TGIF

This picture was taken a few months ago at TGIF - a platter of barbeque ribs & fries. You can see me salivating, can't you?

Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant is SK's favorite vegetable. I've exhausted my repertoire of 'baingan-barta', stuffed-brinjal & brinjal bhujiyas. There's just so much you can do with an eggplant - unless you venture into the world of Italian!

I followed to the T the recipe from - http://elise.com/recipes/archives/000220eggplant_parmesan.php

Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
2 lbs (about 2 large) eggplants
1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
4 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 lbs of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 cup grated high quality Parmesan cheese
1 packed cup fresh basil leaves

Method
1 Cut eggplants lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange one layer in the bottom of a large colander and sprinkle evenly with salt. Repeat with remaining eggplant, salting, until all eggplant is in the colander. Weigh down the slices with a couple of plates and let drain for 2 hours. The purpose of this step is to have the eggplant release some of its moisture before cooking.

2 While the eggplant is draining, prepare tomato sauce. Combine tomatoes, garlic and 1/3 cup olive oil in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper to tasted and set aside.

3 When eggplant has drained, press down on it to remove excess water, wipe off the excess salt, and lay the slices out on paper towels to remove all the moisture. In a wide, shallow bowl, combine flour and breadcrumbs. Mix well. Pour beaten eggs into another wide shallow bowl. Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat, and pour in a a half inch of olive oil. When oil is shimmering, dredge the eggplant slices first in the flour mixture, then in the beaten egg. Working in batches, slide coated eggplant into hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

4 Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bottom of a 10x15 inch glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of tomato sauce. Top with one third of the eggplant slices. Top eggplant with half of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with one third of the Parmesan and half of the basil leaves.

5 Make a second layer of eggplant slices, topped by 1 cup of sauce, remaining mozzarella, half the remaining Parmesan, and all of the remaining basil. Add remaining eggplant, and top with the remaining tomato sauce and Parmesan.

6 Bake until cheese has melted and the top is slightly brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

SK loved it, need I say more.

Thanksgiving 2009

Happy Thanksgiving! Indeed it was. This year, for the first time, we had a Thanksgiving potluck and I should've known that like all our other potlucks, this one too would be a rip-roaring success!

The Menu:

Turkey

Stuffing

Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Beans & Cranberry

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

Corn Bread

Dessert:

Pumpkin Pie

Pecan Pie

Of course, there was apple cider and plenty of wine. But Thanksgiving would not have been Thanksgiving without the most important ingredient - a bunch of good friends.

Happy Turkey Day!

Achar Gosht

This recipe is courtsey Aunty R. She made & packed a dabba of Achar Gosht for SK & myself last week. A day later the recipe was in my inbox :-)

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds of Mutton (boneless)
5 Whole Red Chillies
¾ cup Onions (pureed)
1 tsp. Ginger Paste
1 tsp. Garlic Paste
1 tsp. Cumin Seeds
1 tsp. Mustard Seeds
1 tsp. Fenugreek Seeds (Methi)
5 Cloves
15 grams of Jaggery
1 tsp. Aniseeds / Saunf
½ tsp. Turmeric Powder
1 tsp. Red Chilli Powder
Salt
1 cup yogurt

4 cups Water
½ cup Mustard Oil

Method:
1) In a dish whisk the yogurt with one liter of water.
2) In a microwavable dish heat the mustard oil until hot in the microwave. Add to the oil: the ginger paste, garlic paste, onion puree, cloves, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, nigella seeds, fenugreek seeds and aniseeds. And microwave on high for 8 minutes.
3)Then mix in the red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt and microwave for another 2 minutes.
4)Add the mutton, whole red chillies, jaggery and curd water mixture and cook in a pot on the stove for about 15 minutes, or until well done.

YUMMMMM. That's all I can say.

Goldfish

Goldfish is a fabulous seafood restaurant located right at the Perimeter, Dunwoody. It's another feather in the hat of the "heretoserve" chain in Atlanta. For the longest time Goldfish remained one of those restaurants that's right around the corner but you never visit. Until two months ago, that is. Thanks to SK, we celebrated my last birthday at Goldfish.

