known location is across the street from the Louvre Museum, but it seems that they opened several other places, that might be good to know considering the line you can find in front of their main store.

If I go to Angelina, it is definitely for their hot chocolate, whether it is Summer or Winter! It is divine! It beats any hot chocolate you find at Max Brenner or La Maison du Chocolat and is literally melted chocolate. Trust me, you will need whipped cream to lower the strong chocolate taste and there is no need to order anything else, because it is so satisfying. I think I just drooled...

Angelina

226 Rue Rivoli

75001 Paris, France

http://www.angelina-paris.fr/en/

The second one is the merveilleux de Fred.

We were invited for dinner by some close friends and, for dessert, they served some cookies that were fantastic! These cookies are meringue coated with whipped cream and shaved chocolate sold at Aux Merveilleux de Fred stores (addresses below). We tried two flavors:

• The Incroyable: meringue, speculoos biscuit whipped cream coated with shaved white chocolate.
• The Merveilleux: meringue, chocolate whipped cream coated with shavings of dark chocolate.

The common element is that these cookies were very, very light. It is bad in fact, because they are so good and light that you would eat tons of them! Between the two, I preferred the while chocolate one (the incroyable). Surprisingly, it was not too sweet (white chocolate is often) and had a more delicate taste compared to the dark chocolate one. However, I would not have guessed there was speculoos in it (people are crazy about speculoos in France!). 

People love the Merveilleux de Fred and it seems that there is often a line in front of the stores, but it is worth it based on what we tried! I hope the Chef, Frédéric Vaucamp will have the great idea to open a store in the US!!!

http://auxmerveilleux.com

Paris

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

7 rue de Tocqueville, 17th arrondissement

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

129 bis rue Saint Charles, 15th arrondissement

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

29 rue de l’Annonciation, 16th arrondissement

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

94 rue Saint-Dominique, 7th arrondissement

Belgium

Aux Merveilleux

Lippens Laan 99

8300 Knokke

UK

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

88 Old Brompton Road

SW7 3LQ London

(South Kensington)

Opening 2013

Enjoy (I sure did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Last dinner in Paris at Le Franc-Tireur

Our last night in Paris, it was pouring outside, so we decided to find a restaurant close to our hotel. As we wanted something reasonable, we wandered around and found a brasserie called Le Franc-Tireur. What I like about brasseries is the casual atmosphere you will find inside: casual with an eclectic crowd (business people, students, retirees, tourists...). And usually, the wait staff is shouting the orders...

So, we sat in the dinner area and they brought us the ardoise (slate) with the items of the day, as well as the regular menu.

Jodi went for La salade du pere Olivier, a salad made with grilled vegetables and fresh goat cheese on a toast.

It was good and fresh, different from the usual goat cheese salad.

On my side, I got the rumsteak (rump steak) with French fries and bearnaise sauce.

I asked the steak to be cooked medium-rare. It was not the best piece of meat I ever had, but it was pretty decent. The fries, although made from frozen ones, were good: crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 

We, of course, wanted to end the meal with a dessert and got the mi-cuit au chocolat avec de la creme anglaise.

It is a chocolate fondant cake with a vanilla bean sauce that would please any chocolate lover! It had the bold taste of dark chocolate, that paired well with the delicate taste of the sauce. Loved it!

This last dinner was delicious and simple. A good address to know only if you are close by as this food is typical brasserie food and you can find it all over Paris. 

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Le Franc-Tireur

34 Rue d'Armaillé

75017 Paris, France

Crepes at Le Petit Josselin in Paris, France

I promised Jodi that, as we were in France, we would go to a Crêperie to eat a crêpe. We ended up at Le petit Josselin, located rue de Montparnasse. This street is quite interesting as it is full of Crêperies, as if we were in Bretagne, although I have never been there...

So, here we are, entering the place; immediately on the left is the area where they are making crêpes. Of course, I cannot miss the piece of butter sitting there...very promising...

And, in the back of the photo, you can see a crêpe, with a darker color indicating that the flour used is buckwheat, making it slightly heaver and tastier. In fact, the crêpe is called a galette.



