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Category Archives: TASTE TRAVEL
Mistral lunch in Gigondas
The village of Gigondas is located at the foot of the impressive Dentelles de Montmirail. We were warm in the car when we drove to the center of town and saw that the terrace of l’Oustalet was open. Beautiful May … Continue reading
Posted in 2008, 2009, FOOD, France, Red, Restaurants, Rhone, TASTE TRAVEL, the road
Tagged 2009, CDR, Cotes du Rhone, Dentelles de Montmirail, France, Gigondas, l’Oustalet, Les Deux Albion, Longue Toque, May, Rhone, rosé, Rouge, St Cosme
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Veronica’s spring risotto
One of Veronica’s long time dreams was to buy food and cook it in her own kitchen in Paris. Her dream came true this spring. Saturday morning found us at the Bio market on the boulevard des Batignolles loaded down … Continue reading
Posted in 2009, FOOD, Recipes, Rhone, White
Tagged 2009, asparagus, Bio market, Blanc, Boulevard des Batignolles, Chateauneuf du Pape, chive flowers, Clos du Mont Olivet, peas, rice, risotto, Sabon, taleggio
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Behind the scenes @ Le Jardin Gourmand
They were just back from Rome, to get away while the work was being done. Work being a total make over of the restaurant Le Jardin Gourmand. « We had to do it to be ready to face the next 10 … Continue reading
Posted in 1996, 2002, Burgundy, FOOD, France, Restaurants, TASTE TRAVEL, What is in my glass?
Tagged 1996, 1er Cru, 2002, Ambonnay Rouge, Auxerre, biscuit, bitterness, Bousserau, Chassagne Montrachet, chizeaux, dayton de cuba, Egly Ouriet, fatty, foie gras, France, garden, Gourmand, Heinz Beck, Italy, Jardin, La Pergola, La Romanée, Le Jardin Gourmand, leaves, liquorish, mustard, olive, Olivier, Olivier Laplaine, Pierre, Pierre Boussereau, Rome, roquette, smoked, speculos, spiciness, spring, tannins, truffle, Verget
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Those Brittany boys….
“White and purple !!” I exclaimed, truly shocked. “Where do these sea urchins from?” “Brittany.” Replied Colette “I’ve never seen anything like these !” “Neither have I.” She admitted, almost as shocked as I was by her own remark. If Colette has … Continue reading
Posted in FOOD, France, Paris, TASTE TRAVEL
Tagged Brittany, brown, Colette, complex, complexity, fishmonger, floral, ginger, Iceland, Japanese, meaty, Montmartre, Paris, Pepone, Poissonerie, purple, red fruits, sea urchin, white
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Colette and the sea urchins
No one picks out sea urchins like Colette. She’s got it down to an art. Picking them up delicately and with the slightest shake of the wrist, she weighs each one in her knowing hand. Oui, là, ils sont bien … Continue reading
Posted in FOOD, France, Paris, TASTE TRAVEL, White, WINE
Tagged buttery, Chardonnay, cold water, Colette, collette, fishmonger, floral, France, gamy, ginger, Iceland, mineral, Montmartre, Norway, oursins, Paris, Poissonerie Pepone, Red, sea urchins, Spain, violet, yellow
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Saturday morning breakfast @ Batignolles Organic Market
On cold blustery days (the kind we’ve had a lot recently) the tarps covering the market stalls look like they’ve been pulled extra-tight together, huddling up close in solidarity. On the nicer, sunnier days, there is a little jazz trio … Continue reading
Tang, Coquilles and St Julien
I’ve mentioned Resturant Tang before as one of my absolute favorite places in Paris. I know a lot of his dishes, but on my last visit, he surprised me with this scallop and spicy soy sauce recipe. Scallops (Coquilles St Jacques, … Continue reading
Posted in 2004, FOOD, France, Paris, Restaurants, TASTE TRAVEL, what am I drinking with this dish?, WINE
Tagged 1er Grand Cru Classé, 2004, 2eme Grand Cru Classé, 2nd wine, balance, bitterness, Bordeaux, Charlie Tang, Chateau de La Tour, Chinese, Clos du Marquis, Coquilles St Jacques, Leoville Las Cases, Medoc, mouth feel, Paris, Pauillac, Red, restaurant, Restaurant Tang, scallops, soy sauce, spice, St Julien, Tang, vintage
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Christian Etienne and unexpected truffles…
The streets of Avignon are dead on this wintry night with the exception of a few Chinese tourists. How did they get here? Where is everyone else? We arrive late at Christian Etienne, but when we open the door, we … Continue reading
Posted in 2007, FOOD, France, Restaurants, Rhone, TASTE TRAVEL
Tagged 2007, Alary, apple, apple pie, Avignon, beets, bitterness, Cairanne, Christian Etienne, citronella, consommé, desert, harmony, ice cream, lobster, Oratoire, Oratoire St Martin, pistachio, Provencal cooking, Provence, Rhone, scallops, South of France, soy, sprouts, sweetness, truffles, vanilla
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Truffles and Chardonnay @ Le Chassagne