Our love for seafood made our choice for appetizers & entrees so much more difficult. I had the gumbo and we split a very delicious sauteed mushroon appetizer. For the main course we had the Tom Tom Tilapia and Pepper Grouper. The food was great as was the ambience. The only down-side was the service. They were pretty busy for a week-day and our food took rather long to arrive.

A must for seafood lovers.

West Egg Cafe

West Egg Cafe is so called because 1) It's tucked away in Atlantat's little known West side and 2) They serve eggs, of every shape, size and preparation. I was at the West Egg Cafe a few weeks ago with some of my co-workers. I give them full points for introducing me to this little joint.

The cafe has the semblance of a family run inn. With mismatched chairs, checquered table cloths and the strong smell of bacon, this cafe could very well be your Grandmother's kitchen. The menu is fantastic - more so because it's so simple. While there isn't a very large variety, every platter comes with a heap of grits, potatoes, bread and of course eggs.

It's a great place for brunch. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a hearty heap of eggs.

Berry Time

It's strawberry season, has been so for a while now actually. I love seeing 2 boxes for $5 at the store...makes me want to eat as much as possible before the end of summer. So well, my next couple of posts will be dedicated to the strawberry.

I start with the the simple but always in style - Strawberries -n-Cream. No recipe needed here. The cute bowls were a wedding gift. We enjoyed this delicious dessert a few days ago. It's berry time!

Foods of the Lebanon

I found this book at the library a couple of weeks ago. As the name suggests, it's a Lebanese recipe book by Cassie Maroun-Paladin.

The first time I tasted Lebanese food was in Kuwait, about 15 years ago! It was hummus and pita bread but naturally. Since then I have developed a great liking to Middle-Eastern cuisine. My all-time favorite is perhaps the ‘Shawarma’. I can still remember our summer vacations in Kuwait and the local vendors with their conical ‘shawarma’ stands.

Back to the book. It takes you through every appetizer, entree and dessert possible. There's also a special section for pickles, breads, yoghurts and refreshing drinks. My favorite section is perhaps the 'Kibbi'. Kibbi refers to a kind of ground meat preparation and is apparently the monarch of Lebanese cuisine. You can eat it stuffed, fried, with gravy or as meat balls. I would really love to try this dish. The book has an ample section for meats, poultry and vegetables. I’ve learnt that Lebanese cuisine is similar to Indian, in that they use comparable ingredients, are curry based and are served over rice. Last but not the least, dessert! I’ve eaten many kinds of Lebanese dessert. The desserts are all very rich and use dry fruits. This book has recipes to many delectable petite fours, the most popular being the ‘knafie burmah’. This dessert is common to Greece and Lebanon and you know what, I’ve even seen a variation of it at Costco!

Eggplant Stroganoff

This is G jn's recipe. The pretty picture with the stain-glass background is also hers.
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
1/2 lbs mushroom
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon pepper
1 cup cooking wine
Method:
Cut the eggplant and mushrooms into thick chunks. In a cup mix the cooking wine, salt, pepper Once they release their juices stir in the soup mix. Add some water if needed. Cook 5-6 minutes until sauce has thickened and veggies are heated through. Do not overcook.

Serve over rice.

Thanks G.

Fried Plantain

Fried Plantain was one of the many items on our July 4th smorgasboard.

Method: Cut the raw plantain diagonally. Coat in slightly salted rice flour and shallow fry in vegetable oil. Remove when the plantain turns golden. Sprinkle chilli power and serve hot.

As always, we had fun and lots of food. Happy 4th of July to everyone.

Thai Masaman Curry

The Thai Masaman curry is a dish most commonly made with beef but can be made with chicken or fish as well. I chose a nice, clean Tilapia for my curry. I used a ready-made curry paste from Whole Foods for this recipe.

Ingredients:
- Tilapia filets cut in half
- Thai Masaman curry paste
- Milk

Method:
Mix the curry paste with the right amount of milk. (as suggested on the curry paste tin). Let this mixture simmer on a slow flame. Stir constantly to remove lumps. Once the curry begins to boil add the fish filets. Tilapia cooks within 10 minutes on a medium flame, if not sooner.

Serve with jasmine rice.