Jodi ordered the three cheese crêpe, stuffed with emmental, roquefort and goat cheese.

On my side, I ordered the savoyarde, made with reblochon cheese, potatoes, cream and chives. It had prosciutto on top.

I could also taste the campagnarde:

It was stuffed with eggs, cheese, potatoes, cream and chives, and topped with bacon. A bit similar to the savoyarde.

The galette itself was crispy and from the three crepes, I preferred the three cheese one. But overall, it was very good!

Of course we could not leave without any dessert! We ordered the crêpe avec de la creme de lait that is in fact a crêpe with dulce de leche.

The batter for the sweet crêpes was different from the savory one. It was of course sweeter. It is possible that for the sweet ones, they used milk in the batter, whereas for the salty ones, they may have used beer (it also makes the batter lighter).
This crêpe was very good; this is how I like to eat dulce de leche: not too thick and not too much so it does not overpower the entire dessert.

I also tried the Grand Marnier crêpe that was flambee...

I can tell you that after that, we were full and we did not need to get a treat anywhere...Le petit Josselin is a good address to know. In fact, when we arrived, only couple of tables were taken; but when we left, the restaurant was full and people were waiting outside!!!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Le Petit Josselin
59 Rue du Montparnasse
75014 Paris, France

Fondue at L'Assiette aux deux fromages in Paris, France

What I really enjoy in the Winter is a cheese fondue. Not sure I would call it a Fondue Savoyarde or une fondue aux fromages as there is a debate between France and Switzerland as to who made the first cheese fondue...In New York, my favorite places for fondue are Artisanal and for a low key and a rustic atmosphere, Kashkaval. 

In France, a lot of people like fondue and it is not rare to be invited to a fondue party, because it is easy to prepare, fun (if you drop the bread in the cheese, you should have a dare) and delicious. The most common mix of cheese is Comte, Beaufort and Emmental. But, sometimes, people go to the fromager (cheese store) and ask for some cheese to make fondue,  ending up with various ones as the combinations are endless. At home, I have in fact a fondue pot that is electric and sometimes buy a fondue mix that is convenient and pretty descent! 

So, back to my trip: Jodi and I wanted to eat a fondue! We went to one of our favorite spots in Paris: rue Mouffetard. It is a narrow street made of cobblestones. At night, it can be crowded as people go there for the multitude of restaurants you can find: traditional French to Iranian! Looking around, we decided to go to L'Assiette aux fromages. It was not the first time and the last time we went, we had a pretty good meal!

I like the place: warm with its wood all over that reminds a bit of a chalet in the mountain. The big blue cow in the middle of the main dining room is surprising though...

We decided to order a traditional cheese fondue.

We were three people to eat it and there was enough for four! The fondue was perfect: unctuous with a hint of kirsh. When you eat fondue, you are always dipping your bread few times to make sure you catch a maximum of cheese...

Besides the bread, they had the great idea to give us some lettuce, potatoes and cured ham.

I was surprised that they served potatoes and cured ham as it is more for another specialty based on cheese called raclette. This was a very good idea! That way, we could make combinations such as potatoes and cheese or potatoes and ham and cheese, etc...And clearly, these potatoes were fantastic! They had a bit of crunch from the roasting that was delicious.

If you do not like fondue, the restaurant offers other specialties such as the reblochon tart:

or a bavette (flank steak), served with shallots, that was descent.

Definitely, the food and the atmosphere gave the impression we were at someone's place, until they brought the check...

If you are in Paris and would like to have a nice diner or enjoy some cheese, L'assiette aux fromages is for you!!! 

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

L'assiette aux fromages

25 Rue Mouffetard

75005 Paris, France

website unavailable at the time of this post.

Fantastic Lunch at Le Train Bleu in Paris, France

Who would have thought that you would find such a nice restaurant in a train station??? Le train Bleu is a fancy restaurant that I always suggest to people visiting Paris and who want to enjoy a nice dinner in a fantastic decor. It is pricey but worth it if you are looking to treat yourself!

The place is incredibly beautiful! These photos speak for themselves!