The 2004 Bernard Morey Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Les Embrazées, was a little disappointing because it was reduced (needed air) and never fully expressed its potential, both of terroir and vintage. Chardonnay, even if disappointing on its own, tends to … Continue reading
Posted in 2004, Burgundy, FOOD, Restaurants, what am I drinking with this dish?, WINE
Tagged 1er Cru, 2004, artichoke, Bernard Morey, bread, Burgundy, butter, Chardonnay, Chassagne Montrachet, cream, egg, Le Chassagne, Les Embrazées, pepper, reduction, salt, Stéphane Léger, truffle
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Haddock and beets @ Le Chassagne
I have a soft spot for chefs who use beets. Surprisingly complex aromatically with an interesting mixture of red fruits and earthiness, beets are an under-rated vegetable. My most recent visit to Le Chassagne, chef Stefane Léger brought out a … Continue reading
Posted in 2001, Burgundy, FOOD, Restaurants, what am I drinking with this dish?, WINE
Tagged 2001, acidity, beetroot, beets, bitterness, Burgundy, Chassagne Montrachet, chips, Corton Clos du Roi, crunch, Le Chassagne, orange rind, peach, Pinot Noir, Pousse d’Or, smoke, smoked haddock, Stéphane Léger, texture
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Chicken rice @ Maxwell’s
A six-hour layover in Singapore, the airport so near the city, we decide to go into town for dinner and head to Maxwell’s hawker center in Chinatown. The place is the size of a large gymnasium, open on all sides … Continue reading
What are we drinking in Vietnam?
Forget about wine. There is no wine here. Most people haven’t even heard of wine and wouldn’t know how to serve it if they did. Not that I hold it against them, they have other priorities. It used to be … Continue reading
Posted in Asia, TASTE TRAVEL, Vietnam, What is in my glass?, WINE
Tagged 333, Fosters, Heineken, Saigon, Tiger, Vietnam, WINE
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fresh spring rolls @ Ben Than Market
She makes it in front of my eyes within seconds. It looks so easy. Rice paper, noodles, shrimp, and a tiny slice of chicken. Roll, tuck et voila. Some herb that I have never seen sticks out of one end. … Continue reading
Posted in Asia, FOOD, TASTE TRAVEL, Vietnam
Tagged Ben Than Market, chicken, noodles, Saigon, sauce, shrimp, spring roll, Vietnam
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Big Ben Than Market Saigon
It’s a mistake to walk into Ben Than Market through the front. You’d never think there was anything BUT aisles and aisles of t-shirts and counterfeit bags of all big brand names you can imagine. Engulfed in sea of textile … Continue reading
Posted in Asia, FOOD, TASTE TRAVEL, Vietnam
Tagged bean curd, beans, Ben Than Market, bulots, butcher, cockles, conches, Fish, ice, leaves, offal, pork, razor clam, rice, Saigon, saltpepperlime sauce, shellfish, shrimp, spice, spl, vegetables, Vietnam
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that little market in Saigon
Its time for breakfast. And we are in the streets of Saigon with a mission: find the little street market we’d liked so much the last time we visited Saigon a couple of years ago. Even with a good sense … Continue reading
truck stop lunch in Phan Thiet
Just booking the car is an adventure. How long does it take to drive from Saigon to Nha Trang? Everyone we speak to has a different answer. “The roads are good, you can drive fast. 4hrs.” “The roads are only … Continue reading
Posted in Asia, FOOD, TASTE TRAVEL, Vietnam
Tagged beef, cuttlefish, garlic, herbs, leaves, Mui Ne, Nha Trang, pepper, Phan Thiet, pork, rice, spice, truck stop, Vietnam
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Vinh’s nem
One night in Nha Trang, Vinh took us home to his flat for some dinner. He’d made chicken and rice soup, but on the way home he stopped off to pick up an appetizer, as non-eventfully as we might stop … Continue reading
Laksa for breakfast
Empty street of Chinatown in Singapore Our flight out of Singapore is early on Sunday and Chinatown is virtually empty when we wander through looking for some breakfast. We stand at a cross roads thinking about our options: eat at … Continue reading
Posted in Asia, FOOD, TASTE TRAVEL
Tagged breakfast, Chinatown, coconut milk, Fish, fried wantons, Hawker center, Laksa, noodles, Singapore, spice
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Singapore Noodles
Just throw it all in there. Thin noodles. Bits of pork. A little bit of shrimp. Some egg. A few greens. And a little bit of spice, but nothing aggressive, just aromatic. This is snack in Chinatown after finally arriving … Continue reading
Unexpected Beaujolais Nouveau 2009
When he handed me the bread, and I realized that it was warm, I thought, “this is too good to be true”. How can you have a Beaujolais nouveau day without a glass (or three) of Beaujolais? Someone with some … Continue reading
Posted in 2009, Beaujolais, FOOD, WINE
Tagged 2009, Beaujolais Nouveau, Bordeaux, bread, charcuterie, delicious, Duboeuf, Gamay, pork, SNCF
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