Lamb Biryani

Ingredients:
1 lb lamp (cut into medium pieces), ½ packet Shan biryani mix3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter), 2 onions (finely sliced), 6 cups water, Few strands saffron, 1 bay leaf, Few cashewnuts

How to make lamb biryani:
· Add Shan biryani mix to lamb and mix well.
· Allow to stand for 15 minutes at least, overnight if possible.
· Heat oil in a large saucepan, sauté onions until burnt brown and keep aside.
· Add marinated meat to a pressure cooker and cook for about 5 whistles.
· Cook rice separately in rice cooker with ghee and bay leaf.
· Dissolve the saffron in ¼ cup milk.
· Start layering the meat, onions, rice and saffron in a big wok or pressure cooker.
· The layers are as follows: rice, saffron milk, lamb, onions. Repeat until you have 3 layers.

. Cover the wok and cook on a low flames for 15 minutes.
· Garnish with slightly sautéed cashew nuts.

Enjoy.

Front Page News

Front Page News is a New Orleans restaurant bringing authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine to you. This restaurant is on Moreland Avenue at Little Five Points. The wide outdoor seating and loud music makes it the perfect place to kick back and enjoy a happy Friday night. For an appetizer I ordered the buffalo potato wedges – a big portion of potato chips with a savory seasoning and dip. For the entrée we had the signature Jambalaya and the grouper sandwich. The jambalaya was a perfect Louisiana mix of shrimp, sausage and crawfish.

One can really make a pleasant evening out of dinner at Front Page News. That half a mile stretch at Little Five Points boasts of quaint cafes, pizza parlors, off beat clothing stores, bead shops, an ethnic food store, psychic and tarot reading parlors, used book shops and ice-cream shops. Check it out!

Berry Strata

I made this dessert a couple of weeks ago. The recipe is Giada's, straight out of The Food Network.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons honey
4 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup orange juice
4 slices of bread, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
1 (10-ounce) bag frozen mixed berries, thawed and drained

Directions
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Turn off the heat, add the honey, and stir to combine. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the eggs, ricotta, and sugar. Using a fork, mix to combine and beat the eggs. Add the milk, orange juice, butter and honey mixture, and bread. Stir to combine. Gently fold in the berries.

Place the ingredients in a 10-inch round (2-quart) baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the strata until golden on top and baked through, about 40 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon into dishes and serve.

It came out OKAY. There are a couple of things I'm going to do differently when I make it next time
- Use a nice, sweet bread.
- Double the quantity of honey
- Add an extra flavor - maybe nutmeg.
- Serve chilled instead of warm
- Serve with whipped cream.

Vietnamese Spring Roll

This recipe is courtesy SR. It’s a cold spring roll, made from tofu and I think it would make an excellent accompaniment to some spicy lo mein.

Ingredients :for the spring rolls - 1) lightly fried firm tofu or rice noodles 2) fresh basil leaves - cut finely 3) julienne cucumbers 4) julienne carrots 5) cubed green pepper 6) mung sprouts 7) waterchestnuts sliced thinly 8) rice paper wrappers - available in asian stores.

Sauce: soy sauce mixed with chilli garlic paste.

Method :
Dip rice sheet in luke warm water, until entire sheet is soft.
Spread over a plate
Add little of all the above veggies and tofu/rice noodles
Fold from top to bottom, left to right

If the picture is anything to go by, I'm sure it's going to be one heck of a spring roll!

Green Pepper Sabzi

This is NOT your regular green pepper sabzi. It's a green pepper (capsicum) and besan (gram flour) sabzi. I had it at SB's place a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I have yet to try it myself.

Ingredients:

2 Green Peppers

4 Tbs Besan

1 Tbs Ghee

1 Tbsp Jeera (cumin seeds)

1 Tsp Red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Method:

Cut capsicum into large pieces, add 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and cook without a lid on medium heat. All the water has to evaporate. Meanwhile add ghee 1-2tbsp in a small pan, add Jeera 1tbsp and let it roast. Then add sifted Besan to this pan and let it roast till the mixture turns golden brown. Once done, add the besan mixture to the capsicum and mix well and cover. Before turning the stove off, add salt and red chilli powder. You can alternatively try the Dry Garlic powder available in Indian stores, or idli podi.

I enjoyed this vegetable with rice, dal and a dollup of ghee.