The paintings on the walls and ceilings attest of the history of the site and are the result of the work of famous painters who did a magnificent job. So going there is not only about food!

Another particularity of the restaurant is polo the cat.

According to a wait staff, the cat came one day and never left. You see him wandering around the restaurant quietly, without bothering at all the customers and not begging at all. I guess that he is probably well fed there!

So here are some of the fantastic dishes we tried:


I started off with foie gras.

It was a homemade foie gras served with a red onion marmalade. The foie gras was delicious: rich and unctuous. Paired with the onion marmalade that had a nice sweetness, it was a perfect appetizer.

For the main dish, Jodi ordered the grilled filet of beef, served with Béarnaise sauce, mashed potatoes with fresh Tomme cheese.

This was very good! The meat had a nice sear and was very tender. The mash potatoes were to die for! Very creamy and cheesy.

On my side, I ordered the Piece of beef of Salers that is a highly graded steak.

It had a delicious wine sauce and was served with a fabulous gratin dauphinois (potatoes au gratin). The meat was also very tender, but I would have liked it a bit more cooked.

I also tried the Scorpion fish (rascasse) and white flesh of scallops à la plancha, creamy shellfish risotto, cuttlefish ink dressing.

This dish was incredible! I did not have Scorpion fish for years and I have to say that this was very good! Silky and flaky. Each of the components of the dish gave another dimension to the dish: the risotto was so creamy and hearty and the scallops perfectly cooked. There was definitely an explosion of flavors that made me regret to have picked steak instead of this remarkable dish.

Then came the time for dessert. I ordered their Baba au rhum that I tried few years ago.

Baba au rhum is a yeast cake that is saturated with rum and served with whipped cream. It all started with this put on the table:

Some rum from Martinique.

Then came the cake. It was a cylinder that they cut into two and they then poured a large amount of rum...

This was a wonderful dessert and imagine that they left the bottle of rum of the table, in case we wanted to add more!

Jodi ordered their lemon and lime tart.

It was served with some homemade meringue cookies. The cake was very buttery and the lemon and lime part was very tasty and creamy, not too sweet that is often an issue with lemon tarts.

I finished the meal with an expresso that served with a meringue cookie and a homemade madeleine.

I can tell you that we were full after this feast! Le train bleu will always be in that special place that is...my stomach...

Enjoy (I surely did)!

Le Train Bleu
Gare de Lyon
1 Place Louis Armand
75012 Paris, France
http://www.le-train-bleu.com/uk/index.php

Couscous at Chez Bebert in Paris, France

Couscous and tagines are North African dishes that are very popular in France, not only because they are good, but also because it is the type of specialties that you cannot make easily at home as they require some special pots. For instance, a couscous is made in a double chamber steamer, called couscoussier, that you can also use...for dim sum...Some people cook the semolina by bringing water to a boil and then pouring it on it, but I can ensure you that it does not have the same taste and the grain is not as light as when steamed. There are plenty of restaurants serving couscous and tagines in Paris. One that is popular and has few locations in the city is Chez Bebert.

We went to the restaurant Porte Maillot as it was close to our hotel and therefore very convenient. The place was packed for a Wednesday! I could not believe it! 

The decor was traditional and there was a certain ambiance, although I was glad that no belly dancers popped up and asked me to join them dancing!

After we ordered some nice wine, they offered us some aperitif.

It had different components, some spicy, some not. For instance, there were carrots cooked with cumin, olives or some brick a la pomme de terre (in the center, it is a feuille de brick similar to phyllo dough, stuffed with a denser version of mash potatoes).

Then, Jodi ordered a tagine de kefta aux oeufs et petits pois.

Tagine is a moroccan dish that is cooked covered in a clay pot. So it was a meatballs (kefta), eggs (oeufs) and peas (petit pois) dish, smothered in a light tomato sauce. It came extremely hot! This dish was fantastic! The meatballs/Kefta were very tasty and not dry at all. The sauce definitely absorbed some of the taste of the meat. A great dish!

On my side, I ordered the couscous Bebert, served with merguez (lamb sausages), lamb and chicken. 

