Alain Ducasse recently took over la direction of Le Jules Verne*, the high-end restaurant in the Eiffel Tower that had lost its reputation and luster as a fine dining destination during the past several years. I hadn’t ever eaten there, since its reputation had preceded it. But this week, I finally got my chance to dine there. We waited patiently for the private elevator of…
[UPDATE: La Maison du Chocolat may have stopped making this particular chocolate.] At a recent tasting at La Maison du Chocolat, I sampled at least eight chocolates—not to mention passion fruit ganache, chocolat chaud, plus two of their newest summer flavors: melon and star anise. It was a lot to get through, let me tell you. I normally avoid any hot chocolate that’s offered in…
We’re mid-week into our Paris Chocolate Tour here and we’re having a great time. Everyone’s enjoying the unusually fine weather, and of course, the chocolate. I wanted to post a few shots and notes in my spare seven minutes—it’s 5:34am so forgive any typos or missed links. I’ll catch ’em later…in my free time ; ) Cheerful, and the amazingly-talented, Jean-Charles Rochoux shows us a…
Every time I go to Austin, it seems like I’m running into town, doing a class, then racing on to the next city. So this last time, I slipped in under the cover of darkness, and arrived a day early. Sure I wanted more time to gorge on Texas bbq and Mexican food. But what I really wanted to do was spend some time at…
There’s a nifty guidebook to the bakeries, chocolate shops, and tea salons, called The Pâtisseries of Paris. This handy little book is full of great addresses and tips, and is just small enough to slip in your shoulder bag when hitting the streets of Paris, should you come to Paris on a mission for sweets. I was surprised at how in-depth this guide takes you….
“Do you want Texas barbeque, or Mexican food?” Honestly, have you ever heard such sweeter words? When my friend picked me up by the airport in Austin, those were the first words out of his mouth. How did he know? Since I’d never ventured out much into the outskirts of the cities in Texas (it’s hard when you don’t have a car, or time), here…
I don’t know where they get these, and I don’t really care. But if you stop in da rosa and don’t pick up a bag of them, you’re making a terrible mistake. These little dusty ovals of chocolate enrobe a Marcona almond tucked in the middle and there’s just a touch for the smoky taste of pimente d’Espelette, the bright-red Basque chili powder that I…
Le Brunch is indeed available at some places in Paris, but I’m not necessarily at my best being around people first thing in the morning—and I’m not so fond of Le Brunch either. So I compromised on the more civilized hour of 1pm for dining on the weekends. Not much is open in Paris on Sunday, so I had suggested Breizh Café, a tidy corner spot specializing…
When I was in Méribel avoiding the steep slopes waiting in line at the cheese coopérative, I wasn’t alone: the joint was seeing more action than all those gasp-inducing ski runs. And just about every person ordered a nice hunk of Beaufort. And since they were in front of me in line, being France, of course each person had to have a 5 minute conference…
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