Guest Posts

You know, I just realized that the last couple of blog posts are all guest contributions. I've been eating some real yummy stuff at people's places and have been asking them for the recipes.

Here's the list
- SK's Martini
- D's BBQ Paneer
- R's Mango Kulfi
- SB's Green Pepper Sabzi (coming soon)
- SR's Vietnamese Spring Rolls (coming soon)
- Uncle V's Fish Fry (coming soon)

I'm loving it. It saves me the effort of experimenting and typing recipes and of course adds tons of character to my blog!

Happy Meal

BBQ Chicken

Jalepeno corn bread. (The regular corn bread mix with finely chopped jalapenos added to it)

Stir fry green beans.

Cucumber slices

A Happy Meal on a Happy Sunday, not so long ago.

Mango Kulfi

A Kulfi is a frozen dessert, like an ice-cream but far more creamier. It's origin is in the Indian sub-continent and is usually available in flavors like saffron (kesar), pistachio, mango and other regional fruit.

I had a delicious mango kulfi at R's place last week-end. This is her recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cans evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
1 can nestle table cream
1 can deep alphonso mango pulp. (available in Indian grocery stores)

1 fresh mango

Method:
Blend all 5 cans with a hand whisk and make it smooth. Fill the creamy mixture into molds and freeze. You can buy ice-cream/ popsicle molds or use an ice-cube tray as well. Garnish with fresh mango cubes and pistachios.

My all-time favorite kulfi is the custard applekulfi. The custard apple is another ethnic Indian fruit, from the apple family. It is also commonly called the 'sugar-apple'. Try it, you'll never look back.

Cosmopolitan - Shaken Not Stirred

This is SK's first contribution to my blog. No surprise, it has alcohol involved. This is a Cosmopolitan - Shaken Not Stirred. (The phrase is a James Bond original and is usually used with a Vodka Martini.)

1 oz vodka 1/2 oz triple sec 1/2 oz lime juice 1/2 oz cranberry juice
Shake vodka, triple sec, lime and cranberry juice vigorously in a shaker with ice. (don't stir it). Strain into a martini glass, garnish with lemon peel or olive.

SK made a frozen olive cube for this drink (see image). He inserted a toothpick into an olive and set it in water, in an ice tray. I thought it was pretty neat and the technique can be used with cherrys, limes and others garnishes as well.

The martini was strong but smooth. Good job mister.

BBQ Paneer

Last week-end we had an impromptu BBQ at Dunwoody Station, my home for 3 years and what was once know as Post Dunwoody. True to our barbeque tradition, it was last-minute and of course, we had a cloudy sky. I think that's what makes it so special. So here's a recipe courtesy D whose contribution was a delicious BBQ Paneer.

Ingredients:
Paneer cubes
Nanak or Swad paneer tikka masala1 Tbs ginger garlic paste1 Tbs chilli sauce2 Tbls tomato ketchup1 Tsp Tandoori masala

Method:
Mix all the ingredients and toss in the diced paneer.
Marinate for 1 hour.
Grill or bake in oven.


We had fun. The only thing missing that day was the sing-song ice-cream van.

Relocating

My 'restaurant review' section of this blog has relocated to a more lucrative and visible spot in cyberworld.
I am now at
http://www.examiner.com/x-10372-Atlanta-Ethnic-Restaurants-Examiner
Receipes and other food-finds will still be here.

Noodle

I love noodles. And I really liked Noodle. An Asian chain with three locations across Atlanta, Noodle is a noodle-lovers delight. The menu featured food from countries across the Oriental; the flat variety which I think is Malaysian, the white vermicelli-like Sinagporean noodles, pad-Thai, noodle soup typical to Vietnam and of course Chinese lo-mein.

I played it safe with Chinese and therefore got it right. SK wasn’t so fortunate. His peanut based Thai noodles wasn’t all that appetizing. We were a group of 8 and unfortunately were seated at a long rectangular table…. Not very conducive to chit-chatting I must say. I loved the decor and the chairs though; but then, I’m always a sucker for a stylish bar –stool. I kept comparing it to The Real Chow-Baby though, and I have to say that this place is almost as good. Overall, it was a good experience.