First, they brought us the veggies in a big tagine pot made of copper.  They lifted the lid and we then discovered the vegetables (carrots, potatoes, beans and chickpeas), the sauce and the hot sauce called Harisa. Then, came the meat:

I really enjoyed the merguez that were not spicy and the lamb kebab that was extremely tasty. The chicken was perfectly cooked and very moist.

With all this came the semolina or couscous. What you do to assemble the dish is that you put some couscous in your plate, then the veggies, the sauce and hot sauce and then the meat. It is a very hearty meal, with nice bold flavors thanks to the strong taste of the lamb. I loved it!

We finished up with a delicious mint tea served with a little show on the video below.

This was a great dinner and there was a lot of food! Definitely a good address!

Enjoy (I did)!

Chez Bebert

277 Boulevard Pereire

Paris

chezbebert.com

Dinner at Le Relais de Venise - L'entrecote in Paris, France

Last year, in March, I had a fabulous dinner at Le Relais de Venise in New York (check my post about Le Relais de Venise in NYC, NY). The restaurant was an emanation of a restaurant in Paris, with an interesting concept: they only serve steak frites, but with a secret sauce that some say is made with chicken liver...

So, as we were in Paris last month we decided to go to the original restaurant, located Porte Maillot. The concierge of the hotel told us how to go and warned us not to be scared by the wait! We were fortunate and only waited 10 minutes, having to share our table with a complete stranger (we just had to imagine it was a communal table) so we would not have to stay in the cold until a table for two was available. 

The restaurant was a bit different: no dimmed light, more casual but with the staff wearing the same maid uniform as in New York. So, ordering was simple: just tell them what temperature you would like for your steak and order wine or water. It translates by this way on the table's paper cloth:

It says: Bouteille d'eau large (large bottle of water), A Point (Medium) and Saignant (Medium rare).

Similar to New York, they started off by bringing the house salad.

A simple salad made of lettuce and walnuts.

Then, came the steak and French fries!

The French fries were divine: soft in the inside and crispy on the outside. The steak was very good with a preference for the medium rare one rather then the medium. In fact, you always get two servings, but as Jodi has a small appetite, they proposed to give me her portion. I could not refuse: it would have been rude! That is how I ended up trying a third portion of steak frites cooked medium...

One element on the plate that was interesting was the sauce: contrary to the one served in New York, it was less concentrated, separated, but had a similar smooth taste. I loved it!

Of course, we needed to end up the comparison with dessert! We ordered the vacherin that was the same dessert I tried in New York.

This dessert is a succession of meringue cookie and ice cream, topped with whipped cream and swimming in a chocolate sauce. We inhaled it! 

If I compare the two restaurants, I would say that:

• The French fries are similar.
• The meat is better in New York.
• The sauce is slightly better in New York because more held all together.
• The vacherin dessert is better in Paris because less sweet and with a better quality ice cream.

Regardless, this is a great place and I will definitely go back. It is a fantastic concept that in fact Chef Spike Mendelsohn is thinking of copying in a way (yes, I watched Life After Top Chef...).

Enjoy (I did)!

Le Relais de Venise - L'entrecote

271 Boulevard Pereire

75017 Paris, France

http://www.relaisdevenise.com/

The evolution of food in France?

If you recall, this year, I wrote a post about MacDonald's adapting their sandwiches with the Mac Baguette (post about the Mc Baguette here) and even had the chance to try it. So, when we went to Paris this time, I noticed different signs that were pretty interesting considering how France is proud and conservative about its cuisine! For instance, similar to Mac Donald's, Subway is also adapting:

I saw this ad in the subway for a sandwich made with raclette cheese. 

Also, I was surprised to see how Starbuck became popular. I remember how, few years ago, it was a big deal when Starbuck opened its first location in Paris: people thought that they would fail because of the culture of cafes. Well, this time, I noticed so many Starbucks around and they were packed (I noticed them in London but cannot comment on it...)!

I also noticed places that sell Hot dogs

or bagels!