Thai Curry Chicken

Well I finally made the Thai curry chicken last week. I'd actually bought the paste and the coconut milk from Whole Foods six months ago. I thought it would be a project, but it turned out to be super simple.

Ingredients for curry:
2 tablespoons oil
1 diced onion
3 teaspoons Thai curry paste (all grocery stores carry it)
1 cup of coconut milk

1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt

2 tbs fish sauce (soy sauce is its closest substitute)
I red pepper - cut into big chunks
1 cup rice (Jasmine preferably)

4-5 uncooked skinless chicken breast fillets—cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour) mixed to a paste with 2 tablespoons water
4 large fresh basil leaves—finely sliced

Method:

HEAT the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. ADD the curry paste and cook, stirring, for a minute. ADD the coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar and salt, then bring to the boil. ADD the red pepper and cover with a lid, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 12 minutes. ADD the chicken to the curry and simmer, covered, for a further 8 minutes. ADD the cornstarch paste to thicken the curry and stir conctantly. Finally and basil. SERVE on a bed of rice.

French Toast

Who doesn't know how to make French toast? Take some old bread, beat up some eggs, dip the bread and you're done. Right?

Right!

But I thought I'd add a twist to it and found something interesting on Food Network, courtsey Alton Brown.

Ingredients
1 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf.
4 tablespoons butter

Directions
In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

I also added a little bit of nutmeg. Turned out quite nice I must say.

Pura Vida

Pura Vida was an absolutely wonderful Latino restaurant that we went to a couple of weeks ago. "Pura Vida" is apaprently the most oft' used phrase in Costa Rica. Literally translated, it means "Life is Great" or "Living it Up". That's exactly what this little restaurant in the heart of Virginia Highlands embodies - the constant belting of Salsa numbers, the impromptu dancing and cha-chas and the loud chatter of guests amid the din and clang of glasses and silverware; just my kind of place.

This is a tapas only place. SK had a special sugar-cane Mojito while I had a very potent sangria. We sampled an assortment that included the sizzling mushroom, the salmon which was the day's special, the garlic shrimp and the chicken empanadas. Everything except the shrimp was great. Somehow I always go wrong with shrimp - a tad bit too undone for me. For dessert we had a home-made coffee ice-cream. I would love to go back to Pura Vida, perhaps with a big bunch of friends. Until then, 'Live it Up!

Roasters

Well first of all, welcome back to Atlanta. After a three month long hiatus, I'm back to blogging from the place I now call home. Since I fell back in my blog posts, I now have a stash of rather interesting restaurants and foods to write about. I will begin with a little-known place on Roswell road that serves lip-smacking Southern food; the kind that Paula Dean would call ‘comfort food’.

‘Roasters’ is a Southern chain that, among its loyal patrons, is known for its simple home-style cooking. It’s no wonder that I was referred to this place by a longtime Atlanta local. The menu is rather overwhelming actually; there’s everything from the ubiquitous hot wings to baby back ribs and biscuits. Warm bread rolls and corn muffins were served complimentarily with big dollops of butter. The glutton in me chose the combo as for the entrée – a combination of ¼ rotisserie chicken and a plate of pulled barbeque pork. It had a choice of 2 sides – fried okra and corn niblets for me. I can’t for the life of me remember what SK chose. I guess that’s why should immediately document my ‘findings’. I do recall the dessert though, who wouldn’t! – a warm peach cobbler with vanilla ice-cream. No wonder the tage line says 'Welcome Home'!

Ousmalieh

Ousmalieh, also spelt as Usmalieh is a scrumptious milk based dessert typical to Lebanon. By definition, it is a milk custard with rich, butter-toasted kataifi (shredded) pastry and drizzled with rose-flavoured syrup. Like all middle-eastern desserts it's topped with a whole lot of chopped pistachios.

We enjoyed it as much as we did the Baklava. I would love to find a store in Atlanta that sold it....Costco you think ? :-)

Restaurant Traiteur

On our second night in Paris we ate at a Lebanese restaurant. You could see it was a family owed and operated business by the way the mai-tre d' informally mingled with the guests, had his sons double up as servers and of course spoke aloud to the head chef each time he made an appearance. It was great! Authentic for sure.