In fact, when I lived in Paris, I used to go to a hot dog place that was also serving Ben & Jerry's ice cream with my friends Caroline and Arnaud. We loved it: it was so unusual. 

The last surprising thing we notice was all these vending machines in the subway!

So definitely, the culture of food is evolving in France!

Enjoy (I did)!

Italian dinner at Montpeliano in London, England

For our last dinner in London, we ended up at Montpeliano. In fact, we were not planning on going there, but just found this place as we were going to Harrod's to see the Holidays' decorations. 

So here we are in this restaurant that had an old fashioned atmosphere rendered mainly by walls full of black and white photos of celebrities like Frank Sinatra.

The menu offers traditional Italian dishes. So, as it was after we had our treat at Fortnum and Mason, we decided to go light...

Jodi ordered some homemade tagliatelles with a butter and parmesan sauce.

The pasta were fantastic: soft and eggy. The sauce was to die for! Creamy and tasty.

On my side, I ordered my test dish: linguine a la Vongole.

What is funny is that I always ask for parmesan and the waiters always look at me as if I have 3 heads! The pasta were perfectly cooked, al dente. The clams tasted fresh and there was a nice quantity of it. Last was the broth: I always ask the white one, that is made with white wine. It was delicious and tasty, but I have to say that the best I ever had was at Morandi in NYC! But it was definitely good!

We skipped dessert, but I am sure they had some good ones there! It was definitely a good dinner. A bit overpriced though...By the way, they make you pay a cover charge...

Enjoy (I did)!

Fantastic Italian Dinner at Vasco and Piero's Pavilion in London, England

A friend of a friend (interesting) suggested that we go for an Italian dinner at Vasco and Piero's Pavilion in the heart of Soho.

This is a small restaurant that was packed all evening. I like the simple decor and the atmosphere that gave the impression we were in somebody's house!

After they sat us to our table, they graciously offered us some prosecco.

This was a nice gesture from them and a good sign that this whole experience would be fantastic!

We ordered some appetizers first. As soon as we saw that they had some burrata on the menu, we ordered it!!!

It was served with cherry tomatoes. The burrata was amazing! The shell was soft and the heart creamy. I could have eaten this all day! It tasted so fresh!

The second appetizer was a pear carpaccio.

That was fantastic! The pear was juicy and sweet and it complemented very well the sharpness of the parmesan. It was a great dish: simple, tasty with clean flavors.

Jodi ordered some tuna.

It was seared and served with lentils and spinach. This was delicious! The tuna was perfectly cooked and moist. The presentation was very appetizing. A great dish!

On my side, I ordered the homemade tagliatelles with beef ragu. I went for the small size as they proposed small or regular.

This was fantastic too! The tagliatelles were soft and eggy and the beef ragu was to die for! Thick and tasty with bold flavors. I think I could have licked the plate.

Last was dessert. As we were in an Italian restaurant, we went for the tiramisu.

It was a phenomenal way of finishing this fantastic dinner! It was very light and creamy. Not too sweet, it had good hints of coffee. Fabulous!

This is definitely a great place to dine in! I loved it and would certainly go back the next time I am in London!

Enjoy (I did)!

Christmas Market in London, England

One day, walking near the London Eye, this spectacular Ferris Wheel on the Thames river, we found a Christmas market. It was packed! I fact we saw two sections: one was a chocolate festival (you read right: a chocolate festival!) and the other section, a more traditional market with food and mulled wine. A lot of vendors were proposing hot chocolate, but the best we got was the one made with a chocolate cube on a stick!

What they do is that they pour some hot milk, then add some marshmallow (if you want some) and put a cube of chocolate that is on a stick.
You then stir with the wooden stick until the chocolate is completely melted. This was fantastic! First of all, the hot chocolate was made with milk, not water! Why would you make a hot chocolate with water??? I know that some people would do it because they think that it is less calories. It is like ordering pizza with a diet soda: you are still eating pizza! As the temperature was cold, it was the perfect treat!

Then we ended up in the more crowded section of the market.

You had there plenty of food like waffles, donuts, crepes, candies...They were even selling some cheese.

We did not even consider these cheeses as our next stop on this trip would be France, the country of fromage!