Many restaurants have a fixed dinner menu where for about 25 Euros you get your drink, appetizer, entree and dessert. We noticed this in a couple of different places. I had a drink called Kir which apparently was supposed to be a traditional blackcurrant wine and SK chose the Arak, another middle-eastern speciality with vodka and aniseed. The flavors were too pungent and the drinks a little too heady. The appetizer turned out to be a sampler of 6 different items from hummus to Lebanese kebob and baba ghanoush (image above). For the entree I had the lamb chops and SK the chicken (but naturally!). Dessert was of course Baklava (no Mediterranean meal is complete without it) and a Lebanese speciality called Ousmalieh. I will save the details of this very sinful dessert for my next post.

French Breads

Marie Antoinette may have asked her people to eat cake if they couldn't find bread but I can tell you one thing for sure; contrary to what she said, there was whole alotta bread in France. Every nook, corner, square and alley has a little bakery shop or boulangerie. The most popular variety seemed to be the baguettes. I think more than sliced bread, the French prefer baguettes where they can cut their own chunks.

My favorite however was the pain au chocolat; a French speciality than G jn had been raving about for the longest time. It's a little croissant stuffed with pieces of chocolate. Another popular kind is the brioche, sweet bread, usually with raisins, caramel or powdered sugar. On our last day, we went to the cutest little cafe on Champs Elysees called Brioche Doree. The picture above will probably do a better job of describing the delectable little croissants we ate. Of course, if you're in Paris and really don't know what kind of bread to choose, there's always French toast! Nothing like eating French toast in France :-)

Q

We had to sample the local fast-food, for one meal at least. Q - Quick is the equivalent of Mc Donalds in France - fast, cheap and a mouthful! The only difference - the French use a whole lot of mayo instead of ketchup. Mayo and french fries ..... try the combination, once at least.

Crème Brûlée

Our Crème Brûlée; spooned into from both sides......

38 Eiffel

Paris is full of little bistros, cafes and brassieres. A cafe primarily serves hot beverages and confectioneries. A brassiere on the other hand is a cafe with a more relaxed ambience serving whole meals; from the appetrizers to the dessert. A bistro is a restaurant, very informal, usually with outdoor seating and modestly priced dishes. They may not even have printed menus; mere chalk boards with the 'Plat du Jour' may suffice. This of course, to me, only serves to enhance the whimsical Parisien experience!

38 Eiffel was a lilttle bistro; a stone's throw away from the Eiffel Tower. We wined and dined here on our first night in Paris. It was a little too chilly to sit outside though I must say that the cane furniture and chequered table cloths were very inviting. The inside was warm and cosy. We were one of the last few patrons and had the priviledge of having the waiter's undivided but non-intrusive service. I don't remeber what red wine we ordered but I do remember it being very heady. Our main course consisted of grilled salmon (for me) and baked chicken (SK). While both dishes bordered on bland, I had the satisfaction of knowing that the food was authentic French cuisine. Both entrees were accompanied with a host of mildly spiced vegetables and of course French fries!

For dessert, we had a fantastic creme brulee.

Crepes

Crepes are perhaps the most ubiquitous street food in Paris. They are like American pancakes, only thinner and sweeter. Like New York city that has a pizza parlor around every street corner, Paris has a crepe stand on every block and every rue. So what makes them so popular? I think it's the toppings. I saw an assortment of toppings; whipped cream, chocolate, nutella, raisins, bananas, other fresh fruit, powdered sugar and jam. A crepe without a topping would be like a hotdog without the mustard, ketchup and relish - Boring! While I sampled the one with Nutella, SK tried one with banana and chocolate. They were yummmmmmy. Alongside are some pictures we took while the crepes were being made. Once done, they are folded twice, wrapped in wax paper and are ready to be eaten. Add a cup of steaming hot coffee and you're set to beat the winter chill.

Bienvenue

Bienvenue.... A Big Welcome Back to me and my blog. Why the French? Well I'm still getting over my Paris -hangover and while the memories are still fresh and the food is still steaming, I'd like to begin Chapter 2 of my blog with a brief stopover in France. Paris was wonderful, beautiful and delicious. In fact, we didn't sightsee a whole lot but we made sure we sampled a lil' bit of everything - from local fares to fine cuisine! So the next couple of posts are dedicated to France, our honey-moon and SK. Cheers to you.