So, as we walked around, we first picked up some candies by the pound and then ended up near a German restaurant stand where we got some amazing French fries!

We did not eat more as we had to go to an Italian restaurant later in the evening: Vasco and Piero's Pavilion. Stay tuned...

Enjoy (I did)!

Bonne Année 2013!

Happy New Year 2013!

I cannot believe we are already in 2013! And I Just Want To Eat passed 18 months of existence, soon approaching the two years mark. Why are two years important? Because a lot of blogs stop after one to two years as people start them because they think it is cool and then realize that it demands a bit of work. I know that lots of people only see the fun side of a food blog that is to go eat and find the excuse  of the blog to eat whatever they want (I admit I use that excuse a lot...). 

But, writing a post with nice photos (the natural light is the biggest challenge) demands a bit of work. Depending of a subject, I can spend more than an hour on a post and, like most bloggers, I will work on post as soon as I can and schedule it, explaining why there is sometimes a lag between the visit at a restaurant and the post itself. This became apparent with Stage Deli! I went there in September and the post finally made it online in November, two days after they closed!!! Talking about that, 2012 has been a terrible year for the restaurant industry with a lot of businesses affected either by the economy or rent increase. We saw for instance Stage Deli mentioned previously, Gallagher's announcing they will close or the loss of the Meatball Factory whose owner, David Martin was a Top Chef alumni. So sad...

 2012 was definitely a year rich of surprises, good and bad. Here is a bit of a retrospective!

The worst:

• Nick and Steph's Steakhouse and their Mac & Cheese made with processed cheese.
• Carlo's bakery and the disgusting cupcake and cannoli.
• Minetta Tavern and its overpriced burger.

The best:

• Vetri by Marc Vetri in Philadelphia
• Colicchio and Sons and its amazing dinner experience
• Ippudo and Momofuku Noodle Bar for their fantastic ramen!

The discoveries:

• Jeanne et Gaston
• Matt & Meera an Indian-American fusion (located in Hoboken - now closed).
• The Red Hook Lobster Pounds for their fabulous lobster roll!

The list would be too long... There are so many places to try! What is interesting are the trends, like ramen that made a big mark this year! I have to say that I love it and considering the number of ramen restaurants opening these days, you will for sure see more reviews...The culinary scene is definitely moving and people are more and more curious to try different cuisines. I was asked recently if I eat a lot at French restaurants and I answered negatively: there are so many different cuisines and misconceptions or ignorance about some of them: Japanese is not only sushi, Italian is not only pizza and pasta and Ethiopian does have food on the plate!

So I am sure that 2013 will be full of good and bad experiences and I do not mind the bad ones as nothing can be perfect and it is what is making this blog fun! So I hope you will enjoy: I will for sure! 

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

If you like this blog or the photos, please share it with your family and friends!

Horrible Fish & Chips at The Round Table in London, England

Over the week end we were in London, we were walking around Covent Garden, when we decided that it was time to entertain our stomachs! We decided to go to a Pub to enjoy some traditional food. We ended up at The Round Table located on St Martins Court. Nice traditional pub with a particular smell that clearly indicates that there is a lot of beer around...

So we go there and they told us that we have to order at the bar (the table next to us did not know and we had to tell them as they were wondering why nobody was taking care of them).

So I decided to order Fish & Chips. They had the traditional one made with cod and proposed a larger version called...the Cod Father!

After a long, long time, our food arrived!

The Fish & Chips I ordered was made with cod and was served with fries, peas and tartare sauce.

This was horrible! The peas had no taste; the fries were mushy and the fish was terrible! The batter was oily and not cooked all the way through and the fish was probably frozen. The tartare sauce not only looked weird, but also tasted weird. This was disgusting!

Jodi's sandwich was not better!

It was a cheddar and pickle sandwich. The pickle overpowered the cheese. I think I only enjoyed the bread. So bad.

That was so disappointing! Next time, I will pass my way! And by the way, the table I mentioned before that did not know you had to order at the bar was still waiting for the food when we left...

Enjoy (the photos)!

Fish & Chips at Seashell on Lisson Grove in London, England

If there was one dish I had to try in England, it was Fish & Chips. You can get some good ones in pubs in New York, but it is not the same! As I mentioned in the post to introduce the trip (My trip to Europe), although I went several times to London before coming to the US, I first tried this dish at...Epcot in Disney Florida! So we looked up on the internet for the best Fish & Chips places. We wanted first to go to the Golden Hind that was listed number 1 on one of the websites, but, believe or not, it was closed on Saturdays for lunch!!! We could not believe it! Why would you be closed for lunch on Saturdays??? So, as we were trying to find our way to the Imperial War Museum, we asked a very nice person in the street if she knew a good Fish & Chips place. She told us to go to Lisson Grove street and then ask people for a known place there. 

So, here we go, walking towards Lisson Grove street. When we arrived, we asked a guy at a bus stop if he knew a well known Fish & Chips place. He indicated Seashell on Lisson Grove. So that is how we ended up there.

It was a clean place with a modern decor: for sure, you would not go there for the ambience! By the way, you remember the guy at the bus stop who told us that this was the known place for Fish & Chips? We saw him walking in the restaurant few minutes after  and I caught him on the camera! We probably asked the owner! That was pretty funny!

So we looked at the menu and there were proposing a dozen of different ways to have the Fish & Chips: the traditional with cod, with salmon, filet of sole or even langoustines! I decided to go for the traditional one.

The food took time to come, although the restaurant was not that crowded. But when it came, I did not regret it! The piece of fish was big! It tasted very fresh and was flaky, cooked all the way through. The batter was crispy and not greasy at all. I appreciated the fact that there was no bone in it! It was a delicious dish! The fries though were not that great: too soft and undercooked.

Jodi went for a salad.

It was nice and simple.

The Fish & Chips was delicious, although a bit pricey and I would have preferred a place with more character!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to Eat!

Treats at Fortnum & Mason in London, England

Over the week end we were in London, we met with my cousins Catherine, Sarah and Flavien for a tea at Fortnum and Mason. In fact we heard about that place from friends who went there few years ago. The place is fantastic with all these never seen before items such as a music cookie box. But for sure, it was pricey! Pricey but crowded, I guess with people just looking around out of curiosity. Of course, as it was the Holidays, their windows were full of scenes such as the one below:

Fortnum and Mason has different restaurants, from the fancier to the more casual one. We ended up on the latter one, called The Gallery. It was a nice place with a nice causal atmosphere, surrounded by windows overlooking the street. We were lucky that my cousins arrived in advance and already had a table as the place was packed and there was a bit of wait (it was around 3pm). Of course, when we arrived, we could not miss the table full of cakes that I am sure was full of delicacies earlier that day! For sure it made us hungrier!

We could have done the full tea but it was too much food and we already had lunch. The "full" tea was composed of open sandwiches, scones, cupcakes and tea, for 22 GBP. 

So we had instead tea

A delicious hot chocolate (fortunately made with milk and not just water!!!)

And some pastries!!! We ordered a spectacular chocolate cake!

That is what I call a chocolate cake! The cake was moist and the icing really, really good. Not too sweet, it was a perfect choice. It has been a long time I did not have a nice chocolate cake like that!

We also tried the chocolate raspberry cupcakes.

This was also fantastic! The cake was also moist and the icing delicious. The pairing of the chocolate and raspberry was, not surprisingly, working! These 2 pastries are definitely recommended!

On the side, Sarah ordered as her lunch, the Goodwood Rosé Veal Burger topped with Fortnum’s Goose Foie Gras and Hand-cut Chips. 

They also provided some homemade mayonnaise. I never had a veal burger and I enjoyed it. Of course, the foie gras was a big plus! The meat was perfectly cooked and juicy. The taste was less stronger than beef for sure. The fries were crispy outside and soft inside. 

We really had a good time with my cousins and meeting there was a great idea. Fortnum and Mason's is the perfect place to meet family and friends for a relaxed afternoon! Just make sure you do not come too late as they close at 5pm...I thought tea was at 5pm!!!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!